Thanks for pointing that out Martin.

By the way, is the point of taking professional letters of recommendation only if you have 5 yrs. of work ex, very strictly enforced?

Thanx.

I think they'd prefer academic references however long you've been working, but admit that after five years, your professors are unlikely to remember who the heck you are. (Of course, some don't remember who you are the next semester, but that's another story.) I'd been out of law school three years when I applied, and althought several professors remembered me as a good student, they admitted that after three years they really didn't know what to write except very general stuff. I had to have lunch with each of my recommenders, and give them some past papers I'd written for their classes before they could write much about me....

Point noted Sir! I will be making lunch appointments soon.
One last question: Does the designation of the professor matter for a letter of recommendation - whether a full professor, associate professor, assistant professor, adjunct professor... is it only about what the person writes for you or is it also about who is writing it (i.e., which category of professor)

I really can't say. Two of my recommendors were full professors, one was a visiting professor who taught in the law school, but doesn't have a law degree.
Personally, I think a stella recomendation from a "lower" ranked professor who truly knows you personally and can say someting about you beyond "he attended my class an got an 'A', " may be more valuable than an average, but generic recommendation from the dean. Possibly the best recommendation to get is from someone who attended/ visited/ knows faculty at Berkeley. They can always write the "from my experience of Berkeley, I think (X) would fit really well with the schools atmosphere and mission" stuff.
Another thing: I think Berkely places more emphasis than some other schools on the admissions essay rather than GPA I graduated from a fourth tier law school, with a GPA of 3.3 - respectable, but hardly dynamite academics. I did have a published paper on an intellecutual property subject, which may have helped, Berkley being the top IP school in the country in this years USN&WR rankings. Work on a good admission letter and personal statement.

Hey thanx for all the help! The very best of luck with your further studies.

Martin H - You are (tier and GPA-wise) almost identicle to me. I am similarly interested in I/P.....may I ask just a few questions.
What kind of work do you want to do when you get out?
How what did you put in your personal letter to benefit you?
Do you know what the market is like for a new JD/LLM with this degree....and what kind of jobs are out there?
Finally, did you go straight from JD, or work first?
Thanks for your help and good luck

Hey guys
I am not going to Berkeley but the other law school in the "neigborhood", Stanford.
We could meet up one day even if I understood that there is high rivalry between the two schools with culminating point at the "Big Game" between the two american football teamds. Our two programs are very small and it would be interesting to interact.
Let me know what your position is.
I am from France.
Best regards,

nichol05 - I'm in trial all this week, I'll try and send you some answers this weekend

Hi! This thread seems to be full of people who have gotten into Berkely or Stanford. I am going to be applying for the LLM session starting 2007.
I had a few qs: Do they really prefer work ex coz I am just finishing my final year at law school and also is there a certain profile of students that Boalt admits?
Any help would be really appreciated!!
Thanks!