He illustrates the wide variation in
law school grading curves, and points out that some schools have already been raising their grading curves, presumably to gain an advantage in the employment market.
The bad news is that you got
bad law school grades, you are not in the top 25 % of your class, and you are not sure what to do.
Besides placing a strong emphasis
on law school grades as an indicator of legal aptitude, Cravath also looked for other qualities — a passionate dedication to the practice of law as a profession, a willingness to work hard and meticulous attention to the quality of the work.
Motivated in large part by the recent striking down of reverse discrimination laws and practices in the California and the consequent reduction in the numbers of Black and Hispanic law students in that state, as well as a sense that although the LSAT
predicts law school grades well it doesn't predict success as a lawyer, the authors devised their own test of who should be admitted based on whether they would make good lawyers.
Since law graduates at more elite law schools tend to have higher LSAT scores, and attending an elite law school does not predict future high performance, the predictive power
of law school grades within law firms is probably attributable to higher levels of motivation.
And
while law school grades aren't a good measure of lawyering skills, grades are, for better or worse, the most quantifiable measure of law school success.
So, if you find yourself in any of these positions, take a deep breath, know you are anything but alone, and consider the following perspectives on the fundamental importance (or lack thereof) of
law school grades as a measure of your worth as a human being.
Over at Crime & Federalism, Michael Cernovich agrees that The VC's Orin Kerr has done a public service with his post, «A Few Thoughts on First -
Year Law School Grades.»
At the same time, grades should not be disregarded, particularly
because law schools grade on a curve and probability of getting a higher grade decreases in an exponential fashion.
Each year, the Legal Writing Institute (LWI) and the Association of Legal Writing Directors (ALWD) conduct a national survey of legal writing programs.48 The 2010 survey shows that almost all required legal writing classes are graded, with grades that are included in students» GPAs.49
Most law schools grade the required legal writing program based on the same mandatory curve as other required first - year courses.50
Sanders writes that his interest in the relationship
between law school grades and law firm success originated with his study on the fate of minorities at large firms, which we earlier posted about here.
Copies of University transcripts, including undergraduate and
Law School grades available at time of application (updated to the end of the most recent semester);
Leslie M. Rose follows with a critique of
current law school grading practices that calls upon legal writing faculty to break away from norm - referenced grading for the more effective criteria - referenced grading scheme.
In the period between hiring and commencement of the clerkship, candidates are expected to
maintain law school grades comparable to those achieved when hired.
A good mentor should give tell you how to succeed in law school, how to move past
bad law school grades, and how to make the most of your law school experience.
If a candidate graduated from a non-elite law school,
law school grades tend to become much more important in hiring decisions.
Use these tips to maximize
your law school grades (GPA).
Once you have a job,
your law school grades are basically irrelevant.
While
the law school grading process is most commonly derided by those law students and lawyers who fall on the western side of the bell curve, I rarely hear of law professors challenging the grading process — until now.
A little arithmetic goes a long way when it comes to
law school grades.
There are good ways to cope with bad
law school grades, but the hit to your GPA is real.
See also Fearfully Optimistic's series on
the law school grading curve.
Fox News commentator Greta van Susteren — whom we last saw here criticizing
the law school grading process — returns with another controversial statement, this time about the upcoming Vice Presidential debates.
There's a degree of randomness to
law school grades and you never know how you're going to perform.
If I were starting up a law firm today, and wanted to hire new graduates whom I felt certain would be effective, reliable and profitable,
law school grades would be a minor consideration.
Law school grades, rightly or wrongly, are by and large what determine if you can land an articling position which is, of course, a requirement to be called to the bar.
Depending on how much stock you put into research carried out by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), it's been more - or-less proven that LSAT scores help predict
law school grades.