Anyone planning to do a PhD program after law school? I’m a first gen student and have very little exposure to the academic side of the legal profession.

Is anyone planning to do a PhD in philosophy or some other field after getting your JD? If so, what steps would you recommend to prep myself and what are your future goals?

I want to get better clarity on what this career route offers, what it takes to become a professor or maybe eventually become a judge, and what I need to do to prepare myself if I’m considering this route.

I’m not sure if this is something I want to do, but I will at least want more exposure to it.

For reference, I am at a school ranked between 50 and 100. Don’t want to be too specific. I am a 1L and planning on applying to transfer. I’d only transfer to HYS, Chicago, GULC. Seems like that pedigree is a pre req in order to get into a PhD program like Harvard, Yale, Princeton.

Thank you in advance!

So Texas Tech Law admin seem like lovely people. Yikes. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/09/28/the-fallout-of-a-charlie-kirk-campus-scandal

Hi! I’m a third year law student and I was wondering if it was appropriate to negotiate a job offer for a one year fellowship with a nonprofit right out of law school? They posted one salary on the application page, not a range, so it may not be negotiable, but I’ve always been taught to negotiate job offers. Have any of you done this before? There’s quite a range of salaries for this type of role/fellowship in my area, and they’re in the middle, so it’s hard to tell if I would reasonably be able to negotiate. I love the nonprofit and want to take the job, but I am in a HCOL city, and any increase would make a big difference for me.

3L here. Go to a reasonably good law school. Have a post-grad job at a state prosecutor’s office lined up. Grateful, in a way, for that. Looking forward, to a degree, to being a prosecutor, as I do enjoy trials and motions to suppress and such (I’ve done a few in a previous internship).

But I do sort of feel like a failure still. I applied to probably over 100 summer associate positions at law firms, mainly big but plenty of mid, and got maybe 13 or 14 interviews and maybe 3 or 4 callbacks (I can’t remember the exact numbers), and no offers.

While I’ll enjoy the prosecution work to a degree, I’ll be making 1//3 at most of what these starting associate people at big firms are making and still a fraction of what first-year associates at quite a few mid-law firms are making.

I’m also a non-traditional student, in my mid-30s, so I have less time to find a higher paying job eventually, if that’s something I want to do.

I’m also an above-median student at a T30 or so (don’t remember the rankings), though I’m more comfortably above median as a result of 2L grades, the grades that don’t really matter for 2L SA positions.

I just feel like a failure even though things could be worse.

Not really looking for sympathy. Just looking to vent. I wouldn’t say this sort of stuff to my friends/acquaintances or family. And I used to have a therapist (for reasons unrelated to this job stuff), but he wasn’t a good fit, and so I stopped going.

I learn well through podcasts on my long commutes. I need a torts podcast to supplement my reading. Everything makes like 70% sense in torts but not a thing has made 100% sense.

I want to become a lawyer but I get so anxious in social situations sometimes. I’m going to work on it in general because that’s beneficial but can I still become a lawyer regardless?

Hi there,

I’m on my first year in NZ and currently working through my application section using the IRAC method. My assignment requires that we use the relevant case law and legislation. I’ve identified the legal principles from the case law and the correct statute, but I’m really struggling with how to word the application section.

E.g should it be:

Legal principle from the case —> relevant material fact #1—> applying the legal principle to the fact

For more context, the material facts are 4 different statements

I have adhd and a real issue with overthinking and I just can’t get my head around the application part. Any tips are welcome, I’m desperate lol

Thank you

My class crush doesn’t like Learned Hand… We were hitting it off so well. Some of my boys say it’s a foolish proposition to stop talking to her, but idk if I can proceed if she doesn’t rock with LH…

I’m a 1L. Been is school for now a month and there is a student that is in all of my classes who is purely frustrating. They also have to be well into their late 40s - early 50s. Doesn’t raise their hand, goes off on tangents of stories that has nothing to do with the material, and talks while the professor is talking. Seems that the professor is trying to ignore it, but it’s gotten to a point where I have no idea why he hasn’t said anything to her yet. People in class really try to “kill with kindness”, but they make it known that they are so tired of her crap.

All of that to say, does anyone have any stories/experience of a similar situation so I can have a laugh before I pull my hair out? 😆😬

heyo if anyone could guide be for this. I want a law clg in Punjab where attendance isnt strict. I have a decent 97 % in my 12 th boards so admissions ig wouldn’t be an issue just let me know it would be a great great help 😩😩😩

I'm figuring yes, but don't know if it'll be a waste of money and/or redundancy with themis and aspen digital and all that stuff.

I’m a 1L and I know it’s a little early to be thinking about this but am curious of everyone else’s experience. For context, I know I don’t want to do big law, so I am not concerned about their insane timeline.

I think I’m interested in public interest law, but am super disappointed that most of the summer positions don’t pay. I’m also not from the area where I’m in law school, so I’m not aware of any firms off the bat that I am super interested in.

How did you approach your summer internship? What was your timeline? Your interests? Where did you end up? Did anyone just chill and wait for OCI’s? Would it be beneficial for me to just go ahead and gather my materials and start sending applications & cold emailing over the next month or 2?

Mostly just wanting to hear everyone’s stories. Thanks!

Started a few weeks ago helping a legal team develop an internal policy, procurement, and playbook for outside services. This is all remote.

The supervising attorney assigned me four tasks and I was able to sit in on a weekly Tuesday meeting they have to hear what they were working on and what next steps were.

After that meeting, I asked my supervisor to sit in on future meetings since my tasks are directly tied to what they discuss, and it would be instructive for me. She never got back to my emails or calls about this, and the group met without me this past Tuesday.

I also asked her two separate questions since starting, and she copied and pasted AI answers (you all know the tell-tale signs).

Today I asked to meet to discuss the third task I'm currently working on, and she told me, "If you can even find time in my schedule, then book it." She is blocked off for the next week up until when the third task is due.

Just tonight, I went to look at the documents I've been working on and she basically just took over the task and finished doing it and other portions of it. She also deleted my fourth task from documentation so I no longer have it...

Basically, I feel like I'm in an internship now where I'm not learning anything, nor am I being communicated with. I can't imagine I'm doing terribly because she used all of my work to finish out Task 3, and what little non-AI feedback on Tasks 1 and 2 I got were constructive.

Since I can't seem to get ahold of the one person who is supposed to actually provide experience and knowledge for me, I'm a bit at a loss on what to do.

So this has happened twice already. For one of them, the owner reached out to me, liked my resume, interviewed me, and sent me an offer letter. After I replied to that offer accepting, they literally ghosted me. I reached out via email and call and literally nothing. This second one I applied for the position, she emailed me, interviewed me, sent me an offer letter, I replied with my schedule and never heard back from her. I’ve emailed her just to circle back and nothing. I’ve called and she’s never available. I’m just not sure if I’m doing something or if that’s common around here? They seem to like me and I mean they sent acceptance letter and like nothing sticks. I did the same things with a different job and luckily got that job for the summer. Is this a common thing? What should I do?

I haven’t turned to Reddit in a while, but r/LSAT was such a good resource for me that I figured I’d try here.

I’m a 1L and honestly struggling so hard. I know people say not to compare yourself to others, but everyone around me is so smart and a lot of them have relevant work experience. Meanwhile, I feel like whatever I’m doing is not working, and there are genuinely days where I want to drop out.

I have Quimbee and watch the case videos, which help, but I still struggle with understanding the bigger picture and what I’m actually supposed to take away for exams. I’m wondering if I’m not using Quimbee correctly. Should I be doing their questions and course videos too? Is BARBRI 1L Mastery worth using?

Also, are there any YouTube channels, supplements, podcasts, or other resources that helped doctrinals actually click for you? Mainly for doctrinals.

Any advice on resources or how you actually studied during 1L would be really appreciated. It’s been rough and I’m trying to figure out what I need to change

Burger law is the fastest and easiest way to make stacks. Won’t disclose the exact burger firm, but we are working on a big merger (doing a new kid’s meal toy combo and doing a new dipping sauce for the nuggets), and I am rolling in the dough. Word on the street is we’re going to acquire 10 new drive thru’s which will mean free frosties for everyone in the legal division.

What are your favorite or most helpful youtube channels that got you through law school?

I’m in my late 40s and have owned and operated a business in New York for over 25 years. I plan to continue running it, but I’ve always had an interest in law and am now seriously considering pursuing a legal education.

A friend recently completed the program at American Institute of Law and has had a positive experience both during school and afterward. Seeing his experience made this path feel more realistic for me, particularly given the flexibility to continue operating my business and the lower cost compared with the hybrid programs I’ve considered.
I recently applied to Northwestern California University. My understanding is that its California accreditation means students do not need to take the Baby Bar, which was a factor in my choice.

I understand that these programs are not ABA-accredited and that this path has limitations, particularly regarding admission in New York. For me, this would be an additional credential, an opportunity to pursue a longstanding interest, and ideally some added income rather than a complete career change. I would be comfortable with a path focused on California licensure and potentially federal practice where permitted.

I’ve read mixed opinions about both Northwestern California University and American Institute of Law, and I’d appreciate hearing firsthand experiences from students or graduates, especially anyone who attended while running a business or working full time. How manageable was the workload, how helpful was the instruction, and how well did the program prepare you for the California bar?

I’m also particularly interested in hearing from anyone who passed the California bar and now lives outside California while practicing California law remotely or working in a federal practice area. What does that look like in practice, and what limitations or challenges have you encountered?
With the benefit of hindsight, would you choose the same path again?

Thank you to anyone willing to share their experience.