[blindLaw] Selecting a Law School & Textbooks

[Nikki Singh]

Hi Natasha,



On selecting a law school, I have said this already on the list, so
apologies for those who know my position on the matter. I think you should
attend the best law school you can. Rank definitely matters. Whether it
should or not is another question entirely and admittedly presents some
less than flattering traits about the legal profession.



A higher ranked school does make the path easier for entering certain lines
of work, including federal judge clerkships, big law, and federal
government. These same schools also tend to have large budgets, meaning
decently resourced disability offices that will play an important role in
getting/scanning in textbooks, paying for readers, and hammering out
accommodations. On that last point, you should still go out and advocate
for yourself with each law school professor you have, acknowledging that
some are going to be better than others.



I understand money can be a concern. The higher ranked schools tend to be
large institutions with large endowments. You should be able to get
scholarships and financial aid. There is also nothing wrong in taking out a
loan. Many people work at a large firm for a few years to gain basic
experience and the hefty income to pay down the student loan.



Please do not attend a school that does not rank within an acceptable
degree of what you determine is important to you, that has dubious
accreditation, or that otherwise stands out from peer institutions for
strange or problematic ways. I do not believe you should attend a school
because of a clinic. Most law schools have perfectly wonderful clinics.
Rather, the focus should beon learning how to think like a lawyer. The
practice or clinic experience can and often comes later. You should focus
on a clinic more if and when you decide to pursue an LLM in trial advocacy.



Briefly on textbooks, whatever strategies you used in college should still
apply in law school. I had the school scan in my materials, and at the
start of the semester, when the books were in progress of getting scanned,
I asked one of the law librarians to scan in the first few chapters to hold
me over. Make good friends with your law library and its staff! That
applies during school and any place you work, assuming you have a law
library there. In addition, I understand that West actually does have a
bunch of legal instructional material in electronic form already. The same
may be true for Lexis; I am just less familiar with Lexis.



 I will also note that Bookshare’s selections of law books is kind of dated
and limited. Bookshare is a great resource for grade school and college.
However, its technical offerings for advanced degree programs or even
working professionals needs improvement. For example, I recently completed
a trial advocacy seminar at my job, and Bookshare had none of the books
that the course used, cited, or excerpted. To be fair, you may not have to
worry about this, since I am going after highly specific and technical
materials at this point.



Sincerely,

Nikki

On Mon, Mar 25, 2024 at 8:03 AM Natasha Ishaq via BlindLaw <
blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:

> Hi All,
>
> I reaching out with two questions.
>
> First, I am strugling to decide which law school I should attend come fall.
> On one hand, I have been offered admission to Liberty University School of
> Law. This was a school that I applied to because of a particular clinic it
> offered that was of interest to me. I was offered a fairly significant
> scholarship as well. However, my research shows me that the ranking of this
> school is questionable, nor does it appear to be incredibly reputable. Has
> anyone attended this school or know of anyone who has? On the other hand,
> I’ve been admitted to Tier 2 schools, one of which is of particular
> interest to me. I am waiting to receive information regarding scholarships
> for this particular school. My gut feeling is to go with the school that
> has the highest ranking, even if the school does not offer me as much of a
> scholarship. I am also feeling stuck because a school in Washington DC that
> I was hoping to be admitted to has waitlisted me. I cannot help but think
> about the possibility that this school might admit me after I accept
> another’s office. I was hoping to attend law school in Washington DC
> because of the fact that so many government agencies would be right there
> for externships, clerkships, etc.
>
> How do I ensure that the decision I make is the right one? Does ranking
> truly matter? if so, will I be doing myself a disservice my attending a
> Tier 2 school instead of a Tier 1 school? How should a prospective student
> who is still debating upon which area of law they want to practice go about
> choosing a la school?
>
> My second question is in regards to accessing law school textbooks. What is
> the best way to acquire law school textbooks in an accessible format?
> Throughout college, I was often able to retrieve accessible PDF copies of
> textbooks online or have the accessibility support office assist in
> retrieving accessible PDF copies directly from the publishers. Occassional
> y I was able to find textbooks on Bookshare. What is my best et for law
> school?
>
> I apologize for all the questions. I am so thankful for the insight anyone
> is willing or able to offer.
>
> Thank you so much!
>
> Warm Regards,
> Natasha
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