SCU to ASU: Sports Law focus...do I go? Forum

[NASA 5]

Going into 2L at Santa Clara University. Probably top 15% (this years ranking isn't out yet), accepted at ASU Law, waiting to hear back from USC and UT Austin. My plan is to do transactional work with a Big Law firm that ideally also has an office somewhere in the country that handles sports law, work for the firm for a few years, then pivot into sports law at some point. My current summer internship is with a professional team.

I know ASU is a regional school, so the jump from #113 SCU to #27 ASU may not that helpful for landing a big law job, especially if I do decide to come back to California eventually. I've spoken to some people and know SCU places decently well with big law firms in the Bay Area, but at the same time, competing with students from Stanford, Cal, UCLA, USC, Hastings, etc. puts me at a disadvantage. I'm from the Bay Area and eventually see myself landing there long term, but would be happy living and working in Arizona for a few years, and would be willing to go to a short list of other cities for the right opportunity.

Is it worth leaving the big market in the Bay Area to attend ASU? (Please ignore scholarship considerations for the purposes of this discussion.)

[nova1017]

I think making the jump from TTT to T1 makes a lot of sense, regardless of how regional the school is (to a degree). If you want to practice on the west coast, it makes sense to go to ASU.

[nixy]

(Please ignore scholarship considerations for the purposes of this discussion.)

But you can't ignore scholarship considerations - that's a big factor.

Unless you know you want to practice in Arizona, I don't think jumping to ASU is the best idea. If you do want to be in Arizona then it makes sense, of course.

[NASA 5]

I think making the jump from TTT to T1 makes a lot of sense, regardless of how regional the school is (to a degree). If you want to practice on the west coast, it makes sense to go to ASU.

That’s my impression as well, but looking at the attorneys currently working at some of the bigger national firms, ASU is not very well represented, SCU may have a slight edge in California, and of course SCU places well in the Bay Area. That said, is top 15% coming from SCU good enough to land a big law gig in California? Hard to say.

[NASA 5]

Unless you know you want to practice in Arizona, I don't think jumping to ASU is the best idea. If you do want to be in Arizona then it makes sense, of course.

Right now I’d be pretty wide open for the best opportunity I can find with the right firm at market rate. I would be happy working in Arizona for 3-5 years, and who knows maybe I’d love it there and stay for good. But, if I worked for a firm in Arizona and then attempted to pivot to a LA/Bay Area based firm a few years later, I’m wondering how realistic that would be. Also, there is the matter of having to pass the California bar or another state bar if I practiced in Arizona and then later decided to move.

I’m also interested to hear how ASU students have faired in landing jobs in LA/Bay Area/NY whether by way of OCIs or otherwise recently.

[NASA 5]

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[SFSpartan]

Scholarships should absolutely be part of the analysis, as the amount of debt you'll graduate with in each scenario is relevant and should absolutely be considered as part of your decision. That said, you should stay at SCU. Per LST, you have a reasonable shot at Biglaw out of SCU. The same doesn't really hold true for ASU, as transfers get treated like median students and median ASU students don't get Biglaw.

For OCI, I'd broaden your focus a little bit, because "sports law" is pretty niche and work in this practice area is pretty difficult to get, even at firms like Proskauer (which has an excellent sports law practice). You might consider other areas of entertainment law, including digital media practices, when targeting LA (primarily) and Bay Area (secondarily) firms at OCI.

Edit: Also, per LST 80+% of SCU students end up in California, while only 3.3% of ASU students do. Part of that is self-selection, but if you want to be in CA, SCU is TCR.