Top Law Schools

I don't care much about what city I work in, and I haven't really chosen field or sector yet. I'm somewhat interested in antitrust law and possibly choosing business/gov't over a firm career, but I'm not dead set on any of these things.

Northwestern ($90k): In a big city, so maybe easier to do internships during 2L and 3L. And if there's another recession, maybe I'd have an in with some Chicago firms that might have loyalty to NU. Also, might be fun to live in Chicago. It does better with NLJ 250 firms, but admittedly Duke might be better using different measures.

Duke ($81k, but with COL, it's essentially the same): It might be nice (for social life) to go to school on a college campus. The campus is very nice. It's ranked slightly better, though not every year. The students are younger (like me), but I guess that can be good or bad.

lawskyandhutch wrote:I don't care much about what city I work in, and I haven't really chosen field or sector yet. I'm somewhat interested in antitrust law and possibly choosing business/gov't over a firm career, but I'm not dead set on any of these things.

Northwestern ($90k): In a big city, so maybe easier to do internships during 2L and 3L. And if there's another recession, maybe I'd have an in with some Chicago firms that might have loyalty to NU. Also, might be fun to live in Chicago. It does better with NLJ 250 firms, but admittedly Duke might be better using different measures.

Duke ($81k, but with COL, it's essentially the same): It might be nice (for social life) to go to school on a college campus. The campus is very nice. It's ranked slightly better, though not every year. The students are younger (like me), but I guess that can be good or bad.

If you don't care, I'd take NW. They seem to place a bit better. I don't think friendship has much to do with 2-10 years in age once you're over 20.

Did you visit both? I can't imagine remaining indifferent after going to both campuses and speaking with people from both schools.

If you really don't care, I would take NU. They have a home market in Chicago, whereas Duke places most people in NY or other major markets that are accessible from NU as well.

bdubs wrote:Did you visit both? I can't imagine remaining indifferent after going to both campuses and speaking with people from both schools.

Truth. And this is pretty much what the decision comes down to.

If you really don't care, I would take NU. They have a home market in Chicago, whereas Duke places most people in NY or other major markets that are accessible from NU as well.

Huh? Aside from major markets (which are accessible from both schools), Duke places more in the south, while NW places more in the midwest. Though without ties (which may include a 1L summer internship), neither of these schools is likely to get you to secondary markets. If you have a preference for the midwest, go NW; for the south, go Duke. If you don't have a preference, choose based on where you'd rather spend the next 3 years.

bdubs wrote:Did you visit both? I can't imagine remaining indifferent after going to both campuses and speaking with people from both schools.

If you really don't care, I would take NU. They have a home market in Chicago, whereas Duke places most people in NY or other major markets that are accessible from NU as well.

why are you so against buffalo wild wings? blatant tgif fridays trolling.

beachbum wrote:Huh? Aside from major markets (which are accessible from both schools), Duke places more in the south, while NW places more in the midwest. Though without ties (which may include a 1L summer internship), neither of these schools is likely to get you to secondary markets. If you have a preference for the midwest, go NW; for the south, go Duke. If you don't have a preference, choose based on where you'd rather spend the next 3 years.

Chicago is a much bigger legal market than "the south". The number of home market opportunities at large, reputable firms is significant for someone with no particular geographic preference.

http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNL ... 2491269007

I guess I'm very indecisive, haha. Chicago is an awesome city. But it's very cold. I guess I have a love/hate relationship with the Midwest.

bdubs wrote:

beachbum wrote:Huh? Aside from major markets (which are accessible from both schools), Duke places more in the south, while NW places more in the midwest. Though without ties (which may include a 1L summer internship), neither of these schools is likely to get you to secondary markets. If you have a preference for the midwest, go NW; for the south, go Duke. If you don't have a preference, choose based on where you'd rather spend the next 3 years.

Chicago is a much bigger legal market than "the south". The number of home market opportunities at large, reputable firms is significant for someone with no particular geographic preference.

http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNL ... 2491269007

And yet these two schools still seem pretty even in placement power. Amazing.

If age is a concern, then Northwestern is the better choice for you. If not, then visit both & make a decision.

I can't imagine voluntarily choosing to live in Durham over Chicago for three years when roughly the same amount of money and caliber of schools are on the table.

beachbum wrote:

bdubs wrote:

beachbum wrote:Huh? Aside from major markets (which are accessible from both schools), Duke places more in the south, while NW places more in the midwest. Though without ties (which may include a 1L summer internship), neither of these schools is likely to get you to secondary markets. If you have a preference for the midwest, go NW; for the south, go Duke. If you don't have a preference, choose based on where you'd rather spend the next 3 years.

Chicago is a much bigger legal market than "the south". The number of home market opportunities at large, reputable firms is significant for someone with no particular geographic preference.

http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNL ... 2491269007

And yet these two schools still seem pretty even in placement power. Amazing.

All depends on your definition of "pretty even".

Just out of curiosity, do these schools place equally well on the West Coast?

bdubs wrote:

beachbum wrote:

bdubs wrote:

beachbum wrote:Huh? Aside from major markets (which are accessible from both schools), Duke places more in the south, while NW places more in the midwest. Though without ties (which may include a 1L summer internship), neither of these schools is likely to get you to secondary markets. If you have a preference for the midwest, go NW; for the south, go Duke. If you don't have a preference, choose based on where you'd rather spend the next 3 years.

Chicago is a much bigger legal market than "the south". The number of home market opportunities at large, reputable firms is significant for someone with no particular geographic preference.

http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNL ... 2491269007

And yet these two schools still seem pretty even in placement power. Amazing.

All depends on your definition of "pretty even".

Right, and this gets us into the downward spiral of arguing over the significance of many Duke students' self-selection into non-NLJ southern firms.

But, when all is said and done, are Biglaw firms going to dig deeper into one school's class than the other's? No. And while NW's location may give its students an advantage in networking with firms in a large legal market, NW also enrolls 30-40 more students/class than Duke, and faces direct competition from UChi and Michigan. And since Chicago is a destination market, lots and lots of students from top-ranked schools (including Duke) and lots of high-performing students from regional schools (i.e. WUSTL, ND) gun for jobs there. You can't network into a job that doesn't exist, or that has already been filled. And maybe this is just my limited experience talking, but I really haven't heard of many students networking into Biglaw jobs to begin with...

So I guess I'll go back to my original point. In terms of placement power, these schools are peers. One tends to place more in the south, the other in the midwest. Your best course of action would be to visit both schools and decide where you'd like to spend the next three years.

lawskyandhutch wrote:Just out of curiosity, do these schools place equally well on the West Coast?

Exact same number of NALP firms from CA come to both schools (66). I think both schools have historically place 10-15% of their classes on the West Coast. Duke has a slightly higher percentage last year though. I heard 2Ls and alums from both schools say that CA was a possibility.

I think the answer is probably yes, although neither will do as well as a top-tier CA school.

Based on 2007 - 2010 NLJ, it's about 51% Duke and 58% NU. If you add in the 2005 data, it's more like 53% Duke and 57% NU.

Based on 2007 - 2009 clerkship data, Duke places 4-5% more than NU.

For me it came down to weather.

Negligible difference in placement power.

I'd recommend that you take Duke. At NU, you are competing with an older, probably more mature, probably more gung-ho class of students. I'm not pulling this out of my a$$ - on average, married students do better.

Also, it's freezing in Chicago..

glewz wrote:Also, it's freezing in Chicago..

This is partially why I ultimately decided against NU.

glewz wrote:I'd recommend that you take Duke. At NU, you are competing with an older, probably more mature, probably more gung-ho class of students. I'm not pulling this out of my a$$ - on average, married students do better.

A reason to get married? Haha.

Thanks y'all.

lawskyandhutch wrote:Thanks y'all.

NP & congrats on getting those options. I've visited both, and there are so many great things to be said about either.

TGI Fridays sucks compared to Buffalo Wild Wings.

I am a 0L, and thus did not vote in your poll, as anything I say is probably just as likely to be mistaken/biased as correct. But regardless, my two cents--which you may want to take as 1cent.

Now this is about to get parenthesis heavy (be prepared):

For antitrust law, you are going to want to be in DC or NY. Other cities do it, but those two markets are where the action is (or so I am told). Therefore, if you like them both equally (which I actually understand, sometimes its hard to choose between extremes), and it seems like the prices are about the same (so definitely don't choose based on that), I think you should choose Duke (full disclosure, I am going there in the fall). Duke places most of their grads in New York and DC - where the antitrust jobs are.

Go to Duke, buy a blue devils t-shirt, have your current friends hate you for being a duke fan--its that simple.

I'd pick NU because I looooove Chicago and dislike the south. Let us know what you decide!

These are peers. Pick the school you prefer.

I've decided to take my talents to Chi-town.

lawskyandhutch wrote:I've decided to take my talents to Chi-town.

Great decision! Come on over and join us in the Northwestern CO 2014 thread.

http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 8&t=126571