(05-02-2017 10:59 AM)TribeNiner Wrote: (05-02-2017 08:22 AM)LeadBolt Wrote: (05-02-2017 07:45 AM)TribeNiner Wrote: (04-29-2017 08:11 PM)hktribefan Wrote: Law School may actually be particularly suited to an athlete. I believe many of the classes grade entirely based on the final. Obviously valuable info is conveyed in classes, but that's something athletes learn to work around.
They do tend to lean heavily (often times solely) on the final, but there's about 6-7 hours of work outside of class everyday that has to be done to keep up (for most semesters). That doesn't include the fact that 1L year in law school (the only year that most athletes would be eligible) is probably the most important and the toughest (especially considering the adjustment most students have to make from undergraduate studies to the rigor of law school). I can't imagine a Division I college athlete having the time to be successful.
You make a valid point, but then again I can't imagine a DI athlete completing a double major in 3 years, with a double major and qualify for Phi Beta Kappa. I was lucky to graduate in 4 years w/o participating in varsity sports with a "thank the lawdy" recognition...
Is Law School still characterized as year 1 = scare them to death; year 2 = work them to death; year 3 = bore them to death?
Pretty much. The fact that hiring happens almost solely based on your first-year grades (interviews for summer associate positions tend to happen in the fall of your 2L year, so no other grades are out, yet) adds to the pressure of the first year. Most are hoping that their summer associate position will lead to full-time employment, especially at larger private firms. In addition to interviewing, etc., and the pressure that comes with it in 2L year, you also have journal participation (Bill of Rights Journal, Law Review, Business Law Review, etc.), which takes up a ton of time. 3L year tends to be about getting to the finish line and taking whatever really specialized classes you might be interested in.
I think Paul is going to have a bit of a rude awakening, but will adjust rapidly. W&M's law school is good, but not superior, and his intellect and work ethic will help. The challenge is that outstanding undergraduate performance is not always indicative of performance on law school exams; I was a mediocre undergraduate student at W&M and performed extremely well at UVA law; my cousin had a 3.9 at Tech and has struggled in law school. With his intellectual firepower, there is a very good chance that without hoops, he could be in the top 10% of the class.
Paul will have one semester to determine if he can manage the law school workload and Division 1 athletics. If his first semester grades are mediocre because of his hoops time commitment, he'll have to make a tough decision, because a full year of mediocre 1L grades at W&M's law school will doom any chance for a large firm position or a clerkship after graduation. Even for lawyers who don't want to pursue a partnership track at a large firm, there is nothing better than a top-100 firm as a starting point. Plus, the compensation gap for new lawyers between a top-100 firm ($180K starting) and smaller regional firms or prosecutors ($50-$80K starting) adds up really fast over 3-4 years.
It is a big task. I was an older law student with work experience, avoided going out, and dedicated 90 minutes of my day to fitness. I found that a time-management struggle. Paul will have to give 2.5-3 hours, plus travel time for games, time for treatment, fatigue, and film. Paul will also miss significant time just as finals preparation begins. The stakes are high.
I'm really only aware of one other Division 1 student-athlete who successfully competed at a top-25 business or law school. Casey Carroll was a member of the '06 Duke lacrosse team - he was hurt at the time of the party and was not on campus - and gained an extra year of eligibility as a result. He graduated on time, served in the army for four years, and enrolled at the Fuqua School of Business in 2011. He ended up playing ACC lacrosse both years of his MBA, because he tore his ACL his first year and got a medical redshirt for a sixth year. He did very well in school and started on the field (Duke won 2 national titles in his two years). But in all fairness to Paul, Casey was a freak athlete and 2X All-American who even at age 30 with a torn ACL was still better than most D-1 players ever dream of. So he could afford to be, in his words, "the last guy in and the first guy out" and still be competitive.
Hope Paul can do the same - and we get similar results!
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Paul Rowley Elected to Phi Beta Kappa
