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What’s the Main Point? This episode of The Legal Level, that’s what! After trying very hard not to do a whole episode on the most recent Reading Comp release – Prep Test 92 – Jelena & Branden finally give in and give you what you (could conceivably) want: the very latest trends in LSAT Reading Comprehension. Listen and learn . . . Is the trend toward harder-to-analyze passages finally lifting? What are the most common question types? What’s new – or, more accurately, missing – when it comes to subject matter? How can you keep track of multiple points of view with just a few highlighter colors available? What insights can be learned and applied to future passages? Links and Further Resources from this Episode: Subscribe to The Economist magazine & read in your free time to improve your Reading Comp Start Your LSATMax Free Trial Enroll in LSATMax's #1-Ranked LSAT Course LSATMax's Private LSAT Tutoring 33 Common LSAT Flaws Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now

Do you want to make the world a better place without selling your soul (and 90 billable hours a week of your free time)? Then you might want to consider public interest law. Branden & Jelena break down everything you need to know about this common elite law school graduate alternative to the big firm life. Listen and learn . . . What kind of work does “public interest” encompass? How much do public interest lawyers make? Why are 99% of applicants for public service loan forgiveness being denied? Do future public interest lawyers need to attend a T14 law school? Can you get a public interest job right out of law school? What should law students do during law school to stand out to public interest employers? Links and Further Resources from this Episode: Public Service Law Job Board Directory of Law Schools’ Public Interest Career Support Offerings Loan Forgiveness Programs for Law School ABA’s PSLF Lawsuit 99% of PSLF Applicants Rejected Start Your LSATMax Free Trial Enroll in LSATMax's #1-Ranked LSAT Course LSATMax's Private LSAT Tutoring 33 Common LSAT Flaws Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now

Do you like money and dislike free time? Then biglaw might be for you. Branden & Jelena go beyond starting salary to break down all the basics of biglaw. If you’re planning to pay off your law school debt by getting a lucrative job at an Am-Law 100 firm, don’t send in that seat deposit before listening to this episode. (And, ideally, doing a lot more homework, too.) Listen and learn . . . How big does a firm have to be to qualify as “biglaw,” anyway? How much can you actually expect to make in biglaw? What’s “up or out,” and does it really mean you’ll get fired a few years in? Why, exactly, do biglaw firms care so much about your grades? Is it possible to do biglaw without selling your soul? Why do so many new lawyers plan on “three-and-out,” but end up either stuck in biglaw for longer than three years or broke and unemployed? Which law schools should you apply to for a shot at biglaw? Links and Further Resources from this Episode: BIGLAW 101 Links & Further Resources Apply Now for TestMax’s Justice in Action Program Start Your LSATMax Free Trial Enroll in LSATMax's #1-Ranked LSAT Course LSATMax's Private LSAT Tutoring 33 Common LSAT Flaws Start Your 1L Free Trial Now (The Greatest Law School Supplement) Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now

Believe it or not, stuff actually happened this year, despite all of the 2020 Part 2 vibes. As 2021 ends and 2022 begins, Branden & Jelena look back at the past 13 months of LSAT and law school news, discussing one big story from each month. Listen and learn . . . Why is a Toronto student suing his law school for human rights violations? How the LSAT-Flex adding a fourth section affected students’ scores Which T14 law school dealt with a law student rebellion after their pandemic policies spiked anxiety and depression in the student body How the Bar Exam might change soon . . . and why the proposed new version would be way better for lawyers Which T14 law school damaged its own reputation over a satirical flyer What happened when the LSAT-Flex platform crashed during the test Links and Further Resources from this Episode: Read Our 2021 LSAT & Law School Top Stories for Yourself Apply Now for TestMax’s Justice in Action Program Start Your LSATMax Free Trial Enroll in LSATMax's #1-Ranked LSAT Course LSATMax's Private LSAT Tutoring 33 Common LSAT Flaws Start Your 1L Free Trial Now (The Greatest Law School Supplement) Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now

In this Legal Level holiday special, Jelena and Branden each bring six LSAT-style arguments to debate the existence of a particular red-suited gift bearer. Each argument exemplifies a must-know argument type for test day, so grab something warm to sip, and turn on the most enjoyable LSAT argument review session on the internet. Listen and learn . . . Where and when you will likely see these argument forms? A lot of Latin terms. Can a valid argument form be a fallacy, too? How recognizing common argument forms will help you with LR and RC. Is St. Nicolas eating Branden’s cookies? Links and Further Resources from this Episode: Santa Claus: Jolly Old Man or Calculating Criminal? Apply Now for TestMax’s Justice in Action Program Start Your LSATMax Free Trial Enroll in LSATMax's #1-Ranked LSAT Course LSATMax's Private LSAT Tutoring 33 Common LSAT Flaws Start Your 1L Free Trial Now (The Greatest Law School Supplement) Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now

Whether you’ve already applied to law school this year, are debating applying this cycle, or are just curious about how law school admissions, we’ve got news you can use. Jelena and Branden discuss applicant trends for the 2022 admissions cycle thus far and make predictions about the remainder of the admissions cycle. Give us forty-five minutes, and you’ll know everything there is to know about: How to stand out without a super high score? Does a 180 guarantee T-14 admission? How do admissions officers feel about increased applications? Why are more high LSAT scorers getting rejected by top law schools? Will 2022 see more or less applicants than the previous cycle? How will an increase in applicants affect first year associate jobs? Can remote-work and innovation make legal resources more affordable? Links and Further Resources from this Episode: LSAC’s Current Volume Summary More High Scorers Rejected in 2020-2021 Cycle Apply Now for TestMax’s Justice in Action Program Start Your LSATMax Free Trial Enroll in LSATMax's #1-Ranked LSAT Course LSATMax's Private LSAT Tutoring 33 Common LSAT Flaws Start Your 1L Free Trial Now (The Greatest Law School Supplement) Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now

If you were a fan of verbing nouns, you could say, “There are more ways to law school than ever before.” While we are always horrified by that kind of linguistic vandalism here at The Legal Level, there is a kernel of truth in the grammatical wreckage: You no longer have to stare at professors in-person for three years during business hours to be a lawyer. But that doesn’t mean that all the alternatives are created equal, and even traditional law school has changed recently, which is why Jelena & Branden are using this episode to explore different law school structures as well as the shift to online learning. Give us forty-five minutes, and you’ll know everything there is to know about: Part-time law school programs, which usually take 4 years to complete Accelerated 2-year programs 3+3 Bachelors/JD Pipeline Programs Law schools’ shift to online learning Fully-online JD programs (spoiler alert, these are bad!) Links and Further Resources from this Episode: What You Need to Know About Part-Time Law School Is Graduating One Year Early Really Worth It? The Cal State Northridge/Southwestern Law 3+3 Program Is a Success Start Your LSATMax Free Trial Enroll in LSATMax's #1-Ranked LSAT Course LSATMax's Private LSAT Tutoring 33 Common LSAT Flaws Start Your 1L Free Trial Now (The Greatest Law School Supplement) Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now Apply Now for TestMax’s Justice in Action Program

This week, Branden & Jelena recover from their Thanksgiving feasts while answering listeners’ questions and critiquing a listener-submitted personal statement. Send in your own questions for the next mailbag episode at podcast@testmaxprep.com or via the LSATMax student Discord. Listen and learn . . . Should older law school applicants write an addendum addressing their age? Who can write a law school diversity statement? Why do real judicial opinions sometimes read exactly like the LSAT? Is having a big gap in your work history a law school dealbreaker? How can you write a personal statement that makes you look good . . . about something from your past that might make you look bad? What’s the difference between writing a personal statement for law school and an essay for publication? Links and Further Resources from this Episode: Read Along with Our Listener-Submitted Judicial Opinion Excerpt Start Your LSATMax Free Trial Enroll in LSATMax's #1-Ranked LSAT Course LSATMax's Private LSAT Tutoring 33 Common LSAT Flaws Start Your 1L Free Trial Now (The Greatest Law School Supplement) Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now Apply Now for TestMax’s Justice in Action Program

This week’s episode decodes the Logical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension sections of newly released practice tests PT91 and PT92. Branden and Jelena share their thoughts on difficult questions and insights for future test takers. This episode contains (or, is entirely composed of) spoilers for PT 91 and 92, so listeners who intend to take these PTs under realistic exam day conditions are advised to test before listening. Listen and learn . . . Where have the Must Be Trues gone? Why are we seeing more Strengthen and Weaken questions in a single section? Why are Parallel Reasoning questions slowly disappearing? What can we expect for these sections on future tests? Links and Further Resources from this Episode: Start Your LSATMax Free Trial Enroll in LSATMax's #1-Ranked LSAT Course LSATMax's Private LSAT Tutoring 33 Common LSAT Flaws Start Your 1L Free Trial Now (The Greatest Law School Supplement) Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now Apply Now for TestMax’s Justice in Action Program

Jelena tries and fails to curb her Logic Games enthusiasm as she and Branden work through the eight new logic games in Prep Test 92, which Branden & Jelena go through one-by-one, analyzing trends and sharing their approaches to each game. This episode contains (or, is entirely composed of) spoilers for PT 92, so listeners who intend to take this PT under realistic exam day conditions are advised to test before listening. Listen and learn . . . How does PT 92 compare to 91? How to prepare for multilinear and hybrid games on future tests? Why isn’t the LSAT using unusual game types lately? How many scenarios is too many? Are current logic game sections becoming less predictable? What insights can be learned and applied to future games? Links and Further Resources from this Episode: Start Your LSATMax Free Trial Enroll in LSATMax's #1-Ranked LSAT Course LSATMax's Private LSAT Tutoring 33 Common LSAT Flaws Start Your 1L Free Trial Now (The Greatest Law School Supplement) Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now Apply Now for TestMax’s Justice in Action Program

Fulbright U.S. Student Research Awardee, LSATMax Tutor and Yale 1L Rosalyn Leban joins The Legal Level to discuss her first year law school experience and journey to the nation's top rated law school. Listen and learn . . . How to handle legal reasoning you don’t agree with in law school What extracurricular activities you can participate in as a Yale 1L How to decide if law is the right path for you, if you don’t agree with everything about the legal system What Rosalyn plans to do with her Yale law degree Should you apply to Yale too? Links and Further Resources from this Episode: Start Your LSATMax Free Trial Enroll in LSATMax's #1-Ranked LSAT Course LSATMax's Private LSAT Tutoring 33 Common LSAT Flaws Start Your 1L Free Trial Now (The Greatest Law School Supplement) Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now Apply Now for TestMax’s Justice in Action Program

With a shiny, new LSAT score, a master’s degree from the London School of Economics, and a new role within LSATMax, veteran LSAT decoder Abby Goldman joins The Legal Level for the inaugural "Ask A Tutor" episode. Listen and learn . . . Can anyone raise their LSAT score to a 180? How to handle not hitting a home run on your first LSAT? Fitting LSAT prep into a busy life. How it’s possible to get a 178 without knowing every LSAT trick. Are curve-breaker questions the key to an elite score? Links and Further Resources from this Episode: Start Your LSATMax Free Trial Enroll in LSATMax's #1-Ranked LSAT Course LSATMax's Private LSAT Tutoring 33 Common LSAT Flaws Start Your 1L Free Trial Now (The Greatest Law School Supplement) Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now Apply Now for TestMax’s Justice in Action Program

New practice LSATs dropped, and Jelena is PSYCHED! PT91 features eight brand-new logic games, which Branden & Jelena go through one-by-one, analyzing trends and sharing their approaches to each game. This episode contains (or, is entirely composed of) spoilers for PT 91, so listeners who intend to take this PT under realistic exam day conditions are advised to test before listening. Listen and learn . . . Where did the Lost Boys go? Why is LSAC suddenly so obsessed with Multi-Linear games? What can PT91 tell us about trends that could appear on future LSATs? Are scenarios still the biggest key to Logic Games? How can the most basic game types produce the most difficult games? Can there be more than one right way to tackle the same logic game? Links and Further Resources from this Episode: Start Your LSATMax Free Trial Enroll in LSATMax's #1-Ranked LSAT Course LSATMax's Private LSAT Tutoring 33 Common LSAT Flaws Start Your 1L Free Trial Now (The Greatest Law School Supplement) Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now Apply Now for TestMax’s Justice in Action Program

Are you curious about what the law has to say about vaccine mandates?! In this exciting episode Branden & Jelena interview legal scholars Dan Bowling (Duke Law) and Ilya Somin (JMU Law/Cato Institute) about the legal precedents and policies concerning such mandates. Listen and learn . . . Are government institutions overstepping their authority? How do government vaccine mandates differ from mandates at private institutions? Does the newness of a vaccine play a role in the legality of mandating it? What is a suspect classification and how does it relate to vaccine mandates? Where do cities get the authority to impose mandates? Is there a light at the end of the tunnel? Links and Further Resources from this Episode: Where to find Professor Ilya Somin: [Volokh Conspiracy](https://bit.ly/3mKxbbo) [Somin’s GMU Law Webpage](https://bit.ly/2X5bHgx) [Twitter](https://bit.ly/3mIVHtr) Where to find Professor Dan Bowling [Twitter](https://bit.ly/3FCELxb) Start Your LSATMax Free Trial Enroll in LSATMax's #1-Ranked LSAT Course LSATMax's Private LSAT Tutoring 33 Common LSAT Flaws Start Your 1L Free Trial Now (The Greatest Law School Supplement) Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now Apply Now for TestMax’s Justice in Action Program

Branden & Jelena interview the new Legal Level intern, Max Hofstetter, about his August LSAT experience and why he is planning to retake. He shares his hard-earned LSAT wisdom and why he would rather carry a briefcase than be shark bait. Listen and learn . . . Why does Max plan to retake with a 169? Should you prepare by taking every practice test . . . ever? How to fund test prep by street performing. How to prepare for reading comp one word at a time. Stem major GPA: will it keep you out of law school or nah? Links and Further Resources from this Episode: Max’s Contact information: @maxryanhof, @W4veMusic Speed Reading App Study at the Duke Marine Lab as a Visiting Student Start Your LSATMax Free Trial Enroll in LSATMax's #1-Ranked LSAT Course LSATMax's Private LSAT Tutoring 33 Common LSAT Flaws Start Your 1L Free Trial Now (The Greatest Law School Supplement) Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now Apply Now for TestMax’s Justice in Action Program

Remember last year, when a lot of people started applying to law school? Well, a lot of them got in. Law schools are starting to release data about their 2024 classes, and many of them are larger than usual. So what’s changed, and how will it affect job prospects for future lawyers? Listen and learn . . . How much bigger are this year’s incoming classes, exactly? Should this affect your law school plans, if you haven’t applied yet? How LSAT-Flex and higher-scoring applicants affected law school LSAT medians Which top schools had the biggest spike in applications? Are there really more law students than lawyers? Do higher medians mean doom and gloom for lower LSAT scorers? Links and Further Resource from this Episode: Harvard Law School's Class of 2024 Harvard Law School J.D. Class is Most Academically Accomplished, Diverse in School History Bureau of Labor Statistics Lawyer Employment Stats The TaxProf on the Class of 2024 UCLA’s JD Class of 2024 Georgetown JD Class of 2024 Start Your LSATMax Free Trial Enroll in LSATMax's #1-Ranked LSAT Course LSATMax's Private LSAT Tutoring 33 Common LSAT Flaws Start Your 1L Free Trial Now (The Greatest Law School Supplement) Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now Apply Now for TestMax’s Justice in Action Program

***This episode contains conversations surrounding sexual harassment.*** Today we talked to Professor of criminal law—Jules Epstien—and one of the fierce prosecutor’s in Cosby’s second trial—Ms. Kristen Feden. We ask what justice means in the Cosby case, why he’s free today, and what the future holds for survivors. Quick Catch Up: Prosecutor Bill Castor allegedly promised that Cosby would not be criminally charged. Following this promise, Cosby testified in a civil trial where he would not invoke his Fifth Amendment rights. Additional prosecutors brought criminal charges against Cosby and used his testimony from the civil trial. This time the court did not feel bound to Castor’s promise. But the PA Supreme Court said that the chain of events violated due process . . . conviction overturned. Background Reading: https://apnews.com/article/why-was-bill-cosby-conviction-overturned-2a65ec25c153fbd1c24b1c58a2b6e583 Listen and learn . . . What lessons we can learn from this case How this could affect future cases How prosecutorial promises are used How reporting has changed since #MeToo What legislation supports survivors in court Links and Further Resource from this Episode: PA Supreme Court Opinion Appellate Documents & Testimony Notes Jules Epstien Bio & Contact Kristen M. Gibbons Feden Bio & Contact Kristen M. Gibbons Feden Social Start Your LSATMax Free Trial Enroll in LSATMax's #1-Ranked LSAT Course LSATMax's Private LSAT Tutoring 33 Common LSAT Flaws

Brian Potts—founder of the LinkedIn Legal Mentor Network—joins us on the pod today to talk about how he worked his way up from a rejection letter to equity partner at a Big AM Law Firm. Potts shares some overlooked networking strategies for law students and reminds us that it's never too early or even too late to make an impression . . . Listen and learn . . . Why it’s never too early to begin networking The best piece of advice Brian would offer law students How NOT to network How students can use social media and linked-in to tap into new circles How to network if you’re an introvert Why you are most marketable 3-5 years post law school Links and Further Resource from this Episode: Brian Potts Bio Brian Potts LinkedIn 33 Common LSAT Flaws Start Your LSATMax Free Trial Enroll in LSATMax's #1-Ranked LSAT Course LSATMax's Private LSAT Tutoring Start Your 1L Free Trial Now (The Greatest Law School Supplement) Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now

This week Jelena & Branden interview Maddy—the Legal Level intern—who’s starting law school at Temple Law in two weeks! Maddy divulges everything she has learned throughout her internship at the podcast and offers insight on the law school application process. Make sure to listen to the end to hear some advice for the next legal level intern...who by the way we will be hiring soon! Listen and learn . . . How Maddy landed the internship What made Maddy decide to pursue law school How Maddy chose Temple Law What traits Jelena & Branden may be looking for in their next intern! Links and Further Resource from this Episode: LSATMax Internship Program Start Your LSATMax Free Trial Enroll in LSATMax's #1-Ranked LSAT Course LSATMax's Private LSAT Tutoring 33 Common LSAT Flaws Start Your 1L Free Trial Now (The Greatest Law School Supplement) Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now Apply Now for TestMax’s Justice in Action Program

Paying for the LSAT and applying to law school is a HUGE expense . . . and for those that are financially under-resourced . . . it can be extremely prohibitive. So . . . what do you do if you can't afford it? Luckily, we have some LSAC aid updates and tips from your premier LSAT tutors, Jelena & Branden, that might save your wallet and your score. Plus, we cover some programs here at LSATMax that could be helpful. Listen and learn . . . Why investing in the LSAT pays back later . . . What not to spend money on . . . when you're on a budget What options does LSAC offer How to look out for scams Where else can you turn to for financial assistance and guidance Links and Further Resource from this Episode: LSAC Financial Assistance Program Start Your LSATMax Free Trial Enroll in LSATMax's #1-Ranked LSAT Course LSATMax's Private LSAT Tutoring 33 Common LSAT Flaws Start Your 1L Free Trial Now (The Greatest Law School Supplement) Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now Apply Now for TestMax’s Justice in Action Program