Top Law Schools

I know prospects arent that great for either but I have to choose. I have asked many ppl from attorneys to law advisors to students at the schools and have been getting mixed answers all around. St. john's offered me close to a full scholarship but I've read job prospects aren't that good over there so I plan to invest my time elsewhere. Please put in your two cents bc I need to choose a school soon! Thanks in advance!

Heres a summary:

Brooklyn Law: I have relatives in Brooklyn and can live with them during law school. I have also spent my summers interning in NY so my connections are all here. But school is considered bottom of the NY legal food chain. Tuition is 46,000 without factoring in scholarships. (looking at $100,000 debt)

UMN: I know only one person there and have no connections. However, I plan to extern back in NY during the summers (if that is possible) and hopefully practice in NY when I graduate. If I feel like I can establish myself in Minneapolis, then that wouldn't be a problem either. They have a great variety of clinics and is considered top school in region. Tuition + living costs here is about 60,000 for OOS (ie. me) before scholarships, making it more expensive than BLS. (looking at $150,000 debt)

The geographic difference doesn't scare me but I am worried about job placements in both since they are regional schools. I don't know what I am going to practice yet, so I am pretty much open to anything, although I would like to get some biglaw experience after I graduate.

no ones going to hire a brook grad over a st. johns grad if the st/ john's grad has a .1 better gpa or better internship experience. If you want ny, i'd go with st.johns almost full ride (and im assuming no stips - this is the real selling point).

I've heard Brooklyn does well in the public sector, comparative to its peers like St. Johns and Cardozo. I think that Brooklyn also has a slightly better reputation generally compared to St. Johns, and it is in a better location (St. Johns is kind of way out beyond public transit, which will make interning/externing kind of hard).

Since you want to get back to NYC when you graduate, stay there. I would try to use your St. Johns scholarship to get more money out of Brooklyn.

HyeMart wrote:no ones going to hire a brook grad over a st. johns grad if the st/ john's grad has a .1 better gpa or better internship experience. If you want ny, i'd go with st.johns almost full ride (and im assuming no stips - this is the real selling point).

Thanks! I should have added from the beginning that St. Johns has the same stip as Brooklyn, top 40%. If you fall below to 50%, you keep 75% of the scholarship, etc.

drleather wrote:I've heard Brooklyn does well in the public sector, comparative to its peers like St. Johns and Cardozo. I think that Brooklyn also has a slightly better reputation generally compared to St. Johns, and it is in a better location (St. Johns is kind of way out beyond public transit, which will make interning/externing kind of hard).

Since you want to get back to NYC when you graduate, stay there. I would try to use your St. Johns scholarship to get more money out of Brooklyn.

Yes, their alumni ties are strong and I think have a more regional stretch than St. John's, which is MUCH more local. I just don't want to pay so much for a school that may not provide a good return compared to UMN. But I see your point. Would it really be that bad if I go to UMN but get summer positions in NY? I know it's easier said than done, but hypothetically if I can, what advantages would a Brooklyn student have over me? We would have passed the same bar, gotten local internships.... Thanks for your response and sry if it sounds silly, but can you or someone elaborate?

OP, UMN absolutely owns the Minnesota legal market and has a strong showing in Chicago and the surrounding area. It will be tough to get back to NYC from there but if your primary concern is getting a job, you should absoluetly choose UMN

I'm a Brooklyn alum. I can tell you right offnthe bat that the difference in reputation between Bklyn and St johns is pretty negligible. Both schools are good regional schools, and regarded on equal footing as Cardozo, Hofstra, NYLS.
If you want my honest opinion, I would say don't take either school. You need to look at that loan debt. Brooklyn edges out Minnesota because you come out with less debt than at UMN (by 50K). if you intend to work in NY as an attorney I don't see why you are even considering UMN honestly.