Top Law Schools

I live in Ohio and would like to stay here. I am researching all of the law schools in Ohio and would like to get some opinions of them from people who may have attended or know something about them. I live near Toledo but I absolutely HATE that town. The law school may be nice but the city sucks! I have lived there before. I want to be somewhere I may be able to start part- time and have a decent job. My boyfriend will be going too so I want it to be in a thriving area that has business oportunities. I'm sorry but the Toledo area is NOT thriving. Any takes on Columbus at either Moritz or Capital (has part time)? I have children so a nice area with good jobs and good schools is a must. I really don't know much about Cleveland but I think they have a part time school there too. Ada? Dayton? Please help me! =)

Your best bet is probably going to be Cleveland-Marshall AKA Cleveland State as they have the largest legal market and a part-time program, plus you can get in-state tuition there.

OSU doesn't have a part-time program, and the private law schools in OH are not worth attending unless you have a no-strings attached scholarship or can afford to pay in cash with a guaranteed legal job before you step foot in law school.

Cleveland State would be a good choice. University of Cincinnati would be a good choice too. Also depending on your numbers you might be able to get scholly $$$ to ONU DAYTON UT UC CAPITAL. GO REDS

The part-time program condition limits your options. I'm a big fan of Moritz: low tuition (comparatively), a rabid alumni base (sometimes obnoxiously enthusiastic--if you hear O-H, quickly respond I-O), and great placement in central Ohio. Cincinnati's economy appears to have been doing fairly well lately when juxtaposed against other Ohio cities--several national companies are incorporated there--so UC has got to be in the picture. And keeping with my recent routine, I would also consider Vandy: it's only about 3 1/2 hour drive from Cinci, and seems to place really well there.

I'm an Ohio State fan myself. I have two kids and one on the way so I want to be logical about what I can and cannot do when it comes to law school. OSU would be my first choice but I may need part time, haven't made up my mind yet. Keep the comments comming!

If your part-time stipulation is set in stone, Ohio doesn't really offer solid options. You are better off going full-time and taking the in-state tuition benefit that tOSU and Cincinnati offer. Schools that offer part-time in Ohio aren't very good. Considering that you have a solid UGPA, if you get a 163 or higher on the LSAT you will be accepted anywhere in Ohio with $$$, so that is something to consider as well.

Also, FWIW NKU-Chase is basically part of Cincinnati as well, so I would classify it as an Ohio school given that its metropolitan feeder area is Cincinnati.

well, thats the problem. I took a couple lsat pretests and scored 142!! so I had to schedule the test for Oct instead of June. I have to take 18 credit hours at my school to get my scholorship and work so I am not sure how good I can possibly do on that test with very little time to study and no money for classes. My GPA is great though and has alway been. What is UGPA? I have done my entire degree with Kaplan University online so it is just my gpa right?

kristinadyl1 wrote:well, thats the problem. I took a couple lsat pretests and scored 142!! so I had to schedule the test for Oct instead of June. I have to take 18 credit hours at my school to get my scholorship and work so I am not sure how good I can possibly do on that test with very little time to study and no money for classes. My GPA is great though and has alway been. What is UGPA? I have done my entire degree with Kaplan University online so it is just my gpa right?

UGPA= Undergraduate Grade Point Average

I also don't know how law schools will view your degree from Kaplan, I am not sure as to its accreditation for the purposes of professional school.

A 142 on the LSAT won't cut it. Unless you can break 160, I would seriously reconsider your plans to attend law school. The legal market is absolutely awful, and many graduates of even the best law schools are having trouble finding quality jobs. The likelihood of getting a big firm job out of a T3 or T4 school, especially in a law school-saturated market like Ohio is close to 0%, unless your dad is like a partner somewhere and can guarantee you a job. I would also check to see how your degree will be viewed by law schools.

kristinadyl1 wrote:well, thats the problem. I took a couple lsat pretests and scored 142!! so I had to schedule the test for Oct instead of June. I have to take 18 credit hours at my school to get my scholorship and work so I am not sure how good I can possibly do on that test with very little time to study and no money for classes. My GPA is great though and has alway been. What is UGPA? I have done my entire degree with Kaplan University online so it is just my gpa right?

Taking a couple test is not really prepairing so thats a good thing. Get LG bible and the LR bible and study and then see where your at. If you can get a 155+ you have a good shot at getting into some schools in ohio. If you want to go to UC i would say your going to need to get a 159+

I have talked to many law schools and Kaplan is viewed just the same as the rest. It is accredited. I didnt study for the lsat before I took the practice tests, I thought it would be easier. I understand the market sucks out there but everything does right now. Anything has got to be better than what I am doing right now (working at Subway). I just don't know what to do. I am about to have a Bachelor degree in legal studies and not sure what to do with it. I just want to move up in the world.

kristinadyl1 wrote:I have talked to many law schools and Kaplan is viewed just the same as the rest. It is accredited. I didnt study for the lsat before I took the practice tests, I thought it would be easier. I understand the market sucks out there but everything does right now. Anything has got to be better than what I am doing right now (working at Subway). I just don't know what to do. I am about to have a Bachelor degree in legal studies and not sure what to do with it. I just want to move up in the world.

Make a concerted effort at LSAT prep. Take preptests and work on the powerscore bibles for 20 hours a week, working in 4 hour increments. View it as a class/job. You have to get at least in the high 150's to have a shot at a quality legal education/potential scholarship money.

I understand that you want to move up in the world, however a law degree is not a guaranteed golden ticket. Taking out tens of thousands of dollars in student loans to pursue an education at a school that offers a minuscule shot (if any) at a job that will give you a return on the investment is incredibly risky. The fact that you have children would make it an almost reckless gamble given your current LSAT.

Sorry if this is a bit pessimistic, but I am only trying to convey the reality of the situation. Get that LSAT up above 158 and you'll be in business for solid scholarship at a T3 or T4 school and a shot at some T2 schools. If you can't get it that high, then I would seriously reconsider applying to law school.

Actually I appreciate the advice very much. I don't want to put my family in dept too much more than I already have with getting my BS degree. I am seriously reconsidering law school at this point. At least for now. I know I can get a good lsat score if I put in time and effort. I have held a GPA of 3.5 and up all through my BS and I wonder if I could get a scholorship for a masters in business or something that has more options. I need options! lol! My degree is in legal/paralegal studies. I don't want all my hard work to be for nothing. I need a good job NOW!! or at least asap. I am thinking it would be smart for me to put off law school for a year and explore other education options, or job options but I don't even know what to do with my degree once it is completed.

kristinadyl1 wrote:Actually I appreciate the advice very much. I don't want to put my family in dept too much more than I already have with getting my BS degree. I am seriously reconsidering law school at this point. At least for now. I know I can get a good lsat score if I put in time and effort. I have held a GPA of 3.5 and up all through my BS and I wonder if I could get a scholorship for a masters in business or something that has more options. I need options! lol! My degree is in legal/paralegal studies. I don't want all my hard work to be for nothing. I need a good job NOW!! or at least asap. I am thinking it would be smart for me to put off law school for a year and explore other education options, or job options but I don't even know what to do with my degree once it is completed.

Apply for paralegal/legal secretary jobs.

First of all if you don't have another LSAT score, you need to forget about researching schools right now. You can always research schools AFTER you raise your score. And a 142 isn't going to get you into any of the schools in OH, period. If you want to go to LS, focus your extra time, energy, and $ on raising that LSAT score. Do not retake until you are absolutely sure you are ready. Try a prep course and/or a tutor if you are a having trouble raising your score on your own.

Second, although Law Schools may say they treat online Bachelor's degrees the same as anything else, that's not quite true. I've attended 2 different LSs and neither had a single person enrolled with a degree from Kaplan/Devry/U.Phoenix or any place like that. The only online degrees I've seen are people who got degrees from a branch of a State Univ. that allows students to earn some credits online and some in class.

I'm not saying you can't get in with an online degree, but they are probably going to hold you to a much higher standard admissions wise. That means it is imperative that you get a much higher LSAT score.

If your goal is to "move up in the world" as fast as possible, going to LS is probably one of the worst ways to do that. For most people, today the legal profession means taking out a ton of debt ($100-200K), eventually landing a low paying job, and slaving away for years in order to get anywhere if they are lucky.

If you want a safer bet to a higher paid job, my suggestion would be to look at the health professions. I'd look into becoming an RN, but I even have a friend who is basically an X-Ray tech and is making the same or more than many baby lawyers out of t2/3/4 schools and his debt load is about 1/10 of what LS costs.

Lastly, I would advise avoiding online degrees from places like Kaplan/DeVry/UPhoenix etc. in the future. Enroll at your local public community college or public university instead.

You people are really called Ohians?

daesonesb wrote:You people are really called Ohians?

Pretty sure it's Ohioans

Notor wrote:

daesonesb wrote:You people are really called Ohians?

Pretty sure it's Ohioans

This sounds much more sensible.

Ohian sounds too much like Hawaiian.

daesonesb wrote:You people are really called Ohians?

I'm pretty sure it's Ohioite, or occasionally Ohionese.

lol! I didn't even realize I spelled that wrong. It's Ohioan. Ohian sounds like a true Ohio hillbilly. I'm not, just suck at spelling when I've been awake for two days with a sick baby. My appologies to the other OHIOANS! lol! Also, I never took the test, I took two practice tests. I have it scheduled for Oct but I am re-thinking my situation. I am trying to make money, not end up poor! I appreciate the honesty. For the record, I did attend a two year college and found on-line to be much better for my kids and job (even if crappy). It is just as hard and challenging as attending school in person. I work hard and I am proud of my degree and hard work. I also hate that the best field is medical. I appreciate the advice but at the same time I feel like I am thrown into an occupation that all women seem to be grouped into. When I think of the 60's, I think of women being nurses. Every woman I know is a nurse. I have no talent for nursing and I hate being around sick people. I know there are very smart and talented nurses out there so don't take this personal. I honestly enjoy legal studies and chose it because I think I have a talent for it. I guess putting it off until I figure out what I want to do is the best choice.

From what the other posters on TLS say, degrees in legal studies/pre-law don't have much in common with being a lawyer so you might want to make sure law school and being a lawyer are what you think they are. Also, it sounds like trying to find a job as a paralegal woule be your best bet right now but I agree with the earlier poster than your online degree may hurt your job search and professional school choices. Maybe you can try teaching or transferring some courses and getting a second degree in something more useful.

Bias against online colleges may not be fair, but it's out there. Just trying to make you aware of that. Like it or not, law schools are biased against online degrees as are many other graduate degree programs. Same with the people who do the hiring. Many of them come from an older generation where online college did not exist, so they don't like it.

My mention of the medical field had nothing to do with your gender. In fact, most of the people I know going into things like nursing and the like these days are actually men, not women.

It's a good thing that you did not take the real LSAT yet. If you decide to take it, don't do it until you are absolutely confident that you'll do well.

I also think you should get a job as a paralegal and try that for awhile if you decide to pursue a career as a lawyer. Like a lot of things, it's not like school or what you see on TV. Find out if it's what you really want before you invest a ton of time and $ into going to LS.

kristinadyl1 wrote:lol! I didn't even realize I spelled that wrong. It's Ohioan. Ohian sounds like a true Ohio hillbilly. I'm not, just suck at spelling when I've been awake for two days with a sick baby. My appologies to the other OHIOANS! lol! Also, I never took the test, I took two practice tests. I have it scheduled for Oct but I am re-thinking my situation. I am trying to make money, not end up poor! I appreciate the honesty. For the record, I did attend a two year college and found on-line to be much better for my kids and job (even if crappy). It is just as hard and challenging as attending school in person. I work hard and I am proud of my degree and hard work. I also hate that the best field is medical. I appreciate the advice but at the same time I feel like I am thrown into an occupation that all women seem to be grouped into. When I think of the 60's, I think of women being nurses. Every woman I know is a nurse. I have no talent for nursing and I hate being around sick people. I know there are very smart and talented nurses out there so don't take this personal. I honestly enjoy legal studies and chose it because I think I have a talent for it. I guess putting it off until I figure out what I want to do is the best choice.

Unless you can get into one of the big three (OSU, Case, or Cincy), I wouldn't recommend law school in Ohio. Too many law schools and not enough jobs to go around. I used to recommend CSU, but I've met way too many unemployed CSU grads to recommend it anymore.

ITE, I doubt the "big 3" are doing that well. Even before the recession, its not like those schools were sending most of their grads to six figure jobs.

yabbadabbado wrote:ITE, I doubt the "big 3" are doing that well. Even before the recession, its not like those schools were sending most of their grads to six figure jobs.

A lot of this depends on where you put the bar for 'doing well', but to be fair, there are only a handful of schools that send 'most' of their graduates to six figure jobs, and actually, Ohio State's 2009 median reported (60% reporting) was 91k. Also, both Case and Cinci place a lot of people in PI/government jobs, which isn't to say they'd turn down biglaw if it was offered - but it drives down salary numbers, which I think are both around 80k.

I'd say they're very viable schools for people who want to be lawyers and aren't paying sticker with an expectation for 100k upon graduation.

If you actually believe that schools' self reported salary stats are accurate, all I can say is "good luck".