I know this is directed at OP, but I want to try to address these issues in his absence, since I feel I'm in the same boat.
objctnyrhnr wrote:What I can also tell you, OP, is that I happen know a handful of recent older suffolk universiTTT grads who were interest in moving to the suburbs and even far away from any legitimate cities, hanging their shingle, not terribly concerned with money (spouse with good job, family money) and all tried to hang their own shingle as entry level attorneys...and they are all failing miserably. would you be different? possibly...but probably not. think about it--why would a random client want to trust an enTTTry level aTTTorney with his subjectively important issues when there are tons of experienced attorneys who are dying for the business? it does not make any sense.
I think the most obvious rebuttal to this is simply the price. Why trust the "TTT" lawyer instead of the HYS one at the big firm in Boston? Because he charges $200/hour less than the big firm and provides the same basic service.
objctnyrhnr wrote:OP, you say that you have modest ambitions with the law degree...and I can see how you might think that. however, modest as they may seem (and many would argue that "just being a PD at a local spot" is not modest, especially not ITE), they are NOT realistic coming from an epic TTTT, especially if you presumably would not be willing to relocate following your graduation.
Their graduating class is small, and intentionally so. It’s a very small - and decidedly shitty - sample size, but two thirds of the UMass grads who managed to find FT/LT/JD req. jobs are in small (non-solo) or mid size firms. I think it's safe to assume that at least some of those firms have some sort of base from which to draw business from, and therefore the grads won’t be entirely hung out to dry like they would be if they tried to establish their own solo practice immediately after graduating. I think relocating following graduation would be one of the WORST possible choices if you attend UMass or similar schools. The UMass system has a great brand within the state, and UMass Dartmouth has an enormous alumni base on the south coast. If you plan to work in the Fall River/Dartmouth/New Bedford/Taunton area, UMass grads will be just as competitive as others if/when jobs become available. If you want to work in Boston, UMass probably won’t be the best place. If you plan on working out of state (minus RI), UMass is a poor choice.
“kalvano” wrote:I commute 45-60 minutes one-way, every day, to get to work. He can certainly do it for three years to go to a school that is significantly better.
Again, I can’t speak for OP because I don’t know his precise situation. What I can say is that I commute 45 minutes to my current job. If I were attending a much better school in Boston as well, it would be about 75-90 minutes to commute there, then another 60 minutes back to my house (upwards of 3 hours per day). With my situation in the fall I’ll only be commuting 90 minutes total because I work less than 5 minutes from the UMass campus. That extra 90 minutes and 90 miles per day saves money on gas and other car maintenance. It means more time for me to spend with my significant other, time to get to the gym, to study, etc. OP has stated he has a wife, and most likely a family. Having an extra 90 minutes per day to spend with your family sounds like a pretty good trade off for moderately better chances at employment.
