Top Law Schools

I am from Seattle, but studied in the Bay Area for the past few years. I really like both areas, and can see myself working in one or the other cities in the future. I am torn between these two schools, given the location of both of these schools. I am just wondering what would the better school for me to attend given that I am interested in immigration law, government work, and/or Big Law. Also, which school would be the better school to attend in terms of prestige, reputation, etc. I know that UW is ranked higher, but I also know that UC Hastings is fairly prestigious in the Bay Area.

If you are a Wash. State resident, I think UW might be a good bit cheaper, if that matters to you. It would matter to me.

I also am from Seattle, though a very different, pre-Microsoft pre-Starbucks Seattle, and know S.F. fairly well. I'd rather live in Seattle but I suspect that the legal market will recover more quickly in the Bay Area.

There's a lot of immigration work in both places; fluency in a second language might be helpful. Gov't work is gov't work and I don't know anything about BigLaw except that it was never an option for me.

Good luck!

Both law schools are of equal prestige. Decide where you want to live & work, then make your choice if it is affordable. Otherwise, if still torn, attend Washington because, presumably, you will pay resident tuition.

CanadianWolf wrote:Both law schools are of equal prestige. Decide where you want to live & work, then make your choice if it is affordable. Otherwise, if still torn, attend Washington because, presumably, you will pay resident tuition.

Seconded.

CanadianWolf wrote:Both law schools are of equal prestige. Decide where you want to live & work for your first legal job, then make your choice if it is affordable. Otherwise, if still torn, attend Washington because, presumably, you will pay resident tuition.

Fixed. Where you go to law school is about your first job after law school. That sets your trajectory. I'm a 0L, but after quizzing an attorney (who is a managing partner at a large firm) about law schools, she finally sat me down and told me this bit of wisdom.

there is probably more immigration work in the bay area. but if it was me, I'd take UW.

Take UW. Its the top dog in Seattle, which should help with your employment prospects even though the legal market is much smaller.

In SF, you would be competing against tons of students from more prestigious schools, and the competition would be much more intense.

dissonance1848 wrote:Take UW. Its the top dog in Seattle, which should help with your employment prospects even though the legal market is much smaller.

In SF, you would be competing against tons of students from more prestigious schools, and the competition would be much more intense.

true, but I don't know how much that really means. unless you are top ~20% (at least) out of either school, you won't be getting a big firm job. probably more like top 10% these days. it sounds like OP is more interested in PI/small firm work anyway, in which case she should probably choose based on the region she wants to live in.

great, thanks for the insights. I guess I'm leaning towards UC Hastings, as I feel that it's time for a change of environment, and to meet new people. I guess my concern was since UC Hastings hasn't really been pulling up in the rankings these past few years, I didn't know how it would affect Hastings' prestige and reputation, and thus job prospects for graduates especially in the next few years.

This isn't even close. Hastings is terrible, and will only get worse as the beleaguered UC system continues to ratchet up tuition. The only reason to choose Hastings would be if you were certain that you wanted to work in the bay area, AND you had no other good options. Neither condition applies to you.