University of Oregon Law Forum

[beepermad]

Anyone absolutely set on Oregon, such as myself? Lets get the U. Oregon thread going again. Having to wait until February to hear back suuuuuucks.

Fo' sho'.

[hans3n]

Fo' sho' indeed. What did you apply with, GPA and LSAT wise? I wish they sent out decisions as early as some schools do, like December! Im from San Diego, so Im not sure if that works against me or for me.

[beepermad]

162 and 3.3...grad GPA of 3.9 (but I hear that doesn't matter)...I'm thinking they're going to take foh-ev-ah to get decisions out. And I live in London, too. Yaaaay international mail. But I'm determined to live in Oregon.

[hans3n]

Nice. You should hear before I will. I am 158 and a 3.4. I think the 50th Percentile is about 158-159, and 3.3-3.4 roughly. You set on UO, or also looking at Lewis and Clark? Whats your #1?

[beepermad]

I think Lewis and Clark would be my number one, but I would be just as stoked to get into UO. Why not stay in Cali? I hear it's pretty.

[hans3n]

It is nice here. I applied to USF, Loyola, and Chapman. Im pretty sure I can get into USF and Chapman, dunno about Loyola. I don't think I want to live in L.A., nor USF because its expensive. Also, the northern California legal market is super saturated, so I'm afraid that if I go to a lesser school up in NorCal(northern California), like USF, the job search is gonna be very tough. I would be competing with UC Davis, Stanford, Berkley, Hastings, and Santa Clara grads. And by "competing", I mean they would be more likely to get a job than a USF grad. I like UO because of its high placement of its students in government and clerkship positions. The law firms are always going to be there, no matter what school you go to, but a school with a strong placement in clerkship and government is not as common. Plus, Oregon has roughly a 50% placement into Private Practice. Its the best of both worlds as far as what I am looking for job wise. The only downside to UO, in my opinion, is the low employment rate at graduation. It is fairly low for the schools "ranking". I have seen many numbers for employment statistics at graduation, but the average percent at UO is in the low 60's. Have you ever lived in the U.S., or have you always lived abroad?

[beepermad]

Sure. I'm from Arkansas...but I've lived all over, including Philadelphia and Rome. I could see myself staying in Oregon, though. Hence my attraction to it. God forbid I have to return to Arkansas...

...though...

Woo pig sooie.

My main interest is public interest...it's where most of my internship and work experience is geared towards... I think that both L&C and UO could provide a sufficient background in the concentration.

[hans3n]

I don't know much about PI law programs for L&C or Oregon, but one thing that interested me about UO was the Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics. I don't know if you've heard about it, but its something you might want to look into. I'm not sure how the program, specifically, is affiliated with PI law, but its under the PI heading on Oregon's website.

[IAFG]

such an absurd wait. i want to withdraw out of annoyance.

[usuaggie]

can anybody help me out here--- http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 4&t=101823

[hans3n]

can anybody help me out here--- http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 4&t=101823

I'm curious about:
why is the quality of life high?
is the student body competitive?
quality of professors?
career placement/assistance by the school?
ability to leave to washington/cali for a job?
is it worth the tuition?
what other schools would you compare it to?

I am not a student at Oregon, but from what I have read, I assume that (please keep this in mind):

When you choose to go to the Univ. of Oregon, the choice for many people is weighted equally by the school itself, and the surrounding area. When you choose a top law school, I would say more people are concerned with the name, and the location is way down on the list of other factors you consider, unless the weather is extreme one way or the other. I think the people who choose Oregon KNOW about the area because of the weather and the outdoors. I think the "small town" atmosphere also contributes to the quality of life, as well as the fact that Eugene is a "college town".

As far as competitiveness, I haven't heard anything about it being cutthroat, or overly competitive. Its law school, so there is some inherent competitiveness. I think the relatively tough Pacific Northwest legal market may be the source of any competitiveness, but overall I don't think its anywhere near the horror stories that get passed around.

For professors, I have read that some are "quirky", but that overall the professors are better than average at most schools. Obviously its hard to judge a faculty against any other schools if you haven't been educated at 2 different law schools. My impression is that they are well versed in the law, and they also seem to be more down to earth and relaxed than you would expect from a typical law professor. I think the latter is what makes them stand above the average law faculty. Most law school administrations will say this about their respective school faculties, but the students at UO themselves will say it about their professors, which is not as easy to come by. If you are looking for a Akhil Amar or a Chemerinsky, I dont think you will find them here, but I think they are approachable and more friendly than you would maybe get at an institution with legal geniuses who are very busy and continually publishing. If a good classroom experience is what you are looking for, I think you will be in goods hands with the professors at Oregon.

I dont know about career services, but I know that the Employment statistics at UO at graduation are fairly low, hovering around the high 50's to low 60's, percent wise. I think part of this is the relatively competitive PNW legal market, specifically Portland. I know that over 50% of students stay in Oregon after graduating, while 75-80% stay in the Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA), while about 7-8% find employment in the Mountain area (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY). These numbers are from USNWR, so take that how you would like.

I think it is absolutely worth the tuition if you can claim residency in Oregon, and want to stay there afterward. The tuition is as follows:Tuition and fees - Oregon resident $22,328, Tuition and fees - Nonresident $27,818.

I am not sure what other schools you can compare it to. My best guess would be Seattle Univ, and L&C, but I don't know what criteria with which you are looking to compare Oregon with, amongst other schools. According to Us News and World Report, the UO has the 10th best environmental law program in the country, the 6th best Legal writing program in the country, and the 7th best Dispute resolution program in the country. Oregons website says

"Having three programs ranked in the top ten puts Oregon Law in an elite group with schools such as Harvard University, Northwestern University, and the University of California at Berkeley. Schools having more than three programs ranked in the top ten include Georgetown University, American University, New York University, University of Maryland, and Stanford University."

If you want, you can PM me with your email address and I can give you a few more paragraphs of information. You can also read the UO write-up on this website(TLS) in the school profile section. You can also check out LSAC and go to UO and it has a small description of the school, and a breakdown of the school by numbers, like # of computers at the law school, size of the library, number of volumes, etc.

[hans3n]

I recently reached out to a current law student at UO, and here is what that person said.

It rains. A. LOT. I know that some people have a hard time with that. I went to undergrad here as well, so I think I'm used to it by now, but it is certainly an adjustment depending on where you're coming from.

I guess I have also noticed that Oregon is not as cut throat competitive as some other schools can be. I think there is more of a cooperative feel to it. I would say that I genuinely feel like the professors care that we succeed, that we're not just faces in the crowd. I realize that sounds REALLY cheesy, but I thought I would mention it.

[usuaggie]

thanks, you both helped a lot. I hadn't considered the rain. I grew up in vegas (no rain), but it rains at my undergrad and I like it most of the time. I'm considering going to a school with bad sports because I am a fanatic. I go to my school's basketball games at least 10 hours early every home game to be in the front row and go to any away game within 500 miles. I know I can't do that in law school. I really would like to be at oregon's football games though.... hm. guess I have to just get myself to be patient and see where I get accepted to first.

[hans3n]

Another person I queried about being a UO 1L.

I love it at Oregon. I went here for undergrad, and have lived in the state most of my life. I actually do enjoy the rain, though there is a lot of it. The school isn't extremely competitive - it's more cooperative, actually.

I will definitely say that I enjoyed my professors immensely this past term. The professors I had at Oregon were acknowledged experts in their field, and a couple wrote well-recognized supplements and so forth. Based on a visit to L&C v. my experience at Oregon, I would say that the professors here tend to be more accomplished as well as more engaging. Oregon's also cheaper than L&C, which is a bonus.

The quality of our programs is also clear. LRW is harder here than at most schools, but the value is apparent. If you're interested in practicing in Oregon, a UO degree will work out well. Eugene firms recruit mostly from UO, and Portland firms tend to be split between UO and L&C. Oregon is a pretty tightly knit legal market that is filled primarily by our local schools and T14s. The T14 percentage here is probably only about 10% or so, though, since firms here aren't quite as sexy as those in NY or DC.

[hans3n]

From another thread:

I'm a 1L at Oregon

Why is the quality of life high?

Oregonians are laid back, and the school reflects that. There is a lot of natural beauty here, and students have the opportunity to escape the school and relax in the outdoors. That being said, it rains quite a bit, so some don't get out much during the majority of the year. I've also noticed that students here make family and friends a high priority, even though we're busy, so students tend to have a more balanced lifestyle than I would imagine prevails at other law schools.

Also, Eugene is a good town to go to school in. It's large enough to have fun, but small enough to focus. I've found that Eugene really offers the best of both worlds academically and socially, and I found that true in undergrad here as well as my first semester of law school.

Is the student body competitive?

No. The student body tends to be more cooperative than anything. During the semester, a lot of kids were out sick, and fellow students helped with notes and stuff as much as possible. There are a lot of study groups here, though I didn't personally participate in one. There is definitely a collaborative attitude among the students in general, and the sections in particular. We also didn't have too many outspoken gunners, though we definitely have students who want to do well and are working tremendously hard behind the scenes. I felt like most of the people (in my section, at least) worked really hard all term; there were only one or two people who kind of slacked off.

Quality of professors?

Fantastic. I was extremely impressed with our professors. The vast majority are T14 educated, yet accessible enough to answer students' questions whenever necessary. The laid-back Oregon attitude translates to professors, too, for the most part - many aren't overly formal, and they aren't as intimidating as I expected them to be in the beginning. A lot of my professors last term have written supplements and so forth, and are recognized nationally as experts in their fields. LRW is more difficult here than at other schools, but the LRW professors go above and beyond to teach the nuances of writing that you'll need to know for practice. I was told by a professor at the school that we come out of 1st semester LRW better prepared for research and writing than she was when she graduated from CLS.

Career placement/assistance by the school?

The Career Services office here is as helpful as you'd like them to be. You will have to exert the effort, though. We have access to Symplicity, and there are several CS events to attend each semester for info on specific areas of practice as well as general job info. A counselor will also meet with you to go over job prospects, resumes, etc. if you schedule an appointment after November 1st. Overall, I think CS does a fair job, though I'm not certain they're as actively involved with students' job searches as some schools are.

Ability to leave to Washington/Cali for a job?

It's rare, but it happens. The problem with WA is that it's a small legal market, and most jobs will be taken by UW/Seattle grads, with UW having a distinct advantage over the rest of the PNW law schools. CA is oversaturated with attorneys due to the number of law schools it has. If you perform well, you'll probably be able to practice in those states, but if you aren't highly ranked, I'm not sure it would be a possibility without at least some work experience first. If you have contacts in WA/CA who could help you with employment, that's the best way to get into those markets. CS will focus mostly on Oregon jobs, though Simplicity has listings around the country. You will have to do most of the legwork to get summer jobs in those states, as CS won't have much information about offerings outside OR.

Is it worth the tuition?

Yes. I would actually pay more to go to school here v. another T2 school at sticker. Based on conversations I've had with attorneys in Oregon and the quality I've seen at the school, UO is underpriced for its reputation and the value received. An in-state student will save $10,000/yr here v. the OR private schools, and an out-of-stater will still save a significant amount of cash attending UO v. a private school. Unless you have the opportunity for hefty scholarship money from another T2, I think UO is a good way to cut expenses. The LRAP program is great, if you're interested in PI work. If you perform well, you can actually make quite a bit coming out of UO by working at a firm, but your chances will of course be dependent on grades (think Oregon firms only and top 20%).

What other schools would you compare it to?

L&C is the obvious choice, since the OR market is basically made up of L&C and UO grads, with some Willamette kids sprinkled throughout. Personally, I think that UO is better than L&C because of its professors, legal writing program, tuition rates, and atmosphere. I was less than impressed when I sat in on a few classes at L&C - the professors I saw personally were monotonous and apathetic. I have experienced the opposite at UO, where I actually enjoyed going to the majority of my classes each day. The LRW program is ranked #6 in the nation, which is more helpful than most people know. The tuition rates are low. The main difference in atmosphere at L&C v. UO, IMO, is that L&C struck me as a commuter law school - when I visited, most of the people I talked to lived in the suburbs and just traveled to L&C for class. At UO, there is more of a connection to the campus, and most students spend a significant amount of time here. That may not matter to many, but it was important for me.

I also visited Seattle and thought about attending school there, but I found UO to be better for me personally. One thing quite different about Seattle (and L&C, for that matter) v. UO is that the scholarship renewal requirements are much more difficult than at UO. Seattle requires that you stay in the top third of your class, while UO simply requires a 2.0, which is good academic standing. The curve here is a 2.7, so it ensures that virtually everyone can keep their scholarship for all three years.

As far as Willamette, don't consider it if you got into UO. There is forced attrition, a scholarship won't make up for the lack of employment prospects, and most Oregon firms focus on recruiting from UO, L&C, UW, and T14s, meaning that Willamette grads often get left in the lurch unless they were top 5% or something.

[nickc8]

Thanks for posting all the info, hans3n. I'm definitely interested in Oregon. I applied about a week ago, though, so it's a little late in the game. Hopefully that doesn't hurt my chances.

[sarlis]

bookmarked

[kimber1028]

Thanks for posting all the info, hans3n. I'm definitely interested in Oregon. I applied about a week ago, though, so it's a little late in the game. Hopefully that doesn't hurt my chances.

Typically applications aren't reviewed until February anyways, so you're probably fine.

Hey, I'm a 1L from Oregon (author of most of the pasted posts, actually) and I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm happy to answer questions if there are any. Good luck with your cycles, and I hope to see you next year!

[usuaggie]

Thanks for posting all the info, hans3n. I'm definitely interested in Oregon. I applied about a week ago, though, so it's a little late in the game. Hopefully that doesn't hurt my chances.

Typically applications aren't reviewed until February anyways, so you're probably fine.

Hey, I'm a 1L from Oregon (author of most of the pasted posts, actually) and I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm happy to answer questions if there are any. Good luck with your cycles, and I hope to see you next year!

awesome. I am deciding between utah, unlv, penn state, arizona state, and oregon. I might not get into utah, i want to avoid unlv because my family lives there/i grew up there, i want to work west coast so penn state is iffy (but has been my dream since i was 4 yrs old). basically, it comes down to utah if i get in vs oregon vs arizona state.

oregon is more than utah. a good deal more, for me. utah is higher ranked too, but i hate snow.
Why would you pick oregon over utah? what do you see happening in oregon with sports law? how "easy" is oregon? define easy as you may, but explain please.
why would i like living in eugene?
do you know any mormon people? (not a big deal if there arent a lot of them there, it would just be a good comfort factor for me)
do you have time to go to football games?
what is the weather like during the school year?
do you have a summer job yet?
are the teachers/classes interesting?
how are the facilities? classrooms, gyms, student center, pool, intramural sports, everything.
how much is your rent? in utah, mine is 335 a month, but i have a feeling wherever i go, ill have to get used to paying more.

that is a lot, i apologize, but you know how it is. i have a good gut feeling about oregon, more than any other school. im trying to sort out why.

[hans3n]

Tour of Law building.

http://www.law.uoregon.edu/students/med ... altour.mov


How good is parking close to the Law building? Do most law students find spaces in the big parking lot facing the Law building?

Do most Law students get into the graduate housing, or is it kind of hard?

[kimber1028]

Hey, I'm a 1L from Oregon (author of most of the pasted posts, actually) and I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm happy to answer questions if there are any. Good luck with your cycles, and I hope to see you next year!

awesome. I am deciding between utah, unlv, penn state, arizona state, and oregon. I might not get into utah, i want to avoid unlv because my family lives there/i grew up there, i want to work west coast so penn state is iffy (but has been my dream since i was 4 yrs old). basically, it comes down to utah if i get in vs oregon vs arizona state.

oregon is more than utah. a good deal more, for me. utah is higher ranked too, but i hate snow.
Why would you pick oregon over utah? what do you see happening in oregon with sports law? how "easy" is oregon? define easy as you may, but explain please.
why would i like living in eugene?
do you know any mormon people? (not a big deal if there arent a lot of them there, it would just be a good comfort factor for me)
do you have time to go to football games?
what is the weather like during the school year?
do you have a summer job yet?
are the teachers/classes interesting?
how are the facilities? classrooms, gyms, student center, pool, intramural sports, everything.
how much is your rent? in utah, mine is 335 a month, but i have a feeling wherever i go, ill have to get used to paying more.

that is a lot, i apologize, but you know how it is. i have a good gut feeling about oregon, more than any other school. im trying to sort out why.

Why would you pick Oregon over Utah?

I don't know anything about Utah, so I can't help you with that decision. I'm happy to answer questions about Oregon, though.

What do you see happening in Oregon with sports law?

Not a lot, really. I'm sure there are jobs available with the Blazers and Nike, but I don't think Oregon has great opportunities for sports law. I don't really know for sure, though, since I haven't looked into it. I do know that you can do a joint MBA with your JD, and the business school has a pretty strong sports marketing program.

How "easy" is Oregon? Define easy as you may, but explain please.

As far as being "easy," I highly doubt any law school is easy. You will work harder in law school than you likely ever have. The material itself isn't tremendously difficult to understand, but it's important to keep up on the reading, and it's a huge time commitment.

Why would I like living in Eugene?

Eugene is a great college town. It's essentially large enough that there's stuff to do during the week and on the weekends, but not so big that it's distracting. If you'd like to get away to go to the city, Portland is about two hours away. If you like to ski or snowboard, there's a great mountain about an hour away, or you can take a 2 1/2 hour trek to Bachelor, which has awesome powder. If you like the beach, that's about an hour and a half away, too. Oregon has fantastic natural scenery, and the state is so diverse that you can pretty much experience any type of terrain with just a short drive. I've lived in Oregon almost all my life, and I'm not leaving if I can help it.

Do you know any Mormon people? (not a big deal if there arent a lot of them there, it would just be a good comfort factor for me)

Yeah, I know quite a few Mormon people. In fact, I have two close friends who are Mormon. There's a Mormon Law Student group on campus that's pretty active.

Do you have time to go to football games?

Yeah, but I choose not to in favor of taking the rest of the weekend off to see my fiance. There is certainly some free time, but you'll have to prioritize.

What is the weather like during the school year?

It rains. I like it, but a lot of people don't. It's hardly ever pouring, but it's usually drizzling at least. You get used to it.

Do you have a summer job yet?

I'm interviewing. I'd rather not say more. Most students here don't have jobs lined up - the Oregon hiring process is pretty much just starting. Deadlines are mostly in the next couple of weeks (DOJ, US Attys, etc.), except for a couple of firm jobs that had applications due last week (primarily diversity scholarships). Career Services is just starting to have meetings about the application process and stuff. Since we're in a smaller secondary market, there isn't the push to apply to everything on December 1st that there is in other regions.

Are the teachers/classes interesting?

Yes. I've really enjoyed my classes and teachers. I've written more on this above in the pasted posts, and I'd rather not go through the whole explanation again.

How are the facilities? Classrooms, gyms, student center, pool, intramural sports, everything.
Great. The law school is only a couple of years old, and its facilities are state-of-the-art. I'm guilty of not having gone to the gym in awhile, but the gym/pool/intramurals are awesome. I worked out a lot in undergrad, and I was really pleased with the facilities at the school. The EMU (student center) is great, but you'll probably hardly ever go there... very few people make it off the law school campus.

How much is your rent?

$550 a month for a one-bedroom on campus (5 min. walk). If you want roommates, you'll be able to match your $350 arrangement. I wanted to live alone for various reasons. Eugene's really affordable in general, though. Things will also be cheaper if you choose to live off-campus.

[usuaggie]

very helpful, thank you. I am so torn between different schools

[yo!]

Wow! I didn't even know that there was an Oregon thread! Another one to keep track of, and more lost productivity at work

[Eisaiahm]

For those of you who have applied, what did you do for your Why Oregon essay? Simple paragraph? Two page epic? Somewhere in between?

[zermatt1]

Mine was one paragraph. It filled up the space they gave on the application.