Best School to study disability rights? Forum

[Judith Butler]

I want to go to law school so I can help the Deaf community. Where should I go?

[vanwinkle]

HYS.

Seriously, if your goal is to do any kind of civil rights activist work, go to the best school you can, especially one that has a great loan forgiveness program.

[Borhas]

SYH

[Danteshek]

The Disability Rights Legal Center is located at Loyola Law School.

--LinkRemoved--

[vanwinkle]

The Disability Rights Legal Center is located at Loyola Law School.

--LinkRemoved--

The problem is that the OP seems to be asking two separate questions.

This helps the title, which is where the best school to study disability rights is. You could work at that legal center pro bono all through your law school tenure and probably study quite a bit about disability rights law.

However, OP also said they want to go to law school to help the deaf community, which also implies wanting to practice in that field when they graduate. In that case, HYS is the correct response, followed by the rest of the T14. Civil rights law is an intensely competitive field, and to have the best chance of getting a job you need to be in the best possible position when you graduate, which means going to the best school you possibly can.

That Disability Rights Legal Center is a nice thing, but notice how their entire civil rights litigation department is six people, one of whom is in a temporary fellowship position. You're not getting a job there when you graduate. In fact, it looks like much of the work they do requires pro bono assistance from outside attorneys; you'd be more likely to work for them at all by going to a school that would get you BigLaw (which means T14 or better), and then volunteering to help them pro bono for as many pro bono hours as your law firm will allow.

[Judith Butler]

The Disability Rights Legal Center is located at Loyola Law School.

--LinkRemoved--

The problem is that the OP seems to be asking two separate questions.

This helps the title, which is where the best school to study disability rights is. You could work at that legal center pro bono all through your law school tenure and probably study quite a bit about disability rights law.

However, OP also said they want to go to law school to help the deaf community, which also implies wanting to practice in that field when they graduate. In that case, HYS is the correct response, followed by the rest of the T14. Civil rights law is an intensely competitive field, and to have the best chance of getting a job you need to be in the best possible position when you graduate, which means going to the best school you possibly can.

That Disability Rights Legal Center is a nice thing, but notice how their entire civil rights litigation department is six people, one of whom is in a temporary fellowship position. You're not getting a job there when you graduate. In fact, it looks like much of the work they do requires pro bono assistance from outside attorneys; you'd be more likely to work for them at all by going to a school that would get you BigLaw (which means T14 or better), and then volunteering to help them pro bono for as many pro bono hours as your law firm will allow.

Best answer. Thanks.

[Borhas]

The Disability Rights Legal Center is located at Loyola Law School.

--LinkRemoved--

The problem is that the OP seems to be asking two separate questions.

This helps the title, which is where the best school to study disability rights is. You could work at that legal center pro bono all through your law school tenure and probably study quite a bit about disability rights law.

However, OP also said they want to go to law school to help the deaf community, which also implies wanting to practice in that field when they graduate. In that case, HYS is the correct response, followed by the rest of the T14. Civil rights law is an intensely competitive field, and to have the best chance of getting a job you need to be in the best possible position when you graduate, which means going to the best school you possibly can.

That Disability Rights Legal Center is a nice thing, but notice how their entire civil rights litigation department is six people, one of whom is in a temporary fellowship position. You're not getting a job there when you graduate. In fact, it looks like much of the work they do requires pro bono assistance from outside attorneys; you'd be more likely to work for them at all by going to a school that would get you BigLaw (which means T14 or better), and then volunteering to help them pro bono for as many pro bono hours as your law firm will allow.

yes yes yes going to SYH/YSH is better for getting ANY job

but what frustrates me about these sorts of empty answers is that they give no especially useful information. Aside from saying specialty in law school may not be a particularly important choice in school, it's also important to recognize that when weighing options people aren't weighing Loyola vs. YSH/SYH they are weighing Loyola against schools in that region like USC, ASU, USD etc and in that pool of similarly selective schools (so maybe not USC) but Tulane, Florida, Pepperdine etc...

Which regions have places that even do that sort of thing?
which schools have clinics that deal with that sort of thing?

these factors ought to be weighed within the selectivity class of possible schools...

[Renzo]

yes yes yes going to SYH/YSH is better for getting ANY job

but what frustrates me about these sorts of empty answers is that they give no especially useful information. Aside from saying specialty in law school may not be a particularly important choice in school, it's also important to recognize that when weighing options people aren't weighing Loyola vs. YSH/SYH they are weighing Loyola against schools in that region like USC, ASU, USD etc and in that pool of similarly selective schools (so maybe not USC) but Tulane, Florida, Pepperdine etc...

Which regions have places that even do that sort of thing?
which schools have clinics that deal with that sort of thing?

these factors ought to be weighed within the selectivity class of possible schools...

True, in a perfect world. But I understand the violence with which people here respond, because schools tell a lot of lies about just how far a specialty center will carry your career beyond that class of comparably selective schools.

[IAFG]

If you want to help deaf people become a social worker or lobbyist or something, WTF

[Danteshek]

I feel like TLS is like a Twilight Zone where everyone has the numbers to go to HYS

[Grizz]

If you want to help deaf people become a social worker or lobbyist or something, WTF

[Borhas]

If you want to help deaf people become a social worker or lobbyist or something, WTF

or that

[Judith Butler]

If you want to help deaf people become a social worker or lobbyist or something, WTF

I'm not charming enough for politics and I'm too mean to be a social worker. Interpreting is boring and doesn't suit my personality.

Lobbyists didn't get the ADA passed by themselves. Snarky lawyers were behind that too.

I know a lawyer who is very involved with the Deaf community here. If my paid work is unrelated to public service I can cope as long as I can do pro bono on the side. A legal education that emphasizes PS would be helpful either way.

Thanks for your constructive criticism.

[JOThompson]

Attend the best school that you can. Specialty rankings and programs do not translate into better job placement in those areas.

[IAFG]

If you want to help deaf people become a social worker or lobbyist or something, WTF

I'm not charming enough for politics and I'm too mean to be a social worker. Interpreting is boring and doesn't suit my personality.

Lobbyists didn't get the ADA passed by themselves. Snarky lawyers were behind that too.

I know a lawyer who is very involved with the Deaf community here. If my paid work is unrelated to public service I can cope as long as I can do pro bono on the side. A legal education that emphasizes PS would be helpful either way.

Thanks for your constructive criticism.

So go ask the person you know in the field. I rather doubt they will recommend picking out a school based on specialty though.

[vanwinkle]

Attend the best school that you can. Specialty rankings and programs do not translate into better job placement in those areas.

This is pretty much what I said, just much more concisely. And just as true.

[Tanicius]

I don't know what numbers you're working with here, but Berkeley probably has the strongest awareness of disability rights out of any school in the country.Their application asks specific questions about whether you have a disability, and this is probably related to Berkeley's heavy involvement in disability rights in the 70's, 80's, and 90's. Berkeley probably has the strongest connections to this specific civil rights issue, and their public interest programs are already some of the strongest in the country. I would encourage you to contact Boalt's administration and look into more details if you know disability rights is what you want to do.