2nd Edition now available on Amazon.com

I noticed today that the 2nd Edition of So, You Want to be a Lawyer, Eh? is now available on Amazon.com. The "Inside the Book" feature and further information should be up on Amazon.com shortly.

Maclean's first-ever ranking of Canada's law school

It has been a while since I posted, and Macleans came out with a ranking for law schools in September. It isn't really their first ever ranking. They did a ranking a number of years ago.

It's really nice to have a ranking other than CanadianLawyer magazine. However, I don't think that Maclean's did a very good job at ranking. There is far too much emphasis on such things as number of articles published by professors, and the number of placements of students articling / clerking with the Supreme Court of Canada. In my mind these are not true reflections of the quality of education, or more important, the quality of job placements or students upon graduation.

I have commented more completely in the 2nd Edition of my book.

Have a read through the rankings, and especially the commentary. It's worth reading. I hope that the magazine continues to provide an annual ranking so that we might see some trends. As I have indicated previously, the CanadianLawyer rankings are all over the map over the past 6-7 years, and are not a reliable source at all. I am glad that Macleans has at least tried to be scientific in their approach.

Post your thoughts and comments here once you have read the rankings. We would all be interested in your thoughts.

A reward for hard work - and not giving up

ANTHONY REINHART
From Friday's Globe and Mail
E-mail Anthony Reinhart Read Bio Latest Columns
October 25, 2007 at 8:55 PM EDT

“Law school's really hard when you don't have the funds there to help you,” Ms. Williams, a second-year student at York University's Osgoode Hall Law School ...

A nice inspiring story. Read more.

Canadian law school in the works

Cassandra McKenna cordweekly.com Oct 03, 2007

Laurier has recently put forth a proposal to the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities to open the first Canadian law school in almost 30 years; proposal includes a unique co-op program. Read more.

U of C law school moves up application deadline by four months

Andrew Barbero Gauntlet News October 04, 2007

Are you an aspiring University of Calgary law student? Then you better have already written the LSAT. The U of C law school has moved their application deadline forward from Feb. to Nov. 1 starting this year. The move means potential law students must have written the law school admissions test no later than Sep. 29. "The main problem was we were behind compared to other schools in Canada," said U of C law school director of admission Keith Yamauchi. "When we sent offers out to students, they were turning us down because they had already accepted somewhere else." Read more.

U of T Faculty of Law getting ready to expand

The University of Toronto today revealed the three competing designs for its law school expansion to be built south of the ROM on Queen’s Park Circle.The $60-million project will add 100,000 square feet of classrooms, lecture halls and faculty offices to the historic buildings, something the dean said is sorely needed. Read more.

Back and Better than ever - 2nd Edition is finally ready!

I have received many inquiries about whether this blog is dead, or whether I am dead. I assure that neither rumour is true.

I have had to go "underground" for a couple of months in order to catch up with all of my law firm work, and to finish the 2nd Edition of So, You Want to be a Lawyer, Eh?.

The book is finally finished, and is now ready to order from the publisher (orders@writingonstone.ca) or the distributor (Sandhill Book Marketing - www.sandhillbooks.com). It will come up on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca and Chapters.ca shortly. If you order it directly from the publisher, you will get a 20% discount off of the retail price of $24.95.

Here's the description from the back cover:

So, You Want to be a Lawyer, Eh?
Law School in Canada

Every year, an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 people apply to Canadian law schools, vying for just over 2,000 coveted spots. The competition is even fiercer when applying for a law job. Adam Letourneau, BSc, BA, LLB, 2005 graduate of the University of Alberta Faculty of Law, former Editor-in-Chief of the Alberta Law Review and owner of Letourneau Law, Barristers & Solicitors, reveals in this second edition many insider tips on how to gain admittance to law school in Canada. He explores how to cope and succeed in law school and how to land a coveted law job post-graduation. Drawing upon personal experience and the experiences of numerous Canadian law school graduates, Letourneau shares insights on the LSAT, applying for law school, study strategies, summer jobs, the articling application process and much more. This book will save you hours of research, hours of study and tons of stress. This second edition includes new law school graduate comments, updated admissions information, what being a lawyer is really like, tips to avoid pitfalls and more, with over 13,000 additional words and three new chapters.

"As a future Canadian law student, I was frustrated with the lack of guide material available to Canadian law students...it was important to find a book like this that addresses the particular elements of Canadian Law School." --F. Voisin, Ontario

"So, You Want to Be a Lawyer, Eh? outlines the process and offers tips to improve your results in the application process, at law school and in finding an articling position. I will be attending law school next year and I am confident that this book will help me succeed." --Jaime, Ontario

"This book provides an honest and fair appraisal of the law school process, from applications to graduation. I was truly interested in a law school resource that took me `behind the scenes' and into the law school atmosphere, and this book met such an objective." --N. Peterson, Vancouver

"I have read a number of guidebooks on how to succeed at law school and this is by far one of the best." --Dan, Ontario

For more information go to www.CanadianLawSchool.ca

Part of the Writing on Stone Press Canadian Career Series.

You might also be interested in a couple other books that were released last month in the Writing on Stone Press Canadian Career Series:

So, You Want to be a Doctor, Eh? A Guidebook to Canadian Medical School by Dr. Anne Berndl, MD

So, You Want to be a Pilot, Eh? A Guidebook for Canadian Pilot Training by James Ball