What The “One Big Beautiful Bill” Means For Law Students (And Other Potential Grad Students)

In the recent weeks, the US Senate voted to pass President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” which is a massive spending bill that includes tax cuts, and cuts on government spending. So how does this affect law students and other grad and professional students? Well, the bill includes caps on federal graduate loans, changes the ways that we are able to pay back our loans, and eliminates certain deferment and forgiveness programs. This will affect how students pay for their schooling in the future. In the article I will detail what this means for the future of professionals.

Caps on Federal Graduate and Professional Loans

The “One Big Beautiful Bill” eliminates programs such as the Grad PLUS loan program which will cease to exist after July 1, 2026. This also means that there will be a limit to how much one can borrow for law school and other pre-professional schools. For professional degrees, one can borrow up to $50,000 a year and $200,000 in their lifetime. This can be troubling for law students as the average costs of law school is $217k which is over the borrowing limit. The question begs what will come of this? I can see this going one of two ways. The first being that law schools may lower tuition. I say this because this might be a necessity in order for law schools to not have a shortage on law students. On the other hand, law schools may remain stingy and not change the prices which could make it so that only the rich will be able to go to law school. So how can a future law student prepare for this. First off it is important that you get good grades and a good LSAT score as this will determine how much scholarship money you get. The more scholarship money that you get the less that you will have to pay back. This will really help lighten the load. Also be careful with borrowing private loans as they can have predatory interest rates. Whatever you do, don’t give up and continue to pursue your dream career.

Elimination of Certain Deferments

The last thing I want to talk about regarding the “One Big Beautiful Bill” is that there will now only be two types of repayment plans which are the Standard fixed plan which is a 10-25 year payment plan and the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) which is a repayment plan that takes a payment that is 1-10% of discretionary income and forgiveness only after 30 years. There will be no other loan forgiveness plans and other deferment plans. This may make it so that it’s harder for some law students to pay off their debt. In order to get through this, it is important that you try to borrow as little as possible and go into a legal career that will allow you to pay off the debt. The future of paying for law school has change and it is time to adapt.

Conclusion

Despite these changes there is still hope for future law students. Things have changed but this just means that we need to adapt. It is now more important than ever that you as a future law student try your best to get good grades and a good LSAT score so that you can lessen the burden and the need to borrow money. The future of law school will change but the spirit of law students will not!!!!

What Type of Lawyer Should I Be?

When it comes to being a lawyer many people think of the TV show “Suits.” There is, however, more to the field of law than that. Lawyers come in all different shapes and sizes. Weather in small or large firms, public or private practice, or litigation or corporate there are many avenues that you can take as an attorney, and you have to ask yourself many different questions. In this blog I will talk about The many different areas of law that you can go into in order to find your interest.

BigLaw

The term “Biglaw” refers to working for a very large law firm. These law firms are the most prestigious law firms and many law students work hard in order to get a job at these firms. These firms often will only hire from the top law schools such as Harvard and Yale. So why do people choose this route? Well, for one the pay is great. The average starting salary at a big law firm is $225,000 a year and if you work your way up to partner in a firm your salary could be in the millions. Working for these firms also brings a sort of prestige in the legal field. However, in order to get here it is very competitive and requires long hours. Like I said earlier most of these law firms only hire from top schools. You may also be working 80 hour weeks and have very little free time. So before taking this route ask yourself are the long hours worth it? If not, you may want to consider an alternative path in the legal field.

Small/Medium/Solo Practice

Of course, if you don’t like the long hours and would prefer some sort of work life balance then working at a medium or small firm might be the best option for you. The salary and benefits are still good and will give you most holidays off as well as the weekends off. These types of firms pay around $80,000-$110,000 for first year attorneys. Not a bad salary for coming out of law school. Alternatively, you could start your own practice. Going solo will allow you to set your own hours and have no limit to how much money you can make. However, you may have to work long hours in the beginning in order to keep your practice running. If you have an Entrepreneural spirit, then opening up a solo firm may be a good option for you. All three of these options are great but they are not the only options.

In House/Legal Counsel

In house lawyers typically work for a big company or organization. They help companies with their legal work, and they give them legal advice as well as help the companies settle certain disputes. These types of lawyers make an average of $113,000 a year with many opportunities to increase their wage and with lots of benefits and vacation time. If you like to have a stable legal career and make lots of money with lots of vacation time, then this might be a good option for you.

Public Interest/Government

The last type of lawyers are those that work for public or government organizations. This can include positions such as district attorney, attorney general, or public defenders as well as federal and state judges. These types of lawyers represent the government in court and deal with federal and local state and city cases. These types of lawyers get paid the least. They do, however, play a significant role in the justice system and have the ability to impact their community. So, if you are a fan of justice being served being a public interest attorney might be right for you.

Conclusion

Picking an area of law to practice can be tricky but it doesn’t have to be so hard with the right guidance. I would suggest interning with many types of lawyers to see what areas of law that you are interested in. No matter what you choose, make sure you excel at it!!!!

How to Choose a Law School

Choosing a law school can be tough and it is very important that you pick the right one as where you go can define how much debt you have, getting a job and passing the bar exam. It is important that you think this process through and don’t rush to make a decision. In this blog post I will walk you through in more detail of how to go about this process. I just recently went through this process and have lots of fresh knowledge that I will be able to share with you.

Scholarships/Financial Aid

The biggest most important question to me is cost and finances. Law school is a very hefty investment and it’s something that needs to be considered as the average law student graduates with about $130,000 in student loan debt. This is definitely a big factor. There are many ways to pay for law school without taking on debt. The most common one being scholarships. Schools may give you scholarships upon acceptance and you can also apply for additional scholarships. You could also do a work study program and some law schools offer this. Another way to pay for law school is to pay as you go which is by going part time and working your way through. When looking for a law school attend keep these factors in mind. Usually, public law schools tend to be cheaper than private law schools so if cost is your biggest worry attending a public law school might be the right answer for you.

Prestige

Unfortunately, the field of law can be pretty elitist and where you go does matter to a certain extent. If you want to work for a massive law firm or be a supreme court judge, then you should aim to go to a top 10 law school. It is not impossible to get these positions at a lower tier law school, but it is much harder to do so as you won’t have the reputation and the connections to do so. However, if you want to help you local market then going to a local law school may be the right answer for you. This brings me to my next point…

Location

Where do you want to practice? You don’t have to practice in the area of where you went to school but keep in mind that is where most of the schools’ network is from. For example, if you go to school in Florida most of the attorneys you will meet through your school will be based in Florida. So, ask yourself where you would like to practice. If you want to practice in the northeast, then you should look for a school that is in that region. The location of the law school matters just as much prestige.

Programs/Opportunities

The last thing that you should ask yourself is what is the school’s program like. Some schools have different types of law that they specialize in. For example, a school might specialize in employment/labor law so if that is what you are interested in then you should look to go to a school that focuses on that. This is also important as it will help you connect with people in the field that you are interested in.

Conclusion

Where you go to law school matters and this should be a decision that is chosen carefully. No matter where you go be sure that you are confident in your decision and make the most of the opportunities that are given. Good luck on your journey!!!!!

How To Write an A+ Personal Statement

Many people think that GPA and LSAT are the most important for your law school application, but while they are very important, they are not the only important factors. Another important factor is your personal statement. I briefly went over the personal statement and what it is in my post about writing a successful law school application. In this post I will dive into more detail on what a personal statement is and how to write a successful one to complete your application.

So, what is a personal statement? It is an essay that expresses who you are as a person. It describes the challenges faced and the personality traits that make you unique. Law schools don’t just want a robot who just does well on tests. They want people from different walks of life and from different perspectives. The personal statement helps you stand out as an applicant and allows you to show law schools what makes you a unique individual. It is important that you make sure that the personal statement is written out and edited before you submit it. So, what should you write about in your personal statement?

The first thing is to not make your personal statement cliche. For example, don’t say that you want to be an attorney because you like to help people or because you have always wanted to be an attorney. These things are not going to set you apart from other applicants. You want to write about things that make you unique. Talk about challenges that you may have had to overcome like any mental, social, or family struggles that you may have faced in your journey. Also, really talk about why you want to be a lawyer. Don’t be so cliche but talk about a specific moment that led to you wanting to be a lawyer. For example, maybe you experienced some injustice in your life and you were inspired to become a lawyer to fight against injustice. The whole thing should be no more than 1 page double-spaced as the law school committees don’t want to read a whole book. If you want extra help, you can schedule a meeting with me and I can help edit your statement.

Writing a personal statement can be hard but with the right preparation you can have the best personal statement. It takes time and effort but can help give you a boost and get you into law school. For more help schedule a meeting with me under the scheduling tab.

How to Get Good Letters of Recommendations from Your Professors

Getting recommendation letters from your professors is not necessarily the reason you will get into law school, but they can be important as they give a second opinion of how you are academically. Not to mention they are also required by most law schools. The typical requirement is at least 2 and no more than 4. So, now you know it is important to get these letters of recommendation but how do we you go about doing this. In the blog post, I will walk you through how to get good letters of recommendations from your professors or employers.

The first thing that you should do is build a relationship with your professors as early as possible. This begins your first year of your undergraduate years. Try to build a relationship with professors within your major as well as professors who have experience in the field of law. If you have work experience you can also contact your employer and try to get a letter of recommendation from them. These relationships are what will lead to the professors giving you a good letter of recommendation. You can do this by attending office hours and actively participating in class. I will emphasize again, do this as early as possible.

Once you have built these relationships it is time to get the letters of recommendation. This should be done right about when you are getting ready to apply to law school which will be the fall of your senior year. The best way to do this is to meet with your professors during their office hours. Make sure you schedule a time that works for both of you and be there on time. Once you’re there you should ask the professors politely for a letter of recommendation. They may turn you down and if they do, don’t panic and thank them for their time. If they say yes, then congratulations you are one step closer to getting into law school. Make sure you tell them where to submit the letter to and make sure it is on your application. Congratulations, your one step closer!!!

Getting letters of recommendation from your professors can seem hard and nerve-racking but with proper planning it can be done successfully. Just stick to the basics and you will have no trouble getting a good review from your professors.

Congrats!!! You Got Accepted Into Law School!!! Now What?

Congratulations!!!! All of your hard work and dedication has paid off. You spent many sleepless nights studying to get a high GPA, many months of non-stop studying to do well on the LSAT, build relationships with your professors, join as many extracurricular activities as possible, and craft a stellar application. After all of that you receive your first acceptance, and then maybe a few more. You’ve now completed the hard part of the pre-law journey. Now comes the more fun part which is deciding where to go. As fun as this is it can be a little stressful too. In this blog post I will walk you through on how to pick the right law school for you. I too have gone through this process, and I can help you decide which school is best for your future.

When you complete your application, it typically takes anywhere from just a few days to possibly multiple months for schools to get back to you. Law schools will give you one of three decisions which are a rejection, and acceptance or a waitlist. If you are rejected, then that is unfortunate but there are other schools out there. You can try to appeal if you think it will help the school change their mind. If you get on the waitlist, then this means that the law school is holding out on making a decision for the time being. Now for the best answer which is getting accepted. When you get accepted the school will contact you by email, phone or both. The school should also let you know of any scholarship that you may have earned.

Now that you have gotten accepted, it is time to pick the school that best fits you. The first thing that I would suggest is to visit any of the prospective law schools that you would want to attend. It is best to see the school in person first to make sure it is a right fit. You can request to have a tour by going on the schools, website and communicating with their admissions department. When going on the tour make sure to take note of things such as the student body, clubs and extracurriculars, job placement, and certain programs that the school offers that will help you get the job that you want. Also take note of the city that the law school is in and ask yourself if you would want to practice in that city. You don’t have to practice in the city of the law school that you go to, but it is something to keep in mind because that is where most of your connections and network will be.

The second thing to look at is finances. Keep in mind that a lot of attorneys come out with six-figures worth of debt that is combined from both undergraduate and law school. Tuition and cost of living can be expensive so receiving free money where possible is important. Check to see if any of the schools that you have applied to have given you a scholarship. If they have, see which one gives you the most money. You can also try to negotiate your scholarship amount with law schools by comparing them to some of the other offers you have seen. On top of this you can also look for external grants and scholarships for law students to help fund your education. I will talk about funding law school in a separate post if you want more information, but this is a good place to start when looking for the right law school.

Deciding which law school to go to can be stressful but it is also an exciting time because your future awaits you. So don’t stress too hard and enjoy the process. Once you have made your decision then congrats you have completed the pre-law process and can now move onto the next steps of your journey, law school!!!

How to Write an A+ Application

The time has come. You are going into your senior year and are preparing to take the daunting LSAT. It is also the time to get ready to apply for law schools. Applying to schools can be very stressful and can take a very long time. I’m here to tell you that the process does not have to be stressful. In this blog post I will walk you through step by step to write a successful application.

What is Needed for a Law Application?

Having a good application is important as it is your way of selling yourself to law schools. The application gives you a way to separate yourself from the other applicants. In order to do this, you need to have a few things. The first thing that you need are an official LSAT score, an unofficial transcript and three letters of recommendation. You can do these things by logging into your LSAC account. The transcript includes all undergraduate institution including dual enrollment classes that you may have taken in high school. Your LSAT score will be uploaded to your account when the scores are reported. If you take the LSAT multiple times most law schools will take your highest score. As for the letters of recommendation these you will obtain from your professors or employer. Most law schools require a minimum of two and no more than 4. All of these show the law school your academic record and how you are as a student.

Other items that are required on the law school application are your personal statement and your resume. These represent your soft skills. These two items are where you show what makes you unique. The personal statement is a one paged double-spaced paper that is used to describe who you are as a person. It should include your reasons for going into law, your interests and any challenges you may have had to overcome. The resume that must be uploaded should show your accomplishments in your undergrad as well as any work experience that you may have.

How to Have a Well-Rounded Application

Now that we know what is required for an application it is time to put it all together. First is the hard skills such as the GPA and LSAT. In order to have a good GPA you should pick a major that you are going to excel in. There is no specific major that is required for law school so it is best that you pick something that you will do well in. It is also important that you have good study habits as this will help you down the line. As for the LSAT I have explained this in a previous blog, but it is important to get on a good study schedule and prepare accordingly.

The next thing is getting good letters of recommendation. You typically need about 2-3 letters of recommendation to apply to law school. These could be obtained from a professor or an employee. To do this it is important to build a relationship with your professors as you go to school. Once you have built a relationship with your professors then you should politely ask them to write you a letter. While these letters don’t make or break your applications, they still give the law schools a different perspective on your academics.

The last thing is presenting your soft skills. You must first polish up your resume. Make sure that your resume is in a good and readable font and is organized. Also make sure to highlight accomplishments from your undergraduate years such as the clubs you were a part of as well as any work experience you’ve had in your adult life. The next thing is writing a good personal statement. This is a potential tiebreaker for those who are on the fence with their GPA and LSAT. The personal statement tells the law school admissions committee who you are as a person. To write a successful personal statement you don’t want to be cliche and say things like “I want to be a lawyer because I want to help people.” You also don’t want your personal statement to be too long as the committee does not want to read a whole book. Make sure it is no longer than a page. The personal statement must be personal to you and show others who you are and what makes you unique.

Conclusion

Law school applications can be very stressful and time consuming. But with the right steps and tools it doesn’t have to be so hard. The recipe to succeed is not as complex as you may think. If you want to learn more, you can schedule an appointment for me for $125/hour to help you with your application and the application process.

Should You Go to Law School?

When you think of becoming a lawyer you might think of something like the show “Suits” or the show “Forensic Files” but do you really know what it is like to be a lawyer? Let’s first start off by talking about how to even become one in the first place. It is a grueling process. It all starts by getting good grades in high school and trying to get a good GPA and SAT/ACT score to get into college. Once you’ve been accepted into college, congrats you have completed the first step. Now comes step two which is navigating through undergrad. This requires lots and lots of studying and some late nights all while living off of loans and being broke as a joke. After doing this and keeping a high GPA, it is now time to take the dreaded LSAT. This is an exam that requires approximately 2-3 months of studying but the more the better. After taking the exam, you receive your score, and it is good enough to get you into law school. Now comes the application process. Now you need to obtain three letters of recommendation from your professors, as well as type up a good personal statement. Now that you have completed the application you must submit and wait for responses. Congrats! You’ve been accepted into law school and have made your decision! Step 2 is complete. Now comes the challenging part, getting through law school and passing the bar exam. This requires living off ramen noodles for three more years all while incurring debt and getting very little sleep. But finally, after all of that you have graduated from law school and passed the bar and now able to make good money as an attorney. It only took 7 years of post-secondary education and $200,000 but it was all worth it for the salary and prestige of being a lawyer.

Now this all sounds like a lot which it is but this post is not meant to scare you but to inform you of the path ahead. I write these blogs to educate you and guide you on the process of becoming a lawyer. As awesome as it is to become a lawyer there are some questions you need to ask yourself before going to law school. The main question is do I want to be a lawyer, and if so why? Many people go into law for the wrong reasons. If you are going into law for money there are so many easier ways to make lots of money as it takes years and years to become a lawyer and often involves lots of stress. Some might go into law for the prestige. People like that tend to not last long in this field because of the stress that occurs. Some might go because they were told they are good at arguing. Just cause you are good at arguing does not mean that you will be a successful lawyer. I just gave you some bad reasons for going to law school but what are some good reasons? Some good reasons to go to law school is that you love the law. If you love the law and are passionate about justice, then law school might be for you. Another good reason to go to law school is because you love to read and write. Law school and the lawyer profession require lots of writing and reading so if you can tolerate that then you can make it through law school. Lastly, if you enjoy learning this might be another reason to go to law school as you will be learning a lot in law school.

In conclusion, there are many reasons to go and not to go to law school. This blog piece was written so that people will consider other options before going to law school and to look at the pros and cons of law school. If you have read this article and this post describes you then law school might be a good fit. If not, there are other careers out there for you to try.

How to Conquer the LSAT

The time is finally here. You’ve gotten into college, studied hard. kept your GPA up and made relationships with your professors. Now comes the most dreaded part of the process: the LSAT. This is a 3 1/2-hour long test that is administered year-round about 4 days a month. It is a test that must be taken in order to get into law school. Not only that but it can make or break weather you get in. If you have a bad GPA you can make up for it with a really good LSAT score. On the flip side a bad LSAT score could keep you from getting into law school despite a good GPA. It also helps with scholarships. This test could be the difference of getting a full ride and have to take on a crazy amount of debt. The good thing is that you can take it up to 7 times. The other good news is that many people have conquered this test including myself and you can too with the right study plan and habits.

The first question people might ask is when the best time is to take LSAT is. While there isn’t a certain time that is necessary most people take the LSAT the fall of their final year of undergrad. If you are taking a gap year, then you can do it sometime during that time. Another thing to take into consideration is how many times you might take you to get the score that you want. For this reason, it might make sense to take the LSAT as early as possible. For example, taking the LSAT in August would allow for you to take it again in October in case you didn’t do as good the first time. This will allow you to improve your score while it still being early in the application cycle.

The next question people ask are how much time you need to study for this exam. The recommendation for studying for the LSAT is 250-300 hours over a 3–4-month period. Now this is just the recommendation, but there is no harm in studying for more than that. The more studying the better. There are many ways to go about studying the LSAT. There are many free sources online such as Khan Academy and LSAT Demon and you can watch YouTube videos on how to answer the LSAT questions. If you are able to spend money getting a tutor is a good idea as they will give you that one-on-one interaction. I offer one-on-one tutoring for as low as $115 an hour and would love to help you. I am also developing an interactive course that will help you get to where you need to be and get your dream score.

The last thing that I would like to mention is how to be mentally prepared for the test. This part is very critical as this could make or break your score. Many people including myself studied really hard but was not necessarily prepared mentally. To prepare for the test it is important that you refine your test taking skills. It is also important to note that you are on a time limit of 35 minutes a section so learning how to manage time is also a key skill for this exam. It is also possible to get accommodations like extended time or being able to move around during the exam. In order to do this, you must have a written note from your doctor that proves that you are in need of the accommodations. This could include things such as ADHD, and dyslexia. Take advantage of these things if you can and they won’t affect the way that law schools look at your score. Another thing to do is to get good sleep the night before the exam. It is important that you make sure that you are well rested and have enough energy during the exam.

In conclusion, the LSAT is a very rugged exam that takes lots of time and preparation to succeed and ultimately determines your future of getting into law school. But you are not alone in this process. Many people have taken this exam before and have succeeded, and you can too. Good luck!!!!!

PSA: I offer one-on-one tutoring for the LSAT and will have an LSAT prep course in the next month (still a work in progress). If you are interested, you can schedule a free 30-minute consultation on my website by clicking the scheduling tab.