Chapter 7: Courts

1. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Sage Publications Inc. 1

2. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts • If you are considering a law career, there is good news and bad news. • Good news - there is a surfeit of branches that one can specialize in. • Bad news – you will be attending three more years of college after you receive your Bachelor’s degree. • If you don’t already possess the skills for analytical thinking, problem solving, being persuasive, and writing creatively, law school will groom you for employment. Sage Publications Inc. 2

3. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts • Law graduates can find careers in politics, business, publishing, real estate, education, the arts, social services, criminal justice, and more. • Typical arenas for lawyers include law firms, corporations, private practice, and government agencies. • Pursuing a law career is a two-step process • Getting into a top law school • Acquiring decent employment following graduation • The starting point for this process starts yesterday. Sage Publications Inc. 3

4. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts • More important than any other criminal justice career, you need to start as early as possible engineering your credentials. • So naturally, the earlier you decide where you want to end up, the straighter your course will be getting there. • There is an old saying that people who get lost tend to walk in circles? • A German psychologist by the name of Jan L. Souman once did an experiment and found that it was true. Sage Publications Inc. 4

5. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Law School • What is the difference between law school and other degree programs? • In most Master’s Degree programs you specialize in a particular field. • In law school your curriculum is diverse. • You then specialize in a particular area of law after graduation. Sage Publications Inc. 5

6. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Law School • Another difference is seen in the very first year of law school, the most challenging of the three year stretch, which exposes you to numerous courses and plenteous reading, but no periodic quizzes to assess your progression. • Instead your testing is done at the end of each semester, generally in the form of essay questions. • The format in the classroom is also different than most other programs. Sage Publications Inc. 6

7. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Law School • Professors utilize the Socratic Method, stressing student-professor interaction via open-ended questions, making it imperative that students attend all lectures and participate enthusiastically. • To encourage student participation, and assure fairness, law schools typically use a number system on tests instead of students’ names. Sage Publications Inc. 7

8. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Law School • Law schools are ranked by U.S. News using a number of criteria, such as peer reviews (Deans and Faculty), lawyer and judge reviews, student’s median LSAT scores, student’s median GPAs, acceptance rates, placement success rates, employment rate for graduates, bar pass rate for graduates, available faculty resources, percentage rate of teachers to students, and the campus law libraries. Sage Publications Inc. 8

9. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Top 20 law schools for 2014 1. Yale University $53,600 per year (full-time) 2. Harvard University $50,880 per year (full-time) 2. Stanford University $50,802 per year (full-time) 4. Columbia University $55,488 per year (full-time) 4. University of Chicago $50,727 per year (full-time) 6. New York University $51,150 per year (full-time) 7. University of Pennsylvania $53,138 per year (full-time) 7. University of Virginia $46,400 per year (in-state, full-time) 9. University of California-Berkeley $48,068 per year (in-state, full-time) 9. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor $48,250 per year (in-state, full-time) Sage Publications Inc. 9

10. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Top 20 law schools for 2014 11. Duke University $50,750 per year (full-time) 12. Northwestern University $53,468 per year (full-time) 13. Cornell University $55,220 per year (full-time) 14. Georgetown University $48,835 per year (full-time) 15. University of Texas-Austin $32,376 per year (in-state, full-time) 15. Vanderbilt University $46,804 per year (full-time) 17. University of California-LA $45,221 per year (in-state, full-time) 18. USC-Gould $52,598 per year (full-time) 19. Univ. of Minnesota-Twin Cities $36,820 per year (in-state, full-time) 19. Washington Univ. in St. Louis $47,490 per year (full-time) Sage Publications Inc. 10

11. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Law School • The search and application process is time consuming, costly, and unavoidable. • You will find yourself in a competition with other students across the country in which there are no winners or losers, but there are good, better, and best. • There are two criteria all law schools look at when reviewing applications. • Grades • LSAT scores. Sage Publications Inc. 11

12. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Law School • Because there are more applicants than available seats, law school admission committees inevitably draw on a variety of additional data and tools to select their law students. Other criteria that are considered include: · Letters of Recommendations and other evaluations · Personal statement or essays (Maturity, communication skills) · Undergraduate course of study Sage Publications Inc. 12

13. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Law School • Other criteria that are considered include: • Graduate work (if any) • College attended • Improvement in grades • College curricular and extra-curricular activities • Ethnic/Racial background • Writing skills Sage Publications Inc. 13

14. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Law School • Other criteria that are considered include: ·Work experience or other experiences (Service in the armed forces) · Community activities (Demonstrated commitment to service) · Motivation to study and reasons for deciding to study law · State of residency · Obstacles that have been overcome (Economic, discrimination, disability) · Past accomplishments, leadership, honors, awards, and personal talents Sage Publications Inc. 14

15. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Law School Admission Council • What to do first? • The best step you can take right now is register with the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). • The registration is free and can be done on-line in minutes at LSAC.org. • The LSAC is a nonprofit corporation that offers services and products that improves and eases the admission process for law schools and applicants. Sage Publications Inc. 15

16. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Law School Admission Council • LSAC processes academic credentials for as many as 60,000 law school applicants annually, provides necessary software and information for applicants and admission offices, conducts conferences for prelaw advisors and law school professionals, sponsors and publishes research, funds outreach grant programs, and publishes law school guides and LSAT preparation books. Sage Publications Inc. 16

17. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Law School Admission Council • Creating your own account with LSAC enables you to participate in the Candidate Referral Service (CRS). • Law schools may hunt for specific applicants on the basis of distinct characteristics such as ethnicity, undergraduate major, law school preferences, and other attributes. • Candidates who generate an LSAC account may authorize release of their CRS profile to all law schools participating in the CRS. Sage Publications Inc. 17

18. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Law School Admission Council • Signing up with LSAC allows you to use the Credential Assembly Service (CAS) so you can request letters of recommendation and academic records just one time in order to apply to multiple LLM (Master’s) programs, which you can do electronically. • Being an LSAC member also enables you to search for law schools by location and interest. Sage Publications Inc. 18

19. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Law School Admission Council • One of the benefits of setting your sites early on law school is the opportunity to manipulate your GPA. • Students tend to be somewhat blasé in their efforts when they are just going to school for a degree. Few jobs put as much weight on GPA as law careers. • If you slack off for even one semester or try to take too many classes in a semester, it could drop you below those who are able to generate a stellar GPA. Sage Publications Inc. 19

20. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Law School Admission Council • You can go to lsac.org and take a look at the correlation of GPA, LSAT score, and admission likelihood. • This knowledge will give you a landmark that can help keep you focused each semester when you get tempted to blow off an assignment. • The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is of upmost importance. Sage Publications Inc. 20

21. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Law School Admission Test • The LSAT is a half-day, standardized tool administered four times per year at testing centers all around the world. • It is designed to measure essential skills needed for law school. The test consists of five 35-minute multiple-choice exams of which only four contribute toward the final score. • There are four sections that contribute to the score and there is a 35 minute written test at the end of the exam. Sage Publications Inc. 21

22. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Law School Admission Test Four 35–minutes categories Reading Comprehension Analytical Reasoning Logical Reasoning 1 Logical Reasoning 2 Sage Publications Inc. 22

23. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Law School Admission Test • The 35-minute writing exercise is done at the end of the test. It is not graded by LSAC, but it is sent to law schools to which you apply for their use in making admission decisions. • You can find some free practice tests and sample questions at lsac.org, and you can purchase additional practice tests on their site. • There are some great books that can help improve your scores as you take practice tests. Sage Publications Inc. 23

24. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Law School Admission Test • Consider purchasing • The Logic Games Bible • The Logic Reasoning Bible • The Reading Comprehension Bible • The Official LSAT Superprep • 10 Actual, Official LSAT PrepTests • You can also work logic problems from puzzle books while you are on the treadmill or stationary bike. Sage Publications Inc. 24

25. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Law School • Letters of recommendation (LOR) are a necessary part of the admission process. • It is recommended that you contact your professors early in the semester/s and ask if they would be willing to write you a letter, provided you earn it. • How can you earn a letter? Sage Publications Inc. 25

26. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Law School • You may not interact with particular instructors for a period of time and you don’t want to be forgotten, so collect a letter near the end of the semester. • Later on, when you are ready to start your law school application process, LSAC will send an email to your LOR references and ask them to submit their letters electronically. • It is easier for an instructor at this point if the letter is already written and saved. You will be facing deadlines, so you want to make it as easy as possible. Sage Publications Inc. 26

27. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Law School • Personal Statements are another necessary part of the process. • Excellent writing skills will boost you ahead of others who didn’t take the time to have the statement proofread and fine tuned. • In law school, your assessments will almost always be contingent on your ability to write. • Look at every essay and paper assignment as privileges for practice and feedback from knowledgeable professors. Sage Publications Inc. 27

28. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Law School • Contact your professors early in the semester and let them know that you would appreciate more than just a grade. • Let them know that you welcome feedback that will make you better. • Take English classes seriously! • Even classes that seem to be a waste of time can be of benefit if you approach them as job preparation. Sage Publications Inc. 28

29. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Law School • Law school admission committees may consider your undergraduate studies. • Criminal Justice degrees are acceptable and applicable, but there are several other relevant degrees, majors, and minors that would also be equally eye-catching on your application. • These include History, English, Communications, Political Science, Business, Psychology, Accounting, Economics, Finance, and Philosophy. Sage Publications Inc. 29

30. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Law School • An appealing stand out for law school applications (and resumes) is community involvement. • It is important for law school admission and important for the job search that follows. • It exposes your unselfish character if you are compassionate with others and give of your time and talents for the betterment of society. Sage Publications Inc. 30

31. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Law School • Be a volunteer at an agency that also gives you experience of some relevance. • Join a club at your college and participate with the activities. • Volunteer to help students with disabilities. • If you can come up with 3-4 entries on your application for volunteer/community activities, you will be a step ahead of your lackadaisical competition. Sage Publications Inc. 31

32. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Law School • Work experience tells a story about you, hopefully a good story. • It is difficult to work while attending school and trying to achieve an impressive GPA. • Any official part time work that spans at least a year can boost you ahead of your idle opponents. • It is best to work for a business that has some kind of consistent schedule with pay checks and taxes deducted. Sage Publications Inc. 32

33. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Law School • Questionable jobs, working with family members, and jobs lacking consistency might not translate into a notable entry on your application. • Consider eight hours every Saturday, or a couple of four-hour shifts on week nights. • If you are interning during the day and working school into the schedule, don’t change a thing. • Remember good, better, best! Sage Publications Inc. 33

34. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Law School • Honors, awards, talents, and leadership experiences can add zest to your personal statement. • Did you ever win a spelling bee, a dance competition, or employee of the month? • Did you ever make the honor role or dean’s list? • Did you ever win an award in a science fair or speech festival, or maybe earn your Eagle Scout award? • Were you ever on student council or serve as an officer in any type of organization? • Did you serve on a church mission where you learned a foreign language and possibly gained some leadership experience? Sage Publications Inc. 34

35. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Law School • How are you going to pay for law school? • About 88% of law students finance their education. • Living entirely on a student loan during your three-year law degree might be your only option. • Being over $100,000 in debt upon graduation may deter some students from pursuing a law career, but it is the only viable avenue for most. Sage Publications Inc. 35

36. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Job Search The Wall Street Article also stated “The 2011 data reinforce the notion in the industry that students from the top 14 U.S. law schools have little trouble finding work. The top-ranked schools sent graduates into long-term legal jobs in high numbers, but 87 lower-tier schools had placement rates of 50% or less” Sage Publications Inc. 36

37. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Job Search • Networking amplifies your job potential. • It involves meeting people who are doing what you want to do and conducting an informational interview. • You will learn more about the market and at the same time make valuable contacts. • Identify people you can contact. • Mail a letter, send an email, or make a direct phone call. Sage Publications Inc. 37

38. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Job Search • To formulate questions, you will want to do your homework to learn all you can about the contact’s practice. • You will want to be in business dress for the meeting and have with you a pen, a pad of paper, and your resume. • These interviews are a good time to show your resume and ask for advice on how it can be improved. • You can also ask advice on how you can improve your presentation. Sage Publications Inc. 38

39. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Job Search • Possible topics you might cover with your contacts: • Contact’s position, career path, and background • The typical work day • Positive and negative features of his/her job or practice • Structure of the organization and practice • Practice of law in the geographical area Sage Publications Inc. 39

40. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Job Search • Possible topics you might cover with your contacts: • Future prospects and growth • Obligations this type of job places on life outside the office • Important factors used in hiring • Advice on how to be more marketable for hiring • Suggestions for other people you could speak with Sage Publications Inc. 40

41. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Job Search • During your final year of law school you will want to update your resume. • Hopefully you will add some new information from your first two years of law school. • The expectations for a quality resume from a law grad are significantly higher than what is submitted to enter law school. Sage Publications Inc. 41

42. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Job Search • Your participation in law school will have enhanced your vocabulary significantly. • You will want to replace any weak verbs with stronger language. You will want to use more specific statements. • You will want to add a section titled Relevant Coursework and Professional Organizations. • Remove high school information that helped you get into law school and replace it with data that will impress professionals. Sage Publications Inc. 42

43. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Job Search • Your third year is the time to beef up networking activities because most jobs are filled by word of mouth. • You want your name to be tossed around at potential firms even before they consider posting a job opening. • Take good care of yourself! Sage Publications Inc. 43

44. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Job Search • It is common during school for students to disregard their health and stress management and put on a few extra pounds. • In order to think clearly and stay positive, you will want to exercise often and eat a healthy diet. • Remember, attractiveness is one of the most influential assets one can have, which includes confidence and overall attitude. Sage Publications Inc. 44

45. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Job Search • Resources: • Martindale-Hubbel Law Directory (www.martindale.com) • The West Legal Directory (www.lawschool.Westlaw.com) • NALP Directory of Legal Employers (www.nalpdirectory.com). • Chambers Guides (www.chambersandpartners.com) • Law Periscope (www.lawperiscope.com) • Legal 500 (www.legal500.com) • Hieros Gamos (www.hg.org) • U.S. News & Law Firm Rankings (www.bestlawfirms.usnews.com) Sage Publications Inc. 45

46. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Job Search • Resources: • Government Honors & Internship Handbook • Public Policy Handbook • Federal Careers for Attorneys ( www.lawschool.westlaw.com) • PSJD Guide to Government Careers (www.psjd.org) • DC Resources: The Legal Times (www.law.com/dc) • Federal Legal Employment Opportunities Guide • The Plum Book (www.gpo.gov/fdsys/search) • The National District Attorney’s Association Website (www.ndaa.org) • National Legal Aid and Defender Association Sage Publications Inc. 46

47. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Job Search • Resources: • National Assoc of Atty General (www.naag.org/attorneys_general.php) • The Internship Series • Yellow Book Series • PSJD • International Public Service Resources (www.psjd.org/resource_center) • Job Fairs • Midwest Public Interest career Conference Sage Publications Inc. 47

48. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Job Search • Resources: • PSJD (www.psjd.org) • Public Policy Handbook (www.law.arizona.edu/publicpolicyhandbook) • National Legal Aid and Defender Association (www.nlada.org) • Serving the Public: A job Search Guide, Action Without Borders (www.idealist.org/career/career.html), • Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) (www.pililaw.org), • Symplicity Job Bank, Sage Publications Inc. 48

49. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Job Search • Resources: • The Internship Series • Public Interest Firms (www.pslawnet.org/publicinterestlawfirmcareers) • Capital Defense Resources (www.law.berkeley.edu/capitaldefense.htm) • U.S. Courts (www.uscourts.gov) • Online System for Clerkship Application and Review (www.oscar.dcd.uscourts.gov) • Recent Federal Confirmations (www.judges.law.yale.edu) Sage Publications Inc. 49

50. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 7: Courts Job Search • Resources: • Federal Administrative Law Judges Conference (www.falgc.org), • Federal Judicial Center (www.fjc.gov) • Almanac of the Federal Judiciary (www.westlaw.com ) • Federal-State Court Directory • Guide to State Judicial Clerkships • National Center for State Courts • Judicial Staff Directory • Judicial Yellow Book. Sage Publications Inc. 50