Innovative curriculum...where to find? Forum

[cldukes06]

I'm a senior studying criminal justice at a university in Alabama (looking in hindsight, I'd have rather taken either political science, or philosophy in political economy [PPE]), and I'm looking for admission into law school in 2011. The thing is...even though I could see myself practicing criminal law, I find myself much more intrigued and interested by the growing field of law as it relates to technology. I realise of course that this has some similar background with intellectual property, but what I'm looking for I can't seem to find at a school that really helps me out...but I CAN find it in a law school that I won't be able to get into.

These are some example curriculums that I would REALLY love to study:

UC-Berkeley Boalt Center for Law and Technology (BCLT)
University of Dayton Program in Law and Technology

All I can really find are schools that do journals relating to such curricula. Is this field of law really worth looking for in a small (and probably not prestigious) law school, or should I just visit a law school reputable in IP law and just hope for an expansive course of study that branches INTO technology and law?


Thanks, I know this is probably difficult.

[mallard]

You should go to the best-ranked school that will accept you, provided it has at least a few courses and faculty that mesh with your interests. You should also give serious thought to a non-law graduate program.

[cldukes06]

You should go to the best-ranked school that will accept you, provided it has at least a few courses and faculty that mesh with your interests. You should also give serious thought to a non-law graduate program.

Which best rank? Like, overall, or the best in the field I want to study? I have several decent law schools I have a shot of getting in to...Stetson, Florida State, Univ. of Alabama, etc., and I find courses in all of these that mesh with my interests, but none that really focuses that much on it, I'd want a bigger focus.

Is a smaller school like Univ. Dayton School of Law, John Marshall School of Law worth taking the T3/T4 risk if I can practice in that area regionally? (i.e., the Southeast)

[mallard]

Overall.

[creamedcats]

You should go to the best-ranked school that will accept you, provided it has at least a few courses and faculty that mesh with your interests. You should also give serious thought to a non-law graduate program.

Which best rank? Like, overall, or the best in the field I want to study? I have several decent law schools I have a shot of getting in to...Stetson, Florida State, Univ. of Alabama, etc., and I find courses in all of these that mesh with my interests, but none that really focuses that much on it, I'd want a bigger focus.

Is a smaller school like Univ. Dayton School of Law, John Marshall School of Law worth taking the T3/T4 risk if I can practice in that area regionally? (i.e., the Southeast)

Very few, if any, schools can claim to have a specialty program that trumps the overall quality of legal education at a far-higher ranked institution. Franklin Pierce, for instance, a T3, is known for its excellent IP program. Case Western, a T2, has an outstanding program in health law. Neither school, despite being outside T1, offers a legal education that is particularly lacking, and admission at both is very attainable. Even so, given a choice between either of Pierce and Case and a T20, you should almost always choose the T20. You also need to consider placement statistics over time and recently, and consider whether you'd be happy working in a niche market ASSUMING you get the job there.

I don't agree with the "always go to the higher ranked school" meme, though. More often than not it is correct, as the rankings are based on things that matter and tend to be slightly self-reinforcing as well. But if you have a strong location preference or an outsized scholarship, it may not matter that you got into a school ranked 10-15 spots higher, unless that school is in the T14 and the other one isn't. Also, the degree of separation between schools falls as you move down the rankings. Read carefully.

Still, higher rank = more choices, in terms of jobs and locations. Check out NALP data online, or search Martindale for people working in jobs you're interested in.