We hope everyone is surviving final exams and working to polish those law school applications! If you’re looking for some good reads this weekend, be sure to check out our roundup of law school news and advice.

Tighten Your Writing: Heed the Six Signs (Attorney at Work)

Looking to spruce up your legal writing skills? This post from Attorney at Work will teach you how to keep your writing clear, concise, and to the point.

Abraham Lincoln’s Advice to Young Lawyers (Slate)

This week Slate shared a document from Abraham Lincoln, which historians believe is a set of notes that Lincoln made in preparation for an 1850s-era lecture to a group of law students.

The Short on Long-Term Planning: Here is a Crazy Idea, Find the Actual Court Opinions (jdMission)

jdMission talks about how and why it’s a good idea to get acquainted with legal writing before you get to law school. It’s also important that you go to the actual legal source, rather than summaries presented in the news.
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As we near the end of this week, we again hope that those affected by Hurricane Sandy are making a progressive recovery and that life is returning to as close to normal as possible. To help everyone ease back into the usual routine, we’ve complied our weekly list of law school and LSAT-related links:

Telling Your Story: Avoiding Oversimplification, Part 2 of 3 (jdMission)

As you’re filling out law school applications and writing your personal statements, take a moment to stop by jdMission for some tips for avoiding oversimplification of your essay.
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We hope you’ve had some time to relax since last week’s LSAT! In case you haven’t, we encourage you to take a seat and check out some the top law school features from the week.

Free Webinar from jdMission & Manhattan LSAT Helps You Write Your Way Into Law School (Law School Podcaster)

If you haven’t had the chance yet, be sure to tune into this week’s podcast from Manhattan LSAT and jdMission. We tell you how to write essays that grab the attention of law school admissions committees.

Looking for a Law School to Fit Your Politics? (WSJ Law Blog)

Did you know that you could choose a law school to fit your politics? This week the Wall Street Journal shared which law schools host the most liberal and most conservative students.
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Set the LSAT prep books aside for a minute or two and catch up on some of this week’s news about law school and the legal profession. Happy Friday!

Study from Nerd Wallet Finds Law School Still Worth Attending (JD Journal)

According to a new study from Nerd Wallet, paying top dollar for tuition is justifiable if you’re studying at a top-ranked law school.

The Economics of Law School (New York Times)

The New York Times takes a magnifying glass to the economics of law school to get a closer look at reform propositions, tuition, salary stats, and more.
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Have your days been filled with prep work for the October LSAT? If so, it’s time to take a quick break and treat yourself to some of this week’s top articles about law school and the legal profession.

What Most Law Students Forget to Do: Think About the Material (Law School Toolbox)

Spending your time typing, copying, and pasting will keep you busy but will not help you really know or understand the material in law school. Law School Toolbox offers some more efficient ways to prep for class, take class notes, and create study materials.

Fall Frenzy: Law Students Elbow for Summer Shot at Big Law Gig (The Wall Street Journal Law Blog)

Find out why good grades are no longer enough to guarantee 2L’s a job next summer in BigLaw.

What No One Tells You Before You Go To Law School: They Really Are Speaking Greek (Okay, Latin) (Ms. JD)

Alison Monahan, founder of The Girl’s Guide to Law School, explains why law school is a lot like foreign language immersion. When entering law school, expect to be exposed to a whole new language and a whole new culture.

Get Paid and Published for Law School Writings (Law Student Ally)

Maximize your law school experience by taking the opportunity to get your papers published while you’re still earning your J.D.

Telling Your Story: Include Emotional Thinking (jdMission)

As you’re drafting your law school personal statement, be sure to include emotional reflections and not just factual reports about what happened.

Another Friday signals the near-end of yet another week of LSAT prep ahead of the October exam. Here are some of the stories that made the rounds among our LSAT crew this week:

The Short on Long-Term Planning: 10 LSAT Tips That Aren’t About the Actual LSAT (jdMission)*

*jdMission have a wide ranging list of LSAT planning tips and application strategies. You should get in the habit of checking back with them!

8 Ways That Judges Have Cited Star Trek From the Bench (io9)

Who knew that judges were such science fiction nerds? Our was #5.

Law School Admissions Tip #6: The Importance of Micro-editing (Law School Podcaster)

Law School Podcaster goes over some helpful editing tips for your admissions essay.

Conquer Back To School Season For Your First Year At Law School (LawRiot)

Four tips for students starting law school. Get the jump on your classmates!

A Work Soundtrack (gradhacker)

A round up of recommended music, playlists, podcasts, and radio stations to listen to while studying, and where to listen to them.

Since you’ve already submitted most of your free time to the LSAT, we figured we would share with you a list of interesting(?) trivial facts about ye old exam.  If you want to impress a crowd or maybe pick up (read: lose) a few friends, commit these LSAT facts to memory and rattle some off when the topic comes up, because hey, everyone loves that friend who does nothing but talk about the LSAT! (weekly links after the jump)

LSAC does not guarantee special desks or tables for left-handed test takers.

• The first administration of the LSAT occurred in 1948.
• Prior to 1991, LSAT scores were distributed on a scale from a low of 10 to a high of 48.
• The LSAT is only offered twice a year in Africa and Europe (October and December).
• There is no age requirement to sit for the LSAT.
• Statistically, the number of students who take the LSAT increases when the United States economy, as measured by the gross domestic product (GDP), decreases.
• When you go to the test center for the first time, about 75% of the people around you are also taking the test for the first time. Roughly 20% for the second time, and 5% for the third time.

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