Going to Loyola-Chicago/ DePaul Forum

[AlphaIncipiens]

Loyola and DePaul in Chicago are both extremely appealing to me. While I've got decent stats to get some scholarship $ at these schools, I probably don't have the credentials for other Chi heavy hitters like UChi or Northwestern. I am in love with the locations of both law schools and don't mind some debt. Ideally, I'd like to spend my time at one of these schools and come out with a JD to work in the city.

But...I have heard horror stories of the bad economy/ lack of ability to find legal work. I get a creeping sense of dread whenever I think about the possibility that I'll be unemployed upon graduation. The last thing I want to happen is that I rack up debt and have no job to show for it (preferably private practice or a decent government job). I've got slight ability to network in the city, but nothing I can count on for sure.

Curious to hear thoughts.

[moandersen]

I am in love with the locations of both law schools and don't mind some debt.

How much is some? From what I remember these schools arent very generous.

[BarbellDreams]

Anything over 60k total is a nightmare from these schools in the Chicago Market right now. Kinds are fighting for doc review jobs from those schools.

[Snape]

read some other posts but....if you go to these schools you MUST realize its a huge gamble and you should be prepared to have no legal work upon graduation.

[AlphaIncipiens]

I guess maybe I'm just stubborn, but I can't wrap my mind around the fact that I would get a J.D. from a respectable school in the Chicago area and have close to zero chance of breaking into the field of law. I know the economy's bad, but come on...it can't be that bad. Right?

[BarbellDreams]

No, it really is that bad. Read some of the other threads, right now people are fighting for doc review at $28/hr. (Hint: This salary will not pay off your loans). The problem with Chicago is that it got hit hard by the economy, it has all t14 schools trying to get in the market on top of UIUC, ND, WUSTL and some others. Basically you have to understand that there will be at least 500 1L's coming out of 3 schools that are located within your state and place MUCh better than your school and at least 1000 other 1L's from around the country trying to enter your field from schools that place better. After you get through those 1,500 people in your graduating year you have peer schools in Chicago (Kent, DePaul, LUC) all competing and top 10% from all of those brings another 100. Thats a very rough estimate but it brings you to 1,600 that will outplace you no matter what. Mathematically speaking you can't get a job because 1,600 jobs do not open up in that market every single year. At least not good jobs. Do NOT go to any of these schools unless you have at LEAST a half-ride and even then its no picnic. Chances are you'll ignore this and go anyway, but unless you make top 10% you're going to remember this thread throughout your career.

[XxSpyKEx]

I guess maybe I'm just stubborn, but I can't wrap my mind around the fact that I would get a J.D. from a respectable school in the Chicago area and have close to zero chance of breaking into the field of law. I know the economy's bad, but come on...it can't be that bad. Right?

These aren't respectable schools... They are just festering TTTs.

In all honesty, if you are going to go to a low ranked law school, you are much better off going to law school in a non-major market where the school has a strong regional advantage (because people from other states don't want to come live there and there are no better schools in the state). The problem with attending any of these school is that they only place in Chicago, and Chicago's legal market can't absorb that many grads... Pretty much what BarbellDreams said, except that not even top 10% will necessarily correlate to a job offer (in other words, no matter how well you do, you still might be looking at unemployment after graduation). Hell, there are people who are in the top 10% at my school (a t10) who don't have any job lined up for after graduation. If people at my school can't find jobs, people at TTTs like these schools you are talking about definitely are not finding jobs.

If it only costs you $60k for all three years (meaning you are getting at least a full ride at any of these schools with the cost of living in Chicago), then it's not the end of the world if you come out of law school without a legal job (assuming you are the typical law student who has a bullshit UG degree, where you can’t find employment anywhere besides starbucks). But at much over $60k, you are most likely to going to be regretting your decision for a very long time after law school is done.