Top Law Schools

Live in Bay Area, CA

Working,50-60k. Might be able to move and do this job in any other city. Might.

Applied to mostly PT programs. Here's the breakdown

Applied in Fall -
Santa Clara PT - IN - no $
USF PT - IN - Half tuition and then 1/4 tuition subsequent years, 3.2 stip
GGU PT - IN - Full tuition, 3.0 stip

Applied after December -
Lewis and Clark PT - IN - no $
Berkeley FT - FR (lol, I'm sure it'll work out)
GWU PT - dinged
American U - no answer
Fordham PT - no answer
U Cincinatti FT - no answer
OSU FT - no answer

How's this look? Currently, I might do GGU and if I can't make the cut after year one, just do something else with nothing but time lost. Portland is beautiful though, although everyone says the market is tough up there. Thoughts, predictions?

I wouldn't go to Golden Gate for free. You have roughly a 15% chance of getting a legal job coming from GG.

rinkrat19 wrote:I wouldn't go to Golden Gate for free. You have roughly a 15% chance of getting a legal job coming from GG.

It's funny because of the few places I've worked out here, every employer had GGU lawyers, 00 and later grads working there. I already know quite a few people at former and current employers (some are really, really nice places to work), and their opinion is - do I know you? You're hired. Only biglaw cares about prestige. If someone knows you, and knows your smart, you get the job.

deebo12 wrote:

rinkrat19 wrote:I wouldn't go to Golden Gate for free. You have roughly a 15% chance of getting a legal job coming from GG.

It's funny because of the few places I've worked out here, every employer had GGU lawyers, 00 and later grads working there. I already know quite a few people at former and current employers (some are really, really nice places to work), and their opinion is - do I know you? You're hired. Only biglaw cares about prestige. If someone knows you, and knows your smart, you get the job.

So you have connections after law school that will get you a job? If you have a job lined up then go to wherever is cheapest, which is GGU (provided you don't lose your scholly).

Mr. Somebody wrote:

deebo12 wrote:

rinkrat19 wrote:I wouldn't go to Golden Gate for free. You have roughly a 15% chance of getting a legal job coming from GG.

It's funny because of the few places I've worked out here, every employer had GGU lawyers, 00 and later grads working there. I already know quite a few people at former and current employers (some are really, really nice places to work), and their opinion is - do I know you? You're hired. Only biglaw cares about prestige. If someone knows you, and knows your smart, you get the job.

So you have connections after law school that will get you a job? If you have a job lined up then go to wherever is cheapest, which is GGU (provided you don't lose your scholly).

I've networked and I have a better chance than starting at absolute 0, knowing nobody. I do not have a job lined up. Although I could - it would be at my dad's place of employment, a depressing place to work - and they start off new associates at mid-40k.

L&C
American
Fordham
OSU

I wouldn't do the others, personally.

EDIT: especially not GGU. Seriously, unless they got rid of the stips, that so isn't worth it. Too high a chance you'll end up in debt and jobless... nightmare.

deebo12 wrote:

Mr. Somebody wrote:

deebo12 wrote:

rinkrat19 wrote:I wouldn't go to Golden Gate for free. You have roughly a 15% chance of getting a legal job coming from GG.

It's funny because of the few places I've worked out here, every employer had GGU lawyers, 00 and later grads working there. I already know quite a few people at former and current employers (some are really, really nice places to work), and their opinion is - do I know you? You're hired. Only biglaw cares about prestige. If someone knows you, and knows your smart, you get the job.

So you have connections after law school that will get you a job? If you have a job lined up then go to wherever is cheapest, which is GGU (provided you don't lose your scholly).

I've networked and I have a better chance than starting at absolute 0, knowing nobody. I do not have a job lined up. Although I could - it would be at my dad's place of employment, a depressing place to work - and they start off new associates at mid-40k.

This is really up to you then. If you are confident in your "network" then you can take GGU. But a GGU JD is near-worthless in the Bay Area.

https://law-ggu-csm.symplicity.com/file ... ad62c5e35e

Only 67% confirmed to have a job, period. Even less to have legal work. I would actually suggest USF because GGU is so horrible, but the stip there is too steep.

rinkrat19 wrote:You have roughly a 15% chance of getting a legal job coming from GG.

If that. The other day I was at the Copy store and I saw a stack of resumes belonging to a 2008 GGULS graduate. Knowing that the vast majority of hiring partners would scan their resume just long enough to read GGU before throwing it in the trash made me monumentally sad.

I know the Bay Area legal market; it's flooded with GGU grads. For every 1 GGU grad working a JD required/preferred job there are 100 bussing, bartending, or working other menial jobs.

Mr. Somebody wrote:This is really up to you then. If you are confident in your "network" then you can take GGU. But a GGU JD is near-worthless in the Bay Area.

https://law-ggu-csm.symplicity.com/file ... ad62c5e35e

Only 67% confirmed to have a job, period. Even less to have legal work. I would actually suggest USF because GGU is so horrible, but the stip there is too steep.

Agreed. The fact is you'll be choosing to attend the worst law school in the Bay Area. I wouldn't touch USF either. You'll be at the bottom of the SF legal market food chain. To employers: Stanford>Berkeley>>>Hastings/Davis>>>>>>>>>USF>>>GGU

spleenworship wrote:L&C
American
Fordham
OSU

I wouldn't do the others, personally.

EDIT: especially not GGU. Seriously, unless they got rid of the stips, that so isn't worth it. Too high a chance you'll end up in debt and jobless... nightmare.

Keep in mind my attitude about this - I'm willing to take the risk because I'm open to moving to other fields. I think of one free year of law school as a great, risk free way of testing whether or not I'm cut out for it.

Also - do most schools require you to start at 0L if you've taken a year elsewhere in the recent past?

deebo12 wrote:

spleenworship wrote:L&C
American
Fordham
OSU

I wouldn't do the others, personally.

EDIT: especially not GGU. Seriously, unless they got rid of the stips, that so isn't worth it. Too high a chance you'll end up in debt and jobless... nightmare.

Keep in mind my attitude about this - I'm willing to take the risk because I'm open to moving to other fields. I think of one free year of law school as a great, risk free way of testing whether or not I'm cut out for it.

Also - do most schools require you to start at 0L if you've taken a year elsewhere in the recent past?

If that's the case then take GGU. You don't sound like you're that serious about being a lawyer. You can drop out and explore other options if you don't do well (outside top 10%). Most people aren't willing to do that and will have a bad JD staining their resume.

moneybagsphd wrote:

Mr. Somebody wrote:This is really up to you then. If you are confident in your "network" then you can take GGU. But a GGU JD is near-worthless in the Bay Area.

https://law-ggu-csm.symplicity.com/file ... ad62c5e35e

Only 67% confirmed to have a job, period. Even less to have legal work. I would actually suggest USF because GGU is so horrible, but the stip there is too steep.

Agreed. The fact is you'll be choosing to attend the worst law school in the Bay Area. I wouldn't touch USF either. You'll be at the bottom of the SF legal market food chain. To employers: Stanford>Berkeley>>>Hastings/Davis>>>>>>>>>USF>>>GGU

I'd qualify 'employers' as biglaw firms reading resumes. I'm not interested in working in a shark tank, even if I could. I'd like to make more than I do currently do, advance my career in a meaningful way, and have some work that's actually mentally engaging. But I already have undergrad baggage and don't want to add significantly to it.

Mr. Somebody wrote:

deebo12 wrote:

spleenworship wrote:L&C
American
Fordham
OSU

I wouldn't do the others, personally.

EDIT: especially not GGU. Seriously, unless they got rid of the stips, that so isn't worth it. Too high a chance you'll end up in debt and jobless... nightmare.

Keep in mind my attitude about this - I'm willing to take the risk because I'm open to moving to other fields. I think of one free year of law school as a great, risk free way of testing whether or not I'm cut out for it.

Also - do most schools require you to start at 0L if you've taken a year elsewhere in the recent past?

If that's the case then take GGU. You don't sound like you're that serious about being a lawyer. You can drop out and explore other options if you don't do well (outside top 10%). Most people aren't willing to do that and will have a bad JD staining their resume.

I am serious about it and willing to commit to the work, but I won't assume that I'm perfectly cut out for the nature of the job if I haven't done it before. Why take a blind leap especially when the field is so oversaturated?

deebo12 wrote:

rinkrat19 wrote:I wouldn't go to Golden Gate for free. You have roughly a 15% chance of getting a legal job coming from GG.

It's funny because of the few places I've worked out here, every employer had GGU lawyers, 00 and later grads working there. I already know quite a few people at former and current employers (some are really, really nice places to work), and their opinion is - do I know you? You're hired. Only biglaw cares about prestige. If someone knows you, and knows your smart, you get the job.

2000 and later doesn't help--you need to know about 2009 and later grads. Up until 2008, the economy was insane and a blind cocker spaniel with a JD from the worst school in the country could get a job.

deebo12 wrote:

moneybagsphd wrote:

Mr. Somebody wrote:This is really up to you then. If you are confident in your "network" then you can take GGU. But a GGU JD is near-worthless in the Bay Area.

https://law-ggu-csm.symplicity.com/file ... ad62c5e35e

Only 67% confirmed to have a job, period. Even less to have legal work. I would actually suggest USF because GGU is so horrible, but the stip there is too steep.

Agreed. The fact is you'll be choosing to attend the worst law school in the Bay Area. I wouldn't touch USF either. You'll be at the bottom of the SF legal market food chain. To employers: Stanford>Berkeley>>>Hastings/Davis>>>>>>>>>USF>>>GGU

I'd qualify 'employers' as biglaw firms reading resumes. I'm not interested in working in a shark tank, even if I could. I'd like to make more than I do currently do, advance my career in a meaningful way, and have some work that's actually mentally engaging. But I already have undergrad baggage and don't want to add significantly to it.

Firms need a way to filter out candidates and compare them against each other. Most will use prestige and grades. The small ones will rely more heavily on networking and also don't do a lot of hiring. And obviously, shitlaw doesn't care about where you went to school, and that's where you'll most likely end up if you go to GGU.

deebo12 wrote:

moneybagsphd wrote:

Mr. Somebody wrote:This is really up to you then. If you are confident in your "network" then you can take GGU. But a GGU JD is near-worthless in the Bay Area.

https://law-ggu-csm.symplicity.com/file ... ad62c5e35e

Only 67% confirmed to have a job, period. Even less to have legal work. I would actually suggest USF because GGU is so horrible, but the stip there is too steep.

Agreed. The fact is you'll be choosing to attend the worst law school in the Bay Area. I wouldn't touch USF either. You'll be at the bottom of the SF legal market food chain. To employers: Stanford>Berkeley>>>Hastings/Davis>>>>>>>>>USF>>>GGU

I'd qualify 'employers' as biglaw firms reading resumes. I'm not interested in working in a shark tank, even if I could. I'd like to make more than I do currently do, advance my career in a meaningful way, and have some work that's actually mentally engaging. But I already have undergrad baggage and don't want to add significantly to it.

All law firms will read your resume pretty much the same way. They'll look at where you went to school, and then your grades. A good chunk of those firms will weed out GGU grads irrespective of their class rank. If you're first in your class, you'll get passed over for median at Hastings/Davis most of the time. Biglaw and midlaw won't be an option. Breaking into shitlaw or a small practice will require very strong ties, and even then prospects are bleak.
The reality is that GGU has a bad reputation even when compared to other TTTTs. Its name belongs in the same company as TJSL and Cooley. Don't get me wrong, some GGU grads have great jobs, but you can't count on it ITE. Look at 2008+ grads. I really found it heartbreaking to see that stack of resumes sitting there... I genuinely sympathized with this person because I knew that they couldn't have anticipated the collapse of the legal market when they decided to attend GGU in 2005.

Look, OP... I have been thinking about this. And I want to say something.

Law school sucks. Like seriously awfully bad. It is a demoralizing, hideous experience...

And this is coming from someone who actually likes law school, the law, and wants very much to be a lawyer.

So, my advice: you don't know for sure you want to be a lawyer, and you can cavalierly say "hey, I'll drop out after one year" then you should definitely not go to law school.

Even with a full ride, if you don't want to be an attorney, you are wasting a year of your life in law school where you could be making money, or at least not having to read case law while drinking to unconsciousness. Seriously.

spleenworship wrote:Look, OP... I have been thinking about this. And I want to say something.

Law school sucks. Like seriously awfully bad. It is a demoralizing, hideous experience...

And this is coming from someone who actually likes law school, the law, and wants very much to be a lawyer.

So, my advice: you don't know for sure you want to be a lawyer, and you can cavalierly say "hey, I'll drop out after one year" then you should definitely not go to law school.

Even with a full ride, if you don't want to be an attorney, you are wasting a year of your life in law school where you could be making money, or at least not having to read case law while drinking to unconsciousness. Seriously.

Anything that anyone has ever told me was difficult, I've been able to handle. Bring it.

deebo12 wrote:

spleenworship wrote:Look, OP... I have been thinking about this. And I want to say something.

Law school sucks. Like seriously awfully bad. It is a demoralizing, hideous experience...

And this is coming from someone who actually likes law school, the law, and wants very much to be a lawyer.

So, my advice: you don't know for sure you want to be a lawyer, and you can cavalierly say "hey, I'll drop out after one year" then you should definitely not go to law school.

Even with a full ride, if you don't want to be an attorney, you are wasting a year of your life in law school where you could be making money, or at least not having to read case law while drinking to unconsciousness. Seriously.

Anything that anyone has ever told me was difficult, I've been able to handle. Bring it.

QFP

Smart people don't go to GGU ITE.