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Which Law School would be the best for Criminal Law? Just Wondering, Thanks.

there isn't one...just go to the best school possible (T14 if you can, cheap T1 in the region you want if not)

The general consensus is Yale is the best law school for (insert focus here). Some argue that Harvard is slightly better for (insert focus here). Either way, I don't think you can go wrong with Yale or Harvard.

They all teach basically the same thing. So the best one you can get in to that is either T14 or serves the area in which you wish to practice.

T14 and/or highest-ranked school in the region you want to practice.

T-14 is good. I would go to NYU for Criminal Law, though I am sure Yale has an awesome Criminal Law program too!

Heard Baylor is famous for trial lawyers. But it is baylor, lol..... top 14 or regional

YHS

CCN

MVPB

DCN

G

VU..uh... GW? Some other schools

The Abyss

Florida Coastal
Cooley
Ave Maria

People's College of Law

OmbreGracieuse wrote:T-14 is good. I would go to NYU

TITCR

(hey, New York has more criminals...)

Try to find summer or part-time work for a law firm. Any job at any type of law firm. That would give you a way to be in casual conversation with people in the field and would give you a feel for how it is to work in that field.












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Pretty much any law school would be an equally poor choice academically speaking so get the cheapest ABA approved J.D. you can. Crim law pays very little compared with almost any other area (including divorce). OTOH, you can work almost anywhere and, as I've posted before now, crim law is a blast. It's just fun, that's all, so the risk is that you will spend your whole career doing it and never be able to retire.

Law schools don't place much emphasis on crim law. Most schools will offer mandatory Crim Law and Crim Pro I courses and if you are lucky they might toss in Crim Pro II which is where you finally learn the difference between an information and an indictment instead of endlessly debating the finer points of the 4th, 5th and 6th amendments. No school actually specializes in crim law except MAYBE SUNY Buff. which has an LL.M. program in the subject. Seems to me that one of the myriads of So. California schools offers an LL.M. in federal prosecution or something, too.

Southwestern Law School

Los Angeles has the best crime in the country, by far!

Danteshek wrote:Southwestern Law School

Los Angeles has the best crime in the country, by far!

The quality of crime there is so high that they're moving Law & Order there. New York crime is old and busted after 20 seasons.

osalinas44 wrote:Which Law School would be the best for Criminal Law? Just Wondering, Thanks.

None for you. With questions like this I think you're better off at Walt Disney University. I'm sure your fat self will look much better once your in a costume.




Dolt

BeautifulSW wrote:Pretty much any law school would be an equally poor choice academically speaking so get the cheapest ABA approved J.D. you can. Crim law pays very little compared with almost any other area (including divorce). OTOH, you can work almost anywhere and, as I've posted before now, crim law is a blast. It's just fun, that's all, so the risk is that you will spend your whole career doing it and never be able to retire.

Man you must hang with different lawyers than I do. The criminal DEFENSE lawyers I know are all making BANK. In fact of all of us, they make the most by far. But I agree with go to the cheapest school you can. And go where you want to work. Criminals don't ask where you got your JD, and crime victims don't care if you went to a T14 or not if you're a DA. Its far more likely if you go out of state for law school, even to a great school, and come back home to practice criminal defense that your clients will ask why you did not go to local school X and be more suspicious of your abilities than they will be impressed by your degree from a school they know nothing about. Criminal lawyers don't advertise they went to Cornel in Phoenix AZ and they don't tend to work in large firms (for obvious reasons if you have ever worked in criminal law).

Just an FYI that personally know of white collar criminal defense attorneys in San Antonio and Dallas areas both bringing in $500K + a year income, to their bank account. This is after their business expenses, salaries for employees, etc. So their overall income to their firms is much higher.

In Texas, UT Austin School of Law and St Marys/San Antonio are very well regarded as criminal law programs.

Research law journals focusing on criminal law that are published by law schools. Northwestern University School of Law publishes, according to what I have been told, the second most widely read journal in the country.

disco_barred wrote:YHS

CCN

MVPB

DCN

G

VU..uh... GW? Some other schools

The Abyss

Florida Coastal
Cooley
Ave Maria

People's College of Law

lol too true

Bingus McBadger wrote:[None for you. With questions like this I think you're better off at Walt Disney University. I'm sure your fat self will look much better once your in a costume. Dolt

What is this BS? Nothing better to do than be a total prick? (TLS already has enough of those, though I admit this flamer made it a fine art). Get a life dude.

IBTB.

Matthies:

You're in Phoenix, right? The only way I know to make really good money in criminal defense is to develop (ahem) working relationships with criminal organizations. Nothing intriniscally wrong with that, of course, but you need to be very careful to maintain (ahem again) sufficient professional distance to avoid (ahem yet again) difficulties with either your other clients or the authorities.

We have organized crime and official corruption aplenty here in N.Mex. and it has resulted in the spectacle of seeing high level ex-members of our state legislature serving time in Club Fed but there isn't much heavy duty criminal defense. That might be because no state law enforcement agency seems to be very interested in pursuing these people. Gosh, I wonder why?

Even here, a decent crim. defense lawyer will make a decent living but I doubt that more than two or three statewide consistently net six figures.

disco_barred wrote:YHS

CCN

MVPB

DCN

G

VU..uh... GW? Some other schools

The Abyss

Florida Coastal
Cooley
Ave Maria

People's College of Law

Blatant anti-Texas trolling.

BeautifulSW wrote:Matthies:

You're in Phoenix, right? The only way I know to make really good money in criminal defense is to develop (ahem) working relationships with criminal organizations. Nothing intriniscally wrong with that, of course, but you need to be very careful to maintain (ahem again) sufficient professional distance to avoid (ahem yet again) difficulties with either your other clients or the authorities.

We have organized crime and official corruption aplenty here in N.Mex. and it has resulted in the spectacle of seeing high level ex-members of our state legislature serving time in Club Fed but there isn't much heavy duty criminal defense. That might be because no state law enforcement agency seems to be very interested in pursuing these people. Gosh, I wonder why?

Even here, a decent crim. defense lawyer will make a decent living but I doubt that more than two or three statewide consistently net six figures.

No, Denver. Its extreemly luctrive, $25k to fight a DUI is not uncommon.

Denver, hunh?

Have you ever done DUI defense? The clients are the absolute WORST...whiney, deep in denial, demanding...yuck. I HATE doing DUI. Give me a nice, straight cocaine sale or commercial burglar or employee embezzler or parking lot knifing any day. Criminals that have some sense of professionalism, you know?

Still...I could put up with a lot whining for $25,000. And I've got family in Denver...hmm.

Oh, and back to the OP's question...if he/she is intending to go into criminal practice in California, I would not rule out earning the J.D. from a California Bar accredited, non-ABA approved school. I have the impression that a lot of those people go into criminal law and when you're just starting out, a low overhead is essential.