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About Sally A. Kane
Expertise
As a recent law school graduate who excelled in law school, I can answer questions regarding the law school experience including preparing for and applying to law school, excelling in law school, law review, legal writing tips, the law school curriculum, exam success, financing law school, balancing work and school, clerkships and externships, job interviewing and more. I do not answer homework questions.
Experience
I have thirteen years’ experience in the legal field, ten as a litigation paralegal and three as a corporate attorney. During law school, I juggled many priorities including a full time job, law school and a newborn baby. In law school I served as a law review editor, wrote for student publications and completed two externships, one with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and one with the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Publications
I have published law and career related articles in a variety of publications including Legal Assistant Today, The Legal Intelligencer, Juris and The Journal of Legal Nurse Consulting.
Education/Credentials
I possess a B.A. in Writing from Edinboro University, a Paralegal Certificate from Duquesne University and a J.D. from Duquesne University School of Law.
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You are here: Experts > Jobs/Careers > Lawyers > Law School > Law school dilemma
Expert: Sally A. Kane
Date: 4/25/2008
Subject: Law school dilemma
Question
Okay, here's where I'm at. I just recieved notice today that I'm waitlisted at Pitt, and I'm still waiting to hear from Case and Albany. Case was originally my first choice because of the dual degree program they have there for bioethics. I want to move into that field of work, not necessarily health law, but medical issues for sure. I honestly, realize now that I'm not even very informed on which sort of career that would yield. Basically though, biomedical ethics is my passion driving this pursuit.
So I also however, recently recieved a 15000 scholarship to go to Florida Coastal School of law.
Now, I still was planning to get the masters degree from case's med school for the bioethics regardless of where else I attend. I know that by going to Case for law school I would encrue much more significant debt and I dont necessarily want to be a powerful corporate attorney, but I do want to have a successful career with a high paying job. Also as I mentioned, I'm not really very certain where my aspirations would land occupation-wise.
What do you advise? I know I don't want to do small-town litigation. I'm uncertain of my acceptance to the tier 1 schools. I know I'm not at a place to be outright rejected (as per the waitlist at pitt) but I only had about a 156 on my LSAT. I am graduating from a smaller liberal arts college, but I excelled in my education thus far and am graduating in three years from there with a 3.7/3.8 GPA in philosophy.
I also haven't contacted any of the schools since initially applying, so I hadn't utilized a LOCI or anything of that sort. And I think the reason for my lower LSAT score was the fact that law school was a last minute decision for me from just looking to get a bioethics masters/dr.
So, advise me?
Thanks,
Katie
Answer
Hi Katie,
Is your question which law school you should attend? There are many considerations that go into choosing a law school. If your goal is a “high paying job” then attending a higher ranked school may increase your employment opportunities. However, if you want to minimize debt, Florida Coastal may be the best choice.
Location is another key factor in deciding between several law schools. The city where you attend law school is often where you will ultimately practice law. Would you rather practice law on the Florida coast or Pittsburgh? When I applied to law schools, I also was accepted to Pitt but choose a lower ranked school because of its location.
If you really want to pursue the bioethics degree, you must also evaluate which law school offers the best health law program. Of the law schools you mentioned, Pitt may offer the best program at the most competitive price. Pitt’s health law program is highly respected and the law school offers a joint degree program in which you can obtain a JD/MA in Law and Bioethics.
Unfortunetly, there is no clear-cut answer as to which law school you should attend. Ultimately, the decision is up to you.
Good luck!
Sally A. Kane, J.D.
About.com Guide to Legal Careers
http://legalcareers.about.com/
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