Top Law Schools

The title sums it up. I want to practice in the Northwest or So Cal. I know that I could take a T14 degree back to the NW, but then again, UW or USC could be a legitimately enjoyable experience, and if I graduated with half the debt, it's that much sooner you can start putting equity into a house, saving for your kid's college, etc.

Are the career prospects in the region that much stronger from say, Michigan or Duke than they would be from USC or UW?

P.S. Berkley and Stanford are out.

Do you have $$$ at USC too? If not, then T14. If so, then if you are 100% sure you wanna stay in SoCal, USC. Don't go to UW.

Where do you get the idea you will get money at UW? Judging from LSN they give out very few scholarship offers.

USC appears to max out scholarships at $75k which is a bit less than 50% of COA.

I would probably take the T14 for the mobility. Neither of those options looks particularly great. You MIGHT be able to get money at Michigan with your #s, I would say that would be preferable to both.

bdubs wrote:Where do you get the idea you will get money at UW? Judging from LSN they give out very few scholarship offers.

USC appears to max out scholarships at $75k which is a bit less than 50% of COA.

I would probably take the T14 for the mobility. Neither of those options looks particularly great. You MIGHT be able to get money at Michigan with your #s, I would say that would be preferable to both.

Great is a relative term. I know people who would kill to get into either of those but are stuck in the TTT. I understand how great of an oppurtunity Michigan-esque schools are, but $180,000 in debt?

Holy shit.

Here is the trade off as I see it:

If you go to school at Duke or Michigan there is (arguably) a greater chance that you will wind up working a job fairly close to what you want to do in a market that isn't where you want to be.

If you go to school at UW (and to a lesser extent USC) there is a (not as arguably) a greater chance you won't be able to get a job that's at all close to what you want to do anywhere.

I say: apply broadly, visit, negotiate, and talk to people in your local market about how these schools are perceived there.

lisjjen wrote:

bdubs wrote:Where do you get the idea you will get money at UW? Judging from LSN they give out very few scholarship offers.

USC appears to max out scholarships at $75k which is a bit less than 50% of COA.

I would probably take the T14 for the mobility. Neither of those options looks particularly great. You MIGHT be able to get money at Michigan with your #s, I would say that would be preferable to both.

Great is a relative term. I know people who would kill to get into either of those but are stuck in the TTT. I understand how great of an oppurtunity Michigan-esque schools are, but $180,000 in debt?

Holy shit.

I should have been more careful in how I worded that. I know many people don't have the same choices, but given that you do or expect to have this choice I think that UW/USC are not "great" for an applicant who just desires a job on the west coast.

I would definitely apply to all of the listed options and see what you can get scholarship wise. Once you've been accepted and have your offers then the decision may be easier.

I would not recommend taking up a ton of debt before practicing in the northwest, for (to me) obvious reasons. Have you lived in the northwest, or are you familiar with the legal market out here?

T14.

motiontodismiss wrote:T14.

Compelling argument

lisjjen wrote:

motiontodismiss wrote:T14.

Compelling argument

Not much $$$ in a shit legal market (California) for a school that places almost exclusive into that market vs. a school that can place into at least two (NY plus local) markets? You had to have this spelled out for you? Come on.

motiontodismiss wrote:

lisjjen wrote:

motiontodismiss wrote:T14.

Compelling argument

Not much $$$ in a shit legal market (California) for a school that places almost exclusive into that market vs. a school that can place into at least two (NY plus local) markets? You had to have this spelled out for you? Come on.

Plz don't talk down to me. What makes you a legal expert? The entire legal market is hurting, I'm not really certain California is facing the brunt of it.

If I wanted to practice in Seattle, I'd probably take the Gates at UW over just about anything.

lisjjen wrote:

motiontodismiss wrote:

lisjjen wrote:

motiontodismiss wrote:T14.

Compelling argument

Not much $$$ in a shit legal market (California) for a school that places almost exclusive into that market vs. a school that can place into at least two (NY plus local) markets? You had to have this spelled out for you? Come on.

Plz don't talk down to me. What makes you a legal expert? The entire legal market is hurting, I'm not really certain California is facing the brunt of it.

1. Nobody's talking down to anyone.
2. I never claimed to be an expert.
3. Fact is, the east coast has been and always will be in better shape than California. And having a realistic shot at two markets>>>>>only one.

lisjjen wrote:

motiontodismiss wrote:

lisjjen wrote:

motiontodismiss wrote:T14.

Compelling argument

Not much $$$ in a shit legal market (California) for a school that places almost exclusive into that market vs. a school that can place into at least two (NY plus local) markets? You had to have this spelled out for you? Come on.

Plz don't talk down to me. What makes you a legal expert? The entire legal market is hurting, I'm not really certain California is facing the brunt of it.

The entire legal market is hurting, but California is hurting disproportionately compared to other large markets.

The East Coast markets tend to recover more quickly given the more diverse practice areas available (at least in New York) -- CA is pretty much all litigation, limited transactional work. Also, corporations, mostly incorporated in Delaware, provide work for New York offices, not so much LA offices.

If you want to work in California, you better get good grades from a good school, be willing to target smaller firms -- competitive because most only take on a couple summers, if any -- since there are limited opportunities for biglaw, and more or less commit yourself to litigation. The Pacific NW market is even more competitive than California, although if you graduate with no debt it might be okay to roll the dice on UW.

On a seperate note I remember your thread back in August when you wondering where to apply with your numbers and you were surprised when we told you had the numbers for the T14. Glad to see you're having a great cycle and that TLS might have helped you get there!

lisjjen wrote:The title sums it up. I want to practice in the Northwest or So Cal. I know that I could take a T14 degree back to the NW, but then again, UW or USC could be a legitimately enjoyable experience, and if I graduated with half the debt, it's that much sooner you can start putting equity into a house, saving for your kid's college, etc.

Are the career prospects in the region that much stronger from say, Michigan or Duke than they would be from USC or UW?

P.S. Berkley and Stanford are out.

What are your exact T14 options, are some apps still pending. You may not have to make this choice now, right?

Total Litigator wrote:On a seperate note I remember your thread back in August when you wondering where to apply with your numbers and you were surprised when we told you had the numbers for the T14. Glad to see you're having a great cycle and that TLS might have helped you get there!

It definitely did. Thanks for all the input. My god, if I hadn't have started checking the threads, I would have applied ED to Georgetown and then hung myself with a piano wire when UMich said yes.

DieAntwoord wrote: What are your exact T14 options, are some apps still pending. You may not have to make this choice now, right?

I have 7 T14 options still pending. Right now it's just UMich. Texas is also there -they're barely not T14, they are just going to give me money.

motiontodismiss wrote: 1. Nobody's talking down to anyone.
2. I never claimed to be an expert.
3. Fact is, the east coast has been and always will be in better shape than California. And having a realistic shot at two markets>>>>>only one.

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