[blindlaw] Blind HighSchool student intrested in Law

[Michael Fry]

Dear Jeff,

Law is going through some seismic changes.  Twenty years ago a law degree
would likely lead to a rewarding career and a good salary.  Nowadays that
is not necessarily the case.  There is fierce competition among lawyers for
less work. Modern technology has enabled one lawyer to do the work of five
attorneys in the past.  Couple that with a very large supply of lawyers.
It adds up to significant downward pressure on the earnings of lawyers.  A
while ago, I heard a statistic that the average attorney earns about $60k.
Government attorneys earn about $100k and Federal attorneys earn about
$150k.  Federal attorney positions are highly competitive.  There is an
elite cadre of attorneys that work in "Big Law."  They earn probably
around $800k.

Given this highly competitive landscape, it is imperative that you go to
the very best possible law school especially because you have a severe
disability.  Law, like other advanced liberal arts degree, uses subject
criteria to differentiate between members of the field.  Going to an elite
law school will greatly increase your chances of getting hired by a
prosecutor's office of your choice.

If you want to be an attorney, here's what you should do.  Do your best to
earn the very highest GPA possible.  Listen to one non-fiction book a
week.  That's 52 books a year.  By the end of your high school you should
have listened to about 150 non-fiction books.  Do some kind of sport like
crew, or, jog 5 miles a day on the tread mill.  Do two SAT/ACT preparation
courses.  Get at least double time on the SAT/ACT along with your other
accommodations.  Have your parents or the school get you a tutor.  Work
with the tutor every day for all classes.  Volunteer at the Lighthouse for
the Blind or some such thing.  Go talk to your career counselor right now.
Tell her you want to go to an Ivy League school.  Tell her you'll do
whatever it takes and that with your effort its her job to get
you there.  It is imperative that you get into the very best possible
college.

Once there pick an easy major like History or English.  Get a 4.0 gpa.
Work with a tutor through the disability resource center for every class on
every assignment.  Continue listening veraciously to non-fiction audio
books.  After your second year apply for and get a prestigious scholarship
like Roads or Fulbright or at least something specific for a visually
impaired person.  After that, do two review courses for the LSAT.  Get a
very good score.  Apply to the top 15 law schools.  Emphasize your visual
impairment and conquering adversity.

If you do these things, I think you'll be set.  Alternatively, consider the
Randolph-Shepard program.  The more I think about it, that sounds like a
good program.

I hope this was helpful and inspiring to you.

Sincerely,



Mike


On Tue, Sep 10, 2013 at 2:50 PM, jeff crouch <kd8qiq at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi all,
> My name is Jeff Crouch, I am a blind highschool student in 10th grade
> and I am interested in law. I am wanting to take a course during the
> summer called criminal envestagations. I have ben interested in law
> for some time, just don't know exactly what I can do being that I am
> blind. If I wanted to be a loyar I would want to be a prossacuting
> attorney, But at the same time I want to envestagate crimes, so don't
> know what exactly there is.
>
> any feedback would be welcome, feel free to email me off list as well.
>
> thanks
>
> --
> Skype: magic2127
> FB: apdc19 at gmail.com
> http://www.twitter.com/kd8qiq
> 73
> K8TVV
> Jeff Crouch
>
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