[blindlaw] Blind HighSchool student intrested in Law

Wed Sep 11 21:58:29 UTC 2013

Dear Jeff and everyone else,

For what it is worth, I strongly agree with those championing the virtues
of braille.  There are many compelling and persuasive reasons to
be excellent at reading and writing braille.  Moreover, I agree with those
that write that it is not necessary to attend a prestigious college and law
school in order to be a happy and successful attorney.  I didn't mean to
imply otherwise.  Nevertheless, it is undeniable that the legal profession
is particularly snooty about academic pedigree.

My advice was intended for a young high school student.  Admittedly, it may
have prescribed an unnecessarily ambitious course.  I didn't mean to imply
you should abandon your desire to be a prosecutor, Jeff.  Shoot for the
stars to reach the moon, is an apt adage that puts my advice in perspective.

Another piece of important advice.  Be very connected to the visually
impaired community.  Form many horizontal relationships with other visually
impaired people.  Participate in NFB events and other such events.  This
will be immensely beneficial to you both personally and professionally.

Sincerely,

Mike

On Wed, Sep 11, 2013 at 4:04 PM, Sy Hoekstra <sy.hoekstra at gmail.com> wrote:

> Whoa, that doesn't sound like a whole lot of fun.
>
> I say work really hard at the important things, GPA and standardized test
> scores. Whether you need a tutor for any of that is up to you. That's not
> necessarily the best way for everyone, and not something everyone can
> afford. The rest of your credentials should be based on what you are
> interested in, especially while you're in high school. I know plenty of
> people who didn't decide to apply to law school until just before they
> applied, and as long as they had worked hard and been diligent in what they
> did with their high school and college years, they were fine.
>
> But yes, I would shoot for the best school possible given the legal market.
> You don't necessarily have to go top 14, as someone suggested. But aim
> high.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindlaw [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Michael
> Fry
> Sent: Wednesday, September 11, 2013 10:42 AM
> To: Blind Law Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [blindlaw] Blind HighSchool student intrested in Law
>
> 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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