With more and more attorneys adopting Macs throughout their offices every day and the business world raving about the cost effectiveness of Mac OS X, today Macs are an accepted and feasible alternative to Windows in the legal community. Having recently made the switch to a Mac myself, I’ve put together a list of the top ten free Max OS X programs that made switching from a PC to a Mac a breeze.
1. Quicksilver
Quicksilver is a program launcher that uses simple commands to rapidly bring up any program, file, folder, or website. Quicksilver learns what files and programs are most often accessed and adapts so that those items are pulled up almost instantaneously when the user starts typing the name of the item in the Quicksilver interface.
For example, in screenshot below, I pulled up the Quicksilver interface with a single keystroke and then by typing in “ex” brought up Excel. Using the tab key I was able to bring up specific commands such as the option to open a specific excel document, move a document to another folder, or email a specific file. Quicksilver is very intuitive and allows users to execute specific commands so quickly that using the built-in OS X dock to open a program seems slow by comparison.
2. Anxiety
Anxiety brings the iCal task list to your desktop. It provides easy access to your to-do list so that tasks can be added or marked as complete without opening your full calendar. Anxiety stays in sync with iCal and disappears when not in use.
3. Caffeine
OS X has a great power saving feature built-in: after a short period of inactivity the screen automatically dims. Caffeine allows you to turn this feature on and off with a single click so that presentations can be run without interruption. It also prevents your Mac from going to sleep or starting the screensaver.
4. Growl
Growl provides unobtrusive notification messages from various programs that run on OS X, including Adium, Firefox, and iTunes. They simply pop up as semi-transparent notifications on the top right corner of your screen and then disappear.
5. Adium
Adium is by far the best instant messaging program I have ever used. You can seamlessly send messages to your friends using various protocols including AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk, and MSN Messenger. Adium also supports tabbed conversations so you can keep all your conversations in a single window.
6. Smultron
While there are a number of free text editors available for OS X, my favorite is Smultron. Smultron allows you to have multiple documents open at the same time in an easy-to-use tabbed interface. Another popular free text editor for OS X is TextWrangler while users who want a word processing application with features closer to what Word or Pages offers, Bean is worth checking out.
7. Skim
Skim is a PDF reader that is cut above Preview, the default viewer in OS X, because of Skim’s enhanced markup capabilities. You can easily add notes, highlight portions the document, and quickly jump from one marked-up section to the next through a convenient side panel. Skim also allows you to create presentations and then run the presentations using the Apple Remote.
8. VLC
VLC is media player that supports most modern digital video formats including the DVD format and various streaming protocols. Installing VLC will save you the trouble of having to find a compatible player every time you need to play a new media format.
9. iStat Menu
One of my favorite features in Vista is the pop-up calendar that is displayed when you click on the time in the taskbar. iStat Menu brings that feature to OS X. It also allows you to display multiple time zones, open your iCal calendar, and add additional menus that display everything from the temperature of your Mac to the remaining space on your hard drives.
10. Rachota
Rachota allows users to track the time spent on various projects. Rachota can also summarize how much time was spent on each project and provide helpful time-maximizing tips.
According to the ABA, 87% of law students borrow money for their law school education. The average law student at a private school graduates with over $83,000 in student debt, while those who graduate from public schools have, on average, over $54,000 in debt.
In 2007, the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA) was signed into law by President Bush. (Public Law 110-084). The CCRAA provides for the forgiveness of federal student loans after i) 10 years of public service work, or ii) 25 years. One of the notable aspects of the CCRAA is that the ten years of public service work does not have to be continuous. Students clerking for a judge for a year or two before entering private practice can apply those years of service towards the ten-year requirement if they later chose to accept another government position or work for a 501(c)3 organization.
Qualifying for Public Service Debt Forgiveness:
To qualify for Public Service Debt Forgiveness, the borrower must:
A) make 120 payments after October 1, 2007, based on one of the following programs:
i) IBR – Income Based Repayment (available after July 2009)
ii) ICR – Income Contingent Repayment (borrowers must have Federal Direct Loans or consolidate under a Federal Direct Consolidation). The one noteworthy difference IBR and ICR, for the extent of this discussion, is that the IBR program allows students to pay a smaller percentage of their discretionary income as a qualified monthly student loan payment.
iii) 10 Year Standard Repayment
B) be employed in “public service”
C) consolidate any federally-backed private student loans with a Direct Consolidation Loan directly from the Department of Education. (http://www.loanconsolidation.ed.gov/)
In the above example, a student graduating with $100,000 in eligible debt, entering a public service position for 10 years, will pay $430 per month instead of $1,150.80, and have $86,496.00 in outstanding interest and principal forgiven. I’ve made the spreadsheet available here, so that users can calculate their own IBR repayment terms by changing the variables highlighted in yellow.
Public Service Defined:
The CCRAA defines a “public service job” broadly. The definition includes full-time jobs in any government position, public interest law services (including prosecution or public defense or legal advocacy in low-income communities at a nonprofit organization), military, public education, and positions with 501(c)3 non-profit organizations. The Department of Education is expected to provide more guidance on what jobs qualify as public service jobs.
Loans Eligible for Federal Direct Consolidation:
Stafford Loans
Grad PLUS
Certain Perkins Loans.
Ineligible Loans:
Parent PLUS Loans
Private loans that are not backed by the government.
Potential Tax Liability Arising from the CCRAA:
One of the initial problems identified with the CCRAA was the potential “marriage penalty” since qualification for loan forgiveness and the repayment terms are based on the adjusted gross income from the taxpayer’s income tax return. Commendably, the House and Senate both recognized marriage penalty and passed an amendment to prevent this from becoming an issue. On December 21, 2007, S. 2371 was signed into law allowing married borrowers to file separate tax returns and calculate each spouse’s AGI and income-based repayment separately for purposes of the CCRAA.
However, there still remains the issue of whether the CCRAA loan forgiveness will trigger tax liability. Traditionally, forgiven loans are treated as taxable income. Despite this, section 108(f) of the Internal Revenue Code provides that the forgiveness of certain loans made by the federal government to facilitate higher education does not constitute income “if the individual worked for a certain period of time in certain professions for any of a broad class of employers.” However, it is unclear whether the Direct Consolidation Loan will qualify under 108(f) because the consolidation loan is made after the borrower graduates, rather than beforehand to “facilitate” the education. Given the Congressional amendment addressing the marriage penalty, an amendment favorable to borrower’s pursuing public interest work can be expected.
Students who are interested in working for the government or pursuing other public interest work on graduation should utilize Federal Stafford and Grad Plus loans while avoiding private loans that are not backed by the federal government. Upon graduation, students interested in taking advantage of the CCRAA provisions should consolidate their loans through a Direct Consolidation Loan. Students who do not remain in public service work for a period of ten years, but have consolidated under a Direct Consolidation Loan, will have their loan balance forgiven after twenty-five years from the date of consolidation.
Sources and additional reading:
http://www.abanet.org/lsd/legislation/
http://www.nasfaa.org/publications/2008/negloans011608.html
Schrag, Philip G., “Federal Student Loan Repayment Assistance for Public Interest Lawyers and Other Employees of Governments and Nonprofit Organizations” 36 Hofstra L. Rev. 27 (2007), available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1014622.
Thanks to Stuart Rees at http://stus.com for use of his cartoon.
Today, the Supreme Court decided Boumediene v. Bush, affirming that terrorist suspects held in Guantanamo Bay have the right to file habeas petitions in federal courts. The case arose from a habeas petition made on behalf of Lakhdar Boumedine who was being held as an enemy combatant at Guantanamo Bay.
Majority: Kennedy, Stevens, Breyer, Ginsburg, and Souter
Dissent: Roberts, Scalia, Thomas, Alito
Sources: Reuters, SCOTUSblog
More information: Oyez, SCOTUSwiki: amicus briefs
A low average cost of education doesn’t always translate to less debt on graduation. For example, although SMU has the highest average cost of education of all law schools in Texas, graduates from SMU carry less debt on average than graduates at Baylor and St. Mary’s. Similarly, Texas Wesleyan has the third highest cost of education, yet Wesleyan graduates have the second lowest average debt. Meanwhile St. Mary’s, which has the fourth lowest average cost of education, has the highest average debt on graduation of all Texas law schools.
Some schools have lower average debt because of generous scholarship programs. Driving down the average debt on graduation at SMU are over $5 million in scholarships given out each year. Other schools have lower average debt because many of their students are employed while in law school. For example, at Texas Wesleyan, over half of the law students attend part-time, allowing students to pay a greater portion of their law school expenses as they go. This explains why Texas Wesleyan students have one of the lowest average debt burdens on graduation despite being one of the most expensive law schools in Texas.
While most law students are not able to maintain full-time jobs and attend school at the same time, students can maximize their chances of getting a scholarship by applying to schools where their LSAT and GPA scores are well above the school’s median.
The Debt to Earnings ratio is a measure of how much debt the average law student acquires for every dollar they earn their first year out of law school. Since the D/E ratio reflects the amount of debt acquired, the lower the D/E ratio is, the better.
The D/E ratio overcomes one of the limitations of the C/E ratios: artificially inflated costs of education. Since students can only qualify for loans up to the school’s published cost of education, many schools inflate the COE so that students who need extra money are able to qualify for loans. Since D/E ratios reflect loans that were actually awarded, the ratios closely track the expenses that exceed the average student’s ability to pay out of pocket. While neither the D/E or C/E ratio alone can answer the question of what law school is best for a student, both metrics provide an interesting look at factors that law students should consider as they decide which school to attend.
University of Texas law students, on average, get the most bang for their law school buck. There are only two other schools in Texas where students make more in their first year than they spend in law school: the University of Houston and Texas Tech. At the other end of the spectrum, Baylor and Texas Wesleyan graduates have to work for nearly two years before they can recoup their law school expenses.
The cost/earnings ratio (C/E ratio) reflects how much every dollar earned by a first-year associate cost the associate over the course of their law school career. Since C/E ratios reflect the cost of going to law school, the lower the C/E ratio is, the better. The Return Ratio is the inverse of the C/E ratio, and it reflects the how much each dollar expended in law school is worth on graduation.
While these numbers don’t reflect opportunity costs, the time value of money, or the cost of borrowing the money, they do offer an interesting glimpse into the economics of attending law school, and help in determining which schools offer the “best deals.”
Interestingly, higher cost/earnings ratios don’t translate directly to higher debt/earnings ratio. The D/E ratios, which I will discuss later this week, provide a better sense of the average cost of attending law school for students who use student loans to finance their education.
Sources and Assumptions: All the data used reflects 2007 figures, since that is the most recent year that a complete data set was available. Data sources include the school websites, Princeton Review, and U.S. News and World Reports.
Continuing on the theme of whether going to law school is worth it, here is a look at the average starting salaries for Texas law school graduates, as originally published by The Princeton Review Best 170 Law Schools, 2008 Edition. (The average starting salary for Texas Southern graduates was not included in the article.)
|
Law School
|
Average Starting Salary |
| Texas Wesleyan University School of Law |
$57,497 |
| St. Mary’s University School of Law |
$65,431 |
| Texas Tech University School of Law |
$68,800 |
| Baylor University School of Law |
$74,247 |
| South Texas College of Law |
$78,000 |
| University of Houston Law Center |
$85,215 |
| SMU Dedman School of Law |
$87,700 |
| University of Texas |
$101,111 |
(Click for full-size image.)
Nationally, Columbia topped the list with an average starting salary of $145,000. Duke, Michigan, Northwestern, and Chicago rounded out the top five schools, each coming in at $135,000.
To put the Texas salaries into perspective, making $75,000 in Austin is comparable to making $160,000 in Manhattan.
In response to my survey of starting salaries for entry level positions at district attorney’s offices around Texas, one of my readers wrote in asking whether it was worth going through three years of law school to become a prosecutor. I’m posting my answer here so that others can add their thoughts and comments on the subject.
First off, congratulations on getting into law school. You are in for the ride of your life!
To answer your question on whether it’s worth becoming a prosecutor, my answer is that it depends on what you are looking for.
Why become a prosecutor?
1. Experience - As a prosecutor, you will gain valuable experience from day one, that you Big Law colleagues will not get for a number of years. While they are stuck doing doc reviews, you will be trying cases. Regardless of whether you decide to remain a prosecutor or not, having a few years of trial experience under your belt will be a great asset.
2. Money - Sure, I just got done saying you’ll only make a fraction of what your big-firm classmates will be making, but the money will work itself out. There is a loan forgiveness program in place that will forgive your outstanding loan in ten years if you are doing public service work. Fortunately, public service work is defined liberally and does include prosecuting. Some prosecutors become defense attorneys later in their careers. With great contacts and extensive trial experience, they attract wealthy clientele. I know a number of Big Law attorneys who started off as prosecutors.
3. Work-Life Balance - This is a real hot topic among lawyers right now. Big firm pay means big firm billables. 2,100 hours in billables sound like a lot? Just wait till you discover how many hours young associates work (www.abanet.org/careercounsel/billable/toolkit/bhcomplete.pdf) in order to bill one hour. While a prosecutor puts in long hours, the hours are considerably fewer than that of most associates at large law firms. They also get national holidays off, great benefits, and for most, sick time and vacation time that accrues each year, so you can save up a couple of years worth (or a career’s worth) and then take one fantastically-long, paid-vacation!
4. Intrinsic Value – There is a great sense of satisfaction in being a representative of the people, and walking into court and saying that you are “present and ready on behalf of the State, your honor.” Prosecutors are an integral part of the community and the legal system. There are few jobs that can compare to the satisfaction that being a prosecutor can bring.
Your friends who claim that becoming a prosecutor isn’t worth it may have their hearts in the right place, but they are overlooking the fact that prosecutors aren’t in it for the money. It’s a calling. It’s also important to remember that while some of your peers will graduate making upwards of $120,000, many more won’t.
I would suggest spending at least one half of a summer working for a district attorney’s office to see if you like it. Your school will also be able to tell you if they have externships with state or federal prosecutors, or if they have a criminal prosecution clinic. I would also suggest taking part in mock trial or moot court competitions at your school and trying out for the state or national teams.
Good luck!
Update: For more information on loan forgiveness, check out my post on the CCRAA.
The ABA Journal has published a must-read excerpt from Justice Scalia’s new book.
The Brief:
- Use paragraphs intelligently; signpost your arguments.
- Use words that guide the reader
- Make it interesting
The Argument
- Appreciate the importance of oral argument, and know your objectives.
- Have your opener down
- Be cautious about jokes
Never tell prepared jokes. They almost invariably bomb. In Roe v. Wade, an assistant attorney general for the state of Texas, who was arguing against two women lawyers, led with what he probably considered courtly Southern humor:
“Mr. Chief Justice, and may it please the court, it’s an old joke, but when a man argues against two beautiful ladies like this, they’re going to have the last word.”
No one laughed. Onlookers said that during an embarrassing silence, Chief Justice Burger scowled at the advocate.
- Never postpone an answer
- Learn how to handle a difficult judge
- Beware invited concessions
The unduly accommodating lawyer—a frequently observed creature, especially in appellate courts—has given away many a case.
Read the entire excerpt here.
Yesterday, in In re Sara Steed, et al., the Texas Court of Appeals at Austin ruled that, in the case of the children of the thirty-eight mothers represented in the case, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services failed to show that there was an “immediate danger to the physical health or safety of the children.”
Prior to removing children from their homes, section 262.201 of the Texas Family Code requires a showing that (1) that there was a danger to the physical health or safety of their children, (2) that there was an urgent need for protection of the children that required the immediate removal of the children from their parents, or (3) that the Department made reasonable efforts to eliminate or prevent the children’s removal from their parents. As the court noted, the extreme measure of allowing removal of children before litigating these issues is only allowed when “the circumstances indicate a danger to the physical health and welfare of the children and the need for protection of the children is so urgent that immediate removal of the children from the home is necessary.”
In this case, while there was a showing that at least twenty females had become pregnant between the ages of thirteen and seventeen, the Department conceded that teenage pregnancy, by itself, was not a reason to remove children from their homes.
While the Department asserted there was reason to believe children were sexually abused at the ranch, the Department primarily relied on the “pervasive belief system” of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (“FLDS”) that it was acceptable to marry and procreate with females as soon as they reached puberty, and that such a “pervasive belief system pose[d] a danger to children.” However section 262.201(b)(1) requires the existence of a danger to the physical health or safety of the child before removal. The Department was unable to provide evidence, other than the pervasive belief system, that there was danger to pre-pubescent children. There was no evidence of sexual abuse outside of the females identified as having become pregnant before the age of seventeen. There was also no evidence of physical abuse.
The court held that there mere existence of the FLDS belief system did not put the children at the ranch in physical danger. The risk that “children raised in this particular environment m[ight] someday have their physical health and safety threatened” was not enough the meet the legislative threshold that the danger be so immediate and urgent that it warrants removal prior to full litigation.
The Department of Family and Protective Services has not made any statements on whether or not it will appeal this decision.
Update: 5/23/08: The ABA Journal reports that the decision will be appealed to the Texas Supreme Court.
Sending a meeting request through Outlook is an easy way to coordinate schedules and pick meeting times. Have you ever wished there was a way to easily schedule meetings with individuals that don’t use Outlook? Now there is: whenisgood.net allows you to highlight the dates and times you are available to meet, and then have your highlighted calender sent to you by email which you can then forward to any number of recipients. Each recipient can then remove the time slots they are not available, leaving only times where everyone is available. The calender can also be set to reflect local time zones, which makes scheduling things like conference calls a breeze.
The one minor gripe I have with the service is that there is not convenient way to jump a couple of months ahead in the calendar. Luckily, it does display 15 days at a time so if you are scheduling meetings in the near future, this won’t be an issue for you.
