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So here is my situation:

I was attending a TTT and was accepted to these schools. My ultimate goal is to practice energy/environmental law (not public interest/hippie law) and am obviously trying for biglaw, but I understand the chances. I have a pretty solid background in the field, and am working for a regulatory agency in Connecticut now. Through family connections I was given advice from a partner at a biglaw firm that Lewis and Clark was the place for me to go, and that the school carries big weight in at least his firms environmental department.

However, my goal is to practice in the Northeast, which is why I am uneasy about Lewis and Clark. I do not want to get stuck in Portland, as it seems Lewis and Clark does not even have a strong hold on the Portland market. So right now I am leaning toward either UConn or Villanova.

I really like the name of Villanova, I feel it has stronger (undergrad at least) name recognition, but UConn is ranked higher. I would be perfectly happy practicing in either Philly or CT/Hartford. Both are shitty cites with nice suburbs, so ultimately it comes down to which city/school has the best chances of advancement/landing a solid midsize firm or biglaw job.

So the question is who does better in there respective markets? UConn in New England or Villanova in Philly? i.e. "where will I have a better chance at a better job/bigger salary."


Side Note: My dream is to practice in Boston, and I have also been accepted to Northeastern.


Thanks in advance.

Villanova placed about 15% into BigLaw this past year, FWIW. I don't know much about UConn, but Temple/Villanova do well in Philly. I'm sure the differences aren't too far off, but I feel like Philly has a much bigger legal market than Connecticut does.

okay bro.

First of all, don't expect to get big law out of any of these schools. If you want big law, retake your lsat and get into a T10. These schools CAN get you a job, even in environmental law, however, realize that this is a field that is not frequently employed and that there are not a ton of environmental lawyers out there. I've worked for them, they are not a frequent species. You should really be looking into a field of law that is more practical.

Anyways, going to nova or UC isn't going to make much of a difference in terms of big law prospects. If you want to work in Ct, go to UC. It is awesome for ct. Really, it is. I think. I do not know, I almost went there. With that said. Vill is probably good for PA. But this is IT. If you are going to a non T-14, you should be looking to a regional school. Go where you want to practice. Law is a regional thing, unless you practice at a REALLY large firm. So go where you want to work. If you have any more specific Qs I can help you. But I go to UF.

It sounds like you sort of already know the answer. UConn will get you the Northeast (maybe even Boston, but probably not) placement you want, but 'Nova will probably get you closer to Philly's biglaw market.

Disclaimer: We New Englanders do not consider Pennsylvania to be the Northeast.

Burger in a can wrote:Disclaimer: We New Englanders do not consider Pennsylvania to be the Northeast.

Just a note, nor do we Pennsylvanians.

if you want environmental law.. vermont law is one of the better schools for environmental law. UConn is the only school in the NE that you have on your list. It is however in a really snowy and cold part of the country, and located in the middle of hippie paradise ( aka in the middle of nowhere- gorgeous scenery and a lot of mountain hiking possibilities, but thats about it)

northwood wrote:if you want environmental law.. vermont law is one of the better schools for environmental law. UConn is the only school in the NE that you have on your list. It VERMONT LAW is however in a really snowy and cold part of the country, and located in the middle of hippie paradise ( aka in the middle of nowhere- gorgeous scenery and a lot of mountain hiking possibilities, but thats about it)

ftfy (sounded like you were describing Hartford as a hippie paradise with mountain hiking possibilities)

grambo246 wrote:Side Note: My dream is to practice in Boston, and I have also been accepted to Northeastern.

I would say Northeastern, but is there a specific reason why you aren't touting this as an option as much as your others?

Definitely strike Lewis and Clark. Forget Villanova. UConn seems to fit your goals if not Northeastern.

I wouldn't go to Lewis and Clark if you want to practice in New England/Northeast. I've got a buddy who did that: he's got a job in the Northeast now (I think he got it prior to ITE), but he has been frustrated with his options in that region coming from L & C. He didn't know about the whole regional vs. national school distinction when he went to law school (he also paid full price and is really unhappy with trying to pay all the loans back with a job that doesn't pay great).

In your situation the standard advice is to choose a school near to where you want to end up living and working (unless you retake the LSAT and have the chance at a national school). I imagine UCONN could give you some good options if you want to work in CT. Like other posters mentioned, U of VT may be a great option for you to also consider.

Lawquacious wrote:Like other posters mentioned, U of VT may be a great option for you to also consider.

Vermont School of Law is neither public nor affiliated to UVM (U of VT what?).

Oops.. I didn't recall the letters 'UVM' when posting. UVM is what I was referring to when I said U of VT.

Lawquacious wrote:Oops.. I didn't recall the letters 'UVM' when posting. UVM is what I was referring to when I said U of VT.

UVM actually doesn't have a law school. Vermont Law School is a private school that isn't associated with any university.

Oh, I always thought it was associated with the University.. I now see Maine08etc was trying to specify that it the Vermont Law School is private and non-UVM affiliated, not that I simply wrongly expressed the UVM/ University of Vermont title..

Got it. LOL

Took me a while..

maine08080 wrote:

grambo246 wrote:Side Note: My dream is to practice in Boston, and I have also been accepted to Northeastern.

I would say Northeastern, but is there a specific reason why you aren't touting this as an option as much as your others?

Definitely strike Lewis and Clark. Forget Villanova. UConn seems to fit your goals if not Northeastern.

I originally nixed it because it was lowest in the rankings, however the more I do research I am finding good things. Going through the firms associate list, Nixon Peabody is FULL of Northeastern grads. Does this school actually place better than the higher ranked ones?

I have no interest in Vermont. I was a 1L at a TTT. My whole reason for transferring is to get out of the toilet.

Also any reason for not Villanova? Let me clarify that I don't care if I am in the "Northeast" or Pennsylvania.

Talk to more people who actually know what they are talking about. Your lawyer friend said L & C for your goals...can you find more lawyers who are in the know who can talk to you about it? Clearly, the perception on this board is that Lewis and Clarke will leave you stranded in the general Portland area. This may, to some extent, be true. The only people who can REALLY answer that are people in the field in which you want to work (and you need to trust them, too, to ensure that they're not just saying things to be nice...).

I have heard that environmental law is a bit of a doubled edged sword because there are so few specialized attorneys in that field. The good side: Since there aren't many environmental attorneys, going to a top environmental program (Vermont, L&C, etc) can have national reach. The other side, of course, is that there aren't that many attorneys so if you don't have job opportunities in that specific field, you WILL be limited to the geographic area in which the school was located (and subject to the broader rankings, not the specialty rankings).

It's definitely a risk--and only you can decide if it is one worth taking.

I think it really comes down to two choices for you. First, is your location upon graduating more important than your field you hope to work in? Because, at this level of schools, we are talking predominantly regional.

Second, is tuition a concern for you? If you aren't in-state at UCONN, or even in one of the regional states around it, the tuition for out of state students was last standing at $43,000 something. Villanova is $36,290 and Northeastern is $40,900. I couldn't pull the trigger on paying sticker at any of them, especially given your goal of environmental law, as previous posters have stated is quite limited...kind of like the mysterious "international law".

by the way, have you looked into Northeastern JD/MELP? covers your dream location and your career desires..

Burger in a can wrote:

northwood wrote:if you want environmental law.. vermont law is one of the better schools for environmental law. UConn is the only school in the NE that you have on your list. It VERMONT LAW is however in a really snowy and cold part of the country, and located in the middle of hippie paradise ( aka in the middle of nowhere- gorgeous scenery and a lot of mountain hiking possibilities, but thats about it)

ftfy (sounded like you were describing Hartford as a hippie paradise with mountain hiking possibilities)

my fault. I was referring to vermont. Hartford is a very nice city. If i lived in ct, i would def consider it, but being out of state, the tutition makes me a bit nervous.( cant and wont bank on a scholarship)

Op if you want environmental law, USNEWS rankings should not be considerded over environmental law rankings. Try to find out where the best environmental law schools are, and focus your applications on those schools, if you are positive thats what you want to do. I would also talk to as many lawyers as I could to help. TLS in my opinion doesnt really care abourt specialities, the posters on here are rankings minded first.

If yo uare not totally sure where you want to practice, make a list of 2/3 regions that you would like to live/work in there, and focus your research and applications accordingly

Peekay80 wrote:Second, is tuition a concern for you? If you aren't in-state at UCONN, or even in one of the regional states around it, the tuition for out of state students was last standing at $43,000 something...

northwood wrote: If i lived in ct, i would def consider it, but being out of state, the tutition makes me a bit nervous.( cant and wont bank on a scholarship)

Just so everyone knows, ALL* UConn law students pay instate tuition for their 2L and 3L years, since you are considered a Connecticut resident after 12 months of living in the state. So the maximum total tuition cost is $85,056, which would be like paying $28,352 a year.


*I guess if there are students who live in MA or something while attending, this doesn't apply. But nobody does that.

really? that sounds good. Is there a place where it is posible to find out residency requirements and other information like this to see if other schools where an out of state resident can become an in state resident after 1L??

grambo246 wrote:I originally nixed it because it was lowest in the rankings, however the more I do research I am finding good things. Going through the firms associate list, Nixon Peabody is FULL of Northeastern grads. Does this school actually place better than the higher ranked ones?

Rankings are of dubious value after a certain line; what matters more is where a particular law school sits within its market, and how strong a market it sits in.

On Northeastern. Are you familiar with their co-op program? You spend alternating quarters during 2L and 3L doing co-ops with law firms, government agencies, public service groups, etc during the school year rather than just the summer, so you have less competition from other schools. You could do some research and see if any of the environmental law agencies (or firms or whatever) would take a Northeastern student for a co-op; consult with both the school and with the potential employers. You could build your resume, get experience, make contacts, network, etc in the field you want to practice in and then be decently set up to move into that field full time after graduation. Of course, you'll probably be faced with paying a hefty sticker price, and Boston biglaw is far from guaranteed, but it's worth inquiring.

northwood wrote:really? that sounds good. Is there a place where it is posible to find out residency requirements and other information like this to see if other schools where an out of state resident can become an in state resident after 1L??

I don't know of any particular place where all of that information is collected at once, but there aren't that many state law schools, so with a little research you could probably compile a list yourself pretty easily.

I know for a fact that some schools have even better deals than UConn. Rutgers, for instance, offers full in-state status to anyone who has signed an apartment lease before 1L classes begin.

Here's a list of all the public law schools: http://www.americanbar.org/groups/legal ... hools.html
(Note that many of these do not grant much of a discount, if any, for state residents)