Top Law Schools

I'm from Northern California and will be graduating Berkeley in May (twice, actually -- BA PoliSci and BS Business). I'd love to be in LA for a few years in law school, but am I shooting myself in the foot when I have offers from Berkeley and Chicago on the table?

Long term, I want to run for office so name recognition is obviously important but it's hard to know how much. Going to UCLA would cost $75-100k less, but is it worth it?

I'd appreciate some thoughts. Thanks TLS.

I would go to Chicago. You'll have plenty of opportunity to go back to CA because of your connections to the state--and you'll have less competition for the best CA jobs at U of C.

I'd say if you are a democrat go to boalt, because it's probably at the epicenter of liberal politics in california and you'll make great connections. If republican, Chicago or ucla are both great choices.

lol at Chicago being a "great choice" for a Republican...one of the most liberal schools in the nation.

jwrash wrote:lol at Chicago being a "great choice" for a Republican...one of the most liberal schools in the nation.

Huh? University of Chicago is only a little conservative (sarcasm). Maybe it's a bad choice for a torch and pitchfork social conservative. But for any kind of economic conservative, it's Mecca afaik.

Also Boalt makes Chicago look like Regent.

But Chicago is still very respected among conservative circles, especially fiscal conservatives, even though it is certainly a liberal school (like pretty much any other). Top schools that many would consider conservative, like UVA or Vandy, are actually schools that have an ideologically diverse faculty that include a sizable number of conservatives.

ahduth wrote:

jwrash wrote:lol at Chicago being a "great choice" for a Republican...one of the most liberal schools in the nation.

Huh? University of Chicago is only a little conservative (sarcasm). Maybe it's a bad choice for a torch and pitchfork social conservative. But for any kind of economic conservative, it's Mecca afaik.

Wait, there are conservatives that don't carry torches and pitchforks?

a poll may be helpful

I'd vote not return to Boalt...do you really wanna spend 7 years in 94720? Aren't you tired of asian ghetto and the same restaurants on telegraph? It'd be nice to get some away experience...

But people might comment more on your choice if you were more specific about what you wanted?

Also...if you want to be in LA because of things like...the weather...you may really hate Chicago.

Why do you want to be in LA and what do you want to do when you're done? Do you have family in LA or have a really compelling reason to want to be there?

cooper26 wrote:I'm from Northern California and will be graduating Berkeley in May (twice, actually -- BA PoliSci and BS Business). I'd love to be in LA for a few years in law school, but am I shooting myself in the foot when I have offers from Berkeley and Chicago on the table?

Long term, I want to run for office so name recognition is obviously important but it's hard to know how much. Going to UCLA would cost $75-100k less, but is it worth it?

I'd appreciate some thoughts. Thanks TLS.

If you want to run for office, Harvard or best public school in your state is TCR. If your target district/base area is SoCal, then UCLA. If NorCal, then Cal. Given that you are from NorCal that's probably the way to go. Chicago should be out for your stated goal, although most TLSers would tell you otherwise due to prestttige whoredom and a general eastern bias. The whole conservative school/liberal school thing is for those who want to join liberal or conservative DC thinktanks. If you want an elected office, you should care more about who Joe Six-Pack sees playing every Saturday on College Gameday then what the editors of the National Review or the Nation think about your school's professors.

At any rate, John Woo is at Berkeley these days...

jwrash wrote:

ahduth wrote:

jwrash wrote:lol at Chicago being a "great choice" for a Republican...one of the most liberal schools in the nation.

Huh? University of Chicago is only a little conservative (sarcasm). Maybe it's a bad choice for a torch and pitchfork social conservative. But for any kind of economic conservative, it's Mecca afaik.

Wait, there are conservatives that don't carry torches and pitchforks?

Chicago school of economics is the most conservative econ dept. in the US. Hayek and friedman were both faculty members

dr123 wrote:Chicago school of economics is the most conservative econ dept. in the US. Hayek and friedman were both faculty members

This is relevant neither to OP's query (what school should OP go to to advance a career in elected office) nor to the question of whether Chicago Law is conservative or liberal (Chicago econ department /=Chicago Law, and don't forget that a certain ex-Chicago Law prof is currently living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW).

Thanks for the input. I think that the whole 'conservative / liberal' school is probably overcooked, because it is probably looked at more by politicians themselves versus everyday voters.

As for LA, I have plenty of friends in the area and my fiance has family there. I've grown up in Northern California and only went a few miles away for undergrad at Berkeley. LA means West Coast contacts, but a change of pace and some excellent weather. (Obviously, not so much in Chicago.) I think the more realistic consideration at this point is Berkeley versus UCLA.

I'm also waiting at HYS and have been held at Harvard and Columbia. They could be gamechangers.