3L fall classes Forum

[Yankees1313]

I am in the midst of picking classes for fall and wanted to know whether you all think it matters what courses I take... Do I need to take secured transactions, bankruptcy etc? Or does it not really matter for what I will be doing after law school as I've heard from many you just learn on the job. I will be working at a big law firm doing transactional work.

can I take easier classes for grade boosts or should I take more difficult courses because of the topics and what they may cover?

Thanks!

[Yankees1313]

Just following up on this... anyone have any insight? Also, for transactional work, are there any classes besides corporations one "must take?"

[MonsterTRM]

You're going to get a mix of responses. I'm in a large firm doing transactional work (real estate), and during my 3L year, I took a number of real estate related courses. I found them to not be helpful, as I learned almost everything on the job.

I took secured transactions during 3L, and I found it to be (1) helpful for the bar exam because I kind of knew the material/vocabulary and (2) have used it in my practice more than I thought I would. I also took evidence, which I'm glad I did because it made the bar exam a little bit easier.

If you don't mind the work, I recommend doing a clinic, because its something different than sitting in classes. Take what you're interested in. You will learn what you need to learn on the job.

[PB&J.D.]

3L here. Like the above poster said, it depends on a number of factors--whether you want/need to boost your GPA, the practice group you may be going into, or if you just want to coast. I'm also going into a transactional group and took a BK/commercial law class. I thought that was helpful for general knowledge of the subject, but not necessary.

Essentially, take whatever you want, but consider more business-oriented classes (i.e. finance, accounting, secured transactions) for generating a basic knowledge foundation. Aside from that, definitely take something easy or fun.

[RCSOB657]

I am in the midst of picking classes for fall and wanted to know whether you all think it matters what courses I take... Do I need to take secured transactions, bankruptcy etc? Or does it not really matter for what I will be doing after law school as I've heard from many you just learn on the job. I will be working at a big law firm doing transactional work.

can I take easier classes for grade boosts or should I take more difficult courses because of the topics and what they may cover?

Thanks!

I honestly thought this was a troll question. Both of those are bar courses. In line with the above, secured transactions is on most bars whereas bankruptcy might not be. If you think you can pass the bar without them then yeah the above is solid advice.

[clshopeful]

I am in the midst of picking classes for fall and wanted to know whether you all think it matters what courses I take... Do I need to take secured transactions, bankruptcy etc? Or does it not really matter for what I will be doing after law school as I've heard from many you just learn on the job. I will be working at a big law firm doing transactional work.

can I take easier classes for grade boosts or should I take more difficult courses because of the topics and what they may cover?

Thanks!

Currently in bankruptcy, and it is rough. Bankruptcy code is a nightmare, subject matter is NOT intuitive at all, lots of weird rules and tests. I would not advise.

Secured transactions is easy, so that's a plus.

[kellyfrost]

I am in the midst of picking classes for fall and wanted to know whether you all think it matters what courses I take... Do I need to take secured transactions, bankruptcy etc? Or does it not really matter for what I will be doing after law school as I've heard from many you just learn on the job. I will be working at a big law firm doing transactional work.

can I take easier classes for grade boosts or should I take more difficult courses because of the topics and what they may cover?

Thanks!

Currently in bankruptcy, and it is rough. Bankruptcy code is a nightmare, subject matter is NOT intuitive at all, lots of weird rules and tests. I would not advise.

Secured transactions is easy, so that's a plus.

Considering how you are only currently enrolled in the class , and by no means a bankruptcy expert, I would be a little more cautious giving others advice on classes, especially ones you aren't grasping well.

[Slytherpuff]

I am in the midst of picking classes for fall and wanted to know whether you all think it matters what courses I take... Do I need to take secured transactions, bankruptcy etc? Or does it not really matter for what I will be doing after law school as I've heard from many you just learn on the job. I will be working at a big law firm doing transactional work.

can I take easier classes for grade boosts or should I take more difficult courses because of the topics and what they may cover?

Thanks!

Currently in bankruptcy, and it is rough. Bankruptcy code is a nightmare, subject matter is NOT intuitive at all, lots of weird rules and tests. I would not advise.

Secured transactions is easy, so that's a plus.

Considering how you are only currently enrolled in the class , and by no means a bankruptcy expert, I would be a little more cautious giving others advice on classes, especially ones you aren't grasping well.

Since when does someone need to be an expert in a subject matter to give advice on picking classes? It's helpful to hear what classes people struggle with and it doesn't matter whether someone gives advice on that while they're in the class or a few weeks later when they've finished it. Let 3Ls give pre-3L advice.

[star fox]

Just following up on this... anyone have any insight? Also, for transactional work, are there any classes besides corporations one "must take?"

Accounting, SecReg, Corp/Partnership Tax, Secured Transactions, M&A, Antitrust, Bankruptcy. Not that they are must takes or anything but just some stuff to throw out there.

[A. Nony Mouse]

I am in the midst of picking classes for fall and wanted to know whether you all think it matters what courses I take... Do I need to take secured transactions, bankruptcy etc? Or does it not really matter for what I will be doing after law school as I've heard from many you just learn on the job. I will be working at a big law firm doing transactional work.

can I take easier classes for grade boosts or should I take more difficult courses because of the topics and what they may cover?

Thanks!

Currently in bankruptcy, and it is rough. Bankruptcy code is a nightmare, subject matter is NOT intuitive at all, lots of weird rules and tests. I would not advise.

Secured transactions is easy, so that's a plus.

Considering how you are only currently enrolled in the class , and by no means a bankruptcy expert, I would be a little more cautious giving others advice on classes, especially ones you aren't grasping well.

Don't follow people around just because you're peeved with a comment they made elsewhere.

[kellyfrost]

I am in the midst of picking classes for fall and wanted to know whether you all think it matters what courses I take... Do I need to take secured transactions, bankruptcy etc? Or does it not really matter for what I will be doing after law school as I've heard from many you just learn on the job. I will be working at a big law firm doing transactional work.

can I take easier classes for grade boosts or should I take more difficult courses because of the topics and what they may cover?

Thanks!

Currently in bankruptcy, and it is rough. Bankruptcy code is a nightmare, subject matter is NOT intuitive at all, lots of weird rules and tests. I would not advise.

Secured transactions is easy, so that's a plus.

Considering how you are only currently enrolled in the class , and by no means a bankruptcy expert, I would be a little more cautious giving others advice on classes, especially ones you aren't grasping well.

Since when does someone need to be an expert in a subject matter to give advice on picking classes? It's helpful to hear what classes people struggle with and it doesn't matter whether someone gives advice on that while they're in the class or a few weeks later when they've finished it. Let 3Ls give pre-3L advice.

This kind of stress and work level are why people get burnt out, suffer from mental health, and substance abuse issues.

Are you really qualified to say that?

This was simply my response.

[A. Nony Mouse]

I am in the midst of picking classes for fall and wanted to know whether you all think it matters what courses I take... Do I need to take secured transactions, bankruptcy etc? Or does it not really matter for what I will be doing after law school as I've heard from many you just learn on the job. I will be working at a big law firm doing transactional work.

can I take easier classes for grade boosts or should I take more difficult courses because of the topics and what they may cover?

Thanks!

Currently in bankruptcy, and it is rough. Bankruptcy code is a nightmare, subject matter is NOT intuitive at all, lots of weird rules and tests. I would not advise.

Secured transactions is easy, so that's a plus.

Considering how you are only currently enrolled in the class , and by no means a bankruptcy expert, I would be a little more cautious giving others advice on classes, especially ones you aren't grasping well.

Since when does someone need to be an expert in a subject matter to give advice on picking classes? It's helpful to hear what classes people struggle with and it doesn't matter whether someone gives advice on that while they're in the class or a few weeks later when they've finished it. Let 3Ls give pre-3L advice.

This kind of stress and work level are why people get burnt out, suffer from mental health, and substance abuse issues.

Are you really qualified to say that?

This was simply my response.

Like I said, don't follow someone around in other threads because you're annoyed at what they said to you. You're derailing an on-topic thread.

[B90]

I realize OP has probably already registered and is currently in finals, but here is some advice on 3L classes, particularly your last semester.
I had taken everything that was required and everything I was really interested in by 3L spring, so I basically took bar prep classes. I took secured transactions, state-specific civ pro (because my state tests this on this essay section), federal courts, a products liability class, and a state-specific consumer law class (again for the essay section).
I ended up with my best grades in law school that semester (because of course I am going to do well when it doesn't count ). I also feel that it helped with bar study.

I highly recommend secured transactions. As someone above mentioned, it is usually a relatively easy A. Although it is mind-numbingly boring and dry, it is super helpful for bar prep because you learn about priority. This helps immensely with the property qs on the MBE because mortgages are now a large topic on the MBE. Priority is super simple and straight-forward if you learn it in secured transactions, but if you try to learn it when you study property for the bar, it will make your brain hurt. The way that property law profs and bar prep companies approach mortgage is unnecessarily confusing.

Federal courts is a really tough subject to wrap your head around for many students, but if you are lucky enough to have a good prof. (like I did), it will help when you study con law for the bar. For me, this was the toughest subject to slog through in bar prep partly because 1L was so long ago and partly because most 1L conlaw classes don't cover even half of what you need to know for the bar. Taking federal courts my last semester really helped me keep that information clear in my head for the bar.

That's what worked for me. Obviously, ymmv.