The Legal Level - LSAT, law school admissions, 1L, bar exam & more!

The Legal Level - LSAT, law school admissions, 1L, bar exam & more!

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The Legal Level - LSAT, law school admissions, 1L, bar exam & more! episodes

  • Spring LSAT & Law School News Roundup

    Admissions season is over, and breaking LSAT news season is here!

    Branden & Jelena run you through some of the latest, greatest, and not-so-greatest headlines in the LSAT world. Plus, find out if getting into law school is getting easier or harder.

    Listen and learn . . .

    1. How many people applied to law school for the 2021-2022 season
    2. Which regions’ law schools did better than others this year
    3. How the demographic makeup of law school applicants changed this season
    4. Why some students might not have to take the LSAT at all in four years
    5. Which Canadian law school mistakenly informed a student’s family she’d died
    6. Which famous LSAT critic is now under the LSAC umbrella
    7. . . . and more!

      8. Links and Further Resources from this Episode:


      LSAC Current Volume Summary


      New LSAC Pilot Program Skips the LSAT


      Reports of a Canadian Law Student’s Death Greatly Exaggerated (by her law school)


      LSAC acquires Law School Transparency


      New Law Schools Coming to FL, NC


      USNWR Changes Ranking Methodology


      New Yale Scholarships


      LSATMax's Private 1-on-1 LSAT Tutoring


      33 Common LSAT Flaws


      Start Your LSATMax Free Trial


      Enroll in LSATMax's #1-Ranked LSAT Course


      Start Your 1L Free Trial Now (The Greatest Law School Supplement)


      Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now

      35 min
    8. Your LSAT Prescription for . . . Must Be True Questions

      Tune in this week as Jelena and Branden tackle one of the few Logical Reasoning question types that don’t always have an argument. (If you think that means Jelena & Branden won’t be arguing with each other, you must be new to the pod, so welcome!)

      These questions come in a few forms, and the approach for each, as well as the criteria for the right answer, is a little different.

      Listen and learn . . .

      1. When to diagram and when to keep your diagramming powder dry
      2. How to separate what’s useful from what’s fluff in a stimulus that’s just a bunch of facts
      3. How to tell these apart from Strengthen and Strengthen with Sufficient Premise questions
      4. What to do on pesky MBT Principle questions
      5. How to make sure you don’t eat up too much time

        6. Links and Further Resources from this Episode:


        People Just Realized What Owls Look Like Without Feathers And OMG


        LSATMax's Private 1-on-1 LSAT Tutoring


        33 Common LSAT Flaws


        Apply Now for TestMax’s Justice in Action Program


        Start Your LSATMax Free Trial


        Enroll in LSATMax's #1-Ranked LSAT Course


        Start Your 1L Free Trial Now (The Greatest Law School Supplement)


        Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now

        49 min
      6. Ask a Tutor: Naryan Shukle (174)

        The learner returns as the master in this episode of The Legal Level.

        Listen as Branden and Jelena interview Branden’s one-time LSATMax student who, after a few near-misses, got an elite LSAT score and has turned that hard-won victory into valuable experience that he uses to guide his own students to LSAT victory.

        Listen and learn . . .

        1. How a concussion and some too-thin judo mats led Naryan down the road to becoming a lawyer
        2. What to do when you don’t get the score you want
        3. What Naryan plans to do with his legal education
        4. What this tutor offers as his #1 piece of advice to LSAT aspirants
        5. And more!

          6. Links and Further Resources from this Episode:


          Try LSATMax Tutoring for Only $49


          LSATMax's Private 1-on-1 LSAT Tutoring


          33 Common LSAT Flaws


          Apply Now for TestMax’s Justice in Action Program


          Start Your LSATMax Free Trial


          Enroll in LSATMax's #1-Ranked LSAT Course


          Start Your 1L Free Trial Now (The Greatest Law School Supplement)


          Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now

          49 min
        6. 2021L: Caroline Hackley, Studying at Penn Law

          In this episode Branden and Jelena interview former LSATMax tutor and current UPenn 1L Caroline Hackley.

          Caroline shares advice for future applicants on topics ranging from “taking a gap year” to “maximizing your positive impact as a lawyer.”

          Listen and learn . . .

          1. Are biglaw and public service mutually exclusive?
          2. What to do before you spend dozens of hours working on a specific school’s application.
          3. How do you know if you are ready for law school?
          4. Is psychology a good major for future law students?
          5. How relevant is the LSAT to law school?
          6. How does UPenn maintain its famous “collegiality” among law students?

            7. Links and Further Resources from this Episode:


            University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School


            LSATMax's Private 1-on-1 LSAT Tutoring


            33 Common LSAT Flaws


            Apply Now for TestMax’s Justice in Action Program


            Start Your LSATMax Free Trial


            Enroll in LSATMax's #1-Ranked LSAT Course


            Start Your 1L Free Trial Now (The Greatest Law School Supplement)


            Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now

            45 min
          7. Your LSAT Prescription for . . . Strengthen with Sufficient/Necessary Premise Questions

            The LSAT doctors are in, and they’ve got the cure for what ails your Logical Reasoning scores . . . if you’ve been missing strengthen w/ sufficient/necessary premise questions, anyway.

            Branden and Jelena teach you the techniques that are both sufficient and necessary for mastery of these challenging questions.

            Listen and learn . . .

            1. How to tell the difference between sufficient and necessary assumption prompts
            2. When to diagram strengthen w/ sufficient premise questions
            3. How to use the negation test to answer strengthen w/ necessary premise questions correctly every time
            4. Why the ultimate question that unlocks everything about the LSAT might just be “How could all the premises be true, yet the conclusion be false?”
            5. How to eliminate multiple answer choices just by paying attention to new nouns in the conclusion of the stimulus

              6. Links and Further Resources from this Episode:


              LSATMax's Private 1-on-1 LSAT Tutoring


              33 Common LSAT Flaws


              Apply Now for TestMax’s Justice in Action Program


              Start Your LSATMax Free Trial


              Enroll in LSATMax's #1-Ranked LSAT Course


              Start Your 1L Free Trial Now (The Greatest Law School Supplement)


              Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now

              48 min
            6. 2021L: Davis Metzger, University of Virginia School of Law

              Yes, it’s 2022, but we’re interviewing 1Ls still here, so we’re gonna dance and party like it’s 2021L.

              On this episode, we’re joined by Branden’s former LSAT student, Davis Metzger, who shares the ups and downs of 1L living, as well as his journey taking the LSAT and applying to law school.

              Listen and learn . . .

              1. What 1L life is like at the nation’s highest ranked public law school
              2. What moot court is and how to prepare to argue legal concepts you haven’t learned yet
              3. What the Federalist Society is and whether it’s right for you
              4. What Davis plans to do with his law degree
              5. Should you apply to UVA too?

                6. Links and Further Resources from this Episode:


                University of Virginia School of Law


                The Book Davis Co-Authored With the President of Gordon College


                And This Article, Too


                LSATMax's Private 1-on-1 LSAT Tutoring


                Start Your LSATMax Free Trial


                Enroll in LSATMax's #1-Ranked LSAT Course


                33 Common LSAT Flaws


                Start Your 1L Free Trial Now (The Greatest Law School Supplement)


                Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now

                50 min
              6. The Different Ways of Lawyering

                Most people don’t really know enough about the law before they go to law school to pick a specific area of law to practice, and that’s okay because they get three years (sorta) to make up their minds.

                In this week’s episode, Jelena and Branden get you started on that process by exploring the different functions lawyers perform. The biggest divide is between litigation (representing clients in lawsuits) and transactional law (representing clients in dealmaking), but there are plenty of other comfortable niches for people with the letters JD after their name, and you’ll know all about it after listening to this episode.

                Listen and learn . . .

                1. How to figure out whether you’re more suited to litigation or transactional work
                2. How areas of law people know about like criminal and appellate law fit into the litigation/transactional divide
                3. How to get that cushy in-house counsel job
                4. What to do if you want to teach the law or be a judge
                5. How to use your time in law school to pursue any one of these careers

                  6. Links and Further Resources from this Episode:


                  Just What Do Lawyers Do All Day?


                  Things You Can Do With A JD That Aren’t Lawyering


                  LSATMax's Private 1-on-1 LSAT Tutoring


                  Start Your LSATMax Free Trial


                  Enroll in LSATMax's #1-Ranked LSAT Course


                  33 Common LSAT Flaws


                  Start Your 1L Free Trial Now (The Greatest Law School Supplement)


                  Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now

                  58 min
                6. Ask a Tutor: Rob Smoot (177)

                  Jelena interviews LSATMax tutor Rob Smoot about his experience taking the LSAT from the farthest reaches of Alaska while working as a commercial fisherman.

                  Ever wondered what it’s like to try to get your test done in 100MPH winds? Or how you can stay disciplined and keep studying through multiple retakes due to circumstances beyond your control? Then this is the episode for you.

                  Listen and learn . . .

                  1. Why genuine curiosity about the test might predict a high score
                  2. How to study for the LSAT while working 20 hour days on a commercial fishing boat (no more excuses for us landlubbers!)
                  3. What you don’t need to know about the LSAT to get a high score
                  4. How Rob decided to give up the digital nomad life for law school
                  5. What it’s like to become a tutor in the middle of a pandemic
                  6. And more!

                    7. Links and Further Resources from this Episode:


                    Try LSATMax Tutoring for Only $49


                    LSATMax's Private 1-on-1 LSAT Tutoring


                    Start Your LSATMax Free Trial


                    Enroll in LSATMax's #1-Ranked LSAT Course


                    33 Common LSAT Flaws


                    Start Your 1L Free Trial Now (The Greatest Law School Supplement)


                    Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now

                    51 min
                  7. Solo Practitioner / Small Law 101

                    Do you want to be a lawyer, but also want to deal with compliance issues, own/rent your workspace, and maybe put your face on a bench or billboard (Better Call Saul style)?

                    If you answered yes to any one of these questions, solo practitioner life or small law might be for you! In this episode, Branden and Jelena cover all of your most pressing questions related to solo and small law.

                    Listen and learn . . .

                    1. Do you have to work for someone else for a while before you open your own firm, or can you jump into solo practice right out of law school?
                    2. How does making money as a lawyer work when you work for yourself?
                    3. Can small firms perform as well for clients as big ones?
                    4. How technology is changing small law practice?
                    5. What areas of law (niches!) might you practice as a solo practitioner or in a small firm?
                    6. Is it true that only people who couldn’t get a biglaw job go to small firms or hang a shingle?

                      7. Links and Further Resources from this Episode:


                      How Hard Is It to Make It As a Solo Practitioner


                      ABA 2019 Report on Small/Solo Firms & Technology


                      9 Thing to Know Before Going Solo


                      Solo Practitioner Myths, Busted


                      Solo Practitioners Struggled More in 2020


                      Start Your LSATMax Free Trial


                      Enroll in LSATMax's #1-Ranked LSAT Course


                      LSATMax's Private LSAT Tutoring


                      33 Common LSAT Flaws


                      Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now

                      45 min
                    7. New Reading Comp, Who Dis?

                      What’s the Main Point? This episode of The Legal Level, that’s what!

                      After trying very hard not to do a whole episode on the most recent Reading Comp release – Prep Test 92 – Jelena & Branden finally give in and give you what you (could conceivably) want: the very latest trends in LSAT Reading Comprehension.

                      Listen and learn . . .

                      1. Is the trend toward harder-to-analyze passages finally lifting?
                      2. What are the most common question types?
                      3. What’s new – or, more accurately, missing – when it comes to subject matter?
                      4. How can you keep track of multiple points of view with just a few highlighter colors available?
                      5. What insights can be learned and applied to future passages?

                        6. Links and Further Resources from this Episode:


                        Subscribe to The Economist magazine & read in your free time to improve your Reading Comp


                        Start Your LSATMax Free Trial


                        Enroll in LSATMax's #1-Ranked LSAT Course


                        LSATMax's Private LSAT Tutoring


                        33 Common LSAT Flaws


                        Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now

                        54 min

                      About The Legal Level - LSAT, law school admissions, 1L, bar exam & more!

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                      From the LSAT to the bar exam, we are leveling the legal education playing field by providing the tools and information every future lawyer needs to ace the LSAT, rock law school admissions, pass the bar exam and land their dream job.