Law Blog

2006-03-06T21:20:00.000-05:00

Professional Ambitions
"To put it quite simply: I want to go to law school and become a law professor."

Technology in the Law Classroom:

Capital University in Columbus Ohio has wireless internet in every classroom

Students do research online through Westlaw and Lexis (online databases)

Professors email students updates

Professors maintain class websites to provide additional materials to students

Some professors provide instant messaging office hours

I'm glad technology is available to help them." -Capital Law Professor

Technology for General Lawyer Use:

"I can keep updated on important current events online... I can get emailed as soon as a big news story breaks." -Capital Law Professor

"Larger corporations always have the advantage of more and better technology, but there will always be smaller ones surviving along side them." -Robert Jackson

Some jurisdictions now file court cases online

Municipal Court- can look up cases online (but not yet Franklin County Common Please Court)

Resources:

Law School Websites

Stanford

UCBerkeley

UCLA

UToledo

Student Resources

Law School Confidential

LSAC

Kaplan's Practice LSAT

US News & World Report

Princeton Review

Law School Discussion

Find Law Student Resources

Law News

Legal Times

Law Fuel

Find Law News

Findlaw.com

Other

Salary.com

Blawg Tips

American Lawyer

Legal Term Glossry

Important Skills

Some websites knowledge, email list

How to search databases

Willingness to accept new technology

Focused on usability (be open to criticism and new ideas)

Understanding of intellectual property

What's to Come:

More courts adopting database systems for record look-up

More internet communication

"I can see courts accepting online filing." -Theo Kafantaris

Advice

"[Students] need to be alert and open minded. You never know what you're going to get and if you don't have an open mind it will be a struggle to adjust and take what life gives you." -Robert Jackson

"One of the most important things to teach future lawyers is what's currently going on. Laws are always changing and different cases are always being won." -Jack Smith

"Students should take everything into consideration." -Robert Jackson

Law School

2006-02-27T11:40:00.000-05:00

Recently I have been meeting many people who are considering going to law school or tell me what a great idea it is. Everyone has an opinion to offer and surprising I haven't had anyone crack a lawyer joke or tell me that being a lawyer is a bad thing. I feel like sometimes it has such a sigma attached to it, yet everyone in college sees great advantages in going on to get a law degree. Everyone agrees that you can do anything with a law degree and it will only help. Some of my friends are taking practice LSATs and getting ready to apply this fall. I'm not there yet, but seeing them do it is helping me get ready by knowing what to expect.

Law School Discussion

2006-02-26T11:38:00.000-05:00

Here is yet another great resource for law school students. It has information avialable for pre-law studnets as well law school students and graduates. There are several categories of information: discussion, resources, books, and blogs. All of those contain some great information for prospective and current law school students.

Find Law Student Resources

2006-02-25T15:36:00.000-05:00

Find Law Student Resources is another good tool for law school students. It has links to information on law schools, law reviews, the bar, law school outlines & exams, faculty & course pages, and several other types of resources. Navigation is easy and there is plenty of information availalble.

Legal Term Glossary

2006-02-23T23:33:00.000-05:00

Glossary

This is a great resource for people needing help with the definitions of legal terms. You just type the term into the box and it comes up with several variations of what you might be searching for. You then click on the correct one and it gives you the definition. Definately a useful tool for law school students.

Florida

2006-02-15T12:53:00.000-05:00

Ok, I can't help but post some personal information this week instead of a more law related entry. I am leaving for Florida next Thursday, as soon as class is over. I couldn't be more excited. My Dad's 50th birthday is next week, so my parents, brother, and I are all going to Sanibel Island off the coast of Ft. Myers. We are going to eat good food, go shelling, and visit some fun shops. It's going to be a very relaxing three days that I definately need. This last week has been a little rough and some time in the sun and warm weather will help me a lot.

I'll post some more about it when I get home next week, but I'm sure it'll be a good time.

NeoNazis in Toledo

2006-02-15T12:44:00.000-05:00

A little bit more about Toledo. This summer a NeoNazi group came to demonstrate their white supremist feelings. I believe that they actually came because a Toledo man in his blog posted that his white son was being picked on in class for being white. This definately poses an interesting question for laywers in the area. The first time they visited Toledo riots broke out and it destroyed several business downtown. So, they came back. I definately think this is an interesting issue to consider when thinking about moving to Toledo.

The University of Toledo

2006-02-14T12:34:00.000-05:00

Since I am from a suburb of Toledo, I thought I might talk a little bit about the city and what the University there might have to offer. Downtown Toledo is home of the Mud Hens (minor league baseball) and the Storm (hockey). The Mud Hens got a new stadium a few years ago and it's very nice. The Storm is getting a new rink soon, so that is something to look forward to. Other than a few bars/dance clubs, there is not that much else to do downtown. Across the river are some great restaurants. They are a little pricey, but the food and service are definately worth it. The University is not located downtown, but downtown is just a short drive away. Most of life in Toledo happens in the suburbs. The mall just got made over a year ago and brought in some great new stores and a movie theater. There is a new mall in Perrysburg (a suburb of Toledo) and that brought in yet another movie theater. Toledo is also known as the Restaurant Capital, so if you like to eat out, Toledo is a great choice!

Supreme Court

2006-02-14T12:22:00.000-05:00

The Supreme Court is an extremely important court in the legal world. The Supreme Court Justices make decisions that affect every American and what is considered constitutional. I feel like this image really shows the power and beauty of the physical building and what goes on inside it. This image inspires the same awe in me that the decisions made there do.

http://www.angeljustice.org/img/original/4United%20States%20Supreme%20Court%20112904.jpg

I can't wait for law school

2006-02-13T00:05:00.000-05:00

I can't wait for law school. While I still have another year and a half here at OSU, I cannot wait to go to law school. This weekend I have ended one chapter of my life and am moving onto a new one. As much as I am enjoying undergrad, I am getting ready to move on and experience what else is out there. I really think I want to go to one of the several law schools in California. I can only imagine what it would be like to have the sun shine every day and be 70 degrees year round. I used to feel like I didn't want to rush into the rest of my life, but now I feel like I'm ready to move on. So just another year and a half and I'll be out where the sun shines.

American Lawyer

2006-02-12T23:53:00.000-05:00

American Lawyer on the Web is a great news source for lawyers, law student, law professors, and anyone else looking to get updates on the legal world. It is more professional looking than the other websites I've looked at in the past. It also includes online surveys that are different than what I've seen before.

Moritz College of Law

2006-02-10T23:23:00.000-05:00

Ohio State's Moritz College of Law is another college I'm looking into. It is conveniately located a few blocks from my house. I obviously love Ohio State's campus. I know a lot about the housing options and my way around Columbus. However, Moritz is not ranked as high in typical law school rankings as the other colleges I'm looking at. However, it is a great back up option. Drinko Hall is extremely nice and I've met many students there who are extremely nice.

Blawg Tips

2006-02-07T13:06:00.000-05:00

I was searching the web looking for other law blogs, seeing what they have to offer when I came across a great post. Not only did I learn what a blawg (a law blog) is, but I got some great tips on how to make your blawg great. The post is a few months old, but the material in it is definately worth a look at.

Here's the basics to Blawg Review #38 & how this blog measures up:

Mix it Up

Think of Your Weblog as a Magazine

I think I provide similar content to what a magazine would provide.

Provide Both Information and Opinion

I feel like my blog provides plenty of concrete information about the universities I've visited and what the resources I've reviewed are about. I also feel like I have offered my own personal take on each of these and what I think about them.

Link Freely to Other Weblogs

I'm not doing so well in this area. Most of my links are to resources that aren't blogs. I need to work on this one.

Prove You Have a Personality

Reveal Something About Yourself

My professional ambitions entry reveals a lot to the reader about who I am and where I'm going.

Don't Fear the First Person

I use first person regularly.

Don't Neglect Your About Page

I'll admit that I do not have much written in my profile. However, I am using this account for several very different blogs and feel as though different sides of my personality should be expressed to each blog. So I'm failing here.

Be a Better Writer

Get Rid of the Cliches

I don't think I use a lot of cliches, but I should start making sure that I am not using them in my writing.

Omit Needless Words

I try to do this every time I revise an entry, but should probably be working on it every time I write an entry.

Seek Out Models

I have been reading the other students' blogs for class and researching other law related blogs online. I feel like they are great models for my writing.

Write for the Computer Screen

Use Short Paragaphs and Bullets

I'm using bullets right now. I think my paragraphs are short enough as well.

Stick to One Topic Per Post

I think I do this well with my reviews on separate posts.

Work on Your Titles

I agree that I need to work on mine and make them more interesting.

Use Photos

I have used photos, but probably not as often as I could have.

Don't Be Obscure

Don't Run a Private Club

I feel like I explain any "jargon" I might use (as I have explained blawg here) and don't refer to people my readers might not know by first name.

Provide Context for Your Links

I think I do a decent job reviewing each link I post and letting my readers know what they'll find there.

Make Your Site Easy to Navigate

I hope my site is easy to navigate. Any links I've used in posted are listed to the right and my archives and previous posts are listed there as well.

Build a Community

Get a Blogroll

I need to look into this.

Encourage Comments

I am not doing much to actively encourage comments, but the option is available. Maybe I should encourage people in my post to comment on what I'm talking about.

Be Generous to Other Weblogs

I am not doing a great job at linking to other blogs, but I will work on fixing this.

Experiment with New Weblogging Ideas/li>
I've changed the layout several times and tweaked different things here and there.
Don't Let your Weblog Make You Crazy

I'm not.

Read the whole post to get explanations and lots of examples.

Schaeffer, Evan. (January 2, 2006). Blawg Review #38. Evan Schaeffer's Legal Underground. Retrieved February 7, 2006 from http://www.legalunderground.com/2006/01/blawg_review_38.html

Princeton Review

2006-02-05T23:50:00.000-05:00

The Princeton Review is another great resource for prospective students. It has several articles on how to prepare for law school, how to get into law school, and law school rankings. There are school search options and information on different careers. Definately a great resource to check for prospective students. Also a great thing for faculty to check out see what is being said about their law school and others, and what students are doing to prepare to get into law school.

US News & World Report

2006-02-05T23:39:00.000-05:00

Us News & World Report anually ranks law schools. If you buy the magazine you can get the complete details for each law school. Online, if you pay, you can recieve the same service. However, the ranking is available for free along with the details for the top two law schools (Yale & Harvard for 2006.) The different measures they use are peer assessment score, assessment score by lawyers/judges, '04 undergrad GPA 25th-75th percentile, '04 LSAT 25th-7th percentile, '04 acceptance rate, '04 student/faculty ratio, '03 grads employed at graduation, employed 9 months after graduation, school's bar passage rate in jurisdiction, jurisdiction's overall bar passage rate. Definately something all prospective students and faculty looking to change university should check out.

Kaplan's Practice LSAT

2006-02-04T22:06:00.000-05:00

Kaplan offers several practice LSAT tests each year. They are offered on campus in a classrooms just like the real LSAT. It is a full length test and timed just like the real LSAT including timed breaks. However, at the end, the proctors go over a couple of test taking strategies. They also explain what other services they have to offer and give discounts to people wanting to sign up for specific events. Answers and an analysis of how test takers performed is available a few weeks after the test date. All students who are planning to take the LSAT should take advantage of this service. You can register through their website for a location near you.

There is one being offered February 26 on Ohio State's Campus.

Last February, I took a practice LSAT test through Kaplan. It was a great experience. I had not previously been exposed to the LSAT and found the atmosphere to be a lot like taking the SAT or ACT with fewer people in the room. We were in a room that could seat over 100 people, but there were only about 20 of us there. I learned a lot from just taking the test and even more when they went over some strategies. Getting my results before I began preparing for the test was a great way to gauge how well I was preparing and to see what improvements I was making. I recommend that students take a practice test before they start preparing so they can see how far they've come.

The advantages of taking a practice LSAT include:

Getting to know the format of the test.

Getting a feel for long the test takes.

Knowing what kinds of questions are in each section.

Learning basic strategies for each section of the test.

Learning where to find additional test preparation tools are

Finding out where you are starting from so you can see where you are going.

Kaplan. LSAT Prep | Law Schools Admissions Consulting. (2006) Retrieved February 24, 2006 from http://www.kaptest.com/repository/templates/Lev2InitDroplet.jhtml?_lev2Parent=/www/KapTest/docs/repository/content/Law

BuckeyeThon

2006-02-04T01:21:00.000-05:00

I am currently at BuckeyeThon- a 14 hour dance marathon to raise money for Children's Hospital. While this isn't exactly lawyer/law professor/law student related, I think this is an important event that everyone should know about. Everyone who registers as a dancer raising money (their goal is $150 for each dancer) and then dance for 14 hours straight (9pm-11am). The dancers are divided into different color teams who dance for a specific child in need. My team, the yellow team, is dancing for a 12 year-old girl with heart problems. She will be stopping by with her parents around 9am. I know that the little money each of us is raising won't make a huge difference, but I hope it can help. I also hope that knowing we are dancing for them will help brighten their day.

There are lots of different activities here for the dancers to while we are waiting (access to Macs is one of them.) There are board games, magazines, video games, crafts, and different sports. The only rule is that you can't sit down for the full 14 hours. That is a long time in the middle of the night. Again, as I said before, I know this isn't really law related, but I just wanted to let people know what's going on and what people are doing to raise money for children in need.

University of California at Los Angeles

2006-01-29T22:16:00.000-05:00

I visited the University of California at Los Angeles this summer. The campus is a lot like Ohio State's campus. Except there are palm trees. UCLA is ranked in the top 25 according to most rankings. They had a nice self-guided tour that prospective students can take. It leads you through the law building and into the law library. The people in the admissions office were very helpful. UCLA is at the top of my list of law schools I want to apply to.

Lawyer Jokes

2006-01-27T11:52:00.000-05:00

This Lawyer Jokes and Cartoons website provides several categories of lawyer jokes (like judge jokes, lawyer fee jokes, criminal jokes, and divorce jokes.) There are several pages under each category. Great site if you are looking for some occupational jokes.

LSAC

2006-01-26T21:29:00.000-05:00

The LSAC website is a great resource for prospective law students. It is neatly organized with all of the links/menus on the the left. It contains information on the LSAT, the lSDAS (a service all law school applicants must register for), comparisons of different law schools, and other information for prospective students. I hightly recommend it to all prospective law school students (even ones in the early stages who are not thinking about applications or the LSAT yet.)

Professional Ambitions Revised

2006-01-24T15:24:00.000-05:00

What I want to do...

To put it quite simply: I want to go to law school and become a law professor. Of course, nothing in life is quite that simple. You can't just randomly apply to law schools and hope to get into one that will meet your needs (or even hope to get in to any without serious preparation.) Getting to law school is my first big challenge, especially since I want to become a professor down the road. If I don't get into a top law school it will be much harder to find a job as a professor (every college wants the "big name" colleges represented in their faculty.) After I get to law school I need to do well and then I need to land that perfect job.

Image:
(2005). How to Become a Lawyer. Legal Careers Online. Retrieved January 24, 2006 from http://www.legalcareersonline.org/legal-articles/how-to-become-a-lawyer.html

Why I want to do it...

I'm not going to lie and say I've wanted to be a lawyer ever since I was little. Actually, I never thought about it until I came to Ohio State and discovered there was no way I could become a doctor (taking Honors Chemistry first quarter freshman year was one of the worst choices I ever made. I also can't forget that I have an irrational fear of needles. I can't even watch other people get shots!) So I did some soul searching freshman year, realizing that I was back to the drawing board. Winter quarter I took Econ 200 because I was thinking about Actuarial Science (ok, so maybe I didn't think hard enough about that one) and it required the class. I fell in love with economics (trust me, I already know I'm crazy). I immediately decided I wanted to major in economics. I wanted to major in it through Fisher, the business college, not Arts and Sciences. However, there is not much to do with an economics degree. I also realized that two years is a very short time and I'm not ready to enter the "real world." So I thought about getting an MBA, but you have to have work experience to get into an MBA program (not going to happen with a degree in econ). So I somehow stumbled upon the idea of going to law school. I did the research and decided that I think I have what it takes to make it into law school and succeed while I'm there. I haven't changed my major or my future career path in almost two years (which is a huge deal for me since I actually changed my major before freshman orientation!)

Image:
(2006). Frequently Asked Questions About Hepatitis A. CDC. Retrieved January 24, 2006 from http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/a/images/needle.jpg

What I need to do...

To succeed in law school I need to be able to read and process a lot of long documents that won't be of much interest. I also need to be able to write well. Many students are done with writing courses once they take their sophomore English class. One of the first classes L1's take in law school is a writing course. So, I need to be able to write and read well. I have taken on a professional writing minor to help me write better. Through the four required courses and writing internship I'm hoping I can "perfect" my writing skills so that I can succeed in the classroom a few years down the road. Law students need to know how to think analytically and process what they read to apply it to other cases. Economics is the best course work you can do for that. (That's why so many pre-law students are econ majors.) I am certainly taking enough econ courses to help me with that.

Image:
(2003). Royalty-Free Clip Art Collection for Foreign/Second Language Instruction. Retrieved January 24, 2006 from http://tell.fll.purdue.edu/JapanProj/FLClipart/Verbs/read.gif

What I'll do for you...

This blog will contain information on different law schools for both students and faculty. I will include links to websites that contain comparative information and links to the law schools websites. I hope to provide a comparative look at the different law schools and to get information that would be helpful for law school professors and those considering that career. I also hope to provide information on current law events to help keep updated on the field.

This summer I visited law schools in California as a prospective student. I think these experiences will provide an interesting insight. I am also planning several other visits during this quarter as a prospective student to law schools in the Midwest. Hopefully I can use these experiences to add to the information I will be providing here. While I will be looking at these school as a prospective student, I may be able to obtain information about teaching law once at their university.

While right now I don't know any one specific to interview, the Ohio State's law college is just a quick walk away from where I live. I'm sure I'll be able to find law students, prospective law students, faculty, and many advisors to interview.

So this is what to expect...

I'll provide you with links to websites (plus a summary and critique of them) like:

Law News Sites

Law School Websites

Different Law School Comparison Websites

Lawyer Job Search Sites

I'll also provide reviews of different books I've read:

Books on How to Get into Law School

Books Comparing Different Law Schools

Booklets Published by Law Schools for Prospective Students

Books on Teaching Law

Law Books in General

Intellectual Property Law

2006-01-22T21:40:00.000-05:00

Intellectual Property (the topic of the last few class readings) is a very interesting subject for lawyers. In fact, there are many lawyers devoted solely to intellectual property. Many engineering undergrads later become patent lawyers and help people write patents for their creations or help people get around patents so they can make similar creations (there are two sides to every coin.) I, in fact, have several friends in engineering who are considering going to law school at some point down the road to study patent law and become patent lawyers.

As an individual listening to the different arguments, I can frequently see both sides. For the pharmaceutical patents I understand the need for a lengthy patent (it costs billions to make an effective, safe drug and many failed attempts before finding one that works!) But I also see the point that being able to change the color and extend the patent is ridiculous.

We address the issue every time we post to our blogs for this class. As we examine websites and other materials for review, we must make sure we are not stealing their ideas or what they have covered, but are just reviewing them and crediting them properly. As one case pointed out, it is possible that it is illegal to not link to the home page. So we need to be careful to make sure we are not doing anything illegal or anything to upset or offend anyone.

Drinko Hall

2006-01-22T21:32:00.000-05:00

This is a picture I found online of Drinko Hall (Ohio State' Law Building). As a current Ohio State undergrad, this building is pretty important to me. I think this picture actually makes it look a lot more normal than it is. Anyone who has seen the building knows that architecture is actually very unique. It's like a large triangle (which you can sort of see in this picture.) The inside is actually very nice. I feel like this is a good picture to be putting out there for prospective students to see.

The University of California at Berkeley

2006-01-21T15:26:00.000-05:00

The first college I visited during my California trip was The University of California at Berkeley (note that the tour guide frequently pointed out they are The University of California and they were around before Ohio State.) While they have a very beautiful campus and are located near San Francisco, the tour guide made me sure I never want anything to do with that branch of The University of California. The tour guide gave the impression that Berkeley is extremely stuck up and I actually didn't learn much about the college other than the ways they are better than Stanford (and quite frankly, I don't care.) He stopped to point out "NL" reserved parking spaces, making us guess what the NL stands for (Nobel Laureate.) I guess that's cool. In any case I wasn't impressed: I don't plan on applying there and it would take a whole lot of money to get to me live there after I graduate.

FindLaw.com

2006-01-20T20:14:00.000-05:00

FindLaw.com is a resource I previously looked at from a news perspective. However, I want to look at the site in more detail to see what else it has to offer. The first page lists several categories to look at:

Accidents & Injuries

Bankruptcy & Debt

Car Accidents

Criminal Law

Dangerous Products

Dviorce & Family Law

Employee Rights

Estate Planning

Immigration Law

Real Estate

Small Business

Under each category are several other categories which all contain links to several "articles" offering legal advice. They are easy to read and look like a great source for the public, but do not necessarily offer much information to lawyers.

However, at the top of the page is a tab to select "For Legal Professionals" instead of "For the Public". This provides the viewer with different options. There is a Research the Law sections with several subsections, a Legal Market Center that helps locate products and professional services for law firms, and practice tools that links to other websites that may be helpful. It also has a link to the news section I reviewed previously.The subcategories include many different search options that could be helpful for lawyers.

Law School Application

2006-01-15T20:23:00.000-05:00

My law school application consumes my life. It always on the back of my mind. Every time I make a decision what it will look like on my application comes to mind. I know if I study just a little longer and get a better grade that will look better. Or if I put up with some of the things I don't like about my sorority and keep my executive board position that will help me with my application. When I think I about studying abroad, I think about how that will help me with my appication. I know that it is making me a better person. Studying harder is making me learn more and will make me better prepared for the long hours I will have to put in when I'm in law school. I know that sticking with my sorority and trying to make changes for the better are teaching me skills I will need later in life. Studying abroad will also teach me things about a different culture and also things about how law works in another country. Thinking about my law school application is molding me into a better person.

Salary.com

2006-01-15T20:13:00.000-05:00

The chart at Salary.com lists average salaries for law school professors. The average salary they have listed is $95,093. It also offeres analysis by state/metro area so that you can see information for an area you might like to move to. I think this is a great resource.

Stanford

2006-01-14T20:05:00.000-05:00

This summer I visited Stanford University as prospective law school student. I feel what I saw there is helpful for any prospective student or professor. The campus was really large (they actually have a gas station on campus.) There are many grassy areas and lots of trees. However, it is not actually located in Sanfrancisco like I orginally thought (it's quite a drive there.) There are so many more advantages for law school students in a large city (where there is not a long commute for internships.) I also felt like it would be a great place to attend for undergrad, but the setting I was looking for for graduate school. Even though they have what is generally ranked the second best law school in the country, I didn't think it had the right feel. Student also had to bike across campus because it was so large (they have two zip codes!) I don't think I want to attend law school there as a student or as a professor.

Law School Confidential

2006-01-13T19:45:00.000-05:00

Law School Confidentail: A Complete Guide to the Law School Experience
By: Robert H. Miller

This book was recommended to me by someone who applied to law school (and is now a student there) last year. It covers the application process and the first year of law school. There are interviews with law school admissions officers and tips that aren't normally published. One tip for the first year was for students to buy several colors of highlights to highlight the readings so they could quickly answer questions in class. I strongly recommend this book to anyone considering to go to law school or people considering instructing law students. Professors who read this book will know what law students are expecting which can help them out.

Right Now

2006-01-08T23:33:00.000-05:00

Just want to let everyone know where I currently am in my law school search. This past summer I visited several law schools in California including Stanford, UC Berkley, Hastings, UCLA, USC, and Pepperdine. I am hoping to visit the University of Michigan this quarter, Ohio State, and some other area schools. I hope to visit the East Coast schools this summer. I am a junior, but plan on graduating in December of my fifth year. So I will be delaying law school and taking the LSAT a year later than normal.

I will write more about each college I visited later, but I definately decided to apply to UCLA and USC. They are a lot like Ohio State and I love it here. I feel like I will be able to suceed at another college similar to Ohio State. I was surprised that I actually didn't like Stanford, which was my first choice for undergrad.

I have also several books on getting into law school and LSAT prep. I will discuss each one in more detail later, but I strongy encourage anyone thinking about Law School to check a few books out of the library for a feel of what you're getting into. I know law school is going to be challenging, tiring, and even boring at times, but I at least I am going in prepared, knowing this. I have also learned that the LSAT is the most important factor in law school admissions because it helps predict how you will do on the bar exam. So while I'm working hard to raise my GPA from a shaky start freshman, I will spend the better part of next year studying for the LSAT. There are many tools available to help you study for the LSAT from classes, to pratice tests, to books on "unique" techniques. Hopefully I can do well enough to get into the university of my choice (which ever one that ends up being.)

Econ is a fairly common major for pre-law students. However, I feel like I have a slight twist because I'm in econ through the Fisher, so I actually take more business classes than I do econ classes.I also feel like my professional writing minor will help prepare for the massive amount of writing I will do in law school. I want to be as prepared as I can in law school because once you graduate that's real life.

Law News

2006-01-04T21:26:00.000-05:00

Today I used Google to find a few law news sites to review. Overall they were somewhat difficult to navigate and not very professional looking. However, they had some great content for people trying to stay up on law news.

Legal Times

The Legal Times paid for a spot at the top of Google's list so I visited there first.
It contains several sections:

Legal Busines (Recent News, Inadmissible, Calendar of Events)

National (Recent News)

Court Watch (Recent News, Recent Decisions, Supreme Court, Verdicts)

In-House Counsel (Recent News)

Points of View (Recent Commentary, Letters to the Editor)

After Hours (Recent Features)

There are also special reports and Pratice Focuses. The main page has links to the above sections on the left, a column of the top stories of the day (with brief abstracts), and a list of law.com services on the right. The layout is a little busy, but you can still find many things it offers. There is also a site search option and several links at the top directing you to other areas of possible interest.

After looking at the sections in closer detail I found that there is only one Legal Business article published per day. Also you must subscribe to read many of the past articles. There is approximently one National article published per week and again many of them are not available without a subscription. Courtwatch seemly be published as necessary- there are sometime multiple articles published a day or weeks between articles. The Recent Decisions section of it contains abstracts that give enough information to know the outcome, but none of them are available in further detail without a subscription. In-House Counsel is published monthly but doesn't provide many details without a subscription. The Recent Commentary in Points of View is not available without a subscription and nonsubscribers can't even see the subjects of letters to the editor. After Hours is also only available with a subscription and is updated monthly.

This looks like it might be a great resource for subscribers. However, for someone looking for free updates this is not a great option.

Legal Times. January 2006. 15 January 2006.

Law Fuel

At first glance Law Fuel appears to have a better layout. There are only three columns (instead of the four Legal Times had). The first column contains links to News Headlines, Press Releases, Articles, Resources, Jobs, and some advertisements. The center column is the widesst and contains articles titles with their source and abstracts of the articles. The third column is narrow and contains google advertisements. There is a scrolling marquee at the top of the page with titles that are linked to their articles. The articles are linked to a summary which is also linked to the full article on the source's website. You can register with the website for free, but registration is not necessary to access most of the articles.

Law Fuel. January 2006. 15 January 2006.

Find Law News

The layout is not very professional looking. The main column starts with the date and Top Legal Headlines. There are several article titles with one sentence summaries. The articles listed here are all available for free without registration at the webpage. There are also US Law, Special Coverage, International, Entertainment, and Sports categories. All of which contain articles with a legal nature. All of these articles are available for free. However, the format of the articles is not very appealing. Most of the articles are very short and do not contain very many details.

I was most impressed with Law Fuel. I would recommend it to anyone trying to stay up-to-date on legal news. It is free and visually appealing.

Find Law News. January 2006. 15 January 2006.

Professional Ambitions

2006-01-03T12:19:00.000-05:00

I plan on attending law school after graduation from Ohio State. I would then like to teach law at another university. My professional blog will contain information on different law schools and the different advantages and disadvantages of each law school for both students and faculty. I will include links to websites that contain comparative information and links to the law schools websites. I hope to provide a comparative look at the different law schools and to get information that would be helpful for law school professors and those considering that career. I also hope to provide information on current law events to help keep people updated on the field.

This summer I visited law schools in California as a prospective student. I think these experiences will provide an interesting insight. I am also planning several other visits during this quarter as a prospective student to law schools in the Mid West. Hopefully I can use these experiences to add to the information I will be providing here. While I will be looking at these schools as prospective student, I may be able to obtain information about teaching law once at their university.