Bama (full ride) vs. Duke vs. Vandy vs. UT-Austin Forum

[bledsrw]

I want to be in the south. Not particularly interested in big firm work (at least long term).

[nycparalegal]

Did you get scholarships at the other schools as well?

[KMaine]

What would be the reason for not attending Duke?

[thickfreakness]

If by "south" you mean AL, MS, TN, GA, KY, NC, SC then I think it's a toss up between Duke and Vanderbilt. Both have small class sizes and top placement in the region. Alabama would be a good option, but it's portability for top jobs outside of Alabama is highly limited unless you're at the top of the class.

[4815162342]

However, if you WANT to work in Alabama, you should seriously consider going to UA. It rules the legal commnity in the state.

[thickfreakness]

However, if you WANT to work in Alabama, you should seriously consider going to UA. It rules the legal commnity in the state.

This is relatively true. However, the larger and more prestigious Birmingham firms have OCI at Vandy and Duke as well and love to hire interested students from these schools with connections. Take the following from the Vanderbilt Career Services data for 2008/09 OCI and 2009 placement stats for Alabama/Birmingham firms:

OCI: (just a sampling)
Adams & Reese
Baker Donelson
Balch & Bingham (Montgmery office, too)
Bradley Arant Boult Cummings (Huntsville and Mont. offices as well)
Burr & Forman
carr allison
Lightfoot Franklin & White
Maynard Cooper & Gale
Sirote & Permutt
Walston Wells & Birchall

And here's class of 2009 Vandy placement in Alabama:

Balch & Bingham
Bradley Arant Boult Cummings
Lightfoot Franklin & White (2 hires)
Maynard Cooper & Gale (2 hires)
Law Clerk for Northern District of AL
PI job in Huntsville area

Balch, Bradley Arant, MCG, and Lightfoot are all among the most elite firms in Birmingham, and they like to take top students that are interested in the area. The problem you have with Alabama is that you're competing against all your classmates for these jobs, so a more prestigious degree from Vandy or Duke is going to stand out more, especially if you can demonstrate an interest or connection in the market.