Do you think that the 51% who did not go into private practice did so because they were at the bottom of the class or could not get into private practice?

The point is you are splitting hairs. Its a couple grads whichever way the wind blows any given year. Anyway the stat you should be looking at is 89% at Cardozo are not getting NLJ250 and 94% at Brooklyn.

That's exactly how you should look at it. It is extremely unlikely that people at these schools self-selected out of private practice, of I understand what you said earlier.

Beyond that, find biglaw partners in NYC and ask them about these schools. I worked at a biglaw firm and didn't see a summer associate from either school the entire time I was there. I heard that some years in the past there was a representative from Brooklyn or Cardozo, but I never saw any across three years. And these were decent size classes of a dozen students per summer. I think our firm interviewed at both but I have no idea what happened.

John 1990 is, per another thread, in the process of negotiating a bigger scholarship from Dozo. It's clear that he wants to go there, and so he's being defensive about Dozo, especially vis a vis Brooklyn because, I'm sure, he's convinced himself that Dozo is a more prestigious place to go.

And, (not that John 1990 needs me or anyone else to say it), that's totally normal and fine, and, well...whatever. Everyone who ends up at law school convinces themselves that their choice was a good one, otherwise they wouldn't go. I go to a WUSTL/MN/IL, and I did so for own reasons, but I seriously considered a free ride+ from Brooklyn and a huge scholly from Dozo. So I've run through this hypo in my head in earnest.

My advice to anyone considering either Dozo or Brooklyn at anything more than $75K in total debt is to apply to Rutgers. Do it now, if it's not too late. If you can get a $20K/yr Scholly from Brooklyn, you can get a $5K/yr from Rutgers, plus you'll get instate tuition for all three years if you sign a lease in NJ. I know that this arrangement isn't ideal for OP in particular because he/she can live with parents, but do the math:

Dozo: $48K/yr
Brooklyn: $48K/yr
Rutgers-N: $25K/yr (instate).

So, effectively, by going to Rutgers, you are automatically giving yourself a $23K/yr scholarship, plus the living expenses in NJ will be probably 2/3 what they would be in NYC. For OP, assuming you get a $5K/yr scholly from R-N, you'd be able to A) have the same-to-slightly better job prospects (albeit in NJ), B) get to live on your own for three years, and C) avoid a horrendous commute (that will likely run you, what? $120 a month going from Yonkers to Manhattan?).

If you don't have parents to live with, and will have to take out living loans, the choice is, frankly, obvious: roughly $170K for Dozo, or $100K for Rutgers? I'm not saying either (at that cost) is a good choice, but one is a hell of a lot better than the other.

I know NJ gets a bum rap, and mostly for legitimate reasons, but when I see person getting conned into paying sometimes 2x the money to go to Brooklyn and, increasingly, Dozo and not even considering Rutgers, I see a person who hasn't really thought about the decision hard enough, and asked the tough questions. Because the only reason I can see, given the factors faced by a typical 0L, for going to Dozo/Brook over Rutgers is some sort of Ranking/Prestige/OMG NYC! thing, and that's just falling right into the trap that's being set for you.

In five years, will being able to say "I went to Cardozo-Yeshiva for law school, in New York City!" really be worth the extra $50K-$70K? Trust me, it won't be.

20k scholly at BK = 28k/yr plus ability to live at home vs 25k (maybe 20k w/ scholly) and 10k rent @ rutgers.

but in the most likely outcome youll get a job making between 45-60 k....almost impossible to live on in NYC but manageable in Jersey

+ a 75 minute commute both ways on the subway (just imagine that for a second. Every day. Sometimes at 10/11 PM.), plus having to live with parents for three years.

Like I said in previous post, OP is in a slightly different spot, but he/she should at least consider Rutgers. If a person doesn't have 'rents to pick up slack, then Rutgers is a no-brainer.

Its probably a mix. There is probably a number in "private practice" who make peanuts and wish they had been able to get into government. There is no set rule on how it works.

this is pretty accurate. unfortunately it isn't until you are in law school that you actually realize that hey, all the schools grouped T20-T40 are interchangeable, and on down the line. Brooklyn and Dozo don't provide much if any edge over Rutgers.

Thank you all for the replies and the thought you put into your posts.

I went to high school and have worked the last two years with the train commute from yonkers to manhattan so its not such a big deal to me. Obviously living at home is far from ideal, but at 23 with not too much cash of my own, its something im okay with for the next three years...for the money saved and the fact that my folks just got a new place.

Im not so sure I want the biglaw life.

A better question for me to ask is: How realistic is it to walk out of Cardozo / Brooklyn in three years with a job paying about 60k+ ??

It's difficult, perhaps impossible, to say this for certain before actually starting school, but I find myself legitimately interested in studying and practicing law. Of course, that could change.

For people suggesting the building management route, I know supers and they have a nice set up, but its not the route I desire. That could be stupid of me--time will tell.

Why haven't you started negotiating? If they gave you an initial offer, that doesn't mean the conversation's over. I also had an initial Cardozo offer that was 50% of my BLS offer. I emailed Dozo with that (didn't even get into specifics on amounts) because I like them better, told them I'm PI-bound after having worked in the NYC PI field for years, and that I need to be realistic and follow the $$$ after turning down higher ranked schools with stingy scholarship offers. They got right back to me and doubled it putting it on the same level as BLS' offer.

P.S. I should add that if you're not going into a field that leaves you eligible for IBR, federal loan forgiveness, and the school's LRAP, then you probably don't want to go to either Cardozo or BLS. Perhaps if it's a full ride, but it's clear from your post that it's not. My impression from friends of mine in the private sector is that things are rough in that department (to put it mildly). Also, don't assume that it's easy to break into the public sector either. I can't tell you the number of "high ranked" students from "high ranked" schools that we turn down every year because they have zero skills in our world.

Both of those show that these schools are shit for BigLaw, which is what you'd need to pay back 150K+ in loans

TITCR. even if your debt is less than that, there are hidden costs, and once you get a job post-grad(probably not big-law, but something pay 40-50k) the debt will suck the life outta ya. I have a brother who had this problem.

I'm not trying to say that either school does particularly well in nlj250 placement, just that one does better than the other. You can't deny that 5% is a large difference, especially when the difference is consistent, and the difference is nearly 100%