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Creating the best lawyer
Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 3:52 pm
by cmartin5970
I live in NC and have a 3.5 GPA with a 163 LSAT. I have applied to all the
NC Law schools except for Duke. I was wondering what anybody knew about which school makes the best court-room lawyer. I do not want to work as a politician or corporate law, but instead more public interest as a public defender or for Legal Aid.
These are the schools I applied:
UNC
WFU
NCCU
Elon
Campbell
Richmond
Charlotte
Re: Creating the best lawyer
Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 3:54 pm
by jackattack17
For PI, with those numbers, and assuming you're IS, there is no other choice than UNC. Go Heels.
Re: Creating the best lawyer
Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 3:56 pm
by cmartin5970
Ive talked to a few alumni of NCCU and a few other lawyers around here and they all said that NCCU may not have the prestige but they create the best court-room lawyers and if my goals are to work as a public defender or something along those lines it would be my best choice due to the low low cost of tuition, the training and the relative reputation in the state of NC
Re: Creating the best lawyer
Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 4:33 pm
by biglaw$
cmartin5970 wrote:they create the best court-room lawyers
You have got to be kidding me.
Re: Creating the best lawyer
Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 4:34 pm
by biglaw$
cmartin5970 wrote:
UNC (maybe)
WFU
NCCU
Elon
Campbell
Richmond
Charlotte
Re: Creating the best lawyer
Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 4:39 pm
by dstars823
biglaw$ wrote:cmartin5970 wrote:
UNC (maybe)
WFU
NCCU
Elon
Campbell
Richmond
Charlotte
+1
UNC or WFU with $$$$ but with your stats there really is no other better choice than UNC especially if we are talking sticker
Re: Creating the best lawyer
Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 4:55 pm
by Grizz
cmartin5970 wrote:makes the best court-room lawyer
No law school does a good job of this.
Re: Creating the best lawyer
Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 6:38 pm
by moandersen
cmartin5970 wrote:Ive talked to a few alumni of NCCU and a few other lawyers around here and they all said that NCCU may not have the prestige but they create the best court-room lawyers and if my goals are to work as a public defender or something along those lines it would be my best choice due to the low low cost of tuition, the training and the relative reputation in the state of NC
These alum you spoke with are obviously biased. TCR is UNC easy. In-state tuition is insanely cheap and you get the 'prestige' you certainly do not get with central.
Re: Creating the best lawyer
Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 6:40 pm
by dstars823
moandersen wrote:cmartin5970 wrote:Ive talked to a few alumni of NCCU and a few other lawyers around here and they all said that NCCU may not have the prestige but they create the best court-room lawyers and if my goals are to work as a public defender or something along those lines it would be my best choice due to the low low cost of tuition, the training and the relative reputation in the state of NC
These alum you spoke with are obviously biased. TCR is UNC easy. In-state tuition is insanely cheap and you get the 'prestige' you certainly do not get with central.
+1
Re: Creating the best lawyer
Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 6:49 pm
by vanwinkle
dstars823 wrote:moandersen wrote:cmartin5970 wrote:Ive talked to a few alumni of NCCU and a few other lawyers around here and they all said that NCCU may not have the prestige but they create the best court-room lawyers and if my goals are to work as a public defender or something along those lines it would be my best choice due to the low low cost of tuition, the training and the relative reputation in the state of NC
These alum you spoke with are obviously biased. TCR is UNC easy. In-state tuition is insanely cheap and you get the 'prestige' you certainly do not get with central.
+1
Re: Creating the best lawyer
Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 7:00 pm
by dextermorgan
cmartin5970 wrote:I live in NC and have a 3.5 GPA with a 163 LSAT. I have applied to all the NC law schools except for Duke. I was wondering what anybody knew about which school makes the best court-room lawyer. I do not want to work as a politician or corporate law, but instead more public interest as a public defender or for Legal Aid.
These are the schools I applied:
UNC
WFU
NCCU
Elon
Campbell
Richmond
Charlotte
WF is well known for being a litigation powerhouse. UNC is known for being PI focused. The rest aren't worth going to.
Edit: WF isn't worth going to at sticker (as opposed to UNC in state), but no one goes there at sticker.
Re: Creating the best lawyer
Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 7:52 pm
by biglaw$
dextermorgan wrote:
WF is well known for being a litigation powerhouse lulz
Re: Creating the best lawyer
Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 8:00 pm
by Veyron
No school creates good courtroom lawyers. Look for one with a bunch of clinics in crim law and that gives a lot of credit for externships so you can learn courtroom advocacy in the field.
Re: Creating the best lawyer
Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 8:29 pm
by vanwinkle
Veyron wrote:No school creates good courtroom lawyers. Look for one with a bunch of clinics in crim law and that gives a lot of credit for externships so you can learn courtroom advocacy in the field.
This. Even one semester/summer of clinic or internship experience taught me more than I've learned in nearly three years of law school. I managed to learn a lot quickly by doing clinics and finding places to volunteer and earn pro bono hours.
Re: Creating the best lawyer
Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 8:45 pm
by CanadianWolf
UNC, WFU & NCCU.
Re: Creating the best lawyer
Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 8:51 pm
by biglaw$
CanadianWolf wrote:UNC, WFU & NCCU.
Re: Creating the best lawyer
Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 8:53 pm
by CanadianWolf
I don't think that OP is seeking biglaw.
Re: Creating the best lawyer
Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 8:57 pm
by biglaw$
CanadianWolf wrote:I don't think that OP is seeking biglaw.
That's probably a good thing considering UNC isn't exactly a perennial biglaw recruiting hub. Be that as it may, UNC is the only school worth attending out of the ones OP mentioned.
Re: Creating the best lawyer
Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 9:47 pm
by moandersen
CanadianWolf wrote:UNC, WFU & NCCU.
I feel like with all your posts you would have somewhat legit things to say, but your answer says otherwise....
/mini rant
WF is hardly a lit powerhouse. The courses offered tend to be more lit focused than transactional, so maybe thats what you meant.
full disclosure: WF 2L
Re: Creating the best lawyer
Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 10:00 pm
by Bronte
Maybe someone should explain to cmartin5970 that the issue is not which law school "creates the best lawyer" but which law school provides the most law students with legal jobs. I think OP's a little in the dark about a number of basic TLS assumptions, like the fact that the legal market is in the shitter.
Re: Creating the best lawyer
Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 10:14 pm
by Veyron
Bronte wrote:Maybe someone should explain to cmartin5970 that the issue is not which law school "creates the best lawyer" but which law school provides the most law students with legal jobs. I think OP's a little in the dark about a number of basic TLS assumptions, like the fact that the legal market is in the shitter.
Wanting to be a trial lawyer is a very different proposition than getting most other jobs. Obviously OP needs to go somewhere where he doesn't pay a penny because aiming to be a trial lawyer is a crapshoot but otherwise, the normal recruiting rules don't apply.
Re: Creating the best lawyer
Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 10:23 pm
by Flappy Scribbleneck
moandersen wrote:CanadianWolf wrote:UNC, WFU & NCCU.
I feel like with all your posts you would have somewhat legit things to say, but your answer says otherwise....
/mini rant
WF is hardly a lit powerhouse. The courses offered tend to be more lit focused than transactional, so maybe thats what you meant.
full disclosure: WF 2L
I have read some not-nice-things on TLS about WF, but according to the Go To Schools List, Wake does a better job than UNC of biglaw placement - I would be curious to hear from a WF student - care to comment moandersen?
Re: Creating the best lawyer
Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 10:24 pm
by Bronte
Veyron wrote:Bronte wrote:Maybe someone should explain to cmartin5970 that the issue is not which law school "creates the best lawyer" but which law school provides the most law students with legal jobs. I think OP's a little in the dark about a number of basic TLS assumptions, like the fact that the legal market is in the shitter.
Wanting to be a trial lawyer is a very different proposition than getting most other jobs. Obviously OP needs to go somewhere where he doesn't pay a penny because aiming to be a trial lawyer is a crapshoot but otherwise, the normal recruiting rules don't apply.
Criminal defense can be extremely competitive. In this market, getting any full time, JD-required job is competitive because it qualifies you for LRAP programs. Thus, students displaced from better schools inside and outside of any given market are clamoring for JD required jobs.
On another note, being a trial attorney is not a rare thing among those who actually do practice law. It's true that many people hold the misconception that being a lawyer means going to court. It's also true that even among "trial attorneys," the majority of cases settle and the majority of work is out of court. But that shouldn't lead to the opposite misconception that few lawyers are trial attorneys.
Re: Creating the best lawyer
Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 10:49 pm
by moandersen
Flappy Scribbleneck wrote:moandersen wrote:CanadianWolf wrote:UNC, WFU & NCCU.
I feel like with all your posts you would have somewhat legit things to say, but your answer says otherwise....
/mini rant
WF is hardly a lit powerhouse. The courses offered tend to be more lit focused than transactional, so maybe thats what you meant.
full disclosure: WF 2L
I have read some not-nice-things on TLS about WF, but according to the Go To Schools List, Wake does a better job than UNC of biglaw placement - I would be curious to hear from a WF student - care to comment moandersen?
I don't want to derail the thread. Post in the Ask a Law Student wf thread and you should get some good responses. Big law is def obtainable from wf
Re: Creating the best lawyer
Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 11:09 pm
by dextermorgan
biglaw$ wrote:dextermorgan wrote:
WF is well known for being a litigation powerhouse lulz
Lol, out of state idiot.