I want to practice law in Michigan which school should I pick Forum

[Mary4404]

I want to practice corporate law in Michigan, preferably in Ann Arbor or Grand Rapids. However, I did not get admitted into Michigan. My options are: Ohio State, Indiana-Bloomington, William and Mary, Michigan State, Wayne State. Waitlisted at Notre Dame, haven't heard back from Northwestern (low chance of getting in). I am not sure which school to choose to give me the highest employment chances. Any help would be appreciated.

[R. Jeeves]

what are your stats?

[umichman]

I want to practice corporate law in Michigan, preferably in Ann Arbor or Grand Rapids. However, I did not get admitted into Michigan. My options are: Ohio State, Indiana-Bloomington, William and Mary, Michigan State, Wayne State. Waitlisted at Notre Dame, haven't heard back from Northwestern (low chance of getting in). I am not sure which school to choose to give me the highest employment chances. Any help would be appreciated.

Wayne. and then kill it grades wise. IT is not easy to get a solid corporate job in michigan. especially coming from a school other than UMich

[fliptrip]

Your stats are critical, because if you have anything close to an acceptable GPA (3.4+), your answer should be retaking the LSAT until you can get into Michigan and have the typical options that parallel a Michigan acceptance. No one has a gun to your head, you don't have to go to law school this coming fall.

Now, if your GPA is so bad that even a 180 LSAT can't help you, then I'd go to the best school in the state that was cheapest.

[Aeon]

As mentioned, Michigan is by far the best school for placement within the state. If it's at all possible to reapply (such as with a higher LSAT), then it'll open the most doors.

Barring that, you're probably looking at Wayne and MSU. Wayne is the more established of the two and the only other public law school in the state aside from Michigan, and tuition there is generally cheaper and further discounted for in-state students. Wayne is stronger in placing graduates in southeast Michigan. In the western part of the state, there is more of a mix of Wayne and MSU graduates. What you might find useful is looking at law firms in your desired market and seeing which schools their associates attended. You will see that in the top-notch practices, the Wayne and MSU people will have graduated at or near the top of their classes. Smaller firms are less selective, but good grades are still key.

Grand Rapids is the second legal market in size and prominence to Detroit and its suburbs, so you'll have more opportunities there. Ann Arbor is relatively small and difficult to break into, so unless you attend Michigan or have compelling ties or connections, you're unlikely to secure a corporate law job there.

[Mary4404]

Thanks for your responses! My GPA is a 3.96. I eliminated MSU from my choices. I have some friends who went to Wayne State and they said they wouldn't choose to go there again.
I was leaning toward OSU but a new option just became available of going to Florida State with my tuition fully funded and a work agreement for a few years at my husbands company here is South Georgia.
The end game is still to move back to Michigan. What do you think of this opportunity? Would a Florida State degree completely void my chance of working in Michigan??

[jw316]

Full ride at FSU is interesting. Do you have any scholarship offers from any of the other schools (Wayne St, Ohio State, etc.)?

Also, what was your LSAT?

Edit: You mentioned your husband works in south Georgia so that might change things if you're considering staying down there/practicing down there, but if you're set on practicing in Michigan then what has already been said so far is spot on. With a 3.96 retake for UM/a scholarship to UM.

[candidlatke]

Thanks for your responses! My GPA is a 3.96. I eliminated MSU from my choices. I have some friends who went to Wayne State and they said they wouldn't choose to go there again.
I was leaning toward OSU but a new option just became available of going to Florida State with my tuition fully funded and a work agreement for a few years at my husbands company here is South Georgia.
The end game is still to move back to Michigan. What do you think of this opportunity? Would a Florida State degree completely void my chance of working in Michigan??

something something retake.

your gpa is ridiculous; I would kill for it.

taking a year off to study and retake it would be by far your best option here.

[umichman]

Thanks for your responses! My GPA is a 3.96. I eliminated MSU from my choices. I have some friends who went to Wayne State and they said they wouldn't choose to go there again.
I was leaning toward OSU but a new option just became available of going to Florida State with my tuition fully funded and a work agreement for a few years at my husbands company here is South Georgia.
The end game is still to move back to Michigan. What do you think of this opportunity? Would a Florida State degree completely void my chance of working in Michigan??

something something retake.

your gpa is ridiculous; I would kill for it.

taking a year off to study and retake it would be by far your best option here.

do NOT go to FSU with that GPA. retake. without exaggeration you are perhaps ruining your professional career by rushing to florida state or Ohio State.

[Fiero85]

"I want to practice in State X that has one good law school...which law school should I go to?"

Think this thru, OP. Retake and go to UMich. Obviously.

If you study hard you might even get a substantial scholarship. Good luck!

[Mary4404]

Full ride at FSU is interesting. Do you have any scholarship offers from any of the other schools (Wayne St, Ohio State, etc.)?

Also, what was your LSAT?

Edit: You mentioned your husband works in south Georgia so that might change things if you're considering staying down there/practicing down there, but if you're set on practicing in Michigan then what has already been said so far is spot on. With a 3.96 retake for UM/a scholarship to UM.

I have around a 80% scholarship to Wayne State, Ohio State gave me a low ball scholarship but said they would contact me after seat deposits.
My LSAT was terrible. I scored 11 points under my pt's. However it was the December test and I figured Feb would be too late. The problem with retaking is that I'm already 27 and the longer I wait to start school the longer I push back starting a family.
I hate South Georgia, I would only go to FSU for the full ride and guaranteed corporate experience.

I was accepted into a different masters program at U of M that was suppose to start this fall as well and I turned it down. Do you think that has had an impact on my chance there?

[hairbear7]

You scored 11 points under your practice scores and you don't want to retake?

[Dcc617]

Go check out the law score transparency website and compare employment outcomes for Michigan vs any other school you've gotten into. Then decide if waiting a year and retaking the LSAT will be worth the difference.

[umichman]

Full ride at FSU is interesting. Do you have any scholarship offers from any of the other schools (Wayne St, Ohio State, etc.)?

Also, what was your LSAT?

Edit: You mentioned your husband works in south Georgia so that might change things if you're considering staying down there/practicing down there, but if you're set on practicing in Michigan then what has already been said so far is spot on. With a 3.96 retake for UM/a scholarship to UM.

I have around a 80% scholarship to Wayne State, Ohio State gave me a low ball scholarship but said they would contact me after seat deposits.
My LSAT was terrible. I scored 11 points under my pt's. However it was the December test and I figured Feb would be too late. The problem with retaking is that I'm already 27 and the longer I wait to start school the longer I push back starting a family.
I hate South Georgia, I would only go to FSU for the full ride and guaranteed corporate experience.

I was accepted into a different masters program at U of M that was suppose to start this fall as well and I turned it down. Do you think that has had an impact on my chance there?

i feel liek you already know what you want to do and are looking for people to confirm its a good idea to leave the state you want to work to go to a ttt. This is not a forum where you will find that. if you want to go to fsu go for it. you will be making your life much more difficult, but you are hte only one living your life.

[Mary4404]

Full ride at FSU is interesting. Do you have any scholarship offers from any of the other schools (Wayne St, Ohio State, etc.)?

Also, what was your LSAT?

Edit: You mentioned your husband works in south Georgia so that might change things if you're considering staying down there/practicing down there, but if you're set on practicing in Michigan then what has already been said so far is spot on. With a 3.96 retake for UM/a scholarship to UM.

I have around a 80% scholarship to Wayne State, Ohio State gave me a low ball scholarship but said they would contact me after seat deposits.
My LSAT was terrible. I scored 11 points under my pt's. However it was the December test and I figured Feb would be too late. The problem with retaking is that I'm already 27 and the longer I wait to start school the longer I push back starting a family.
I hate South Georgia, I would only go to FSU for the full ride and guaranteed corporate experience.

I was accepted into a different masters program at U of M that was suppose to start this fall as well and I turned it down. Do you think that has had an impact on my chance there?

i feel liek you already know what you want to do and are looking for people to confirm its a good idea to leave the state you want to work to go to a ttt. This is not a forum where you will find that. if you want to go to fsu go for it. you will be making your life much more difficult, but you are hte only one living your life.

I can understand why you may view my post like that but I am honestly not looking for confirmation. I am looking for insight. I have done a fair share of research but wanted to hear from people who actually experienced and either failed or successfully found a job in a different state than the school they attended. The schools I've been accepted into are relatively similar in ranking and I just want to give myself the best chance of securing a job. Who better to give an opinion of what school to attend than someone who was in the same shoes as me.

I hope that makes sense. I would love nothing more to go to Michigan but at this point there is no way to know for sure I would be accepted next year even if my lsat score drastically increased. So I am trying to determine which school on my list would give me the best job prospects. I've read each of their statistics but they don't sway me toward a specific choice.

[superbloom]

There wont be a single person on this site that will tell you anything besides retake with a 3.96 GPA. You performed 11 points worse than your PT. If you even hit that PT mark (which you still haven't told us), I'd wager you'd be looking at a full scholarship at Wayne, at the very least.

I know you're emotionally invested in going to law school now, but waiting a year and killing the LSAT is what's best for your future. Hell, treat LSAT prep like a full-time job until October. You have an excellent GPA, so I'm sure you have the ability to work your ass off to get a great score.

There is only one option. Retake. Who knows, maybe come late October you'll post a thread saying "I want to practice law in Michigan which school should I pick, Michigan or Harvard?" Good luck.

[zhenders]

Full ride at FSU is interesting. Do you have any scholarship offers from any of the other schools (Wayne St, Ohio State, etc.)?

Also, what was your LSAT?

Edit: You mentioned your husband works in south Georgia so that might change things if you're considering staying down there/practicing down there, but if you're set on practicing in Michigan then what has already been said so far is spot on. With a 3.96 retake for UM/a scholarship to UM.

I have around a 80% scholarship to Wayne State, Ohio State gave me a low ball scholarship but said they would contact me after seat deposits.
My LSAT was terrible. I scored 11 points under my pt's. However it was the December test and I figured Feb would be too late. The problem with retaking is that I'm already 27 and the longer I wait to start school the longer I push back starting a family.
I hate South Georgia, I would only go to FSU for the full ride and guaranteed corporate experience.

I was accepted into a different masters program at U of M that was suppose to start this fall as well and I turned it down. Do you think that has had an impact on my chance there?

With all respect, if you don't have the patience and wherewithal to retake in order to make your future career prospects literally WORLDS different, you have no business thinking about starting a family. Which do YOU think will benefit them more and make life better for you and everyone involved: a free T14 education, or paying $100k for a state school with a low chance of gainful employment?

Put another way, your GPA is good enough to get incredible scholarship money with a better LSAT. Would you take a year off if someone walked up to you and said, "take a year off and I'll give you $100,000 tax free" ? If the answer is yes, then TAKE A YEAR OFF. That (and more) is literally the situation.

PS. 28 year old 1L here.

[jleighg]

Hey,

Ok, so what I think you need to really think about is how this will look from an employer's perspective. You are going to need to offer a compelling reason as to why they should hire you over someone who is born and raised and still living in Michigan. Employers are going to be afraid of hiring someone from out of state for the summer--you're a flight risk.

Keep in mind a lot of firms hire almost exclusively from On Campus Interviews. There will be exactly zero Michigan firms visiting Florida State University for on-campus interviews. It would be a waste of their time. So you would not only have to be #1 in your class, but you'd also have to hustle really hard to get a phone interview, and then hope that they will spring on flying you there for a callback, and then take the risk of hiring you.

Are you from Michigan? If not please tell me your husband is!

Of the other schools you are considering, I think you should keep following up with Notre Dame to get off their waitlist and accepted. I think that name would help you do well there, and I believe Michigan firms visit there for OCIs.

Full ride at FSU is interesting. Do you have any scholarship offers from any of the other schools (Wayne St, Ohio State, etc.)?

Also, what was your LSAT?

Edit: You mentioned your husband works in south Georgia so that might change things if you're considering staying down there/practicing down there, but if you're set on practicing in Michigan then what has already been said so far is spot on. With a 3.96 retake for UM/a scholarship to UM.

I have around a 80% scholarship to Wayne State, Ohio State gave me a low ball scholarship but said they would contact me after seat deposits.
My LSAT was terrible. I scored 11 points under my pt's. However it was the December test and I figured Feb would be too late. The problem with retaking is that I'm already 27 and the longer I wait to start school the longer I push back starting a family.
I hate South Georgia, I would only go to FSU for the full ride and guaranteed corporate experience.

I was accepted into a different masters program at U of M that was suppose to start this fall as well and I turned it down. Do you think that has had an impact on my chance there?

i feel liek you already know what you want to do and are looking for people to confirm its a good idea to leave the state you want to work to go to a ttt. This is not a forum where you will find that. if you want to go to fsu go for it. you will be making your life much more difficult, but you are hte only one living your life.

I can understand why you may view my post like that but I am honestly not looking for confirmation. I am looking for insight. I have done a fair share of research but wanted to hear from people who actually experienced and either failed or successfully found a job in a different state than the school they attended. The schools I've been accepted into are relatively similar in ranking and I just want to give myself the best chance of securing a job. Who better to give an opinion of what school to attend than someone who was in the same shoes as me.

I hope that makes sense. I would love nothing more to go to Michigan but at this point there is no way to know for sure I would be accepted next year even if my lsat score drastically increased. So I am trying to determine which school on my list would give me the best job prospects. I've read each of their statistics but they don't sway me toward a specific choice.

[asdfdfdfadfas]

Have you thought of widening your scope? Every where I have looked on here I have heard of people seriously considering Akron due to the assumed large jump in rankings next cycle.

[cbbinnyc]

Not adding anything new, really ... just reemphasizing that retaking is the obvious choice. I am starting in the fall and will be 30. Waiting another year has pretty much zero downside and a whole lot of upside.

[BasilHallward]

Full ride at FSU is interesting. Do you have any scholarship offers from any of the other schools (Wayne St, Ohio State, etc.)?

Also, what was your LSAT?

Edit: You mentioned your husband works in south Georgia so that might change things if you're considering staying down there/practicing down there, but if you're set on practicing in Michigan then what has already been said so far is spot on. With a 3.96 retake for UM/a scholarship to UM.

I have around a 80% scholarship to Wayne State, Ohio State gave me a low ball scholarship but said they would contact me after seat deposits.
My LSAT was terrible. I scored 11 points under my pt's. However it was the December test and I figured Feb would be too late. The problem with retaking is that I'm already 27 and the longer I wait to start school the longer I push back starting a family.
I hate South Georgia, I would only go to FSU for the full ride and guaranteed corporate experience.

I was accepted into a different masters program at U of M that was suppose to start this fall as well and I turned it down. Do you think that has had an impact on my chance there?

i feel liek you already know what you want to do and are looking for people to confirm its a good idea to leave the state you want to work to go to a ttt. This is not a forum where you will find that. if you want to go to fsu go for it. you will be making your life much more difficult, but you are hte only one living your life.

I can understand why you may view my post like that but I am honestly not looking for confirmation. I am looking for insight. I have done a fair share of research but wanted to hear from people who actually experienced and either failed or successfully found a job in a different state than the school they attended. The schools I've been accepted into are relatively similar in ranking and I just want to give myself the best chance of securing a job. Who better to give an opinion of what school to attend than someone who was in the same shoes as me.

I hope that makes sense.I would love nothing more to go to Michigan but at this point there is no way to know for sure I would be accepted next year even if my lsat score drastically increased. So I am trying to determine which school on my list would give me the best job prospects. I've read each of their statistics but they don't sway me toward a specific choice.

Don't do this. Yes, one could have a 180; 3.9X and fail to get in anywhere. It's about twisting UMich's wrist. If you pull a 167+ is it will be very difficult to keep you out. We're talking probabilities here. If they don't take you with that LSAT, then enjoy Northwestern with $$

[personofinterest]

I would love nothing more to go to Michigan but at this point there is no way to know for sure I would be accepted next year even if my lsat score drastically increased. So I am trying to determine which school on my list would give me the best job prospects.

You must be new here. Law school admissions is 99% a numbers game. If you improve your LSAT enough, you will definitely get into umich. Go to lawschoolnumbers or better yet mylsn.info and see what happens with a GPA like yours and a high LSAT. Your best bet is to retake. As other posters have said, you have many thousands of dollars to save here. You could go to umich, NU, or uChicago for free if you improve your LSAT. Retake and be merry.

[Mikey]

With that GPA you can get into WAY better schools than those with a retake. Also, if you scored 11 points below your practice tests, why would you not want to retake? :/

[kellyfrost]

Removed post...