Top Law Schools

3.73/167 (twice)

I’m interested in civil rights, specifically LGBT. I’m also interested in academia. Many on TLS have already told me that I can’t teach unless I go to HYS, but through researching law school faculties, I’ve learned that most schools do hire some of their own.

I’m applying to Michigan, Berkeley, Cornell, and UCLA because they’re dream schools, but I fully understand that I should brace myself for the possibility of four rejections there.

Ultimately, I’d like to live somewhere that’s liberal, beautiful, and LGBT-friendly with great restaurants and plenty of music/theatre/opera. For this reason, I’m considering U of Colorado, with the aim to stay in Boulder and make my life there.

Would UC Davis be a good choice? USC? BU? Minnesota? Just looking for ideas and suggestions. I’m very concerned about graduating and not finding any job at all in any area of law. I’m looking for a place where I’ll feel somewhat secure that I won’t be totally unemployable, even if I can’t crack the T14.

FWIW: 32 year old white lesbian, 9 years teaching English. I’ve lived in AZ all my life, and I’d like a change of climate and scenery.

Please respond by suggesting schools, or by commenting on the wisdom of attending the schools I’ve mentioned.

Thank you!

Umm...the poll at the top should read, "Where should I go if I can't get into T14 or UCLA?"

Berkeley. Notre Dame has a strong LRAP program as well.

UW, UC-Davis, UC-Hastings, Colorado all seem like reasonable choices. Colorado should give you good money, but unfortunately, UW , Davis, and Hastings are all notoriously cheap.

Send an app to UT-Austin.

Iowa has a Journal of Gender, Race, and Justice. The state is LGBT friendly (especially Iowa City) and beautiful. You're all but guaranteed admission as well.

Great suggestions! Thank you!

Nobody says people from lower schools can't teach, they say that it is incredibly unlikely (which it is).

Check out http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 1&t=150681 Boulder and Davis have some of the more abysmal employment prospects for top regional schools (only 72% and 65% respectively have full time jobs, which doesn't even factor in how many of those jobs are non-legal). I'm not saying these places are TT (and Boulder is the best school someone can do if they want to work in CO and aren't from there so you're basically stuck between a rock and a hard place) but they are really outperformed by their regional peers in different markets.

The choices between all these, imo, will come down to cost. Without knowing how much these schools are offering in scholarship money it's impossible to say. If you're asking which schools you should apply to then apply to the top regional schools in areas you would be fine working in.