Help: Immigration Law Schools?

[tzav]

Hey guys! I would love any input anyone has about good schools for immigration law. My GPA is a 3.7 and LSAT is 167: right now I'm looking at schools like Notre Dame, Cornell, Vanderbilt, and Pepperdine. Does anyone have any other schools they would suggest? Thank you!!

[UVA2B]

Welcome to TLS. You really shouldn't be picking a school based on a sub-specialty of law, especially one like immigration law. If you're dead set about going into helping immigrants with their legal status in this country, you should really consider where you want to practice more than courses a school offers on immigration law.

Are you dead-set on becoming a full time immigration attorney, and if so, have you spoken with full time immigration attorneys about what the job is like?

[albanach]

If you're dead set about going into helping immigrants with their legal status in this country, you should really consider where you want to practice more than courses a school offers on immigration law.

Unless, perhaps you're looking at corporate practice, helping large firms handle visas for employers. In which case you probably want to look at the highest ranked schools you can get into in order to make the chance of biglaw more accessible.

Of course those are just two very different types of immigration law. UVA2B is correct that you should establish if that really is the area you want to focus on. I'd also suggest keeping an open mind as you go into law school. You never know what other previously unconsidered areas of law you might discover.

[UVA2B]

If you're dead set about going into helping immigrants with their legal status in this country, you should really consider where you want to practice more than courses a school offers on immigration law.

Unless, perhaps you're looking at corporate practice, helping large firms handle visas for employers. In which case you probably want to look at the highest ranked schools you can get into in order to make the chance of biglaw more accessible.

Of course those are just two very different types of immigration law. UVA2B is correct that you should establish if that really is the area you want to focus on. I'd also suggest keeping an open mind as you go into law school. You never know what other previously unconsidered areas of law you might discover.

Assumptions are a dangerous thing, cause I automatically go to indigent and alien status when people say immigration law without explicitly stating they want Biglaw, but if we're talking handling immigration matters on the corporate scale, everything changes. Thanks for backing me up.

[tzav]

Thank you both for your input! Yes, I have worked in legal offices that deal with refugee and asylum-seeker status and am sure that's what I want to do. What would you then recommend I look for in a law school?

[UVA2B]

Thank you both for your input! Yes, I have worked in legal offices that deal with refugee and asylum-seeker status and am sure that's what I want to do. What would you then recommend I look for in a law school?

Since most of that work is generally lower paid and usually non-profit focused, you should be looking for schools in the geographic region you want to practice where you can go for free or damn close to it. If it was Florida, think UF/FSU. If TX, UT/UH. If AZ, UofA/ASU. Does that make sense?

Given you have strong numbers relative to pretty much all regional schools, I'd be targeting the strongest regional in your chosen geographic region. If you have multiple potential geographic regions, target each of the strongest regionals in those areas with maybe a few T20 like Cornell, GULC, WUSTL, etc. to use strictly for purposes of negotiating with those strong regional schools. Do not go to Cornell (for instance) for full price or close to it when you have ASU for free wanting to do immigration law in AZ.

[Mullens]

Hey guys! I would love any input anyone has about good schools for immigration law. My GPA is a 3.7 and LSAT is 167: right now I'm looking at schools like Notre Dame, Cornell, Vanderbilt, and Pepperdine. Does anyone have any other schools they would suggest? Thank you!!

Yeah the advice of everyone else here is pretty spot on. You should try to get a full-ride at the best school in your target market. You likely won't make very much money in immigration law so it's important to minimize debt.

Also, be aware that language fluency/proficiency is all but required for immigration law and you will want to work somewhere with a sizable community that has need for a lawyer with your language skills.

[MadamSecretary]

Thank you both for your input! Yes, I have worked in legal offices that deal with refugee and asylum-seeker status and am sure that's what I want to do. What would you then recommend I look for in a law school?

Since most of that work is generally lower paid and usually non-profit focused, you should be looking for schools in the geographic region you want to practice where you can go for free or damn close to it. If it was Florida, think UF/FSU. If TX, UT/UH. If AZ, UofA/ASU. Does that make sense?

Given you have strong numbers relative to pretty much all regional schools, I'd be targeting the strongest regional in your chosen geographic region. If you have multiple potential geographic regions, target each of the strongest regionals in those areas with maybe a few T20 like Cornell, GULC, WUSTL, etc. to use strictly for purposes of negotiating with those strong regional schools. Do not go to Cornell (for instance) for full price or close to it when you have ASU for free wanting to do immigration law in AZ.

Since most of that work is generally lower paid and usually non-profit focused, you should be looking for schools in the geographic region you want to practice where you can go for free or damn close to it
^Entirely False, you can make really good money in Immigration, especially on a corporate scale... and there is big money in the start up world in immigration. Go for it, Vandy/Notre dame are good options

[UVA2B]

Thank you both for your input! Yes, I have worked in legal offices that deal with refugee and asylum-seeker status and am sure that's what I want to do. What would you then recommend I look for in a law school?

Since most of that work is generally lower paid and usually non-profit focused, you should be looking for schools in the geographic region you want to practice where you can go for free or damn close to it. If it was Florida, think UF/FSU. If TX, UT/UH. If AZ, UofA/ASU. Does that make sense?

Given you have strong numbers relative to pretty much all regional schools, I'd be targeting the strongest regional in your chosen geographic region. If you have multiple potential geographic regions, target each of the strongest regionals in those areas with maybe a few T20 like Cornell, GULC, WUSTL, etc. to use strictly for purposes of negotiating with those strong regional schools. Do not go to Cornell (for instance) for full price or close to it when you have ASU for free wanting to do immigration law in AZ.

Since most of that work is generally lower paid and usually non-profit focused, you should be looking for schools in the geographic region you want to practice where you can go for free or damn close to it
^Entirely False, you can make really good money in Immigration, especially on a corporate scale... and there is big money in the start up world in immigration. Go for it, Vandy/Notre dame are good options

Ok, well first, we covered the part about corporate scale immigration work above. Second, I intentionally used words like most and generally because there are always exceptions to rules on the smaller scale immigration law front. But most attorneys doing refugee and asylum types of immigration are lower paid, and usually in the non-profit world. I have no idea how you think any of that is entirely false.

[pepperdinelaw]

mod edit: don't advertise your law school.

But I am going to leave up the fact that it was Pepperdine so posters can deservedly ridicule you.

[cavalier1138]

@tzav Hi there. Congrats on your academic success thus far! We encourage you to visit our site to learn more about experiential learning opportunities at Pepperdine Law. http://law.pepperdine.edu/experiential-learning/
The Global Justice and Advocacy Programs would allow you to tailor an education for a career in Immigration Law.

No.

[ernie]

mod edit: don't advertise your law school.

But I am going to leave up the fact that it was Pepperdine so posters can deservedly ridicule you.

Wow.

[Andrewfromla818]

Does any know what are the best law schools with the most fun, best social life and least stressful.

[Andrewfromla818]

Does any know what are the best law schools with the most fun, best social life and least stressful.