UC Hastings vs. Loyola LA Forum

[MST3K]

I am trying to decide between these two, but the search function has not provided me with anything conclusive. Can anyone share some insight for reasons to pick one school over the other? If so, thanks in advance.

Things to note:

Cost is not a deciding factor for me, but gaining residency after 1L would help lower tuition costs at Hastings.
I'm not sure where/what I want to practice (but I am interested in IP and Constitutional law)
I would like to have the highest assurance possible that I can at least obtain a job at a law firm upon graduation..
I'm from Phoenix so living in LA would be nice since it's not too much of a drive. (although I wouldn't make that trip more than twice a semester)

Thanks again.

[darkatillam2]

Hastings is higher ranked (almost 30 spots) plus has less graduate saturation if you will. Loyola grads have to compete with UCLA and USC grads in the LA market which puts Loyola students at a disadvantage. I have two friends who are graduating this year from Loyola with very meager employment prospects. This could be due to other factors, but I know for a fact Loyola grads are sought after with a lower frequency than UCLA and USC grads.

Hastings is the best law school SF has to offer, so securing a job in the city isn't as difficult (yes, Stanford is close, but it's not in the city). My cousin works as a CEO for an accounting firm and she pretty much exclusively pulls lawyers from Hastings over nearby schools (Santa Clara, Golden Gate, etc). If you're looking to do Con Law then Hastings would be a better choice as well. I can't really speak for Loyola's IP vs. Hasting's IP, but if you do a little research and read up on each school's profiles, you'll find Hastings public law/con law programs are solid.

[071816]

Hastings is higher ranked (almost 30 spots) plus has less graduate saturation if you will. Loyola grads have to compete with UCLA and USC grads in the LA market which puts Loyola students at a disadvantage. I have two friends who are graduating this year from Loyola with very meager employment prospects. This could be due to other factors, but I know for a fact Loyola grads are sought after with a lower frequency than UCLA and USC grads.

Hastings is the best law school SF has to offer, so securing a job in the city isn't as difficult (yes, Stanford is close, but it's not in the city). My cousin works as a CEO for an accounting firm and she pretty much exclusively pulls lawyers from Hastings over nearby schools (Santa Clara, Golden Gate, etc). If you're looking to do Con Law then Hastings would be a better choice as well. I can't really speak for Loyola's IP vs. Hasting's IP, but if you do a little research and read up on each school's profiles, you'll find Hastings public law/con law programs are solid.

Lol and Hastings has to compete with the likes of Stanford, Berkeley, and Davis, not to mention that the legal market in the bay area is much smaller than that of LA. Just some things to think about. I think OP should follow the money and if money is not a factor, go with which school you like best. If OP wants Nor Cal I say definitely Hastings. If OP wants So Cal/ LA it is more of a toss up. Loyola has over 15,00 living alumni in the LA area, so if that is where you want to be and you do not want big law, then Loyola is a solid option. The employment statistics for the two schools look pretty similar right now and neither is going to likely get you big law. IMO they are both solid regional schools with Hastings having more pull in So Cal than Loyola has in Nor Cal.

I am actually WL'd at Hastings and Davis and in at Loyola with an 87k scholarship (top 30% stip). I have no real preference for LA over the bay area and am constantly debating whether Hastings would be worth sticker over Loyola with a scholarship. It is a tough decision.

Edit: Also, FWIW Hastings and Loyola are only separated by 12 in the most current US News rankings (not "almost 30" as the poster above me said).

[darkatillam2]

My bad, I was using LSN's ranking of Hastings (38) vs. Loyola's (63) which is only 25 apart. I am aware US news newest rankings have them much closer with Hastings losing 4 spots and Loyola gaining 9.

And Lol, yes.... Hastings does have to compete with Stanford and Berkley. But so does every other school not in the T8. Those grads garner enough prestige to find jobs in almost any city. Hastings options are much more limited regionally. Just because Stanford is close to SF, does not mean a majority of their grads seek jobs in SF. Hastings is a much different story.

If you wanna be a dick about it Davis is much closer to Sac than SF

Also, Hastings graphs show slightly higher annual salaries out of school than Loyola.

[Lasers]

if you are open to both norcal/socal after graduation, hastings is the very obvious choice.

if only socal, then that makes it tougher.

[sundance95]

Hastings is the best law school SF has to offer, so securing a job in the city isn't as difficult (yes, Stanford is close, but it's not in the city). My cousin works as a CEO for an accounting firm and she pretty much exclusively pulls lawyers from Hastings over nearby schools (Santa Clara, Golden Gate, etc).

WTF are you talking about? Do you really think the political boundaries of SF are a meaningful distinction? Cal and Stanford stomp Hastings even (gasp) in SF. Despite your highly sensitive inside knowledge of SF hiring practices (T1 grads are preferred over T2/3 grads?! GTFO!) it's clear you have never been to the Bay Area if you think Berkeley and Palo Alto are somehow removed from the city in terms of professional hiring.

If you're looking to do Con Law then Hastings would be a better choice as well. I can't really speak for Loyola's IP vs. Hasting's IP, but if you do a little research and read up on each school's profiles, you'll find Hastings public law/con law programs are solid.

Doing Con Law? Even if OP was interested in con law, which he isn't, the chances of obtaining a career in constitutional law out of Hastings are infinitesminal. Also, no one cares about program rankings.

OP, as lasers has said, what you need to consider is this-do I want to be in SF or LA? Know that the Bay Area is more insular than LA.

[071816]

Everything sundance said was spot on IMO.

[Borhas]

LA seems to be a fairly open market, while the Bay Area is very tough to crack (high demand for it, and smaller market than LA)

going to Hastings probably opens up Bay Area and LA opportunities, whereas Loyola is bit more regional

WTF are you talking about? Do you really think the political boundaries of SF are a meaningful distinction? Cal and Stanford stomp Hastings even (gasp) in SF. Despite your highly sensitive inside knowledge of SF hiring practices (T1 grads are preferred over T2/3 grads?! GTFO!) it's clear you have never been to the Bay Area if you think Berkeley and Palo Alto are somehow removed from the city in terms of professional hiring.

strawman

[bk1]

Cost is not a deciding factor for me

Why not? Are you independently wealthy? Is someone covering your costs for you? Did you just win the lottery?

[MST3K]

Cost is not a deciding factor for me

Why not? Are you independently wealthy?

Yes, and that is why the cost between the schools don't matter to me.

[bk1]

Yes, and that is why the cost between the schools don't matter to me.

Then go to Hastings. It is a more well regarded school and thus has better employment prospects.

[20160810]

Hastings is higher ranked (almost 30 spots) plus has less graduate saturation if you will. Loyola grads have to compete with UCLA and USC grads in the LA market which puts Loyola students at a disadvantage. I have two friends who are graduating this year from Loyola with very meager employment prospects. This could be due to other factors, but I know for a fact Loyola grads are sought after with a lower frequency than UCLA and USC grads.

Hastings is the best law school SF has to offer, so securing a job in the city isn't as difficult (yes, Stanford is close, but it's not in the city). My cousin works as a CEO for an accounting firm and she pretty much exclusively pulls lawyers from Hastings over nearby schools (Santa Clara, Golden Gate, etc). If you're looking to do Con Law then Hastings would be a better choice as well. I can't really speak for Loyola's IP vs. Hasting's IP, but if you do a little research and read up on each school's profiles, you'll find Hastings public law/con law programs are solid.

Lol and Hastings has to compete with the likes of Stanford, Berkeley, and Davis, not to mention that the legal market in the bay area is much smaller than that of LA. Just some things to think about. I think OP should follow the money and if money is not a factor, go with which school you like best. If OP wants Nor Cal I say definitely Hastings. If OP wants So Cal/ LA it is more of a toss up. Loyola has over 15,00 living alumni in the LA area, so if that is where you want to be and you do not want big law, then Loyola is a solid option. The employment statistics for the two schools look pretty similar right now and neither is going to likely get you big law. IMO they are both solid regional schools with Hastings having more pull in So Cal than Loyola has in Nor Cal.

I am actually WL'd at Hastings and Davis and in at Loyola with an 87k scholarship (top 30% stip). I have no real preference for LA over the bay area and am constantly debating whether Hastings would be worth sticker over Loyola with a scholarship. It is a tough decision.

Edit: Also, FWIW Hastings and Loyola are only separated by 12 in the most current US News rankings (not "almost 30" as the poster above me said).

The Bay Area legal market isn't much smaller than LA's at all actually. Silicon Valley, broheim. Check you facts.

[UCLAtransfer]

The Bay Area legal market isn't much smaller than LA's at all actually. Silicon Valley, broheim. Check you facts.

This may be true in absolute numbers (I haven't seen an exact comparison), but I don't think that anyone disputes that the Bay Area market is MUCH more insular and way tougher to crack than LA.

[Case2L]

Are you independently wealthy?

Yes.

Then do not go to law school. Why ruin a good thing?

p.s. - MST3K is my favorite show. Good choice of screen name!

[071816]

The Bay Area legal market isn't much smaller than LA's at all actually. Silicon Valley, broheim. Check you facts.

This may be true in absolute numbers (I haven't seen an exact comparison), but I don't think that anyone disputes that the Bay Area market is MUCH more insular and way tougher to crack than LA.

This. Also, if you include all of LA county, Orange county, San Bernardino county and Riverside county in this comparison, I have a hard time believing that the LA area legal market isn't significantly larger than that of the bay area. The greater LA area pop. is about 18 million vs. 8 million or so for the bay area. So I guess this would depend on actual number/types of legal jobs in each area and how we would define "much smaller."

[MST3K]

Are you independently wealthy?

Yes.

Then do not go to law school. Why ruin a good thing?

p.s. - MST3K is my favorite show. Good choice of screen name!

I value education and would like to practice law. Plus, my undergrad degree is useless.

P.S. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDjBsOkidek

[sundance95]

strawman

No straw man brah

Hastings is the best law school SF has to offer, so securing a job in the city isn't as difficult (yes, Stanford is close, but it's not in the city). My cousin works as a CEO for an accounting firm and she pretty much exclusively pulls lawyers from Hastings over nearby schools (Santa Clara, Golden Gate, etc).

[drdolittle]

If cost is not a factor, and nothing else seems to matter much either, you should go to the clearly higher ranked school: Hastings.

[Borhas]

strawman

No straw man brah

Hastings is the best law school SF has to offer, so securing a job in the city isn't as difficult (yes, Stanford is close, but it's not in the city). My cousin works as a CEO for an accounting firm and she pretty much exclusively pulls lawyers from Hastings over nearby schools (Santa Clara, Golden Gate, etc).

not sure how you fail to realize that none of what you said contradicts anything in that quote

[Borhas]

The Bay Area legal market isn't much smaller than LA's at all actually. Silicon Valley, broheim. Check you facts.

you have numbers specific to the legal market? I'd be curious to see because So Cal is way bigger in general... and unfortunately the Bay Area has about as many law schools as So Cal.

SoCal (LA, SD, Long Beach)
Population: 22 million
Total Entering Class Size of Law [T1 and T2] Schools: 1500 full time students (1560 if you count UCI)
Schools: USC, UCLA, USD, Loyola, Pepperdine (+ UCI)


Bay Area (San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, Fremont, Santa Rosa, Concord, Fairfield, Berkeley, Napa, San Rafael, Hayward)
Population: 7.5 million (I'm not including Central Valley/ Sacramento)
Total Entering Class Size of: 1560
Schools: SLS, UCB, UCH, UCD, SCU, USF

[HopelesslyOptimistic]

For what it's worth, I was choosing between the same 2 schools, and chose Hastings. I live in Los Angeles and could not decide whether I want to practice in socal or norcal, and wanted the school that would give me both options. After doing a little research and visiting both, I felt that Hastings has a better reach in socal than Loyola has in norcal(if that makes sense?), and I liked the overall "feel" and location of Hastings moreso than Loyola...just my 2 cents.

[jarofsoup]

If you go to Hasting you get the free bonus of seeing a homeless person shoot up during your lunch breaks.

I actually really like Hastings and it is cheaper(if you are a CA resident that is).

[sweetclementine]

I work at a firm that has both Loyola lawyers and Hastings lawyers in Santa Monica, CA. They're all great, and they all work in the same place, and they all have an absolutely fantastically incredibly beautiful view of the beach and the pier from their offices. Doesn't that sound attractive? I certainly think so, particularly because my view is of a wall, just beyond which is that fabulous ocean.

I would choose Hastings if I were you though due to the fact that LA has a few other really great, hard-to-compete-with law schools, and San Francisco doesn't. You're the cream of the crop in SF, but not in LA. Gotta do what works for you, though!

[sundance95]

I would choose Hastings if I were you though due to the fact that LA has a few other really great, hard-to-compete-with law schools, and San Francisco doesn't. You're the cream of the crop in SF, but not in LA. Gotta do what works for you, though!

/facepalm

[071816]

I would choose Hastings if I were you though due to the fact that LA has a few other really great, hard-to-compete-with law schools, and San Francisco doesn't. You're the cream of the crop in SF, but not in LA. Gotta do what works for you, though!

/facepalm

+1