About a month into law school, I discovered that one of my Profs was notorious for flunking 1L (first year) students. People considered it a great feat just to pull a "C" in his class. I studied for that class four hours a day. The first semester went pretty smoothly. My life consisted solely of working, studying and attending evening classes.
The second semester I was laid off from my job one month before finals started. Meanwhile, the workload in my Legal Writing increased substantially and I was spending more time chained to my computer.
The last three weeks of school were a stressful disaster. The oral argument that I delivered for the Legal Writing class resembled an outtake from a low-budget Blooper show. The months of constant family and financial stress had taken its toll on me. I began experiencing difficulty staying focused on my schoolwork. A month after finals, I received a letter informing me that I was being dismissed from law school for academic reasons. My wild law school roller coaster was now officially over and I had no clue what my next move was going to be.
Almost immediately after my dismissal, I enrolled into an ABA approved Paralegal Studies program and went to work in a law office. My classmates were paralegals with 15 plus years experience and all they needed was the degree. I learned a lot from talking with them during the class breaks. I will receive my Associate degree in Paralegal Studies in December of 2002. I am reapplying to law school for the fall of 2003.
Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of information about the vocational options for dismissed law students. My website, DismissedLawStudent.com, discusses how to cope with dismissal.
What Can Dismissed Law Students Do to Seek Re-Admittance?
- Analyze what went wrong in an objective detached manner.
- Enroll in an ABA approved paralegal studies program.
- Research different legal practice fields.
- Join the local bar or paralegal association.
- Surround yourself with positive people.
- Create a 10 month timeline for getting back into law school
- Contact the admissions counselors of the schools that you are applying to and let them know your status as a dismissed law student.
- Save money and payoff bills.
Alaina R. Alexander is a freelance writer. As of 2005, she has opted not to re-apply for law school. For more information visit: link url=http://www.dismissedlawstudent.com]DismissedLawStudent.com[/link]. http://www.dismissedlawstudent.com
