Top Law Schools

Hey, so I have options over many parts of the country and I am trying to decide where I want to settle. I remember reading once that choosing a law school is a 10x tougher than choosing where to apply and right now it feels more like 1000x. Anyways, this poll has nothing to do with the actual law school or scholarship but solely on the city and its legal market. A little info on myself: I prefer the east coast though I currently go to school in the midwest and have enjoyed my time here, I prefer a city over rural though I do enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking and skiing. If you could, give a reason as to which place you chose as I am really intrigued by what people have to say about each city. So here is my best attempt at pulling a Lebron and say "What should I do?" Thanks!

Take your talents to south beach.

Lawl Shcool wrote:Take your talents to south beach.

+ 1

get the fuck away from los angeles. its not a city. its a sprawl of shitty suburbs.

Boston's a great place to be young. Culture and bustle like New York but not so sprawling and cheaper.

DC is a great place to be a young professional. There is always something going on and to do.

Also, since you like outdoor activities, VA and W. VA have great activities and to some extent, even Maryland. When I used to work at a law firm there after UG, Friday after work I'd go kayaking on the Potomac with some buddies to relax after the week. That was just a short walk to Georgetown.

$160,000 in NY is peanuts. Go check a cost of living calculator and you'd be shocked to see how much you'd need to make in order to live equivalent to an attorney in Chicago making $110,00.

I grew up in the VA/DMV area and its great. Legal market is just saturated and even though DC is a pretty exciting place, it is very "small". COL is a b*tch too.

I'd go w/Chicago. Big city. You can live "out" in a cool suburb like Lincoln Park, you can get a cheap flight to the East Coast, and your money can go significantly further than any of the other cities listed .

Cleveland.

Fred_McGriff wrote:Cleveland.

At least they're not Detroit!

I'd pick a law school that places well in some other market than DC or NYC. DC because no school truly places well there other than HYS. NYC because it's easy and doesn't care about ties.

I guess I'll represent my city here. So why I think Los Angeles will be good for you:

While LA isn't the typical "city" like New York, Chicago, or San Francisco are, you can still live in a dense urban area depending on the part of town you choose to live in. The part I think LA fits best is your interest in outdoor activites. There are great hiking/mountain biking trails in different parts of the city and great skiing just 4-5 hours away at Mammoth Mountain. Plus, the snow out west is infinitely better than the snow - if you can even call it that - in the east.

Desert Fox wrote:I'd pick a law school that places well in some other market than DC or NYC. DC because no school truly places well there other than HYS. NYC because it's easy and does not care about ties.

FTFY.

Sentry wrote:

Desert Fox wrote:I'd pick a law school that places well in some other market than DC or NYC. DC because no school truly places well there other than HYS. NYC because it's easy and does not care about ties.

FTFY.

Yep thanks.

speedyj88 wrote:I guess I'll represent my city here. So why I think Los Angeles will be good for you:

While LA isn't the typical "city" like New York, Chicago, or San Francisco are, you can still live in a dense urban area depending on the part of town you choose to live in. The part I think LA fits best is your interest in outdoor activites. There are great hiking/mountain biking trails in different parts of the city and great skiing just 4-5 hours away at Mammoth Mountain. Plus, the snow out west is infinitely better than the snow - if you can even call it that - in the east.

Denver pwns this entire statement

I voted for Chi as I'll probably end up there eventually. I liked LA for UG, and may go there for LS, but it's not someplace I'd ever want to permanently settle.

Seattle: big city, mountains, great hiking, and skiing.

Curry wrote:get the fuck away from los angeles. its not a city. its a sprawl of shitty suburbs.

LOLLOL hahahhahha

krad wrote:

speedyj88 wrote:I guess I'll represent my city here. So why I think Los Angeles will be good for you:

While LA isn't the typical "city" like New York, Chicago, or San Francisco are, you can still live in a dense urban area depending on the part of town you choose to live in. The part I think LA fits best is your interest in outdoor activites. There are great hiking/mountain biking trails in different parts of the city and great skiing just 4-5 hours away at Mammoth Mountain. Plus, the snow out west is infinitely better than the snow - if you can even call it that - in the east.

Denver pwns this entire statement

I voted for Chi as I'll probably end up there eventually. I liked LA for UG, and may go there for LS, but it's not someplace I'd ever want to permanently settle.

The skiing in Colorado is extremely intriguing...that is one of the big things I am worried about losing if I was to move to DC/Chicago...I am just not sure if there are any decent mountains nearby. Atleast with NYC I know I can take a weekend trip to the Catskill or Adirondacks...soooo much to think about!

ps - definitely appreciating all of the opinions being tossed around on this threat, thanks

speedyj88 wrote:I guess I'll represent my city here. So why I think Los Angeles will be good for you:

While LA isn't the typical "city" like New York, Chicago, or San Francisco are, you can still live in a dense urban area depending on the part of town you choose to live in. The part I think LA fits best is your interest in outdoor activites. There are great hiking/mountain biking trails in different parts of the city and great skiing just 4-5 hours away at Mammoth Mountain. Plus, the snow out west is infinitely better than the snow - if you can even call it that - in the east.

No. Not credited at all.

krad wrote:

speedyj88 wrote:I guess I'll represent my city here. So why I think Los Angeles will be good for you:

While LA isn't the typical "city" like New York, Chicago, or San Francisco are, you can still live in a dense urban area depending on the part of town you choose to live in. The part I think LA fits best is your interest in outdoor activites. There are great hiking/mountain biking trails in different parts of the city and great skiing just 4-5 hours away at Mammoth Mountain. Plus, the snow out west is infinitely better than the snow - if you can even call it that - in the east.

Denver pwns this entire statement

I voted for Chi as I'll probably end up there eventually. I liked LA for UG, and may go there for LS, but it's not someplace I'd ever want to permanently settle.

Haha, fair enough. I'll take the win with one word though...surf. I don't think you can beat LA for it's combination of outdoor activities, with the ocean, beach, sand, surf on one side and the mountains on the other. You can feasibly surf and ski in the same day.

But who are we kidding here, none of us are going to have time for any of this stuff post-law school.

Go to Chicago it is the city with the largest legal market that requires ties to the area. LA schools are generally not as good as Chicago schools.

You can get into NYC or DC from top schools without ties to the area, especially with good grades.

speedyj88 wrote:

krad wrote:

speedyj88 wrote:I guess I'll represent my city here. So why I think Los Angeles will be good for you:

While LA isn't the typical "city" like New York, Chicago, or San Francisco are, you can still live in a dense urban area depending on the part of town you choose to live in. The part I think LA fits best is your interest in outdoor activites. There are great hiking/mountain biking trails in different parts of the city and great skiing just 4-5 hours away at Mammoth Mountain. Plus, the snow out west is infinitely better than the snow - if you can even call it that - in the east.

Denver pwns this entire statement

I voted for Chi as I'll probably end up there eventually. I liked LA for UG, and may go there for LS, but it's not someplace I'd ever want to permanently settle.

Haha, fair enough. I'll take the win with one word though...surf. I don't think you can beat LA for it's combination of outdoor activities, with the ocean, beach, sand, surf on one side and the mountains on the other. You can feasibly surf and ski in the same day.

But who are we kidding here, none of us are going to have time for any of this stuff post-law school.

It should not take 2 hours to travel 9 miles via public transportation.

speedyj88 wrote:

krad wrote:

speedyj88 wrote:I guess I'll represent my city here. So why I think Los Angeles will be good for you:

While LA isn't the typical "city" like New York, Chicago, or San Francisco are, you can still live in a dense urban area depending on the part of town you choose to live in. The part I think LA fits best is your interest in outdoor activites. There are great hiking/mountain biking trails in different parts of the city and great skiing just 4-5 hours away at Mammoth Mountain. Plus, the snow out west is infinitely better than the snow - if you can even call it that - in the east.

Denver pwns this entire statement

I voted for Chi as I'll probably end up there eventually. I liked LA for UG, and may go there for LS, but it's not someplace I'd ever want to permanently settle.

Haha, fair enough. I'll take the win with one word though...surf. I don't think you can beat LA for it's combination of outdoor activities, with the ocean, beach, sand, surf on one side and the mountains on the other. You can feasibly surf and ski in the same day.

But who are we kidding here, none of us are going to have time for any of this stuff post-law school.

That's exactly why I said what I did- you didn't mention surf in your first statement I do miss the beach (FL native)!

It's looking like DC is falling behind...any reason in particular? I have heard some ppl talk about what a tough market it was but I would think it would have quite a large legal field...

justhockey31 wrote:It's looking like DC is falling behind...any reason in particular? I have heard some ppl talk about what a tough market it was but I would think it would have quite a large legal field...

It does, it's just that the schools here don't place well into their home market. If you go to GULC you are much better off shooting for NYC.

With regards to the beach and surfing...I have always wanted to try it but I am kind of afraid of being eaten by a shark