Best choice in Florida for me for my JD? Forum

[omninode]

not true a nursing degree is much more valuable. Same with ugrad accounting degree.

Are you saying real-world skills are more valuable than a generic law degree? Going to a degree mill for 3 years just to get my name on a piece of paper is a waste of time?

Not in my United States of America.

[Grizz]

Well I've got to go somewhere if I don't get into one of the higher ones. Any recommendations?

So retake or don't go.

UF and FSU may be worth it. Miami is not worth it. Stetson is not worth it. FL crashed hard. Local govts. aren't hiring. Firms have their pick of people from T25 schools.

[Cupidity]

Well I've got to go somewhere if I don't get into one of the higher ones. Any recommendations?

So retake or don't go.

UF and FSU may be worth it. Miami is not worth it. Stetson is not worth it. FL crashed hard. Local govts. aren't hiring. Firms have their pick of people from T25 schools.

Stetson does decently, you'll bag a 50-70k job. I'm from Florida and I'm pretty plugged into the legal market down there. Don't listen to the rest of the TLS bullshit, they really have no idea what they are talking about.

[Grizz]

Well I've got to go somewhere if I don't get into one of the higher ones. Any recommendations?

So retake or don't go.

UF and FSU may be worth it. Miami is not worth it. Stetson is not worth it. FL crashed hard. Local govts. aren't hiring. Firms have their pick of people from T25 schools.

Stetson does decently, you'll bag a 50-70k job. I'm from Florida and I'm pretty plugged into the legal market down there. Don't listen to the rest of the TLS bullshit, they really have no idea what they are talking about.

I'm from Tampa. Also very plugged in. I would not go to Stetson. Not even worth the debt for COL. UF/FSU kids would love the 50k-70k jerbs.

[Cupidity]

Well I've got to go somewhere if I don't get into one of the higher ones. Any recommendations?

So retake or don't go.

UF and FSU may be worth it. Miami is not worth it. Stetson is not worth it. FL crashed hard. Local govts. aren't hiring. Firms have their pick of people from T25 schools.

Stetson does decently, you'll bag a 50-70k job. I'm from Florida and I'm pretty plugged into the legal market down there. Don't listen to the rest of the TLS bullshit, they really have no idea what they are talking about.

I'm from Tampa. Also very plugged in. I would not go to Stetson. Not even worth the debt for COL. UF/FSU kids would love the 50k-70k jerbs.

Orlando/Jax here, COL? What COL? Florida is the cheapest state in the country. I know tons of Stetson Alums doing quite well. Most of them work at small 1-25 person firms and do quite well. Mostly Criminal Defense and Civil Litigation.

[Grizz]

Orlando/Jax here, COL? What COL? Florida is the cheapest state in the country. I know tons of Stetson Alums doing quite well. Most of them work at small 1-25 person firms and do quite well. Mostly Criminal Defense and Civil Litigation.

Dude, COL in Tampa, assuming you aren't living with your folks here or something. Past hiring =/= present hiring. There are probably like 20 SA spots in the whole city which has caused a trickle down as UF/FSU grads take jobs that used to go to Stetson people. Local govt. is basically not hiring. Stetson is too much of a risk. Especially in light of all the horror stories I've been hearing about UF and FSU people, Stetson just seems like a bad bad idea.

[Cupidity]

Orlando/Jax here, COL? What COL? Florida is the cheapest state in the country. I know tons of Stetson Alums doing quite well. Most of them work at small 1-25 person firms and do quite well. Mostly Criminal Defense and Civil Litigation.

Dude, COL in Tampa, assuming you aren't living with your folks here or something. Past hiring =/= present hiring. There are probably like 20 SA spots in the whole city which has caused a trickle down as UF/FSU grads take jobs that used to go to Stetson people. Local govt. is basically not hiring. Stetson is too much of a risk. Especially in light of all the horror stories I've been hearing about UF and FSU people, Stetson just seems like a bad bad idea.

Yeah, no such thing as SA in Florida for anyone, no biglaw, but a decent number of small firms. Most people on here would call it "shit-law" but it pays, and it's consistent. I still don't get your COL argument. I lived in Tampa for $350+utilities.

[Grizz]

Orlando/Jax here, COL? What COL? Florida is the cheapest state in the country. I know tons of Stetson Alums doing quite well. Most of them work at small 1-25 person firms and do quite well. Mostly Criminal Defense and Civil Litigation.

Dude, COL in Tampa, assuming you aren't living with your folks here or something. Past hiring =/= present hiring. There are probably like 20 SA spots in the whole city which has caused a trickle down as UF/FSU grads take jobs that used to go to Stetson people. Local govt. is basically not hiring. Stetson is too much of a risk. Especially in light of all the horror stories I've been hearing about UF and FSU people, Stetson just seems like a bad bad idea.

Yeah, no such thing as SA in Florida for anyone, no biglaw, but a decent number of small firms. Most people on here would call it "shit-law" but it pays, and it's consistent. I still don't get your COL argument. I lived in Tampa for $350+utilities.

T25 gets the remaining SAs if Carlton Fields's latest class is an indication.

Some small firms will always be hiring, but it's the trickle down man. All I see is bleak bleak bleak.

What I meant was I wouldn't take out more than marginal debt to go.

[Shooter]

Someone should add that the current Senator-elect of Florida went to Miami. The current attorney general went to Stetson. Good thing TLS wasn't around in the 90's to tell these people how hopelessly pathetic their lives were going to be in ten years. I understand that not everyone with a JD from a Florida law school becomes successful, but this T6 or bust mentality is a little extreme (even in today's job market).

[beachbum]

Someone should add that the current Senator-elect of Florida went to Miami. The current attorney general went to Stetson. Good thing TLS wasn't around in the 90's to tell these people how hopelessly pathetic their lives were going to be in ten years. I understand that not everyone with a JD from a Florida law school becomes successful, but this T6 or bust mentality is a little extreme (even in today's job market).

And Judge Alex went to Miami!

--ImageRemoved--

[Shooter]

Someone should add that the current Senator-elect of Florida went to Miami. The current attorney general went to Stetson. Good thing TLS wasn't around in the 90's to tell these people how hopelessly pathetic their lives were going to be in ten years. I understand that not everyone with a JD from a Florida law school becomes successful, but this T6 or bust mentality is a little extreme (even in today's job market).

And Judge Alex went to Miami!

--ImageRemoved--

You're damn right he did.

[beachbum]

And in keeping with the theme, Judge Judy went to NYLS and Judge Mathis went to Detroit Mercy. So when you inevitably spiral into unemployment and alcoholism with a useless TTT degree, you can always fall back on daytime TV.

[Cupidity]

Look, Florida has a fairly insulated small-firm legal market. People don't seem to get that. FL schools do decently in FL.

[Grizz]

Someone should add that the current Senator-elect of Florida went to Miami. The current attorney general went to Stetson. Good thing TLS wasn't around in the 90's to tell these people how hopelessly pathetic their lives were going to be in ten years. I understand that not everyone with a JD from a Florida law school becomes successful, but this T6 or bust mentality is a little extreme (even in today's job market).

The 90s were 20 years ago. That's so far back as to not matter. This is absolutely idiotic.

[HeavenWood]

Someone should add that the current Senator-elect of Florida went to Miami. The current attorney general went to Stetson. Good thing TLS wasn't around in the 90's to tell these people how hopelessly pathetic their lives were going to be in ten years. I understand that not everyone with a JD from a Florida law school becomes successful, but this T6 or bust mentality is a little extreme (even in today's job market).

The 90s were 20 years ago. That's so far back as to not matter. This is absolutely idiotic.

+1, Radlaw.

Shooter: Most of my Dad's partners went to Temple, Villanova, Rutgers, or Widener, but that is completely irrelevant in regards to today's world.

1) It used to be much easier to get into law school.
2) There was much less competition for legal jobs.
3) The economy wasn't fucked.

[2Serious4Numbers]

There's a school called ave maria?

[joemoviebuff]

There's a school called ave maria?

I hear the tuition includes a free Domino's pizza.

[2Serious4Numbers]

There's a school called ave maria?

I hear the tuition includes a free Domino's pizza.

I'd rather have the iTunes from bama.. Atleast I think it was bama

[AreJay711]

Boy this site isn't supportive of many law schools. I guess everyone on here is Yale or bust.

if you think this site is being harsh on you check JD underground.....
This site is the truth like paul peirce.

The economy is absolutely a cesspool for lawyers. Even during the 07 "boom" most people from T1/T2 schools were still not getting SA programs. Retake and aim higher. At least go to GW/fordham/emory/bc/bu level schools to give you a fighting chance...

That's what everyone on these kind of sites say but the average salaries of even people coming from T4 schools seems to differ from what everyone behind a screen name says. I've talked to several lawyers/advisors/judges and they all have said just get a law degree from the best school and you'll be fine. A law degree from a T4 might not be Ivy League material but it's better than a bachelors in business.

not true a nursing degree is much more valuable. Same with ugrad accounting degree.

thexfactor is right. People look at starting salaries of people from TTTT schools need to think about what those people would have made not being lawyers and account for lost income in law school, not just the price of the degree. Plus you have to consider upper potential (maybe not better for tttt law degree) and differences in hours worked. The biggest thing I don't think people do is discount the future returns on a law degree enough.

If you really want to make use of a 80k loan, start a business. It will either make you a lot of money or make you a better potential employee working for someone else.

[Royal]

Someone should add that the current Senator-elect of Florida went to Miami. The current attorney general went to Stetson. Good thing TLS wasn't around in the 90's to tell these people how hopelessly pathetic their lives were going to be in ten years. I understand that not everyone with a JD from a Florida law school becomes successful, but this T6 or bust mentality is a little extreme (even in today's job market).

Holy unrepresentative sample batman. The mayor of LA went to the unaccredited People's College of Law located in one office above a sandwich shop. That doesn't mean most alum from PCoL are successful.

Further, most attorneys at mid/small sized Florida firms are alumni of FL schools. But that doesn't mean most alumni of FL schools get jobs in the legal market.

I know the Florida market well. I worked there and have several friends in school and in firms there. The Florida market IS very insulated; that much is true. It's also over saturated. Shit, we even have a school (Ave Maria) created by the guy that founded Domino's Pizza solely to push his political ideology. Plus the market pays like shit. If you know you want to work in Florida, UF or FSU with instate tuition is a safe bet. If you want to work in the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area and get a decent scholarship at UM, then that's another option. If you want to work in the Tampa area and get a big scholarship at Stetson, it might be worth considering. Again, keep in mind that those degrees are NOT very portable. Not even that portable within the state.

Nothing else in Florida is worth going to, in my honest opinion. Seriously. I hear from friends at Barry and St. Thomas that almost no one has a job lined up. And if you do have a job lined up, the FL market pays terribly. Midsized firms start at 45-60k. Assistant prosecutors/public defenders start at $35k in South Florida, where CoL is fairly high. THIRTY FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS PER YEAR.

If you take out loans to cover the full cost of tuition at a non-instate school, you'll be paying $1100-1500 per month for 10 years to pay them off. Do the math.

[JusticeHarlan]

That's what everyone on these kind of sites say but the average salaries of even people coming from T4 schools seems to differ from what everyone behind a screen name says. I've talked to several lawyers/advisors/judges and they all have said just get a law degree from the best school and you'll be fine. A law degree from a T4 might not be Ivy League material but it's better than a bachelors in business.

The reported salaries by law schools, of every tier, are very misleading. The salary numbers are only from those reporting their data, which is a subset of all graduates. It tends to be the subset of the most well paid graduates, who could constitute perhaps as little as 20% of a school's total graduates for a given year. But, because that's all the data that school has (mainly because they don't harass their un/under-emlployed grads for data), they'll report it as median information. The top ten percent's salary information is then disseminated as the average employment prospects for a school.

Also, most lawyers and judges graduated from law school a while ago, and their perception of the market, true as it may have been in their time, is a poor reflection of current hiring.

[northwood]

go to the best school you can go. You should understand and accept the risks and challenges of doing so, but ultimately its up to you. Best of luck.