[blindLaw] Selecting a Law School & Textbooks

Mon Mar 25 13:23:57 UTC 2024

Hi Natasha,

Congrats on getting into law school!

It is great that you are being so proactive and considering all of these
very important factors.

I’ll address your second question first. Acquiring materials for law school
will be very similar to your undergrad experience. Law school is really
just more school. Therefore, you’ll use sites like Book Share, leverage
your on-campus resources, and contact publishers to retrieve accessible
copies. Your law school will have access to a disability services office
similar to your undergrad. However, not all schools are equal in regards to
how helpful their disability services offices can be. Hopefully your law
school will be even better than your undergrad, but if it is not, it will
require advocacy, and we are here to support you.

Next, choosing which law school to attend is a highly individualized
decision. I think all of the factors you have cited are very important. I
was like you in that I was not one hundred percent sure about the exact
type of law I wanted to practice after law school. Therefore, I think it
would be wise to not choose a school just for one specific clinic it may
have. I would give yourself the freedom to change your mind in school. More
often than not, people have several pivots throughout their careers.

Regarding the financial consideration, some schools have loan assistance
programs for their graduates that pursue public interest careers, though
some programs are better than others. Some people start off in the private
sector for a few years to pay down their debt. And, other than school
specific scholarships, there are several outside organizations that you can
apply to for scholarships, such as the NFB.

The ranking topic is a contentious one. There are successful attorneys from
a variety of schools. Due to the unfortunately antiquated culture of the
legal profession, going to a certain school can garner you preferential
treatment in certain career trajectories.

Finally, regarding the DC area school, I believe that if you accepted a
seat in another school now and then were moved off of the waitlist and
offered a seat in the DC school, you could drop your seat in your previous
school and accept the DC school seat. I have had many peers in a similar
situation who have done this. I would just read the terms of your
acceptance to double check. You wouldn’t want to get yourself in trouble
and then compromise your position. And, you hit the nail on the head
regarding the immense opportunities in a city like DC.

Best of luck with making your decision and I’m happy to talk it over on the
phone if you’d think it’d be helpful.

Syed

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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