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Which States tend to be Insular?

Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 10:37 am
by Artistry
I know most southern states tend to have insular markets, but who else?

Also, how can someone without ties overcome this nagging issue? Is becoming a citizen of the state in question good enough?

Re: Which States tend to be Insular?

Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 1:49 pm
by icpb
Artistry wrote:I know most southern states tend to have insular markets, but who else?

Also, how can someone without ties overcome this nagging issue? Is becoming a citizen of the state in question good enough?
Hawaii

Re: Which States tend to be Insular?

Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 1:56 pm
by El_Gallo
A general rule of thumb is the smaller the market, the more insular it is. Simply "becoming a resident" is not usually considered a strong tie.

Re: Which States tend to be Insular?

Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 1:58 pm
by llachans
PNW (unfortunately).

Re: Which States tend to be Insular?

Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 1:59 pm
by romothesavior
Ties are irrelevant. You're all being duped. Echo chamber. Rabble rabble.

Re: Which States tend to be Insular?

Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 2:44 pm
by BVest
Washington state.

Edit: Whops, posted that before noticing that llachans wasn't talking about pwnage. Damngod dyslexia!

llachans wrote:PNW (unfortunately).

Re: Which States tend to be Insular?

Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 2:49 pm
by llachans
BVest wrote:Washington state.

Edit: Whops, posted that before noticing that llachans wasn't talking about pwnage. Damngod dyslexia!
haha. in your defense, OP asked for states. i should've been more specific :)

Re: Which States tend to be Insular?

Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 2:53 pm
by charliep
everywhere except new york (full disclosure: i just talked to someone who interviewed in new york, and he said he still got grilled about ties)

Re: Which States tend to be Insular?

Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 2:56 pm
by stillwater
Rhode Island.

Re: Which States tend to be Insular?

Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 2:57 pm
by kaiser
NJ. They get "jealous girlfriend" syndrome. If you tell NJ that you are committed to NJ, and only want to be with NJ, NJ will be suspicious of you since it can see that pretty girl NY over your shoulder and think that its her you really want to be with.

Re: Which States tend to be Insular?

Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 4:51 pm
by Artistry
The reason why I asked this is because I'm from Alaska, a state that has no law school.

Therefore, if I were to want to practice up in Alaska, I would probably have to go to a school in the PNW (Washington, Seattle, L&C, etc.), correct? I couldn't just leave the region to go to some school in, say, Indiana, right?

Re: Which States tend to be Insular?

Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 5:04 pm
by romothesavior
Artistry wrote:The reason why I asked this is because I'm from Alaska, a state that has no law school.

Therefore, if I were to want to practice up in Alaska, I would probably have to go to a school in the PNW (Washington, Seattle, L&C, etc.), correct? I couldn't just leave the region to go to some school in, say, Indiana, right?
I think you are probably so unique that it wouldn't matter where you went geographically. I have no idea about the AK market though and it is its own beast entirely, so TLS might not really know the answer. I think if you went to a reputable law school and networked with people there you would be fine.

Re: Which States tend to be Insular?

Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 5:13 pm
by Lord Randolph McDuff
romothesavior wrote:Ties are irrelevant. You're all being duped. Echo chamber. Rabble rabble.
+1

Re: Which States tend to be Insular?

Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 5:18 pm
by Artistry
romothesavior wrote:
Artistry wrote:The reason why I asked this is because I'm from Alaska, a state that has no law school.

Therefore, if I were to want to practice up in Alaska, I would probably have to go to a school in the PNW (Washington, Seattle, L&C, etc.), correct? I couldn't just leave the region to go to some school in, say, Indiana, right?
I think you are probably so unique that it wouldn't matter where you went geographically. I have no idea about the AK market though and it is its own beast entirely, so TLS might not really know the answer. I think if you went to a reputable law school and networked with people there you would be fine.
In terms of repute, what do you believe would be the cutoff? TT? TTT?

I applied to Seattle, and I know they service Alaska pretty well, but I was thinking there might be others....

Re: Which States tend to be Insular?

Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 5:20 pm
by romothesavior
I honestly can't even speculate for Alaska. I don't know how much lawyers there care about things like prestige. I don't even know what the firms are like there.

You should do some informational meetings with lawyers there to get their opinion on things. It would be informative for you, and would help you build connections.

Re: Which States tend to be Insular?

Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 5:22 pm
by BVest
romothesavior wrote: You should do some informational meetings with lawyers there to get their opinion on things. It would be informative for you, and would help you build connections.
TCR. (For the underlying question, anyway).

Re: Which States tend to be Insular?

Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 5:24 pm
by llachans
Wow. Yeah OP, that's an interesting situation. I'm not sure either. I would guess that geographical ties wouldn't be as much of an issue though.

Edit: And I agree that you should talk to some lawyers in the area you want to practice in, or at least scan where lawyers hired since 2009 have graduated from. If you don't see a pattern, you could assume that geographical ties aren't as important.

Re: Which States tend to be Insular?

Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 5:33 pm
by Artistry
romothesavior wrote:You should do some informational meetings with lawyers there to get their opinion on things. It would be informative for you, and would help you build connections.
This is something I will explore over the summer after I graduate. I go to school out of state for undergrad, but it's a place that I don't think I'd enjoy living at all. I'd much rather return to Alaska post-law school and work (or try to go to a place that I know I'd like, and work in that area).

I'm assuming that ties (whether they be over/understated) would help me land legal work up here. I grew up in Alaska, after all.

So if I went to a regional law school, my working area would likely be limited to the state where the law school is located + Alaska for the most part, right?

Also, thanks everyone for your help and opinions!

EDIT: I've applied to a few schools, and the only school to admit me thus far is Toledo. :(

Re: Which States tend to be Insular?

Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 5:51 pm
by romothesavior
Artistry wrote:So if I went to a regional law school, my working area would likely be limited to the state where the law school is located + Alaska for the most part, right?
I would say that's about right. My uninformed gut feeling tells me that getting back to Alaska as a lifelong native wouldn't be all that hard. Like you said, there are no law schools there, and it's not like there are many law students from Alaska flocking back to the state. I have certainly never met an Alaska student at Wash U, though I'm sure we have one or two.

Definitely talk to some attorneys over the summer and see what they say. I would imagine that "prestige" would be less important for Alaska firms, but again this is just sort of an intuition that could be completely off. If that is the case, then going for cheap may be a better idea than going to an expensive school.

See what they say, then build those contacts and keep em going through law school. Good luck man.

Re: Which States tend to be Insular?

Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 5:55 pm
by Artistry
Thanks romothesavior. I'll use your advice (as well as the other people who've advice has been posted here) wisely.

I guess if RomotheSavior says it, it's the truth, right?

Re: Which States tend to be Insular?

Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 6:25 pm
by thelogicalconstruct
Many Alaskan folk make their way to Indiana for undergrad. Better hit the beach for a couple years come down to Socal. Question, what if I wanted to practice law in Alaska without ever having lived there? What are my chances? I would seriously enjoy the skiing and the long summer days. Could be an ideal situation. What is the cost of living in Anchorage?

Re: Which States tend to be Insular?

Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 6:50 pm
by Artistry
thelogicalconstruct wrote:What is the cost of living in Anchorage?
I don't know the exact numbers, but it's not cheap to live here. That being said, you usually are able to make enough to cover most expenses comfortably. Alaska pays more per job than normal, particularly if you work for the oil companies up here (BP, Conoco-Philips, etc.). There's also no sales tax in Anchorage (though there are in other places of the state) or state tax up here, so no worries about either of those.

As for the rest, I'm in the dark, too. If you had ties to the pacific northwest, then you might be able to get up to Alaska more easily than elsewhere, but I don't know for certain. I'll know more after the semester ends and I ask lawyers up here about their situation and the job situation up here.

Re: Which States tend to be Insular?

Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 8:32 pm
by crossarmant
kaiser wrote:NJ. They get "jealous girlfriend" syndrome. If you tell NJ that you are committed to NJ, and only want to be with NJ, NJ will be suspicious of you since it can see that pretty girl NY over your shoulder and think that its her you really want to be with.
Love it. The same extends for South Jersey/Philly.

Re: Which States tend to be Insular?

Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2012 12:24 pm
by smittytron3k
Hawaii
Rhode Island

Re: Which States tend to be Insular?

Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2012 1:12 pm
by TTTLS
New Mexico is virtually impossible unless you were born there.