I would disagree with number one as would many judges and other attorneys. The best legal writing is crisp, clear, and concise. Anyone outside of the legal profession should be able to get the gist. All writing except creative writing, should be the same.
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There are very few generalists in the profession. The same attorney I would hire to draft a complicated business contract would probably be the last one I would hire if my kid were thrown into jail for attempted murder. There are thousands of retired lawyers out there who spent their entire careers without drafting a single contract just as there are thousands who never saw the inside of a courtroom. But, knowing something about accounting? Go for it! It comes in handy for so many things!
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Me!
In practice, there is a lot of writing that is anything but concise. For example, news or investigative journalism stories about some data aimed at general readers will sprinkle anecdotes into the story in order to be more interesting to general readers, since many people believe anecdotes over data.
Also, how concisely one can write depends on whether the reader is within the field and therefore understands the field-specific jargon and base knowledge, or is a general reader who needs the jargon and base knowledge explained.
OP: You’d do well to focus on the ever-elusive “fit”, as no matter what school you attend, you’ll need very good grades in order to get acceptance at a top LS. So see what school is best for you, as all the schools you’ve listed will get you into a top school…so long as you’ve got very good grades(and LSAT score to match).
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Who says the use of anecdotes means the writing is not concise? Anecdotes =/= rambling.
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AM Law 100 EP here. I’ve had to fire and hire new associates. We take too 10% in T1 LS for summer clerks. However, I’ve started to dip lower for a well rounded candidate. The top 10% can be somewhat stunted socially (broad brush, I know). Yes some practices need brains on a stick, but I’ve found most all successful rain makers have a well rounded experience to offer and know that as an EP more than half you time is spent developing and maintains relationships. You are presumed to know the law and can hire a brains on a stick and put them $300k to do the hard work. But to be successful ($1M plus per year), you need clients. And that requires relationship building.
Point in case, our board is made up of the most successful in our firm. There is only 1 person on our Board from an Ivy. The rest are not.
My advice: study what interests you. Yes, in case you decide not to do LS. But still, if you do go to LS, go into LS with a purpose. You like studying the stars? Ok, go practice space law (developing but still obscure field). You like saving the environment? Great, study environmental science and then go to LS to be the best environmental attorney.
DONT go to LS to be a “lawyer” or someone who plays lawyer. People get sucked into the lifestyle and money and end up hating their career and burn out. Find something you love, whatever it is, and then layer LS on top of that.
One last point: lawyers need to stop saying they are bad at math. When compared to engineers, yes, we don’t use math often. But lawyers are on the inside of ALL complicated financial transactions. And, even more basic, counting damages. We all use math, sophisticated math, all the time. Ok, off my soap box.
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Can someone take pity on a non-lawyer parent and translate the above quote into English?
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AM Law 100 refers to an annual ranking by the American Lawyer publication of the highest revenue grossing law firms. This ranking tells you as much about law firm sizes as anything else, but it is a usual reference point for “large/major” firms. IMO the list that tells you more about the health of a law firm’s business is Revenue per Lawyer. The AM law lists are behind a paywall, but this article provides the top 10. There is only an overlap of 2 firms in the top 10. A Deep Dive Into The 2021 Am Law 100 Rankings - Above the Law
Not sure about EP, but in the context of the post, I am guessing Existing Practitioner?
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Bigwig at a law firm most lawyers in the country are familiar with.
I’m guessing executive partner.
Equity Partner. Ownership interest in the partnership. Compensation based on share of partnership vs. salary/bonuses)
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Getting back to this OP, for a particular student, there is not going to be a significant difference in T14 law school admission among these undergrad options.
A relatively less important factor, as another poster mentioned, might be military service following attending the Naval Academy, an experience that would add something to a law school application, as would work experience after graduation from any of the other colleges.
I would also emphasize that undergrad prestige is not relevant to the significant role of law school prestige in BigLaw hiring.
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EP would be equity partner.
Yes, makes sense. In my day, non-equity partners were not a thing. It was pretty much up or out. I always thought it was not a good business decision to not give a path to good productive lawyers(maybe not a great marketer/business developers, but good practitioners).
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The hope was always that they would move in-house and become clients.