Should you enroll in a law school ranked high in the law school rankings? Should you look for the top law school in the country? Does being enrolled in the best law school even matter?

A lot of people these days are entertaining the thought of going to law school and earning a law degree and their first concern is finding the best law school. Of course, nothing is wrong with going to Yale or Harvard Law School but prospective law students should also consider other factors and not just the ranking.

While it is true that you can have a better chance of landing a job at top law firms if you came from one of the top law schools, it does not mean that you don’t have a chance if you’re not from one of those schools. Partners are not that shallow. The reason why  they mostly choose prospective associates from top law schools is that those graduates most probably have the qualities they desire such as intelligence, perseverance, diligence, and work ethics, among others. One cannot graduate from the country’s best law schools without those qualities.

But it does not mean that you don’t have those qualities if you’re not from a highly ranked law school. And they know that. You just have to show it. Think of it this way: Partners of prestigious law firms desire some qualities from future associates. These qualities are presumed if you are from a prestigious law school. If you are not from a prestigious law school, it is just not presumed but still provable.

With that in mind, try to go after the most highly ranked law school in the law school rankings that your situation and circumstance will allow but don’t dwell on it. The lower you fall on the list only means the more evidence you need to offer. It does not negate your chances of landing that dream job. Good luck.

Filed under: Law School, Law School Rankings, Top Law Schools

Since the practice of law is a very complicated business, enlisting the aid of law office software is a necessary and smart investment. There are a lot of things that an attorney needs to keep track of. And some mistakes can be costly to either the client or both the client and the lawyer. Fortunately, law office software can ease the burden.

Law office software applications come in different shapes and sizes and offer different functionalities. Most include features for time and billing, document management, practice management, and law office accounting. Others only provide some of the above while still others only focus on one area like time and billing or document management. The trend of software development in law office software, however, is the integration of all the above functions and even more.

But if you are a lawyer who is just starting out with your law practice or are flying solo so to speak, there is another option to these specialized law office software. Since you probably have MS Office already and know some of it’s features, that could be a nice place to start. You can configure each application to your needs and even integrate some or all of them using VBScript or VB for applications (VBA).

For example, you can configure MS Excel to act as your billing and accounting software, MS Word for your document management and communication, and MS Access for your case management. The individual Office applications can also be configured to communicate with each other. After a client’s bill has been calculated with Excel, a function could be made to call Word to print out a mail list, do a mail merge, create a letter based on a template with data from Excel and Access, and so on. The list is almost endless.

However you do it with whatever software, law office software applications should be an integral part of your law practice. This could help you a lot with erroneous billing, missed deadlines, misspellings and whole lot of pitfalls. Don’t leave home without it.

Filed under: Law Office Software, Software, Technology

A lot of things have gone online now. First the stores, now the schools. And online law schools are some of them. If you try searching the Web for an online law school you would get a lot of hits.

It is true that schools have been online since the early days of the Internet but not for the purpose of conferring a degree but for research. Can one now earn a law degree online, and is it worth it?

It is now possible to study law online. There are now online law schools that will allow you to earn your law degree in the Web while at the comfort of your home. But as usual, Caveat Emptor. Not all of them are reputable. Some may even be scam.

There are, however, some drawbacks. First, legal education is a lot about interaction. There will be argumentation and debate. There will also be a lot of class recitations in keeping with the Socratic method of law school teaching. You most likely won’t be having any of those online.

Furthermore, The American Bar Association (ABA) does not accredit any online law school yet as of this writing. What that means is that it would be difficult to practice law after you earned your online law degree because in order to do so, you need to pass the bar exam; and in nearly all states, you cannot even sit for that exam if you’re not from an ABA accredited law school.

But there are also some benefits. If you are currently working and only want to learn about the Law or to earn a law degree without any plans of practicing law in the future, then a law degree from a reputable online law school may be worth it. For one, it could be a lot cheaper. Another, you can do it while having your regular job. It is also more convenient as you can earn your law degree at home.

Ultimately, the value of earning a law degree from an online law school would depend upon each person’s goals and current situation.

Filed under: Law School, Online Law School

Choosing a school of law when one begins to embark in the journey of Law is not an easy task. Aside from the fact that there are a lot of law schools currently available—whether they be conventional law schools or online law schools—your first choice could define your law school experience and beyond.

Different schools have different approaches to teaching. Some really emphasize argumentation and debate, others on research, and still others on legal writing, etc.

Also, not all schools are accredited by the American Bar Association. (ABA) This is not a problem if your only goal is to learn the Law for learning’s sake but could be a problem if you intend to practice law in the future.

However, it is not necessary to enroll in the top law schools of the country. The best law school may not be the best for you. Always go for the perfect fit. For example, a top law school focusing on argumentation and debate might not be of much help to you if your future plan is to work in a corporate setting practicing corporate or commercial law. If you do intend to be a trial lawyer, on the other hand, then it is the best law school for you.

Filed under: Law School

Hiring the best criminal defense lawyer is important. Specially if you are like Jude Law who was said to have hit a female photographer in the face. This is an illegal or even criminal act which could subject the actor to liability. But only if the act was really done. Therefore, a lot of fact finding and investigation needs to be done. And the more so in criminal defense where a lot is at stake.

Mr. Law said that he did not intend to hit anybody. According to him, he merely put up his hand to get his bearings which may or may not have hit the girl. Based on the facts reported so far, this is also a possible scenario.

Most criminal defense cases are like this. It’s a question of whether something was done or happened. While there are also cases which are mostly a question of law, a lot of the time they are a question of fact. In such cases, investigation and the Rule on Evidence are the criminal defense attorney’s best tools. It is a very difficult and time consuming process, this job of seeking the truth and preventing the innocent from getting punished or convicted.

Filed under: Criminal Defense, Criminal Defense Lawyer, Criminal Law, Evidence