Top Law Schools

I am thinking about getting to corporate law and was wondering what tier 2 schools would best fit for someone trying to pursue this type of law. I am realistic and want to get into a decent school that would give some type of aid as well.

Where (what state or region of the country) do you want to practice?

Northeast,

I would just focus on schools in Tier 2 that are actually in the northeast. Locality has more power than a lot of people realize, especially outside of the Top 20 (let alone 50). Outside of that, I'd say Case Western. Do you want to practice IN a corporation, or practice corporate law in a big firm?

Practice in a corporation

jeremydc wrote:Practice in a corporation

I'm guessing you mean some variation of in house council. You won't get this straight out of school. This doesn't happen until you're older.

Always Credited wrote:

jeremydc wrote:Practice in a corporation

I'm guessing you mean some variation of in house council. You won't get this straight out of school. This doesn't happen until you're older.

This is credited, as the username suggests.

Get an MBA too. That will help.

What makes case a top ranked corporate law program in tier 2? link?

There are no good T2 schools for practicing corporate law in the Northeast.

By "good", I define the school as giving you a more likely than not chance of practicing in that field. An MBA is not very helpful- at least not worth paying for 2 more years of school helpful.

The usual path to in-house is through a large law firm. To get that start, you would need to be in the top 10% to have a shot (even then no guarantee).

I'm not saying you won't or you can't- just that it is unlikely. If you are fine with other practice areas, go ahead. Otherwise, I would think twice before committing to a T2 school.

Powerscore.

edit: n/m

nealric wrote:There are no good T2 schools for practicing corporate law in the Northeast.

By "good", I define the school as giving you a more likely than not chance of practicing in that field. An MBA is not very helpful- at least not worth paying for 2 more years of school helpful.

The usual path to in-house is through a large law firm. To get that start, you would need to be in the top 10% to have a shot (even then no guarantee).

I'm not saying you won't or you can't- just that it is unlikely. If you are fine with other practice areas, go ahead. Otherwise, I would think twice before committing to a T2 school.

Thank you for your opinion.

I could probably get into a FEW tier 1 schools but case western just stands out to me, I don't know why.

I could probably get into a FEW tier 1 schools but case western just stands out to me, I don't know why

Retake the LSAT. Study your brains out.

Specialty rankings are irrelevent. The only thing that matters is a school's location, its ranking and your class rank when you graduate. Law school teaches you nothing about actually practicing law. It does two things: 1) lets you take the bar exam; and 2) gets you your first job. The lower the rank your school, the lower your chances of getting a "good job."

At a tier two, you will have very little choice as to which area of law you ultimately practice, unless you are in the top 5 to 10% of your class (hint, there is a 90% chance you will finish outside of the top 10% of your class). There is also little chance that your first job will pay more than 40 to 60k per year. There is also a huge chance you will be unemployed and in the current economy, there is a pretty good chance you may never become a practicing attorney.

That said, you can learn a bunch of useless shit at any law school (irrespective of rank), but the reality is that right now, jobs are scarce and things like picking your practice area, or even your firm, are things of the past (unless you graduate from a top top law school). In other words, don't go to law school at a tier 2 with one specific practice area in mind. Shoot for corporate law, if thats what you really want, but be ready for low end personal injury, because that is a very real possibility.

Thank you, I am set on practicing in / near Cleveland.

jeremydc wrote:Thank you, I am set on practicing in / near Cleveland.

Then you should aim to go to Ohio State (or Case Western with a scholarship). Where you want to live/work is more important than specialty ranks or what type of law you think you want to go into.

Yes that is true but I want to go to a school with the lease student body as possible OSU and Cinci are larger schools with more students which means a better chance of getting into trouble. I have a horrible track record being a social butterfly and getting into A LOT of trouble. I need to stay away from that sort of thing. Case western would offer me the best chance out of the 3 to stay focued on my education. I will apply to osu but doubt I get in.

nealric wrote:Retake the LSAT. Study your brains out.

I hate when people say this.

I'm guessing you mean some variation of in house council.

I'm guessing you mean some variation of "counsel."

/Credited.

jeremydc wrote: I want to go to a school with the lease student body as possible

What?

thinkbig wrote:

jeremydc wrote: I want to go to a school with the lease student body as possible

What?

I think he's either talking about human trafficking or paraplegics.

LOL, the less people around me, the better.

jeremydc wrote:LOL, the less people around me, the better.

That's your reason for picking one school over another? Wait, isn't Case Western huge?

I hate when people say this.

I say again and again because a lot of people need to hear it. Sorry if it bothers you.