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February 3 — Desperado

(I'll spare you the song; there's too much disagreement as to the "best" version.)

Actually, a better title might be "Desperately Seeking Applications." It's amazing how many "please, please apply here" emails my clients have received in the last two weeks. Usually the offer is to let you apply for free.

That tells me that those rumors of two consecutive years of 15%-20% declines in applications are probably true. As with the last several years, application volumes per applicant increased, so some of the decrease in real numbers of applications remains hidden. A school doesn't know how many of its applicants are realy interested, and how many are buying the insurance of one more applicant.

Transparency Is a Two-Way Street

I've heard a lot about law schools misleading applicants about jobs, median LSAT scores, and likelihood of admission. But I haven't heard anything at all about applicants who omit, mislead, or outright lie on their applications. Here are the most obvious instances:

• "Minor traffic violation." Every one of my clients this year said, "I think..." I always respond with "Have you checked your DMV record?" A misdemeanor is not a matter of opinion or subjective analysis. It's a legal definition, and you're required to know whether any of your transgressions have met that definition.
  • How do you find out? The ticket or DMV record should indicate the level of transgression. You can also search the internet for the section number of the law you violated. If that doesn't work, call the DMV and ask someone.
• "Where else have you applied?" "Do I have to answer that?" YES. List ALL the schools to which you're applying; if your list is too long (which should, in itelf, give you a hint), make sure you show a representative sample, from safeties to dream schools.
  • Listing only higher-ranked schools won't make a law school think you're special, and it might make them think you're unrealistic.
  • Failing to list other schools when the instructions say "List all the law schools..." is misrepresentation, and can earn you a misconduct charge.
• "Honors and Activities." Don't turn a day's volunteer work into a semester-long activity. Don't make every activity done through an umbrella group (e.g., a sorority or honor society) into a separate event. And don't make helping out at Dad's office a five-star internship.

If you want law schools to play fair, play fair yourself.

Or Maybe a Three-Way?

That's all for now, folks. Unless something new breaks, you may not hear from me until March 1.