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Fordham, Brooklyn or Cardozo?

Working full-time, banking industry with company sponsorship. I would like to eventually specialize in business law (either tax, regulation or securities).

Brooklyn and Cardozo are offering pretty much the difference Fordham will be significant (50%) out of pocket.

Suprisingly, Fordham is ranked lower than expected in this:

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandr ... w-rankings

MBA from Fordham so I'm partial but not married to it.

What would you do besides re-write.. ?

Not 100% sure, but I think those are specialty rankings and virtually meaningless.

Will you keep working for your current employer?
In that case, price should be your biggest factor.

Will you switch to the full-time program, or actively participate in OCI?
Then go to Fordham.

If you're looking for biglaw/midlaw, I'd choose Fordham

If looking to transition to in-house counsel then how good are your contacts?

If you're looking at a complete career change, such as Public Defender, Cardozo/Brooklyn are good options.

So the real question is, what do you want to do with your law degree?

The GC at my firm is recently appointed and not likely to leave for 20+ years. There are other major departments that have in-house counsel as well and I am at one of the most visible areas of the firm (Treasury and Funding).

Part of my role is to negotiate ISDA agreements (in addition to other funding roles such as debt and derivative issuance) and I was able to convince the firm that it would be beneficial to have a foundation in law as this process revamps.

So yes, I will continue to work at my firm but this degree would open up significant vertical and lateral industry opportunities which I feel is very important ITE.

Any of these carry a better standing in the financial services industries?

Fordham has a better name in general, but whether or not it's worth the extra money is a different matter.
As you plan to keep working at your firm for at least a few years past LS, it doesn't really matter. In general, the further out of school your career is, the less it matters where you went to school.

Vertically, the difference is minimal, laterally, it will matter less and less the longer you work at your firm (especially if you want to leverage your MBA/financial experience)

DTDT wrote:Fordham, Brooklyn or Cardozo?

Working full-time, banking industry with company sponsorship. I would like to eventually specialize in business law (either tax, regulation or securities).

Brooklyn and Cardozo are offering pretty much the difference Fordham will be significant (50%) out of pocket.

Suprisingly, Fordham is ranked lower than expected in this:

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandr ... w-rankings

MBA from Fordham so I'm partial but not married to it.

What would you do besides re-write.. ?

Why in the fuck would it matter who's part time program is ranked better? It's still the same school. Part time program rankings are even more worthless than specialty rankings.

Are you looking at paying sticker at Fordham v half tuition at Brooklyn/Dozo?

1/2 sticker at Fordham vs. all tuition paid at BLS and Cardozo.

DTDT wrote:1/2 sticker at Fordham vs. all tuition paid at BLS and Cardozo.

Fordham by a mile brah.

With all of the competition and saturation of the NYC market, I wouldn't touch a school below Fordham, no matter how much money they threw at me. You'll never get the stench of a BLS degree off of you.

tfleming09 wrote:

DTDT wrote:1/2 sticker at Fordham vs. all tuition paid at BLS and Cardozo.

Fordham by a mile brah.

With all of the competition and saturation of the NYC market, I wouldn't touch a school below Fordham, no matter how much money they threw at me. You'll never get the stench of a BLS degree off of you.

Normally, I'd agree wholeheartedly (I didn't even look at the full scholly I got from Bozo)
But, OP has a job and is planning on keeping that job after graduating.
The prestige that a better school gives you diminishes over time. 5 years out no one cares where you went to school, only what you did since then

What school you go to is paramount at the starting gate, but OP won't be there.
By the time OP will be entering the job market (lateral) his experience/track record will be all that matters.

dingbat wrote: Normally, I'd agree wholeheartedly (I didn't even look at the full scholly I got from Bozo)
But, OP has a job and is planning on keeping that job after graduating.
The prestige that a better school gives you diminishes over time. 5 years out no one cares where you went to school, only what you did since then

What school you go to is paramount at the starting gate, but OP won't be there.
By the time OP will be entering the job market (lateral) his experience/track record will be all that matters.

Is a legal job guaranteed? If so, cheapest route for sure. I missed that part if true.

When I was applying 2 years ago, Cardozo's PT program was only offered as a day program (yes, this was counter-intuitive to me too. But they actually didn't offer a PT night program!). If this is still the case, their PT program may not be a viable option for you, leaving you between Fordham and BLS.

I chose sticker @ Fordham PT over a full ride + housing stipend to BLS in a similar situation (but different industry) to yours, but it was a toss-up, and even today I'm not sure whether it was worth the money, though I find myself impressed with the adjuncts I am meeting and the practical exposure I am getting. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

tfleming09 wrote:You'll never get the stench of a BLS degree off of you.

I have a cousin "studying" for a "law degree" at Touro
Talk about stench

(note: his degree might be completely useless, but to be fair, so is he)

dingbat wrote: I have a cousin "studying" for a "law degree" at Touro
Talk about stench

(note: his degree might be completely useless, but to be fair, so is he)

There is literally no reason for that school to exist.

tfleming09 wrote:

dingbat wrote: I have a cousin "studying" for a "law degree" at Touro
Talk about stench

(note: his degree might be completely useless, but to be fair, so is he)

There is literally no reason for that school to exist.

It exists so useless idiots like him can mooch off the government (he'll never be able to pay off his loans) rather than get a real job, like flipping burgers at McDonalds.
Oh, and so the NY Times has someone to interview when they write about the pitfalls of the legal profession