Where to go? S. Tex, Miss. Coll, CSOL, Tex.Wes, Tex Southern Forum

[kid charlemagne]

Well, my good friend got the boot from Loyola (New Orleans) and needs opinions on where to go. I have been accepted to Tulane and we ultimately wanted to room together, but that's not in the works anymore. Unlike me, he's not the kind that has any interest in working for a big, huge law firm. I think he wouldn't mind working at a smaller firm and eventually starting his own practice. His options are: Charleston School of Law, Mississippi College School of Law, South Texas School of Law, Texas Southern School of Law, and Texas Wesleyan School of Law.

I said that if he attended Charleston, he would be living in a fantastic city. The school is provisionally approved, but it is supposedly in line for full accreditation in the summer of 2011. Also, he only has one other law school in the state to compete with (Univ. SCar). I think it is up and coming, but I don't know much about it.

Mississippi College would ultimately keep him in Mississippi or Northern Louisiana from what I have heard. But, he only has to compete with Ole Miss. I told him that it wouldn't be a bad gig if he could land a job in the Biloxi area.

I am vouching for him to go to South Texas in Houston. It's the oldest law school in Houston and the third oldest in the state of Texas. While the University of Houston is better (and we all know that the University of Texas runs the state), Houston is the 4th biggest city in the United States and the job market is solid there.

I told him to scratch Texas Southern. South Texas is better...

I don't know anything about Texas Wesleyan really. It's in downtown Fort Worth and I think the city is pretty fun? I'm sure it wouldn't be a bad school if you want to hang your own shingle in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

What does TLS think?

[bearsfan1]

I seriously doubt anybody on this site will have anything positive to say about any of those schools. Did he get booted for grades?

[mpj_3050]

OP means he wasn't accepted to Loyola NO. If he is adamant about not retaking then go with the cheapest Texas school b/c at least the economy is much stronger. If these are at sticker or w/ harsh stipulations you should implore this person to reconsider.

[kid charlemagne]

I seriously doubt anybody on this site will have anything positive to say about any of those schools. Did he get booted for grades?

I figured that much. However, we have seen first hand very prominent attorneys that went MS College, Loyola (Nola), Southern University, and so forth. And like I said earlier, he has no interest in working for a huge law firm. I think his grades were comparable to mine (3.0-3.2ish). His lsat was a 151...i'm honestly surprised that he got denied at Loyola.

[txchick]

Texas Wesleyan is a great school. I chose to go here over several different schools (over all tiers.) I don't wish to work in biglaw and that is really the biggest advantage other schools in the area have. Terrific city that is very supportive of the school and provides the opportunity to work with some amazing legal minds- one of the founders of our school (we are young, only 20 y.o.) was integral in setting up the justice system in Mongolia. You will also have a chance to stand out in a smaller school, were the open door policy really is just that. We have outstanding advocacy programs--our Moot Court team won nationals this year and will be competing internationally this summer. And we have both a law review and a property law journal (Headed by Gabriel Eckstein-water law expert, UN board member and resident Property Prof.)
I am just finishing my first year and I have a paid job with a firm for the first half of the summer and a clerkship with a federal judge for the second half. I am not having any issues finding positions.
As I said, it is a terrific school and I think we don't get a fair chance on this board. We aren't 150-200 years old and we aren't full of elitists. I don't miss them.

[Ty Webb]

Texas Wesleyan is a great school. I chose to go here over several different schools (over all tiers.) I don't wish to work in biglaw and that is really the biggest advantage other schools in the area have. Terrific city that is very supportive of the school and provides the opportunity to work with some amazing legal minds- one of the founders of our school (we are young, only 20 y.o.) was integral in setting up the justice system in Mongolia. You will also have a chance to stand out in a smaller school, were the open door policy really is just that. We have outstanding advocacy programs--our Moot Court team won nationals this year and will be competing internationally this summer. And we have both a law review and a property law journal (Headed by Gabriel Eckstein-water law expert, UN board member and resident Property Prof.)
I am just finishing my first year and I have a paid job with a firm for the first half of the summer and a clerkship with a federal judge for the second half. I am not having any issues finding positions.
As I said, it is a terrific school and I think we don't get a fair chance on this board. We aren't 150-200 years old and we aren't full of elitists. I don't miss them.

This advice borders on reckless.

OP - here are two ways of viewing the choice, but both need to be taken with the qualifier than none of those are a good choice.

South Texas is probably as well respected a T4 as there is (not saying a lot, obviously) and it benefits from a decent rep. in a big city. That is probably the easier place of the mentioned schools to get a solid job out of, though it's still an uphill battle.

He might choose Charleston because, knowing he's screwed already, it'd be best to spend 3 years in an awesome city before a lifetime of indentured servitude begins. Charleston's awesome, and if you're going to be unemployed, I'd rather be unemployed near a beautiful beach.

Worth noting that the legal economy in SC is shit. There aren't enough jobs to warrant one law school, let alone two.

[Grizz]

one of the founders of our school (we are young, only 20 y.o.) was integral in setting up the justice system in Mongolia.

That's awesome considering my ambition in life is to go to school here in the United States then move to central Asia and live in a yurt.

[Stringer Bell]

IIRC Texas Wesleyan and Texas Southern had extraordinarily bad employment statistics even pre ITE. South Texas isn't very promising either, but it's probably better than those two options.

[tittsburghfeelers]

Well, my good friend got the boot from Loyola (New Orleans) and needs opinions on where to go. I have been accepted to Tulane and we ultimately wanted to room together, but that's not in the works anymore. Unlike me, he's not the kind that has any interest in working for a big, huge law firm. I think he wouldn't mind working at a smaller firm and eventually starting his own practice. His options are: Charleston School of Law, Mississippi College School of Law, South Texas School of Law, Texas Southern School of Law, and Texas Wesleyan School of Law.

I said that if he attended Charleston, he would be living in a fantastic city. The school is provisionally approved, but it is supposedly in line for full accreditation in the summer of 2011. Also, he only has one other law school in the state to compete with (Univ. SCar). I think it is up and coming, but I don't know much about it.

Mississippi College would ultimately keep him in Mississippi or Northern Louisiana from what I have heard. But, he only has to compete with Ole Miss. I told him that it wouldn't be a bad gig if he could land a job in the Biloxi area.

I am vouching for him to go to South Texas in Houston. It's the oldest law school in Houston and the third oldest in the state of Texas. While the University of Houston is better (and we all know that the University of Texas runs the state), Houston is the 4th biggest city in the United States and the job market is solid there.

I told him to scratch Texas Southern. South Texas is better...

I don't know anything about Texas Wesleyan really. It's in downtown Fort Worth and I think the city is pretty fun? I'm sure it wouldn't be a bad school if you want to hang your own shingle in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

What does TLS think?

I just saw a thread a few days ago that had a chart listening the employment stats from like the top 100 schools (or maybe top 50, I'm not sure what Tulane is ranked at). If I remember correctly, according to the chart, Tulane didn't place a single student into traditional big law. I'm assuming that's what you mean by "big, huge law firm".

[Aberzombie1892]

I just saw a thread a few days ago that had a chart listening the employment stats from like the top 100 schools (or maybe top 50, I'm not sure what Tulane is ranked at). If I remember correctly, according to the chart, Tulane didn't place a single student into traditional big law. I'm assuming that's what you mean by "big, huge law firm".

That's not correct and you need to re-read both the chart and the Go-To-Law Schools list.

Reading comp fail?

[kalvano]

I don't know anything about Texas Wesleyan really. It's in downtown Fort Worth and I think the city is pretty fun? I'm sure it wouldn't be a bad school if you want to hang your own shingle in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

No. Avoid Wesleyan at all costs.

Texas Wesleyan is a great school. I chose to go here over several different schools (over all tiers.) I don't wish to work in biglaw and that is really the biggest advantage other schools in the area have. Terrific city that is very supportive of the school and provides the opportunity to work with some amazing legal minds- one of the founders of our school (we are young, only 20 y.o.) was integral in setting up the justice system in Mongolia. You will also have a chance to stand out in a smaller school, were the open door policy really is just that. We have outstanding advocacy programs--our Moot Court team won nationals this year and will be competing internationally this summer. And we have both a law review and a property law journal (Headed by Gabriel Eckstein-water law expert, UN board member and resident Property Prof.)
I am just finishing my first year and I have a paid job with a firm for the first half of the summer and a clerkship with a federal judge for the second half. I am not having any issues finding positions.
As I said, it is a terrific school and I think we don't get a fair chance on this board. We aren't 150-200 years old and we aren't full of elitists. I don't miss them.

I am going to venture out on a limb and say that this is slightly disingenuous. We have a ton of firms looking to hire a law clerk for the summer around here, at $10 - $14 an hour or so. That is not the same as what most people mean on here when they say they have a firm job. Also, you have an internship with a judge, which is easy to get. 1L summer stuff is easy to get around here. A clerkship is a paid position after graduation, which is very hard to get.

I'm glad you enjoy Wesleyan, but their employment prospects are AWFUL. They were before the economy went into the tank, and they are even worse now. I'm at the "other school" and I spoke with some Wesleyan transfers who were almost crying with joy to be out of there. And they were in the top percentages of the school. They said the employment prospects are abysmal.

Biglaw is not the only advantage the "other school" has. It destroys Wesleyan in basically every category possible.

[Aberzombie1892]

I don't know anything about Texas Wesleyan really. It's in downtown Fort Worth and I think the city is pretty fun? I'm sure it wouldn't be a bad school if you want to hang your own shingle in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

No. Avoid Wesleyan at all costs.

Texas Wesleyan is a great school. I chose to go here over several different schools (over all tiers.) I don't wish to work in biglaw and that is really the biggest advantage other schools in the area have. Terrific city that is very supportive of the school and provides the opportunity to work with some amazing legal minds- one of the founders of our school (we are young, only 20 y.o.) was integral in setting up the justice system in Mongolia. You will also have a chance to stand out in a smaller school, were the open door policy really is just that. We have outstanding advocacy programs--our Moot Court team won nationals this year and will be competing internationally this summer. And we have both a law review and a property law journal (Headed by Gabriel Eckstein-water law expert, UN board member and resident Property Prof.)
I am just finishing my first year and I have a paid job with a firm for the first half of the summer and a clerkship with a federal judge for the second half. I am not having any issues finding positions.
As I said, it is a terrific school and I think we don't get a fair chance on this board. We aren't 150-200 years old and we aren't full of elitists. I don't miss them.

I am going to venture out on a limb and say that this is slightly disingenuous. We have a ton of firms looking to hire a law clerk for the summer around here, at $10 - $14 an hour or so. That is not the same as what most people mean on here when they say they have a firm job. Also, you have an internship with a judge, which is easy to get. 1L summer stuff is easy to get around here. A clerkship is a paid position after graduation, which is very hard to get.

I'm glad you enjoy Wesleyan, but their employment prospects are AWFUL. They were before the economy went into the tank, and they are even worse now. I'm at the "other school" and I spoke with some Wesleyan transfers who were almost crying with joy to be out of there. And they were in the top percentages of the school. They said the employment prospects are abysmal.

Biglaw is not the only advantage the "other school" has. It destroys Wesleyan in basically every category possible.

OP - you should purchase the premium version of the US News law school rankings. The career data is invaluable (and certainly worth the $20)

[tittsburghfeelers]

I just saw a thread a few days ago that had a chart listening the employment stats from like the top 100 schools (or maybe top 50, I'm not sure what Tulane is ranked at). If I remember correctly, according to the chart, Tulane didn't place a single student into traditional big law. I'm assuming that's what you mean by "big, huge law firm".

That's not correct and you need to re-read both the chart and the Go-To-Law Schools list.

Reading comp fail?

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=150681

Scroll down and check out Tulane. I'm assuming that you're currently attending Tulane since you were so quick to jump to their defense so don't think that I'm attempting to attack your school. But, according to the chart, employment data for Tulane's placement in NLJ250 wasn't available, so it could be between 0%-13%. Regardless, attending Tulane with the expectation of obtaining a job at a big, huge law firm is probably not the greatest of investments.

Edit: Why would Tulane not release their stats regarding placement in NLJ250 if they did place up to 13% of graduates into the NLJ 250? Also, sorry for hijacking the thread.

[bartleby]

Not good choices but I'd suggest South Texas. Seems to do okay in Houston. A lot of borderline smart / hard working people from my HS class went there. I'm not sure you'll get a job coming out but much better than Tex Wes or Tex Southern.