• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Law School Toolbox®

All the tools you need for law school success

  • Tutoring
  • Courses
    • Start Law School Right
  • Job Help
  • Law School 101
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • About

Whitney Weatherly

About Whitney Weatherly

Whitney started her post-graduate education at the University of Mary Washington, earning a Master’s in Education. She soon decided to change course, and went to the College of William & Mary School of Law. At William & Mary, she was an Articles Editor for the Journal of Women and the Law and a Teaching Assistant for the Legal Skills program. Through the Legal Skills program, she was able to provide mentorship for first and second year law students, as well as instruction in legal writing and client contact. In 2010, she graduated Order of the Coif and was admitted to the bar in Maryland. She is a tutor for the Start Law School Right program, where she combines her legal and educational background to help others grasp fundamental legal concepts. She is also a tutor for the Law School Toolbox and Bar Exam Toolbox.

My Legal Writing Course is Pass-Fail: Should I Even Bother?

July 20, 2022 By Whitney Weatherly Leave a Comment

My Legal Writing Course is Pass-Fail: Should I Even Bother?Some law schools have legal writing, legal skills, and other similar courses set up as pass-fail. Even if yours is graded, this might still be worth reading if your school gives it one or two credit hours per semester, compared with four or five for something like Civil Procedure or Constitutional Law. Many of our tutoring students have taken this as evidence that, when they are low on time, they should focus on the high-credit class and push legal writing to the back burner. Is that an unreasonable conclusion? Not really, no. Is it a good idea? Also no.

[Read more…] about My Legal Writing Course is Pass-Fail: Should I Even Bother?

Take the Grade or Pass/Fail?

March 23, 2022 By Whitney Weatherly Leave a Comment

Take the Grade or Pass/Fail?There’s a recurring question from our listeners and readers (and even our students): should I accept a pass/fail option in certain classes?

In case this is a foreign concept to you, let’s dial back for a moment. Some schools will let students convert a limited number of credit hours to pass/fail instead of a letter grade. Now, if your school does this, but lets you see your grade before you make the decision, you probably don’t need any help. Get your grade, decide you hate it, convert the grade so that it doesn’t impact your GPA. Easy, right?

Well, it’s law school. It is almost never that easy. Most of the people we hear from are from schools where they have to decide whether to pass/fail at one of two points in the semester: either before the add/drop period is over, or before finals. A bit tougher, right? So, how do you decide?

You know how in law classes, there are two main types of tests? There are rules with elements that are either satisfied or not, and there are rules with factors that you just have to balance. This is one of those factor-balancing tests, and as usual, I’ll provide a non-exclusive list. Factors include: the importance of the class to your career goals, your current GPA, the quality of the class/professor, and your motivation.

[Read more…] about Take the Grade or Pass/Fail?

How to Set a Law School Study Schedule

September 29, 2021 By Whitney Weatherly Leave a Comment

How to Set a Law School Study ScheduleLaw school is just a lot. There are classes, readings, practice, outlining, networking events, social events, interviews, office hours, writing assignments, research, exam prep and…and…and…I lost my train of thought in the flood of it all. Oh. Right. Eating. Sleeping. Details, right? Anyway, some people can just float through and balance everything like a pro. Most people, though, if they don’t organize their time with some deliberation, will get way out of balance in some way or another, and this can have really unfortunate consequences.

I’ve talked about this on the Bar Exam Toolbox, but one of my favorite tasks is designing study schedules for bar studiers. As I got the hang of this, I started offering a similar service to some of our law school tutoring students, to supplement the work they are doing with their primary tutors. But you can probably do this yourself! Let’s go through some steps. [Read more…] about How to Set a Law School Study Schedule

Married Law Students: Lucky or Unfortunate?

March 13, 2019 By Whitney Weatherly Leave a Comment

Married Law Students: Lucky or Unfortunate?I went to a law school that had a very tight-knit community. Part of our orientation involved all faculty leaving the room while a panel of 2Ls and 3Ls talked to us about some more…down-to-earth issues that we should be aware of. I don’t remember much of that talk, but I do remember one comment, mostly because it was so very clearly not applicable to me. “Because this is such a small group of people, if you aren’t already in a committed relationship when you start school, you WILL end up having an unfortunate hookup with one of your classmates before you graduate.” And then whoever had made that comment went on to explain why it was best to not hook up with the classmates that you see every day.

If I had been questioning the wisdom of going to law school as a married person, I would have stopped questioning right then. Navigating the dating world AND law school? Not my idea of fun. If you’re already married and wondering whether that’ll be a drawback if you decide to attend law school, here are some factors to consider.

[Read more…] about Married Law Students: Lucky or Unfortunate?

Don’t Be That Law Student

June 25, 2018 By Whitney Weatherly 2 Comments

"Don't Be That Law Student"Getting ready to start law school? We talk a lot about personas here, and the type of people that you’re likely to meet in your classes. What about who you’re going to be? Or, more precisely, who you’re not going to be? There are many common personalities that you really might want to avoid adopting. Unless, of course, you want to be greeted with death stares every time you walk into the classroom!

[Read more…] about Don’t Be That Law Student

Things I Wish I had Known Before Starting Law School

June 4, 2018 By Whitney Weatherly Leave a Comment

Things I Wish I had Known Before Starting Law SchoolBefore my older brother and I started law school at the same time (totally independent decisions, by the way!), none of our close relatives had gone to law school. I don’t know about him, but I had no idea what I was getting myself into with this decision. I’m not sure I even thought about law school all that much. I had worked for an amazing attorney for over a year, and she gave me a Scott Turow book to try to talk me out of going. But I had enjoyed my work with her, wanted to be an attorney, and I thought I knew what to expect. I had already completed a Master’s degree. Surely it couldn’t be much different, right? [Read more…] about Things I Wish I had Known Before Starting Law School

Primary Sidebar

  • Podcast
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

About Us

If you find law school tough, you are not alone! The Law School Toolbox team is here to help you through it. Check out our helpful free content, podcasts, courses and one-on-one tutoring. Thanks for stopping by and drop us a line if you have any questions. We also invite you to join our weekly mailing list, for advice right to your inbox.

Recent Posts

How to Get Strong Law School Recommendations

How to Get Strong Law School Recommendations

Recommendation letters, in addition to your personal statement and resume, are a vital part of the qualitative portion of your law school application. … Read More about How to Get Strong Law School Recommendations

Podcast Microphone

Podcast Episode 353: Tips for a Successful Callback Interview (w/Sadie Jones)

Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast! Today, we have ex-BigLaw recruiter Sadie Jones with us to discuss how to prepare for the second round … Read More about Podcast Episode 353: Tips for a Successful Callback Interview (w/Sadie Jones)

Library Etiquette for 1Ls

Library Etiquette for 1Ls

For many law students, law school is one of the first times that you’re really forced to put a significant amount of effort into your studying. … Read More about Library Etiquette for 1Ls

Podcast Microphone

Podcast Episode 352: Listen and Learn — Best Evidence Rule

Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast! Today, we're focusing on an important topic in Evidence – the Best Evidence Rule, which requires a … Read More about Podcast Episode 352: Listen and Learn — Best Evidence Rule

So You Want to go to Law School. What Should You Do Next?

So You Want to go to Law School. What Should You Do Next?

Deciding you want to go to law school, whether you’re still in college, a few years out, or well into your career, is a huge moment. Maybe you’ve … Read More about So You Want to go to Law School. What Should You Do Next?

Want Better Law School Grades?

Sign Up for Our Exam Tips!

Footer

  • Podcast
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Tutoring
  • Courses
  • Job Help
  • About
  • Contact
  • Login
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Refunds

Copyright 2022 Law School Toolbox®™