Top Law Schools

Apart from the obvious (i.e. Texas), what T50 schools are marketable for firms in Houston? I'm not T10 material, but I also don't want to go to South Texas or TSU and be consigned to car accident litigation for the rest of my life.

Though not top 50, I understand University of Houston places very well in Houston and the surrounding area.

fear&loathingintexas wrote:Apart from the obvious (i.e. Texas), what T50 schools are marketable for firms in Houston? I'm not T10 material, but I also don't want to go to South Texas or TSU and be consigned to car accident litigation for the rest of my life.

1. UT
2. University of Houston

SMU and Baylor are probably the next best two options.

Aside from UT, go to UofH. If you are absolutely stuck on T50 (which would be silly), go to SMU. But SMU will not place as well in Houston as UofH. The only way I would recommend SMU over UofH is if SMU offers good money.

Also, if you get a full ride or close to STCL, that's something to consider, as I understand it does fairly well in Houston.


Edit - I'm assuming your numbers do not allow for UT or similar schools.

If it is t50 or bust, I suppose WUSTL or Vandy might be able to help you get there given there locations, but I sure as hell wouldn't bank on it.

I think Vandy would definitely be a good bet, but if you got in there, you'd probably also get into UT

http://law.vanderbilt.edu/alumni/alumni ... index.aspx

I've been researching this some because I want to end up in Houston too. And honestly, if a Houston office is hiring at an out-of-state school, I bet they'll be pretty interested in students like you who want to practice in Houston (provided your grades are high enough). Most kids will want to head off to the other big cities. I'd recommend going to the sites of schools that interest you and checking out their geographic placement info. And if there isn't any, can't hurt to email them

Anyway, this is how I'd rank the TX schools for Houston placement
Texas
UH
SMU
STCL (took my LSAT there, and it actually seemed pretty nice)

edit: I left Baylor off, because I can't imagine anyone wanting to go to Waco...

Obviously, UT is your best bet outside of HYS and the like. But if you have good ties to Houston (i.e. grew up there), then you can apply independently to Houston firms that don't do OCI and still do well. Accordingly, I would definitely look at schools like Vandy or WUSTL over UH.

1. Any T14 school, or UT
2. U Houston

I was seriously considering U Houston but want to work in Chicago so opted not to go there. If you are "not top 10 material," you must go to law school in the region or city where you look to work.

SBL wrote:Obviously, UT is your best bet outside of HYS and the like. But if you have good ties to Houston (i.e. grew up there), then you can apply independently to Houston firms that don't do OCI and still do well. Accordingly, I would definitely look at schools like Vandy or WUSTL over UH.

Tons of Texans (and especially Houstonians) in Vandy's UG. The percentage drops for the law school, but I think there's still a strong alumni base. WUSTL's making a big push to expand its reach in Texas and on the west coast right now. Seems like there are a bunch of Texas kids here, but maybe my group of acquaintances is skewed.

UT
UH
SMU
Tulane
Baylor
Other texas schools

MoS wrote:UT
UH
SMU
Tulane
Baylor
Other texas schools

+1 +Duke.... sprung from its sprocket...

I think you should consider UT, SMU, and Vandy. In fact, I recently looked at Vandy's placement stats (pre-ITE), and they were pretty impressive. Perhaps someone can weigh in on Vandy's placement this year or last. Also, Vandy looks really nice. I've never been there, but the pictures make me quite jealous as the UT facilities are a bit eclectic.

This thread is actually pretty pointless without knowing numbers.

kalvano wrote:This thread is actually pretty pointless without knowing numbers.

Agreed. When we don't know what options OP might have, it's impossible to give good advice. Also, for someone with ties to Texas, going to UofH over a school like UCLA or Vandy would be insane.

Tulane and LSU do OK in Houston, but definately go to UT or UH over those for Houston.

I would think you could go to any well-known/respected law school and, if you do well, Houston firms will be happy to hear from you. No need to limit yourself to Texas-area schools.

"Top 50" is not a meaningful category.

This thread is pointless without numbers.

thinkbig wrote:

MoS wrote:UT
UH
SMU
Tulane
Baylor
Other texas schools

+1 +Duke.... sprung from its sprocket...

I would agree, but if he is not sure he will get into UT, I don't think Duke is going to be an option.

Still throw an ap out there though.