Health Law VS Energy Law Forum
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eddiemen2a
- Posts: 58
- Joined: Sun Jan 05, 2014 4:51 am
Health Law VS Energy Law
edit: question answered. thank you
Last edited by eddiemen2a on Thu Nov 13, 2014 7:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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middlebear
- Posts: 543
- Joined: Wed May 14, 2014 4:48 pm
Re: Health Law VS Energy Law
Since you're talking about UHouston, I'm assuming you're staying in or around that market. I can only offer generalizations on these two, but hopefully it's helpful.
I currently work in a BigLaw healthcare practice--but in DC. I'd very strongly urge you not to think you'll be restructuring healthcare or being a do-gooder, in case that's what you're thinking. From what I've seen, the preponderance of "healthcare law" is related to lobbying or reimbursement, such as representing hospital chains. That's the BigLaw route, anyway, and to my knowledge is really based in DC--I don't know what you'd be doing in Houston. I know some people also go in-house for hospitals, which might be more readily available locally, I'm not sure.
So I guess what I'm really saying is: I think if you're in Houston, oil/gas is a much better bet for a job.
I currently work in a BigLaw healthcare practice--but in DC. I'd very strongly urge you not to think you'll be restructuring healthcare or being a do-gooder, in case that's what you're thinking. From what I've seen, the preponderance of "healthcare law" is related to lobbying or reimbursement, such as representing hospital chains. That's the BigLaw route, anyway, and to my knowledge is really based in DC--I don't know what you'd be doing in Houston. I know some people also go in-house for hospitals, which might be more readily available locally, I'm not sure.
So I guess what I'm really saying is: I think if you're in Houston, oil/gas is a much better bet for a job.
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BigZuck
- Posts: 11730
- Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2012 9:53 am
Re: Health Law VS Energy Law
Don't worry about specialty programs, they don't really matter all that much and it doesn't matter where schools are ranked in particular specialties. First and foremost you need to look at a school's job placement, specifically how many people they place in long term, full time employment requiring a JD (aka a lawyer). Lawschooltransparency.com is a great resource for that.
If you go on that site you'll see that employment prospects out of UH are iffy. And that should be a concern of yours. Really, the only school in TX with what can be considered "good" employment outcomes is UT, so if you want to be in TX long term that should be where you set your sights (but don't go unless cost is reasonable, no more than about 100K)
As for jobs in the energy and health fields, those can run the gamut from big firms to solo shops to in house positions and everywhere in between. If you want to work in house at a billion dollar company your best avenue would probably be to work at a big firm in Houston that does a lot of Energy transactional work (Vinson and Elkins, Baker Botts, Latham, etc.) and get an in that way. Unless your father's connection is rock solid it'll probably be tough to go in house at such a large company straight out of a school like UH. They'll probably want you to be trained at a big firm first, and the only school that gives anything approximating a good shot at that in TX is UT, and even then you'll need good grades.
I'm just a 2L but I've just been through OCI at UT so I've done a fair amount of research on these fields and the Houston market. Also have a family member who does health law at a big firm in Houston. Happy to help where I can, either in this thread or via PM.
If you go on that site you'll see that employment prospects out of UH are iffy. And that should be a concern of yours. Really, the only school in TX with what can be considered "good" employment outcomes is UT, so if you want to be in TX long term that should be where you set your sights (but don't go unless cost is reasonable, no more than about 100K)
As for jobs in the energy and health fields, those can run the gamut from big firms to solo shops to in house positions and everywhere in between. If you want to work in house at a billion dollar company your best avenue would probably be to work at a big firm in Houston that does a lot of Energy transactional work (Vinson and Elkins, Baker Botts, Latham, etc.) and get an in that way. Unless your father's connection is rock solid it'll probably be tough to go in house at such a large company straight out of a school like UH. They'll probably want you to be trained at a big firm first, and the only school that gives anything approximating a good shot at that in TX is UT, and even then you'll need good grades.
I'm just a 2L but I've just been through OCI at UT so I've done a fair amount of research on these fields and the Houston market. Also have a family member who does health law at a big firm in Houston. Happy to help where I can, either in this thread or via PM.
