Top Law Schools

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I'd guess that 7-12 or so should clearly be better than UW while Cornell/GULC might be a toss up depending on money.

edit: Cornell especially since it is more regional than other T14s

For Seattle it works like this:

1) T6 >>> UW

2) #7-10 > UW

3) UW ≥ #11-18

PDaddy wrote:For Seattle it works like this:

1) T6 >>> UW

2) #7-10 > UW

3) UW ≥ #11-18

I think it's a bit more nuanced than this. What support do you have for this theory?

I chose a T10 over UW, but it's hard to say whether or not I really did so "for Seattle." Personally, I'm not actually sure whether I want Seattle or not, although I know I want that option. Thus, I really chose a T10 more for mobility. If I was 100% sure I wanted Seattle (i.e., Seattle or bust), I would have gone with UW over anything lower than HYS.

It sounds like you want firm work, so I would go to the websites of the few big firms in Seattle (Perkins Coie, DWT, K&L Gates, and Foster Pepper) and search for attorneys from the schools you're considering. You can search attorneys by alma mater. This is not scientific, but it should give you a feel for the presence of specific schools in Seattle biglaw.

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sherpaorlawschool wrote:Thank you for the responses. That sounds about right from what I can gather. I kind of assumed that UW was going to have a huge alumni network and that there would be lots of support like there is for UT in Texas. I just can't seem to find support for this. I've seen people trashing UW's alumni network and placement in Seattle.

It seems that Seattle is just as prestige conscious as anywhere in the country. Seattle is a top destination for me due to the family ties and the fact that I just love the city. I'm not originally from there so it would be something new for me. However, I'm wondering if I should be attempting to get into one of the top 14 and then trying to get to Seattle by working in the summer and establishing ties.

Will you be able to get in state tuition in Seattle? If not, it makes UW's value proposition much less appealing. I assumed you were from Seattle.

As to whether or not you should be trying to get into the T14, everyone should be trying to get into the T14--in other words, trying to score as high as they possibly can on the LSAT. If you have T14 numbers, you can apply to Seattle schools and national schools. If you get into both, you'll then be in a position to make a more informed and realistic decision.

If you can get into the T14, you'll probably get money at UW, if not a full scholarship. In that case, if you want to work in Seattle, UW is a great option.

manbearwig wrote:If you can get into the T14, you'll probably get money at UW, if not a full scholarship. In that case, if you want to work in Seattle, UW is a great option.

They're known to be somewhat stingy with money and I don't believe they even grant full scholarships, but someone correct me if I'm wrong. I got into a T10 and wasn't offered money at UW. If you can get instate tuition, it is a bargain though.

Bronte wrote:

manbearwig wrote:If you can get into the T14, you'll probably get money at UW, if not a full scholarship. In that case, if you want to work in Seattle, UW is a great option.

They're known to be somewhat stingy with money and I don't believe they even grant full scholarships, but someone correct me if I'm wrong. I got into a T10 and wasn't offered money at UW. If you can get instate tuition, it is a bargain though.

Ohh, in that case, never mind. I don't know too much about them, just looked at their numbers. Though, yeah, instate is still half as expensive as most schools. Basically like a 20k scholarship right there.

Even if UW is better than Cornell for Seattle, Cornell is in another league everywhere else in the country. Sure if you are just barely above median at Cornell you have no shot at Seattle, but you'd still be able to bid on NYC. What happens why you finish just above median at UW? You aren't getting Seattle or NYC.

Desert Fox wrote:Even if UW is better than Cornell for Seattle, Cornell is in another league everywhere else in the country. Sure if you are just barely above median at Cornell you have no shot at Seattle, but you'd still be able to bid on NYC. What happens why you finish just above median at UW? You aren't getting Seattle or NYC.

We'll you most likely wouldn't be getting biglaw at just above median at UW, but you probably still would be getting a decent job of some type, and it would likely be in Seattle or the Northwest. So if just ending up in Seattle or the Northwest is your top priority, UW is probably a better choice than Cornell (or a similarly ranked school), especially given the difference in cost, but if you want a biglaw job, and you would just like it to be in Seattle if possible, then Cornell is probably the better choice. You do also have to consider, though, that a biglaw job is far from a guarantee at a place like Cornell these days, so you could end up with lots of debt, living in a part of the country you aren't happy with, and with job options that are not going to make repaying that debt easy.

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You should go to a T14 school. Supposedly Seattle firms care a lot about your ties to the area, and I'm not sure how strong your ties are (having a couple friends there probably won't cut it), but just find something there your 1L summer and you'll be able to make a convincing case that you want to work in Seattle. From browsing firm profiles, it definitely looks like the attorneys with degrees from UW (and, to a greater extent, SU) are more likely to have law review and academic honors, so if you overcome the ties barrier, you'll have a greater likelihood of getting a firm job in Seattle than someone from UW. And, of course, a T14 school will give you opportunities all across the country, and not just in the Pacific Northwest, so even if you can't get hired in Seattle you'll still have options.

FYI, here are the Seattle firms (or firms interviewing for Seattle offices) coming to UVA's OGI this year:

http://www.cooley.com/
http://www.dorsey.com/
http://www.dwt.com/
http://www.fenwick.com/
http://www.hcmp.com/
http://www.klgates.com/
http://www.kmob.com/
http://www.wsgr.com/
--LinkRemoved--

I'm a Mich 2L and we have a fair number of Seattle offices going to OCI (i.e. I believe Perkins Coie is one of them). For Seattle, you need strong ties though. If you already have ties to Seattle, and since you're going to be paying sticker regardless, I'd recommend going to a t-14 school; but to be honest, I'd recommend t-14 anyway just because the Seattle market is super competitive/tiny. At a t-14 you have a better shot of landing a firm job/any job. People need to be more flexible in this economy.

PDaddy wrote:For Seattle it works like this:

1) T6 >>> UW

2) #7-10 > UW

3) UW ≥ #11-18

I'll second that. Even so, I think an argument could still be made that short of HYS, a UW student might win out about half the time at all but the creme de la creme of Seattle firms if the non-UW student has no ties to Seattle. But that's just the impression the Seattle market gives me.

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Teoeo wrote:I'd guess that 7-12 or so should clearly be better than UW while Cornell/GULC might be a toss up depending on money.

edit: Cornell especially since it is more regional than other T14s

Yeah, money is going to be a big factor, depending on the school. And remember that the UW gives you in state for years 2 and 3, even though you will never be a resident.

I think your family connections are going to give you a big boost in the Seattle area, if you travel from a national school.