[blindLaw] Selecting a Law School & Textbooks

[Chris Bell]

regarding financial considerations, a blind resident of the state of Minnesota can attend the university of Minnesota law school or any other school at the U, at no cost, except for a student activity fee. May wish contact the University of Minnesota law school to verify this. However, if money is an issue, you might wish to consider this. I also believe there are some few other states that offer free tuition to Blind residence. good luck! Best, Chris 
Chris Bell, JD

Member, Board of Directors
American Council of the Blind
(612) 859-4938

> On Mar 25, 2024, at 9:25 AM, Syed Rizvi via BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> 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