Do you have to know where you want to practice? Forum

[Hey-O]

I know that some schools are regional and some schools are national, but how easy is it, even at a national school, to get a job outside of where it normally places. From my discussions with people and research it seems that internships and law school placement is how most people get their job. So, do you basically have to decide where you want to work by the summer of your freshman year even at a T14?

[nealric]

1/2 the point of going to a T14 is that your degree is portable. That said, if you are going the large firm route, you will have to decide where you want to start work by the beginning of your second year.

BTW: there is no "freshman" year of law school. It's 1L/2L/3L.

[jackalope11]

I know that some schools are regional and some schools are national, but how easy is it, even at a national school, to get a job outside of where it normally places. From my discussions with people and research it seems that internships and law school placement is how most people get their job. So, do you basically have to decide where you want to work by the summer of your freshman year even at a T14?

T-14, not as much... outside of that, it becomes increasingly regional. Current stats for my school (T25) show that they place over 60% of their graduates within that state, and something like 80% within the region, as an example.

[Hey-O]

1/2 the point of going to a T14 is that your degree is portable. That said, if you are going the large firm route, you will have to decide where you want to start work by the beginning of your second year.

BTW: there is no "freshman" year of law school. It's 1L/2L/3L.

So if I want to work government or public then it doesn't matter as much where I intern?

[manbearwig]

1/2 the point of going to a T14 is that your degree is portable. That said, if you are going the large firm route, you will have to decide where you want to start work by the beginning of your second year.

BTW: there is no "freshman" year of law school. It's 1L/2L/3L.

So if I want to work government or public then it doesn't matter as much where I intern?

It still matters. I feel like people on this site throw around terms like "government jobs" or "public jobs" as if they're all the exact same, all run by a faceless entity that apparently doesn't care too much about grades or school rep. (After all, if you don't want BigLaw, it really makes no difference where you go. /sarcasm)

So, it's probably not awful if you intern at the DA's office in one city, and then apply for the DA's office in another city. It's better then nothing, I guess. BUT, people seem to ignore the fact that the hiring managers at all of these government jobs are human. They're much more likely to hire people from schools they know (in their region) or, even better, law students who have spent their summers interning with them, making personal connections at interns with the people that can actually give them a job.

Hate to break it to you, but, yeah, you kind of should have an idea where you want to practice if you can't break the T14 (and even then, certain T14s place better in certain markets than others). Law school's a pretty big life milestone. If you don't want to possibly commit yourself to a certain area for a good chunk of time, maybe you should do some more soul searching. (Or study your ass off on the LSAT to make sure you get T14.)

[Grizz]

They're much more likely to hire people from schools they know (in their region) or, even better, law students who have spent their summers interning with them, making personal connections at interns with the people that can actually give them a job.

This is 100% TCR when trying to get a DA job in many districts, including my home district.

[Hey-O]

Hate to break it to you, but, yeah, you kind of should have an idea where you want to practice if you can't break the T14 (and even then, certain T14s place better in certain markets than others). Law school's a pretty big life milestone. If you don't want to possibly commit yourself to a certain area for a good chunk of time, maybe you should do some more soul searching. (Or study your ass off on the LSAT to make sure you get T14.)

I guess my question is how does the T14 really help this problem? Aren't I still just making my decision after my 1L year? Because where I intern is most likely where I'll get my first job? T14 just means I can get internships in more places.

[manbearwig]

Hate to break it to you, but, yeah, you kind of should have an idea where you want to practice if you can't break the T14 (and even then, certain T14s place better in certain markets than others). Law school's a pretty big life milestone. If you don't want to possibly commit yourself to a certain area for a good chunk of time, maybe you should do some more soul searching. (Or study your ass off on the LSAT to make sure you get T14.)

I guess my question is how does the T14 really help this problem? Aren't I still just making my decision after my 1L year? Because where I intern is most likely where I'll get my first job? T14 just means I can get internships in more places.

T14 helps because most employers will have heard of the school you went to and hopefully know enough of its reputation to be willing to take the chance on you. If you went to Columbia, but want to practice in DC, a lot of firms will understand that 1) you are probably pretty capable because you got into Columbia and 2) Columbia's an excellent school so the quality of the education you received is up to par. In that case, the lack of networking through internships is somewhat lessened. If you had gone to Cardozo, but wanted to practice in DC, more employers will know nothing about Cardozo and would rather take the GW (and even American) law grad whose schools they know more about (and have quite possibly known through internships or through networking).

[apropos]

On this topic: I've wondered how long a person should expect to have to stay in the region after law school.
Say you go to a regional law school in NC, get a non-biglaw, but good mid-range job, and after 6 years you want to move to the NW. Is your degree from a regional school still going to have its leash?

[rockstar4488]

My guess is that at this point, your law school and class rank are largely irrelevant. What is probably important is whether or not you have skills and experience in whatever field you are applying to.