Best Schools for Water Rights? Forum

(Rankings, Profiles, Tuition, Student Life, . . . )
User avatar
Iroh

Bronze
Posts: 129
Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2012 10:20 pm

Re: Best Schools for Water Rights?

Post by Iroh » Mon Feb 16, 2015 7:23 pm

Stanford has Buzz Thompson, who is a highly regarded water rights expert who has written his own textbooks on property and water law. He was also appointed by the Supreme Court to serve as special master in Montana v. Wyoming. So, if you end up taking Property with him as a 1L (you have a 1 in 3 chance), go to his office hours, and ace his class, you could probably sign on as a research assistant with him your 1L summer.

Of course, this doesn't guarantee that you will practice water law, but at least you'll be at a school that will actually get you a job.

User avatar
rpupkin

Platinum
Posts: 5653
Joined: Mon Dec 09, 2013 10:32 pm

Re: Best Schools for Water Rights?

Post by rpupkin » Mon Feb 16, 2015 7:29 pm

Iroh wrote:Stanford has Buzz Thompson, who is a highly regarded water rights expert who has written his own textbooks on property and water law. He was also appointed by the Supreme Court to serve as special master in Montana v. Wyoming. So, if you end up taking Property with him as a 1L (you have a 1 in 3 chance), go to his office hours, and ace his class, you could probably sign on as a research assistant with him your 1L summer.
I don't know anything about Buzz Thompson (cool name tho), but you generally don't have to ace a class in order to work as a professor's research assistant. Show an interest in class, and show an interest in the professor's field during office hours. The professor will likely be willing to work with you at some point. I mean, we are talking about water law here; it's not like you're going to be competing with hundreds of gunners for the professor's attention.

User avatar
Iroh

Bronze
Posts: 129
Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2012 10:20 pm

Re: Best Schools for Water Rights?

Post by Iroh » Mon Feb 16, 2015 7:50 pm

rpupkin wrote:
Iroh wrote:Stanford has Buzz Thompson, who is a highly regarded water rights expert who has written his own textbooks on property and water law. He was also appointed by the Supreme Court to serve as special master in Montana v. Wyoming. So, if you end up taking Property with him as a 1L (you have a 1 in 3 chance), go to his office hours, and ace his class, you could probably sign on as a research assistant with him your 1L summer.
I don't know anything about Buzz Thompson (cool name tho), but you generally don't have to ace a class in order to work as a professor's research assistant. Show an interest in class, and show an interest in the professor's field during office hours. The professor will likely be willing to work with you at some point. I mean, we are talking about water law here; it's not like you're going to be competing with hundreds of gunners for the professor's attention.
Yes, that's true; acing his class wouldn't be necessary. But I think if a water rights dude wants to use him as his in to BIG WATERLAW, acing his classes would certainly help.

User avatar
ballcaps

Silver
Posts: 527
Joined: Tue Oct 14, 2014 12:20 pm

Re: Best Schools for Water Rights?

Post by ballcaps » Mon Feb 16, 2015 7:56 pm

Iroh wrote:BIG WATERLAW
ljl

ymmv

Diamond
Posts: 21482
Joined: Mon Oct 21, 2013 1:36 pm

Re: Best Schools for Water Rights?

Post by ymmv » Mon Feb 16, 2015 8:05 pm

ballcaps wrote:
Iroh wrote:BIG WATERLAW
ljl
Image

Want to continue reading?

Register now to search topics and post comments!

Absolutely FREE!


User avatar
Worker and Parasite

Bronze
Posts: 360
Joined: Tue Nov 08, 2011 1:53 am

Re: Best Schools for Water Rights?

Post by Worker and Parasite » Tue Feb 17, 2015 12:38 pm

USC has a water law class fwiw. It's really just municipal law

6string

New
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2015 12:54 pm

Re: Best Schools for Water Rights?

Post by 6string » Tue Feb 17, 2015 1:01 pm

Move to Montana. Wait 1 year. Go to UM Law with cheap in-state tuition.

musiccityboer

New
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Feb 16, 2015 12:25 am

Re: Best Schools for Water Rights?

Post by musiccityboer » Tue Feb 17, 2015 3:08 pm

Yeah, if I do that I'd have to crucify myself for betraying Montana State (pretty much my father's entire side of the family went there).

Icareen

New
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2015 5:59 pm

Re: Best Schools for Water Rights?

Post by Icareen » Tue Feb 17, 2015 6:11 pm

Colorado is host to two of the best schools for water rights studies, if your interests are in prior appropriations. Look into the University of Colorado as well as University of Denver. If you are looking to be in the heat of the water battle, Colorado or California would be the best places to go to law school/begin your career. As I am sure you have heard many times, go to law school where you would like to eventually live. I have met several law school grads who move to a new state after school and cannot find a job because they didn't network in that state during law school. Obviously, studying water in Vermont is not going to get you an "in" with the water community of the West. Best of luck!

Want to continue reading?

Register for access!

Did I mention it was FREE ?


Post Reply

Return to “Choosing a Law School”