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Going to Law School in Florida: Want to Practice in MA after
Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 11:46 pm
by Miami781
I live in Massachusetts going to a competitive private liberal arts undergrad college within the state.
I want to go to law school in Florida, either Miami, FSU, or Florida , but after graduation want to return to Massachusetts, take the Bar, hopefully pass, then practice here. I do want to live in Florida for good some day but after Law school do want to return back up North for my first job or so.
My question is would this be reasonable to believe I could go to a FSU or Miami then return up north to work.
Thanks
Re: Going to Law School in Florida: Want to Practice in MA after
Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 11:52 pm
by MrPapagiorgio
Changed my mind
Re: Going to Law School in Florida: Want to Practice in MA after
Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 11:53 pm
by NoleinNY
Miami781 wrote:I live in Massachusetts going to a competitive private liberal arts undergrad college within the state.
I want to go to law school in Florida, either Miami, FSU, or Florida , but after graduation want to return to Massachusetts, take the Bar, hopefully pass, then practice here. I do want to live in Florida for good some day but after Law school do want to return back up North for my first job or so.
My question is would this be reasonable to believe I could go to a FSU or Miami then return up north to work.
Thanks
No.
Unless you have a guaranteed job lined up and all you need is a law degree from anywhere, don't go to a FL school (whether FSU, UM, or UF) if you don't plan on living and working in the South.
If not Harvard, aim for BC/BU (or some other NE T30).
Re: Going to Law School in Florida: Want to Practice in MA after
Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 11:55 pm
by monkey85
Anything is possible, but you will be putting more pressure on yourself to be a top performer at your Florida school in order for the MA firms to look at you.
If you know that you want to be in MA, I would suggest choosing from BU, BC, and (if an option) Harvard.
What is the draw to FL?
Re: Going to Law School in Florida: Want to Practice in MA after
Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 10:58 am
by Miami781
I always wanted to do undergrad in Florida, ended up staying in Massachusetts, was hoping I could at least get 3 years down there getting my Law Degree.
I plan on applying to those 3 Florida Schools as well as
BU , Northeastern, and Suffolk
No way with a 3.5 I am getting into Harvard or BC
Re: Going to Law School in Florida: Want to Practice in MA after
Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 12:05 pm
by HeavenWood
monkey85 wrote:Anything is possible, but you will be putting more pressure on yourself to be a top performer at your Florida school in order for the MA firms to look at you.
If you know that you want to be in MA, I would suggest choosing from BU, BC, and (if an option) Harvard.
What is the draw to FL?
I don't think this is necessarily true with strong ties. Then again, if you're sure you want to work in MA and can't get into a T14, why shouldn't you go to law school there?
Re: Going to Law School in Florida: Want to Practice in MA after
Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 12:13 pm
by 2014
I really doubt that a Boston firm is going to take a UF/FSU/Miami/Stetson grad at median whose ties to the area are they went to UG there. If you even get interviews through mass mailing (because none of the firms will be at any of those OCIs) the first question they will probably ask you is "Why did you go to Florida for law school?" and your answer to that could very well undermine your connection to the city. Plus when you consider that they have probably 400 resumes rolling in from BU/BC/Harvard right in their back yard and maybe that many more from the other T14s that are close, I just don't see how you could ever be competitive without something killer on your resume that they can't resist.
The only way I would go to a Florida school in your case is if I had some sort of job lined up or an "In" to at least get an interview at a firm you like or if I was willing to work in probably Florida and at least the south.
Re: Going to Law School in Florida: Want to Practice in MA after
Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 2:54 pm
by NoleinNY
Miami781 wrote:I always wanted to do undergrad in Florida, ended up staying in Massachusetts, was hoping I could at least get 3 years down there getting my Law Degree.
I plan on applying to those 3 Florida Schools as well as
BU ,Northeastern, and Suffolk
No way with a 3.5 I am getting into Harvard or BC
Northeastern and Suffolk are too weak to consider. Work hard for the LSAT, try to shoot for the 170s and get some kind of scholly at BU. Also consider some other T14/T30s that are in the Northeast like Cornell, GT, GW, etc. Hell, maybe even Fordham since you have those ties to MA.
Long story short: Bust your ass for the LSAT and then consider your options.
Re: Going to Law School in Florida: Want to Practice in MA after
Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 3:11 pm
by monkey85
Miami781 wrote:No way with a 3.5 I am getting into Harvard or BC
While Harvard may be out, you can still get into BC and BU with that GPA.
NoleinNY wrote:Also consider some other T14/T30s that are in the Northeast like Cornell, GT, GW, etc.
+1 - I don't go to school in Boston but will be an SA there and went to one of those Northeast schools.
Re: Going to Law School in Florida: Want to Practice in MA after
Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 3:39 pm
by 071816
Miami781 wrote:I always wanted to do undergrad in Florida, ended up staying in Massachusetts, was hoping I could at least get 3 years down there getting my Law Degree.
I plan on applying to those 3 Florida Schools as well as
BU , Northeastern, and Suffolk
No way with a 3.5 I am getting into Harvard or BC
You don't go to law school to have fun in a new place. That's what undergrad is for. Go where you will have the best chance at getting a job in your desired region.
Going to law school in FL hoping to eventually work in MA is an atrocious idea.
Also this:
NoleinNY wrote:Long story short: Bust your ass for the LSAT and then consider your options.
Re: Going to Law School in Florida: Want to Practice in MA after
Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 8:26 pm
by ggocat
Miami781 wrote:My question is would this be reasonable to believe I could go to a FSU or Miami then return up north to work.
With really good grades, yes. But your long-term goal of returning to Florida after practicing for some time in MA is probably less realistic. It becomes harder to switch states the longer you are into your career (unless, maybe, you work for the federal government).
Re: Going to Law School in Florida: Want to Practice in MA after
Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 12:17 am
by mrtoren
Don't waste your time or money on any Florida apps. Like others have said, you missed out on your chance to have some fun in the sun. Without some serious connections, OCI will be a VITAL lifeline to getting a job and MA firms will not be at any Florida schools. And if you think cold calls will save you, stop right there. They rarely cut it these days. Focus on BU.
Re: Going to Law School in Florida: Want to Practice in MA after
Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 12:26 am
by Rock Chalk
.
Re: Going to Law School in Florida: Want to Practice in MA after
Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 10:34 am
by ggocat
mrtoren wrote:OCI will be a VITAL lifeline to getting a job
On-campus recruitment has always been given more hype that it deserves. . . . Less than one-fourth of all students get a job through OCI.
http://www.nationaljurist.com/content/e ... al-job-now
20-25% isn't bad, but OCI doesn't work out for most students. OCI in a preferred market is certainly a factor to consider. More important, however, is that going to school in the student's preferred market will allow a student to build a network and work during the school year at a smaller firm. Unless OP can go to school significantly cheaper in FL (where scholarship money seems to be more plentiful compared to MA), staying local is ideal.
Re: Going to Law School in Florida: Want to Practice in MA after
Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2011 8:34 pm
by dixiecupdrinking
Take two years off. Go be a bartender in Miami. Study for the LSAT during the day. Take it a year in advance, study more and retake if you don't do as well as you could the first time. Get a 170, go to a T14, arrive tanned and refreshed, rock 1L year while your peers spent the summer before indoors reading Getting To Maybe.
Do not go to law school in Florida.
Re: Going to Law School in Florida: Want to Practice in MA after
Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2011 8:36 pm
by YourCaptain
dixiecupdrinking wrote:Take two years off. Go be a bartender in Miami. Study for the LSAT during the day. Take it a year in advance, study more and retake if you don't do as well as you could the first time. Get a 170, go to a T14, arrive tanned and refreshed, rock 1L year while your peers spent the summer before indoors reading Getting To Maybe.
Do not go to law school in Florida.
This is some of the best advice I have ever seen on TLS
Re: Going to Law School in Florida: Want to Practice in MA after
Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2011 8:44 pm
by Icculus
YourCaptain wrote:dixiecupdrinking wrote:Take two years off. Go be a bartender in Miami. Study for the LSAT during the day. Take it a year in advance, study more and retake if you don't do as well as you could the first time. Get a 170, go to a T14, arrive tanned and refreshed, rock 1L year while your peers spent the summer before indoors reading Getting To Maybe.
Do not go to law school in Florida.
This is some of the best advice I have ever seen on TLS
Re: Going to Law School in Florida: Want to Practice in MA after
Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2011 8:48 pm
by Miami781
this is amazing. I might just do this
Re: Going to Law School in Florida: Want to Practice in MA after
Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2011 8:48 pm
by JamMasterJ
Icculus wrote:YourCaptain wrote:dixiecupdrinking wrote:Take two years off. Go be a bartender in Miami. Study for the LSAT during the day. Take it a year in advance, study more and retake if you don't do as well as you could the first time. Get a 170, go to a T14, arrive tanned and refreshed, rock 1L year while your peers spent the summer before indoors reading Getting To Maybe.
Do not go to law school in Florida.
This is some of the best advice I have ever seen on TLS
completely agree
Re: Going to Law School in Florida: Want to Practice in MA after
Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2011 9:24 pm
by dixiecupdrinking
JamMasterJ wrote:Icculus wrote:YourCaptain wrote:dixiecupdrinking wrote:Take two years off. Go be a bartender in Miami. Study for the LSAT during the day. Take it a year in advance, study more and retake if you don't do as well as you could the first time. Get a 170, go to a T14, arrive tanned and refreshed, rock 1L year while your peers spent the summer before indoors reading Getting To Maybe.
Do not go to law school in Florida.
This is some of the best advice I have ever seen on TLS
completely agree
Just two cents from a 2L who took some time off; I'm glad I didn't go straight from undergrad but do wish I did something like this with part of that time instead of working an office job. If you want to go live somewhere different and sunny and beautiful, no question you should go do it; you don't get these years back. But you also only get one shot at law school. Take your time and go to school when you're ready, at a school that makes sense for the right reasons. Don't compromise on both fronts (because I don't know about you, but living in Gainesville and studying civ pro does not really sound like the ideal Florida experience to me, and it isn't going to make you employable where you want to be in the long run).