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              The King Hall Law School USENET FAQ Part 2 of 6
             Frequently Asked Questions at and About King Hall
                             (c) Copyright 1995

                                     by

                           David F. Prenatt, Jr.
                          King Hall, 1995 Alumnus
                          U.C. Davis School of Law
                          University of California
                            Davis, CA 95616-5210

                           dfprenatt@ucdavis.edu


The King Hall Law School USENET FAQ (King Hall USENET FAQ) may be comprised
of more than one part.  If it is, please see the TABLE OF CONTENTS in Part
One for a complete list of the questions that I have attempted to answer
and for other important legal information.  Caveat emptor:  I assume no
obligation to anyone through the publication of the King Hall USENET FAQ.
Furthermore, all versions of the King Hall USENET FAQ are my personal
property and are protected by applicable copyright laws.  All rights are
reserved except as follows:  I hereby give my permission to anyone who has
access to this version of the King Hall USENET FAQ to reproduce the
information contained herein for non-profit purposes, provided that proper
credit is given to me as the author of this FAQ and that I am promptly
notified of any use other than personal use.  I may revoke permission to
reproduce any version of this FAQ at any time.

- - - - -
              The King Hall Law School USENET FAQ Part 2 of 6
             Frequently Asked Questions at and About King Hall
                (c) Copyright 1995 by David F. Prenatt, Jr.


1)  ABOUT THIS FAQ.

1.1)  Who wrote this FAQ and how can I reach him?

     The King Hall USENET FAQ was written by me, David F. Prenatt, Jr.,
     1995 alumnus of the University of California, Davis School of Law
     (King Hall).  Until further notice, you can reach me by e-mail at U.C.
     Davis:

          dfprenatt@ucdavis.edu

     or by snail-mail (i.e., U.S. Mail) through the U.C. Davis Law School:

          David F. Prenatt, Jr.
          c/o King Hall Alumni Association
          U.C. Davis, School of Law
          University of California
          Davis, CA 95616-5210


1.2)  What information is contained in this FAQ?

     Anything that I, as the author of this FAQ, decided would be of
     interest to members or would-be members of the King Hall community.
     See PREFATORY QUESTIONS (Section 0) for more information.

1.3)  How is this FAQ organized?

     This version of this FAQ may be arbitrarily divided into unequal parts
     where I felt it was convenient to do so.  I did this for two reasons.
     First, some readers of this FAQ may have specific questions and may
     not want to read the entire FAQ.  If this version of this FAQ is
     comprised of more than one part, the first part will contain the
     complete TABLE OF CONTENTS.  Thus, readers of this FAQ may refer to
     the TABLE OF CONTENTS to find out where to look for the specific
     questions that they want answered.  Second, some computer services are
     unable to handle extremely large computer files.  Thus, if this
     version of this FAQ is comprised of more than one part, no one part
     will exceed 32k.  See the TABLE OF CONTENTS in this FAQ more detailed
     information about how this version of this FAQ is organized.

1.4)  How can I obtain this FAQ?

     This FAQ is archived at rtfm.mit.edu in the pub/usenet/news.answers
     directory under the archive name ucdavis/king-hall-faq/part* (where *
     = 1 through 6), where it is available by anonymous ftp and e-mail
     request.  See Section 11.3.3.1 for more information on ftp and e-mail
     request.  This FAQ is updated once a month and the most current
     version is posted to news.answers, ucd.king-hall, and *.general
     newsgroups in various regional USENET domains accessible from the U.C.
     Davis USENET.  Snail-mail requests to me for the King Hall USENET FAQ
     [Offline] (Version 1.2), released August 13, 1995, will be honored
     within the United States (U.S.), if those requests are accompanied by
     $5.00 U.S. currency in the form of a check or money order for each
     copy ordered to cover the cost of printing, shipping, and handling;
     volume discounts and licensing agreements are available.  At my
     discretion, I may ship a more recent version of this FAQ unless you
     specify otherwise.

1.5)  Are there any other FAQs available by the author of this FAQ?

     Yes.  I have published two other FAQS, the U.C. Davis USENET FAQ
     (archive name ucdavis/complete-faq) and the Davis, California USENET
     FAQ (Davis USENET FAQ, archive name davis/complete-faq), both of which
     are archived at rtfm.mit.edu under the pub/usenet/news.answers
     directory where they are available by anonymous ftp and e-mail
     request.  See Section 11.3.3.1 for more information on ftp and e-mail
     request.  These FAQs are updated once a month and the most current
     versions are posted on news.answers and one or more of the *.general
     USENET newsgroups where you can obtain the King Hall USENET FAQ.  The
     U.C. Davis USENET FAQ [Offline] (Version 1.1), released August 13,
     1995, and the Davis USENET FAQ [Offline] (Version 1.1), to be released
     September 10, 1995, are both available within the U.S. by snail-mail
     request, if your request is accompanied by $5.00 U.S. currency in the
     form of a check or money order for each copy of each FAQ that you
     order, to cover the cost of printing, shipping, and handling; volume
     discounts and licensing agreements are available.  At my discretion, I
     may ship more recent versions of these FAQs unless you specify
     otherwise.  Including the King Hall, U.C. Davis, and Davis USENET
     FAQS, I have about a dozen FAQS currently under construction and/or
     pending approval of the *.answers team.

2)  FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT PREPARING FOR LAW SCHOOL

2.1)  What should I do to prepare for law school?

     There is no right way to prepare for law school, academically or
     otherwise.  However, there are ways to maximize your chances of
     getting admitted to the law school of your choice.  In most instances,
     what prepares you for law school is just living.

2.1.1)  What sort of academic preparation is required for law school?

     An undergraduate degree from a prestigious university is by far the
     best way to maximize your appeal as a law school candidate.  However,
     many law schools do not even require that you have a four year degree.
     In any event, other than the undergraduate education that most law
     schools require, no scholastic preparation is necessary for success
     once you are in law school.
          While no scholastic preparation is necessary for law school, many
     law students have advanced degrees in various disciplines.  In fact,
     many of them have already achieved remarkable success in careers other
     than the law.  In other words, people who are among the best and
     brightest apply to law school.  As such, most law schools can pick and
     choose from whomever they want to have as incoming students.
          Rather than simply pick the elite of the best and brightest,
     however, law schools try to find people with unique and interesting
     backgrounds to achieve diversity in the law school student body.
     Thus, no student is guaranteed admission to any law school, regardless
     of his or her credentials.  This comes as quite a shock to many
     applicants with impeccable credentials who are rejected by the law
     school of their choice.

2.1.1.1)  What undergraduate program should someone pursue if he or she
          plans to go to law school?

     An unusual undergraduate major typically maximizes your chances of
     admission to law school.  However, your class ranking as an
     undergraduate is also very important because many other applicants
     will probably have a scholastic background that is similar to yours,
     so study something that you will enjoy and at which you will do well.

2.1.1.2)  Aren't political science majors better prepared for law school
          than other college graduates?

     As a rule, no.  Political science is a distinct and different
     discipline than the law.  Even so, many people who go to law school
     have studied political science as an undergraduate.  Other things
     being equal, they are no better qualified to study the law than anyone
     else is.  They are also at a distinct disadvantage in the law school
     application process, which favors diversity.  The number of political
     science majors who apply to law school and get accepted by the law
     school of their choice is proportionately small when compared to other
     undergraduate majors.

2.1.1.3)  Wouldn't someone who studied a challenging undergraduate major be
          better qualified to study the law than someone who studied
          underwater basket weaving?

     Not necessarily.  No matter how challenging an undergraduate major is,
     it does not qualify you to study law.  It merely demonstrates your
     ability in that undergraduate major and/or your commitment to that
     major.  Someone who excels at underwater basket weaving may be just as
     qualified to study the law as someone who excels at the most
     challenging undergraduate major.  More important is the fact that
     someone who has studied underwater basket weaving is more likely to
     get admitted to the law school of his or her choice based on
     diversity.

2.1.2)  What else should I do to prepare for law school?

     Whatever appeals to you.  Some sort of work experience is usually your
     best option.

2.1.2.1)  What type of work experience best prepares someone for law
          school?

     With the possible exception of legal work experience, no particular
     type of work experience prepares you for law school better than any
     other.  On the other hand, there is no work experience that does not
     prepare you for law school.  The law affects every aspect of modern
     living, including virtually every type of job, so every type of work
     experience prepares you for law school.

2.1.2.2)  What other kinds of experience prepare someone for law school?

     The best kind of experience to prepare someone for law school is
     overcoming some sort of personal hardship.  Law school can be a
     humbling experience, even for the best and brightest.  In my humble
     opinion, those who get the most out of the law school experience are
     those who know how to cope with both success and failure.

2.2)  How do I know if I'm ready for law school?

     Objectively speaking, no one is ever ready for law school.  No one
     leaves law school as the same person that he or she was when he or she
     entered.  Subjectively speaking, you are ready for law school whenever
     you make the decision to apply.

2.2.1)  What if I don't know why I want to go to law school?

     Join the club.  It is a rare individual who knows why he or she wants
     to go to law school.  Those who think that they know why they want to
     go to law school typically discover opportunities in law school that
     they had never considered before.  Some people stick with their
     original goals, but the odds are stacked against it.

2.2.2)  What if I am too old to go to law school?

     Nonsense.  If you are young enough to think about going to law school,
     then you are young enough to go.  There is no such thing as a good
     excuse for choosing not to do something that you want to do, and there
     is no time like the present to start making up for lost time.

3)  FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT APPLYING TO LAW SCHOOL.

3.1)  To which law school(s) should I submit (an) application(s)?

     You should submit applications to as many law schools as possible,
     covering a spectrum from the schools that you really want to attend to
     the schools that you would attend if you had no other choice
     (regardless of cost--the higher the tuition at a particular school,
     the greater the financial aid awards are that they will offer).  I
     strongly recommend that you apply to my alma mater, King Hall, the
     smallest (total enrollment approx. 500) and youngest (established
     1969) of the four U.C. law schools.  U.C. Davis Law School is approved
     by the American Bar Association (ABA), it is highly ranked (both by
     academics and professionals), and it is very affordable to California
     residents.  Also noteworthy is the fact that the graduates of King
     Hall have traditionally had the number one passage rate on the
     California Bar Exam (arguably the hardest bar exam in the nation),
     more consistently than any other law school in California.

3.2)  What do I need to do to apply to law school?

     Every law school's application requirements are different, so contact
     the law schools that you are interested in attending.  Most law
     schools require that you complete an application form and submit other
     information with your application, such as personal references, a
     personal statement, and the compilation of scholastic records that is
     provided by the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS).  The LSDAS
     reports your score(s) on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), which
     you should take as early as possible.  It is also important to apply
     for financial aid and scholarships as early as possible.

3.2.1)  Who should I get to give me references for law school?

     The identity of the people that provide your references is not as
     important as their relationship to you.  Some law schools specifically
     request that you provide references from former professors or
     employers.  Whatever your relationship to the people whom you ask to
     provide as a reference, pick people who will lavish praise upon you.

3.2.2)  What should I include in my personal statement for my law school
        application?

     Be as honest as possible.  Explain why you want to go to law school
     and what you have to offer the legal profession and the particular law
     school to which you are applying.  Your personal statement is also
     your only opportunity to highlight the many achievements that do not
     fit on your application and to put your shortcomings into perspective.

3.2.3)  How does the LSDAS work?

     The LSDAS collects and standardizes your academic records to make it
     easier for admissions personnel at various law schools to compare you
     with other law school candidates.  Contact Law Services for more
     information at Box 2000, 661 Penn St, Newtown, PA 18940-0998.

3.2.4)  How do I increase my chances of doing well on the LSAT?

     There are many commercial LSAT preparation courses on the market, and
     you should most certainly take one.  The structure that such a course
     imposes upon you will force you to prepare for the LSAT.  Virtually
     all LSAT courses offer good study materials and basic test taking
     strategies.  However, there is no substitute for practicing sample
     LSAT questions under actual test conditions.

3.2.5)  How do I apply for financial aid in law school?

     Every law school is different.  Contact the financial aid office at
     the law school to which you plan to apply for this information.  At
     the very least, you will have to fill out a financial aid application
     and forward Financial Aid Transcripts (FATs) from every college you
     have ever attended (whether or not you have ever been on financial aid
     before).

3.2.6)  How do I decide upon which law school to attend if I am admitted to
        more than one?

     UC Berkeley (Boalt) (<gopher://law164.law.berkeley.edu:70/1>) is the
     undisputed number one choice of the four U.C. law schools among law
     school applicants with UCLA a strong second; some people prefer to
     attend the UCSF law school, Hastings (<http://www.uchastings.edu>),
     because of its strong emphasis on business.  While King Hall stands in
     the shadow of its three older and more established sister law schools,
     the only U.C. law school to give King Hall a run for its money, IMHO,
     is Boalt, primarily because Boalt has such a high national ranking and
     thus attracts a highly distinguished faculty (some of which it
     occasionally borrows from King Hall).  UCLA has very good name
     recognition, and is an excellent choice if you intend to remain in the
     Southern California area.  Because of its local name recognition and
     downtown San Francisco location, Hastings is a good choice for those
     who intend to work in the San Franciso Bay area.
          I could brag about the King Hall tradition of having the number
     one bar passage rate, the commitment of King Hall to public interest
     law, or the distinguished faculty and outstanding clinical programs
     that King Hall has to offer, but if you are having trouble making up
     your mind between King Hall and another U.C. law school, I suggest
     that you visit King Hall and see for yourself what my alma mater has
     to offer.  Contact Sharon L. Pinkney (<slpinkney@ucdavis.edu>) at the
     King Hall Admissions Office at (916)752-6477 to arrange a visit.  She
     can arrange for you to spend the day with a current law student and
     attend some actual classes.  You will then be well positioned to make
     an informed choice.
          Outside of the U.C. system, it is hard to beat King Hall.  If I
     were you, I would not give serious consideration to another law school
     over King Hall unless it places well within the top 10 law schools
     found in the U.S. News and World Report rankings.  I applied to
     Harvard, Yale, and Columbia as well as all the U.C. law schools just
     in case I did not get admitted to King Hall, but I had made my choice
     to attend King Hall long before I sent out any of my law school
     applications (or received any of my inevitable rejection letters).

3.3)  How do I apply for admission to King Hall?

     Contact Sharon Pinkney (<slpinkney@ucdavis.edu>) at the King Hall
     Admissions Office (916)752-6477 for this information.

3.4)  How do I apply for financial aid at King Hall?

     Contact Lu Bastian (<lrbastian@ucdavis.edu>), the Director of
     Financial Aid at King Hall, at (916)752-6573 for this information.  If
     I were to pick one reason why I chose to attend King Hall rather than
     some other law school, it would have to be the Financial Aid
     Department.  I cannot speak to the horror stories that I have heard
     about financial aid at other schools because Lu Bastian is a saint.
     The members of her support staff, currently one Cyndie Alvarez
     Necoechea (<calvarez@ucdavis.edu>), have always been of similar
     character.  They have protected me from the harsh realities of the
     real world of financial aid.
          I had never been on financial aid before I attended King Hall,
     and I found the financial aid process at most law schools to be
     unnecessarily intrusive, degrading, problematic, and bureaucratic.
     The only place that I encountered any problems of my own making was at
     King Hall, yet the financial aid process at King Hall was by far the
     smoothest one (so smooth that I stopped entertaining any serious
     thoughts that I may have had of attending any other law school).  I
     cannot emphasize how important it is to listen to what Lu Bastian and
     her staff tell you to do.  When it comes to matters of financial aid,
     their word should be heeded as though it were gospel.  They will do
     their level best to pull your fat out of the fire, but they can't
     always do so.  And if they can't help you, no one else can.

3.5)  Where can I get more information about other law schools?

     Law School Services sponsors a number of Law School forums in
     different areas of the country to which virtually all law schools send
     a representative.  Contact Law School Services for more information at
     Box 2000, 661 Penn St, Newtown, PA 18940-0998.

3.6)  What sort of educational programs do law schools offer?

     Most law schools offer a Juris Doctor (J.D.) program.  This is usually
     a three year program that begins after you receive a four year
     undergraduate degree.  Some law schools also offer the J.D. program
     spread out over four years (for instance, in a night school program).
     A few people continue their legal education after they have received a
     J.D. (for instance, in an L.L.M program), but this is extremely rare.
     A J.D. is typically a terminal degree.
          There are 176 law schools accredited by the American Bar
     Association (ABA).  These law schools are much more prestigious than
     schools that have some other form of accreditation, and most people
     think that ABA accredited law schools are much better than other law
     schools.  This is generally true, and if you have the option, you
     should attend an ABA accredited law school.  However, not everyone can
     attend an ABA accredited law school, and many fine law schools do not
     receive ABA accreditation.  For that matter, many fine lawyers never
     even attend law school.  Check with the bar association in the
     jurisdiction in which you intend to practice about other options for
     studying the law.

4)  FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT LIFE AS A LAW STUDENT AT KING HALL.

4.1)  FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FIRST YEAR OF LAW SCHOOL AT KING
      HALL.

4.1.1)  Where should I live during my first year at King Hall?

     Your best bet is to live somewhere in Davis close to the law school.
     See Question 6.1 for more information; see also the Davis USENET FAQ
    (information on how to obtain the Davis USENET FAQ is contained in
     Section 1.5).

4.1.1.1)  Should I move into the graduate dorms at U.C. Davis, Lysle Leach
          Hall?

     No, but that's just my personal opinion.  I lived at Leach Hall during
     my first year of law school, and it was the worst experience of my
     life.  It was too small, too expensive, and a host of petty rules were
     enforced arbitrarily by the Resident Director whether or not anyone
     was actually breaking the rules.  Most of the people whom I know who
     have lived at Leach Hall feel the same way.  However, some people
     enjoy the camaraderie that they experience when they live with other
     law students and/or the convenience of living on campus.

4.1.1.2)  Where else can I live during my first year at King Hall?

     You can live in one of the small communities near Davis, in the
     Greater Sacramento Area, in the San Francisco Bay Area, or anywhere
     else in Northern California.  See the Questions in this FAQ and other
     FAQs that deal with life in those regions.

4.1.1.3)  Is there any place to live on campus other than Leach Hall?

     Yes.  There are a number of on campus housing facilities for graduate
     and professional students that are well worth your money, but they go
     very fast and there is usually a long waiting list.  For more
     information, contact the Student Housing Office
     (<housing@ucdavis.edu>) at (916)752-2033.

4.1.2)  FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT FIRST YEAR COURSES AT KING HALL.

4.1.2.1)  What courses are offered during the first year of law school at
          King Hall?

     First year law students (One Ls) at King Hall start classes a week
     earlier than second and third year law students (Two Ls and Three Ls).
     During this first week (Intro Week), King Hall offers a required
     credit/no credit course called Introduction to Law (1 unit).  No one
     who has taken the final exam in this course has ever failed (and no,
     you won't be the first).  By the end of Intro Week, you will be
     assigned to a small class section for the remainder of your first
     year.  Your small section will have one class together and you will be
     grouped with one or two other small sections into one of two large
     sections for all of your other classes (the total enrollment will be
     approximately 165 One L students).
          With a few minor changes, the courses that One Ls take remain the
     same from year to year:  Contracts, Civil Procedure, Constitutional
     Law I, Criminal Law, Legal Research, Legal Writing, Real Property, and
     Torts.  Check the law school course catalog for more information on
     these courses.  Some of the courses offered during the first semester
     are over at the semester break.  However, most courses offered during
     the first semester are year long courses, and you will not receive
     final grades for these courses until after the second semester.  For
     this reason, your first semester grades are not a good indicator of
     your class standing.  Your class standing will be determined at the
     end of the second semester of your first year, and it will not change
     very much after that.

4.1.2.2)  How should I prepare for my classes?

     Even though law school courses are pretty standardized, the best way
     for you to prepare for your classes depends upon who your instructor
     is for a particular course.  If your instructor for a course has
     taught that course before, find someone who has taken that course with
     that particular instructor.  These people will usually be willing to
     provide you with a course outline that they prepared and be able to
     tell you what to expect.

4.1.2.3)  Should I brief my cases to prepare for my classes?

     As a rule, no.  Briefing cases is an important skill that you must
     learn and be able to demonstrate as a lawyer, but it is tedious and
     time consuming, and it will seldom help you understand the law or
     improve your grades.  However, this is a personal decision.  Some
     people brief all of their cases in all of their classes during law
     school and do very well.  Find out what works best for you.

4.1.2.4)  Should I use commercial outlines and canned briefs?

     As a rule, yes.  Since most law school courses are standardized, this
     will save you quite a bit of time and trouble.  However, it is best to
     use an outline prepared by a student who has taken the same course
     from the same instructor you are taking.  If you do use a commercial
     outline or canned brief to prepare for class, review it beforehand to
     make sure that its not wrong in some critical point.  This happens all
     of the time to students who rely upon commercial outlines and canned
     briefs, and it is very embarrassing for everyone.
          A number of commercial outlines are prepared by the authors of
     your textbooks (which are not-so coincidentally your instructors at
     King Hall in many cases).  In contrast, canned briefs are usually
     prepared by some unknown third party (to quote one e-mail commentator,
     "CANNED BRIEFS SUCK!").  A third option for reducing your reading is
     the "Headnotes" system that West Publishing provides.  Headnotes are a
     comprehensive cross-reference system of the law that digests and
     organizes by topic the case law found in West's Reporters.  I used
     Headnotes whenever I had trouble understanding the relevant holding in
     a case.  As I found out during Legal Writing and later in Moot Court,
     Headnotes will usually direct you to the most important and
     controlling language in a published court decision.

4.1.2.5)  Should I use "Hornbooks" to prepare for class?

     Maybe.  If your instructor is hard to comprehend, this is an excellent
     way to bridge the gap.  Hornbooks are written by the same people who
     compile your casebooks, and hornbooks can help you understand the law
     when your casebook is unclear.  Many Hornbooks are found in the
     reserve section of the law library at King Hall.

4.1.2.6)  Should I participate in class?

     Absolutely not, unless the instructor specifically requests that you
     do so.  Whatever you do, don't volunteer.  If you must volunteer your
     comments during class, limit your comments to once a class meeting.
     Instructors may pay lip service to class participation, but they do
     not appreciate it when it is offered too frequently.  Your teacher may
     feel that you are arguing with him or her, and you will probably
     suffer the social censure of most of your colleagues.
          If you are truly inspired to offer your comments on a regular
     basis, talk to the instructor after class.  You will usually find that
     many other students do the same thing.  Talk to these students as
     well.  No one else really cares what you have to say in class.  Most
     students come to class to listen to the teacher.  If you don't realize
     that, then you are probably the free spot in "Law School Bingo."  And
     if you don't know about Law School Bingo is, ask one of your friends.

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End of document:

              The King Hall Law School USENET FAQ Part 2 of 6
             Frequently Asked Questions at and About King Hall
                             (c) Copyright 1995

                                     by

                           David F. Prenatt, Jr.
                          King Hall, 1995 Alumnus
                          U.C. Davis School of Law
                          University of California
                            Davis, CA 95616-5210

                           dfprenatt@ucdavis.edu

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