Suffolk 2014 Forum

[ElvisAaron]

Lol at 10% biglaw. More like top 1-3%

This was my understanding as well, 1-3%.
10% is a relatively bigass number esp with the enrollment size Suffolk has. Doesn't seem realistic.

[ItsMyTimeBoston]

Lol at 10% biglaw. More like top 1-3%

This was my understanding as well, 1-3%.
10% is a relatively bigass number esp with the enrollment size Suffolk has. Doesn't seem realistic.

You'll see from this chart:

http://www.law.com/img/nlj/charts/composite.pdf

that 3% biglaw placement was probably realistic when the economy was good. Also, there was a good chunk of students doing judicial clerkships and I'm not sure how many of those students went on to decent firm jobs.

I'll likely be at Suffolk in the fall with the idea of minimizing debt and doing the best I can.

[orm518]

Lol at 10% biglaw. More like top 1-3%

This was my understanding as well, 1-3%.
10% is a relatively bigass number esp with the enrollment size Suffolk has. Doesn't seem realistic.

You'll see from this chart:

http://www.law.com/img/nlj/charts/composite.pdf

that 3% biglaw placement was probably realistic when the economy was good. Also, there was a good chunk of students doing judicial clerkships and I'm not sure how many of those students went on to decent firm jobs.

I'll likely be at Suffolk in the fall with the idea of minimizing debt and doing the best I can.

Sidenote IMTB: If your username here is same as LSN, I'd ask for more $, unless they top out at $15k/yr for evening. With LSAT, GPA, and Ugrad institution, there are people with worse stats in previous years with more $. Email Dean Ellis, it's even what the tour guide told us to do. Granted you got $ already, so negotiating is trickier than outright asking (begging), but still.

To the point: SULS places it's law review/magna cum laude and up kids into BigLaw regularly, look at sites with full bios for Boston's WilmerHale, Goodwin Procter, and Ropes and Gray, etc. offices. They have SULS kids, but they're top 5%, maybe top 10% GPAs, plus assistants to Glannon or Law Review. These firms and ones like it also have some SULS partners as well. So, the 1-3% into BigLaw is still valid, closer to 3% arguably, but MidLaw jobs are available too as well, sure they start anywhere from 70-90k$, but it's better than your parents basement.

Suffolk is nearly a definite for me too, and I share your sentiment. Take the $ for debt minimization and perform as well as possible, without falling into that trap that 90% of kids think they'll make top 10%.

[Suffolk2L]

Lol at 10% biglaw. More like top 1-3%

This was my understanding as well, 1-3%.
10% is a relatively bigass number esp with the enrollment size Suffolk has. Doesn't seem realistic.

You'll see from this chart:

http://www.law.com/img/nlj/charts/composite.pdf

that 3% biglaw placement was probably realistic when the economy was good. Also, there was a good chunk of students doing judicial clerkships and I'm not sure how many of those students went on to decent firm jobs.

I'll likely be at Suffolk in the fall with the idea of minimizing debt and doing the best I can.

Sidenote IMTB: If your username here is same as LSN, I'd ask for more $, unless they top out at $15k/yr for evening. With LSAT, GPA, and Ugrad institution, there are people with worse stats in previous years with more $. Email Dean Ellis, it's even what the tour guide told us to do. Granted you got $ already, so negotiating is trickier than outright asking (begging), but still.

To the point: SULS places it's law review/magna cum laude and up kids into BigLaw regularly, look at sites with full bios for Boston's WilmerHale, Goodwin Procter, and Ropes and Gray, etc. offices. They have SULS kids, but they're top 5%, maybe top 10% GPAs, plus assistants to Glannon or Law Review. These firms and ones like it also have some SULS partners as well. So, the 1-3% into BigLaw is still valid, closer to 3% arguably, but MidLaw jobs are available too as well, sure they start anywhere from 70-90k$, but it's better than your parents basement.

Suffolk is nearly a definite for me too, and I share your sentiment. Take the $ for debt minimization and perform as well as possible, without falling into that trap that 90% of kids think they'll make top 10%.

LAWL at top 10% getting Big Law from Suffolk. I'm currently a 2L at Suffolk, and to put things in perspective, for a class of 340, 6 people got big law offers during OCI. Out of those 6 only two firms hired. As far as the argument goes that Suffolk places a large amount of people into big law based on the bio's you see on said websites you have to consider that Suffolk has a huge enrollment. So it really is more statistically representative of the top 1-3% of the class getting Big law. Don't get me wrong I really do enjoy Suffolk but just make sure you are realistic with your goals. If the goal is "BIG LAW OR BUST" then seriously don't bother with Suffolk.

[orm518]

Don't get me wrong I really do enjoy Suffolk but just make sure you are realistic with your goals. If the goal is "BIG LAW OR BUST" then seriously don't bother with Suffolk.

That's not my sentiment, I understand it's a huge class, didn't know that in this case n=2 hires, but I suppose that's not shocking.

No, I'm going to Suffolk with the intention of doing well and practicing in a MidLaw or even a government (Suffolk/Middlesex DA for example) position. Though COL will still be a factor, a hefty tuition scholarship is allowing me to consider Suffolk over others, since I'm not a "BigLaw or Bust" applicant, I mean come on have you read ATL. Do you want those guys as your co-workers.

Thanks for the input, I wish there were more SULS students on TLS.

[Suffolk2L]

Don't get me wrong I really do enjoy Suffolk but just make sure you are realistic with your goals. If the goal is "BIG LAW OR BUST" then seriously don't bother with Suffolk.

That's not my sentiment, I understand it's a huge class, didn't know that in this case n=2 hires, but I suppose that's not shocking.

No, I'm going to Suffolk with the intention of doing well and practicing in a MidLaw or even a government (Suffolk/Middlesex DA for example) position. Though COL will still be a factor, a hefty tuition scholarship is allowing me to consider Suffolk over others, since I'm not a "BigLaw or Bust" applicant, I mean come on have you read ATL. Do you want those guys as your co-workers.

Thanks for the input, I wish there were more SULS students on TLS.

No problem! I don't mean to get all JDundergroundish here, but Suffolk with a significant scholarship makes sense if you know what you're aiming for. I went to Suffolk based on the scholarship and because I plan to stay in the New England area upon graduation. To put things in perspective, I was not in the top 1-3%, but I was in the top 10%, made LR, did legal internships, etc. and still got shut out at OCI. To be fair when I went to career services to have my resume critiqued before OCI, the CS counselor gave me a pained look and said "Do you want me to sugarcoat it or give you to you straight?" I told her I was a big boy and could handle whatever she had to say. She informed me that even the top 1-2% would be lucky to get a OCI offer ITE and that I really really really shouldn't expect anything out of OCI. Now I ended up getting a summer position on my own accord later on, but I just want to get the old adage that top 10% has a shot at big law dispelled. To dish it out even more out of the 6 people that did get Biglaw offers the class rank was literally in the top 10 people in the class, nevermind top 10%.

That all being said, Suffolk can be an excellent choice if you have a significant scholarship, connections, and/or a solid skill set out of undergrad/working world. Otherwise I would say proceed with extreme caution. If anyone has any questions I'm more than willing to answer them about Suffolk. I used TLS a lot when I was applying to law school and it helped me greatly!

[dgthree]

I haven't read all the posts since my last post, but to the 10% it is approximately 9% if you look at the employment statistics...

Also, for the comments that say maybe a few years about this is the class of 2009.

http://law.suffolk.edu/offices/career/d ... Prelim.pdf

BigLaw is approximately 150+ attorneys according to the latest NLJ number. Suffolk lists placement as 101-250, 251-500, and 500+. So the 8 in the 101-250 is hard to determine, but if you are on the generous side 41 out of 429 students were in BigLaw. That comes out to 9.557% Which is very darn good for a TTT school. Or, if you take just the definite number of 251+ is BigLaw then you have 33 out of 429 which 7.69% still a very good number.

There are a lot of complaints, but some of the complaints are just without proof.

[orm518]

There are a lot of complaints, but some of the complaints are just without proof.

How dare you use hard numbers in an Internet forum!

[BCLS]

I haven't read all the posts since my last post, but to the 10% it is approximately 9% if you look at the employment statistics...

Also, for the comments that say maybe a few years about this is the class of 2009.

http://law.suffolk.edu/offices/career/d ... Prelim.pdf

BigLaw is approximately 150+ attorneys according to the latest NLJ number. Suffolk lists placement as 101-250, 251-500, and 500+. So the 8 in the 101-250 is hard to determine, but if you are on the generous side 41 out of 429 students were in BigLaw. That comes out to 9.557% Which is very darn good for a TTT school. Or, if you take just the definite number of 251+ is BigLaw then you have 33 out of 429 which 7.69% still a very good number.

There are a lot of complaints, but some of the complaints are just without proof.

God you're a fool. Class of 2009. Big difference then and now. That was Suffolk's prime. Suffolk is placing between 1-3% (Closer to 1-2% I think) in Biglaw. You have a current student on here telling you 6 people in a class of over 300 recieved a biglaw callback. That's scary. BUT, If you don't want biglaw, and get an awesome scholarship, Suffolk can be a great choice.

Also, to the poster above who mentioned the Middlesex DA, those are extremely competitive. No longer are those "fallback" jobs. I know tons of people at BC having trouble landing internships in the Suffolk/Middlesex DA. It's a tough market-- you'll be competing with BC/BU/Harvard/NU, each with a class around 260.

[Suffolk2L]

I haven't read all the posts since my last post, but to the 10% it is approximately 9% if you look at the employment statistics...

Also, for the comments that say maybe a few years about this is the class of 2009.

http://law.suffolk.edu/offices/career/d ... Prelim.pdf

BigLaw is approximately 150+ attorneys according to the latest NLJ number. Suffolk lists placement as 101-250, 251-500, and 500+. So the 8 in the 101-250 is hard to determine, but if you are on the generous side 41 out of 429 students were in BigLaw. That comes out to 9.557% Which is very darn good for a TTT school. Or, if you take just the definite number of 251+ is BigLaw then you have 33 out of 429 which 7.69% still a very good number.

There are a lot of complaints, but some of the complaints are just without proof.

God you're a fool. Class of 2009. Big difference then and now. That was Suffolk's prime. Suffolk is placing between 1-3% (Closer to 1-2% I think) in Biglaw. You have a current student on here telling you 6 people in a class of over 300 recieved a biglaw callback. That's scary. BUT, If you don't want biglaw, and get an awesome scholarship, Suffolk can be a great choice.

Also, to the poster above who mentioned the Middlesex DA, those are extremely competitive. No longer are those "fallback" jobs. I know tons of people at BC having trouble landing internships in the Suffolk/Middlesex DA. It's a tough market-- you'll be competing with BC/BU/Harvard/NU, each with a class around 260.

I couldn't agree more with the previous poster that 2008-2009 was a much different legal market than we are seeing now. Keep in mind as well that those numbers for Biglaw are reflective of the SA class of 2008 when the economy was just starting to take a nose dive. Also if you are going to throw those hard numbers around then why not mention BC/BU/Northeastern? I can guarantee you that all those school's students had a much higher success rate at OCI as well.

All I can tell you is what is happening in the here and now at Suffolk. Big firms cut down hiring at Suffolk and also cut down the numbers of interviews in half by the biggest firms. Again, I implore you all to keep this in mind before applying to or accepting an offer to attend Suffolk if Biglaw is what you are aiming for. The truth of the matter is that it just isn't in the cards anymore except for the top 1-3% My friends and I on the honor boards only know of 6 people who have Big law SA positions that we know of but even assuming we are off I can't imagine it being higher than maybe 10 people total.

[orm518]

God you're a fool. Class of 2009. Big difference then and now.

To be fair, Class of 2009 is the latest data available. We're just now hitting the magic "9 months since graduation" on the May of 2010 graduates. Also, what makes you say 2009 is Suffolk's prime? If they placed 7-9% into law firms with 150+ lawyers (using the poster from above's numbers) in 2009, that is not bad considering 2009 was the worst year for BigLaw hiring and layoffs in this recent economic downturn. Even though they were 2008 SAs, the economy was still negative. Forgive me for linking to the Chicken Little of Law:

http://abovethelaw.com/2010/01/last-year-in-layoffs/

So, there are always ways to parse numbers to make a case either way. Were the 33 (or 41 depending on which numbers you use) hires reported in the Class of 2009 hired at the traditionally accepted $160k you see in NYC, DC, and LA. Most of them probably not. In Boston, only about the top 10 firms have those pay scales. So the 33/41 Suffolk associates from 2009 may have started closer to $100k, yes, not T14 or T30 (BU/BC) numbers, but good for T3 school, formerly T4, with that upward trajectory so often ridiculed on TLS as AdCom propaganda.

I was the poster who mentioned wanting to be a prosecutor. Never have I assumed it to be a fall back position, but I thank you for looking out for me.

Bottom line, if my absolute goal was BigLaw, I wouldn't be considering so seriously attending Suffolk, but given the right situations, monetarily and career goal wise, attending a school like Suffolk can work well for the right student. We're all hoping we'll be that student.

I'll look to people like the currently posting 2Ls for information on Suffolk, not you. Perhaps we can get BU Law kids to comment on your school? I assume you'd bristle the same.

[Suffolk2L]

God you're a fool. Class of 2009. Big difference then and now.

I was the poster who mentioned wanting to be a prosecutor. Never have I assumed it to be a fall back position, but I thank you for looking out for me.

Bottom line, if my absolute goal was BigLaw, I wouldn't be considering so seriously attending Suffolk, but given the right situations, monetarily and career goal wise, attending a school like Suffolk can work well for the right student. We're all hoping we'll be that student.

One thing I can say for sure is that Suffolk has an amazing clinic program for students considering being prosecutors or PD's. The huge downside to this however is that it is almost totally lottery based. (You get a minor bump if you take trial practice beforehand) I really hope to be accepted into the Prosecutor's clinic for 3L, and honestly my plans upon graduation would be to either clerk for a year or go straight to a DA's office. Suffolk is an outstanding school if you want to do anything really government-related in MA. Biglaw not so much. Suffolk has its strengths but for anyone looking at this board for advice Biglaw isn't one of them

[BCLS]

God you're a fool. Class of 2009. Big difference then and now.

To be fair, Class of 2009 is the latest data available. We're just now hitting the magic "9 months since graduation" on the May of 2010 graduates. Also, what makes you say 2009 is Suffolk's prime? If they placed 7-9% into law firms with 150+ lawyers (using the poster from above's numbers) in 2009, that is not bad considering 2009 was the worst year for BigLaw hiring and layoffs in this recent economic downturn. Even though they were 2008 SAs, the economy was still negative. Forgive me for linking to the Chicken Little of Law:

http://abovethelaw.com/2010/01/last-year-in-layoffs/

So, there are always ways to parse numbers to make a case either way. Were the 33 (or 41 depending on which numbers you use) hires reported in the Class of 2009 hired at the traditionally accepted $160k you see in NYC, DC, and LA. Most of them probably not. In Boston, only about the top 10 firms have those pay scales. So the 33/41 Suffolk associates from 2009 may have started closer to $100k, yes, not T14 or T30 (BU/BC) numbers, but good for T3 school, formerly T4, with that upward trajectory so often ridiculed on TLS as AdCom propaganda.

I was the poster who mentioned wanting to be a prosecutor. Never have I assumed it to be a fall back position, but I thank you for looking out for me.

Bottom line, if my absolute goal was BigLaw, I wouldn't be considering so seriously attending Suffolk, but given the right situations, monetarily and career goal wise, attending a school like Suffolk can work well for the right student. We're all hoping we'll be that student.

I'll look to people like the currently posting 2Ls for information on Suffolk, not you. Perhaps we can get BU Law kids to comment on your school? I assume you'd bristle the same.

Haha you're funny. Bc and bu place exactly the same. Dont be misled by those numbers. Those students oci'ed in 2008, that is where I'm getting the "prime."

Bottom line is that even a 7-8% chance, although this is not te case now (and is more like 1-2%) is not a good chance at all!

You are entering a saturated legal market and will be competing for the same jobs as bc/BU/harvard/NU. Like I said, I know people struggling to land jobs from bc and BU. If they are having trouble, it scares me to consider what your scraps will be. Suffolk can be a good choice, with a full scholarship, anything less, beware.

[BCLS]

I'm commenting here ing because I know the Boston legal market and I know students from almost all the schools in the Boston area. Most students I know, even many with full scholarships, completely regret going to Suffolk

Im done, take my advice fwiw

[bjoscott]

I'll through my 2 cents in fwiw. I am in the process of applying to law schools and I have been accepted at Suffolk. I have been employed for 13 years in law enforcement and working in the Rhode Island court system. Suffolk has a very good reputation in this area. Three of the five Rhode Island Supreme Court Justices are Suffolk grads. Many of the higher level attorneys in the Public Dfenders office and the Attorney General's office are also Suffolk grads. From that persepective, Suffolk does provide a better opportunity to network and find a government job in Rhode Island.

[jaydizzle]

I guess they don't like me. After persistence, they told me I need to wait until March for any financial aid information.

[blerg]

I'll through my 2 cents in fwiw. I am in the process of applying to law schools and I have been accepted at Suffolk. I have been employed for 13 years in law enforcement and working in the Rhode Island court system. Suffolk has a very good reputation in this area. Three of the five Rhode Island Supreme Court Justices are Suffolk grads. Many of the higher level attorneys in the Public Dfenders office and the Attorney General's office are also Suffolk grads. From that persepective, Suffolk does provide a better opportunity to network and find a government job in Rhode Island.

RI got its first and only law school in 1993, so Suffolk had at one point a huge number of RI students. I'd assume that those justices went to Suffolk at a time when RWU didn't exist.

[bjoscott]

I'll through my 2 cents in fwiw. I am in the process of applying to law schools and I have been accepted at Suffolk. I have been employed for 13 years in law enforcement and working in the Rhode Island court system. Suffolk has a very good reputation in this area. Three of the five Rhode Island Supreme Court Justices are Suffolk grads. Many of the higher level attorneys in the Public Dfenders office and the Attorney General's office are also Suffolk grads. From that persepective, Suffolk does provide a better opportunity to network and find a government job in Rhode Island.

RI got its first and only law school in 1993, so Suffolk had at one point a huge number of RI students. I'd assume that those justices went to Suffolk at a time when RWU didn't exist.

That is true but it doesn't change the fact that there are alot of people in the system here who speak very highly of Suffolk. Since I will be attending law school part time, my options are limited. I would like to attend UConn but Suffolk is a close second. I have been offered a full scholarship at New England and even though I don't really care for the facilities, it is tough to turn down that much money.

[ItsMyTimeBoston]

I'll through my 2 cents in fwiw. I am in the process of applying to law schools and I have been accepted at Suffolk. I have been employed for 13 years in law enforcement and working in the Rhode Island court system. Suffolk has a very good reputation in this area. Three of the five Rhode Island Supreme Court Justices are Suffolk grads. Many of the higher level attorneys in the Public Dfenders office and the Attorney General's office are also Suffolk grads. From that persepective, Suffolk does provide a better opportunity to network and find a government job in Rhode Island.

RI got its first and only law school in 1993, so Suffolk had at one point a huge number of RI students. I'd assume that those justices went to Suffolk at a time when RWU didn't exist.

That is true but it doesn't change the fact that there are alot of people in the system here who speak very highly of Suffolk. Since I will be attending law school part time, my options are limited. I would like to attend UConn but Suffolk is a close second. I have been offered a full scholarship at New England and even though I don't really care for the facilities, it is tough to turn down that much money.

Are you going to be moving to be near the school you attend?

[bjoscott]

Are you going to be moving to be near the school you attend?

No. I plan to commute from RI. There are several people, including my boss, who tell me that the drive isn't as bad as one would think.

[ItsMyTimeBoston]

Are you going to be moving to be near the school you attend?

No. I plan to commute from RI. There are several people, including my boss, who tell me that the drive isn't as bad as one would think.

I'm sure it isn't as bad as one would think and I don't know where in RI you are, but depending on the program you might be spending between 8 and 12+ hours a week driving that could be spent studying.

Is the J.D. going to lead to a promotion or a different job within your current employer or are you going to be going a completely different route after graduation? I think this might be the deciding factor in terms of do you follow the money or go to the best school you get into.

[classix]

There is a LOT of positivity on this thread.

Is suffolk really that good?

its a very expensive TTT in a city that has some great T and TT for even less money.

I got accepted, but i feel kind of skeptical...maybe it's unwarranted...i don't know

[ElvisAaron]

Are you going to be moving to be near the school you attend?

No. I plan to commute from RI. There are several people, including my boss, who tell me that the drive isn't as bad as one would think.

I'm in the metro west area. Trust me, if you're talking Suffolk the drive will suck balls and you'll get gangbanged paying for parking. Come close enough to grab the commuter rail to South Station and its two stops off the Red Line. Suffolk has a student pass you can buy that will cut your costs, and then you get to study on the train.

[ItsMyTimeBoston]

There is a LOT of positivity on this thread.

Is suffolk really that good?

its a very expensive TTT in a city that has some great T and TT for even less money.

I got accepted, but i feel kind of skeptical...maybe it's unwarranted...i don't know

If you want to stay in Boston or New England and don't have your heart set on working in biglaw then Suffolk is a great option, particularly with a decent scholarship and/or in a more normal economy.

You obviously wouldn't pick Suffolk if you were in at BU/BC and the cost of Suffolk wasn't significantly less; unless, I suppose, you were dead set on attending part-time. And, as far as Northeastern goes, my feeling is if you finish in the top half of the class at Suffolk you're probably going to have similar opportunities.

[bjoscott]

Are you going to be moving to be near the school you attend?

No. I plan to commute from RI. There are several people, including my boss, who tell me that the drive isn't as bad as one would think.

I'm in the metro west area. Trust me, if you're talking Suffolk the drive will suck balls and you'll get gangbanged paying for parking. Come close enough to grab the commuter rail to South Station and its two stops off the Red Line. Suffolk has a student pass you can buy that will cut your costs, and then you get to study on the train.

Yes, the parking was one concern that I had. I have considered taking the T out of Attleboro on the Providence line. I did not know that there was a pass that could be purchased which would make that option even more appealing. I am not familiar with Boston's mass transit but I assume that the transfer to the Red Line is a simple one at South Station. Thanks!