Top Law Schools

Woah. I narrowed it down to 2!

Mitigating Factors

1. Big Law/Big Bucks = What I want.
2. Buying a house while in school (i.e. property value, cost of living)
3 Prestige Really Tickles my Fancy
4. As far as my vibe from the schools and Palo Alto vs. Chicago, they are both extremely acceptable places to live.

Please comment on the 3 factors. Any insight will be helpful.

you are not going to be buying a house near Palo Alto unless you have a million bucks stashed away.

All your factors point towards SLS.

lol @ buying a house in LS

I know several people paying a mortgage at Chicago. Property here is a steal right now. Chicago is also a bigger market for biglaw jobs obviously, so if you want to live here after you are in better shape. On the other hand if you want to leave you could just flip the property here in a few years for no loss/maybe a gain.

1. Stanford - biglaw is still pretty much guaranteed, but Chicago is only placing around 60-70% into biglaw.
2. Chicago
3. Stanford (obviously)
4. tie

thelawguy777 wrote:Woah. I narrowed it down to 2!

Mitigating Factors

1. Big Law/Big Bucks = What I want.
2. Buying a house while in school (i.e. property value, cost of living)
3 Prestige Really Tickles my Fancy
4. As far as my vibe from the schools and Palo Alto vs. Chicago, they are both extremely acceptable places to live.

Please comment on the 3 factors. Any insight will be helpful.

1.2009 NLJ 250 Placement numbers:

3. Stanford 54.1%
4. Chicago 53.1%

There is a negligible difference in Biglaw placement. TIE

2. Palo Alto houses cost $1,000,000, Chicago houses are much cheaper. Chicago +1

3. Lay Prestige= Stanford, real legal/academic prestige= even/ minute edge to Stanford.

4. Palo Alto= Nicer weather, beauty, and safety, Chicago= More fun of a city to live in, closer to stuff.

Basically, if strong lay prestige is worth $45,000 to you, then go for it.

TaipeiMort wrote: 1.2009 NLJ 250 Placement numbers:

3. Stanford 54.1%
4. Chicago 53.1%

There is a negligible difference in Biglaw placement. TIE

Because we know that everyone that goes to Stanford that could get Biglaw wants Biglaw amirite?

thelawguy777 wrote:Woah. I narrowed it down to 2!

Mitigating Factors

1. Big Law/Big Bucks = What I want.
2. Buying a house while in school (i.e. property value, cost of living)
3 Prestige Really Tickles my Fancy
4. As far as my vibe from the schools and Palo Alto vs. Chicago, they are both extremely acceptable places to live.

Please comment on the 3 factors. Any insight will be helpful.

can you afford a house in palo alto?

eth3n wrote:

TaipeiMort wrote: 1.2009 NLJ 250 Placement numbers:

3. Stanford 54.1%
4. Chicago 53.1%

There is a negligible difference in Biglaw placement. TIE

Because we know that everyone that goes to Stanford that could get Biglaw wants Biglaw amirite?

The same argument applies to Chicago which makes it negligible.

I think since you're a prestige whore (not meant as a slight), I'd go with Stanford. It is a household name across the country.

,.,

of Benito Cereno wrote:

JollyGreenGiant wrote:

eth3n wrote:

TaipeiMort wrote: 1.2009 NLJ 250 Placement numbers:

3. Stanford 54.1%
4. Chicago 53.1%

There is a negligible difference in Biglaw placement. TIE

Because we know that everyone that goes to Stanford that could get Biglaw wants Biglaw amirite?

The same argument applies to Chicago which makes it negligible.

I think since you're a prestige whore (not meant as a slight), I'd go with Stanford. It is a household name across the country.

Chicago has fantastic prestige in the legal world and really with anybody educated. also, its academic and clerkship placements are equal to stanford. also, the real estate opportunities are fantastic (you can get an amazing condo in a big glass tower on the lakefront downtown for the price of a closet in palo alto even though chicago is probably one of the nicest cities in the world. I was just reading a magazine in london that described chicago as the best city in the world for people under 40). chicago's biglaw placement is pretty much perfect. if you're not a moron slacker you will get a 160k job from chicago if you want one.
household prestige with the average american is worthless. britney spears is a household name but maybe 5% of the population at most has heard of Brahms. I also love prestige but I care about the opinion of people that matter not joe-six-pack retards. Your average american mall shopper probably thinks abercrombie t-shirts are a sign of fashion and wealth and would just shrug its shoulders at the mention of Lanvin.

These are some really good points.

1. Depends on where you want it.
2. Chicago no question; Hyde Park real estate is quite cheap, and I have spoken to quite a few 3Ls that said that buying property around the law school is very easy. We're talking prices starting below $80k; Chicago at large is one of the most affordable big cities in America.
3. This goes in Staford's favor generally, but less so in the legal community. If you put any stock in the peer assessment scores of USNWR it is a push.
4. Win for both.

I am one of these crazy people that thinks that once you come east S=CC. If you are talking NYC biglaw or DC or Chicago then Stanford really doesn't dominate like it does out west. If California is your game then there is really no better option. As you come east however, Stanford's advantage dissipates. I think that the money is not a negligible amount. 45k is certainly enough to tip the scales. For my money they are equal since I have no desire at all to be in California; the 45k would be the deciding factor. I think either way you are going to be more than fine. Congrats on awesome options.

Full Disclosure- I'm a Chicago 0L

of Benito Cereno wrote:

JollyGreenGiant wrote:

eth3n wrote:

TaipeiMort wrote: 1.2009 NLJ 250 Placement numbers:

3. Stanford 54.1%
4. Chicago 53.1%

There is a negligible difference in Biglaw placement. TIE

Because we know that everyone that goes to Stanford that could get Biglaw wants Biglaw amirite?

The same argument applies to Chicago which makes it negligible.

I think since you're a prestige whore (not meant as a slight), I'd go with Stanford. It is a household name across the country.

Chicago has fantastic prestige in the legal world and really with anybody educated. also, its academic and clerkship placements are equal to stanford. also, the real estate opportunities are fantastic (you can get an amazing condo in a big glass tower on the lakefront downtown for the price of a closet in palo alto even though chicago is probably one of the nicest cities in the world. I was just reading a magazine in london that described chicago as the best city in the world for people under 40). chicago's biglaw placement is pretty much perfect. if you're not a moron slacker you will get a 160k job from chicago if you want one.
household prestige with the average american is worthless. britney spears is a household name but maybe 5% of the population at most has heard of Brahms. I also love prestige but I care about the opinion of people that matter not joe-six-pack retards. Your average american mall shopper probably thinks abercrombie t-shirts are a sign of fashion and wealth and would just shrug its shoulders at the mention of Lanvin.

"joe-six-pack-retards" might end up paying your salary (esp. if you open your own firm).


BTW, I am a probable Chicago 0L, too. But if I were a prestige whore, I'd go with Stanford. And if you're not constrained to any part of the country due to family, sig. other, etc.. I think the quality of life (i.e. better place to live) is in Stanford. But I'v lived in the midwest my entire life so palm trees and sand are something I can't comprehend.

of Benito Cereno wrote: I also love prestige but I care about the opinion of people that matter not joe-six-pack retards.

hilarious!

Thank You To Everyone For Some Excellent Feedback!

After looking at some housing costs there is no way I could buy a house in Palo Also. I think our (my wife and I) max budget is going to be around $175K, but we would really love to get into a condo around 150...

Chicago. There's no way you'll get a livable place for anything less than $1 mil in Palo Alto. $175k is a parking spot.

There are condos on the Gold Coast for the $150k range in Chicago. 1 Bedroom, decent size. Plus Chicago is a cooler city than SF.

People think NYU is a state school (some joe six pack retards)....doesn't mean I'm going to choose a lesser, more "lay-prestige" school, like, I don't know, UNC or something.