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University of Washington job prospects outside of Pacific NW

Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 10:09 pm
by timeandspace11
Hey everyone. I just wanted to know if anyone was familiar with job prospects outside of the Pacific Northwest for UW grads. It is a law school I am seriously interested in and think I can be competitive for. i think I would really like living in Seattle, but eventually I would probably like to return home to South Florida.

I noticed the school jumped up 10 spots in this years law school rankings from 30th to 20th. Do you believe this school has name recognition among employers nationally, and do you think it would be possible to find employment in a different region right after I graduate or possibly 5 years after? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Re: University of Washington job prospects outside of Pacific NW

Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 10:13 pm
by bernaldiaz
timeandspace11 wrote:Hey everyone. I just wanted to know if anyone was familiar with job prospects outside of the Pacific Northwest for UW grads. It is a law school I am seriously interested in and think I can be competitive for. i think I would really like living in Seattle, but eventually I would probably like to return home to South Florida.

I noticed the school jumped up 10 spots in this years law school rankings from 30th to 20th. Do you believe this school has name recognition among employers nationally, and do you think it would be possible to find employment in a different region right after I graduate or possibly 5 years after? Any help will be greatly appreciated.
I have nothing constructive to add but it's pretty funny that you are considering UW and want to work in southern FL. Literally couldn't be further (farther? seriously what's the difference someone explain please) apart in the continental US.

Re: University of Washington job prospects outside of Pacific NW

Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 10:20 pm
by rad lulz
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Re: University of Washington job prospects outside of Pacific NW

Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 10:23 pm
by Lord Randolph McDuff
rad lulz wrote:Because of its new-found status as a T20 school, I predict South Florida employers will flock to UW in DROVES.
+1

Re: University of Washington job prospects outside of Pacific NW

Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 10:24 pm
by bdubs
No, and you're probably not as competitive as you think. You're an out of state applicant so the bar is a lot higher. Unless you can get into a T14, shoot for the best FL law school you can get in to.

Also, farther is the correct term to denote physical distance.
http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/fu ... rther.aspx

Re: University of Washington job prospects outside of Pacific NW

Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 10:27 pm
by lisjjen
Lord Randolph McDuff wrote:
rad lulz wrote:Because of its new-found status as a T20 school, I predict South Florida employers will flock to UW in DROVES.
+1

Re: University of Washington job prospects outside of Pacific NW

Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 10:27 pm
by bernaldiaz
bdubs wrote:No, and you're probably not as competitive as you think. You're an out of state applicant so the bar is a lot higher. Unless you can get into a T14, shoot for the best FL law school you can get in to.

Also, farther is the correct term to denote physical distance.
http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/fu ... rther.aspx
Thank you, I will now be able to remember that forever.

Re: University of Washington job prospects outside of Pacific NW

Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 10:29 pm
by Campagnolo
bernaldiaz wrote:
I have nothing constructive to add but it's pretty funny that you are considering UW and want to work in southern FL. Literally couldn't be further (farther? seriously what's the difference someone explain please) apart in the continental US.
The use of "further" is restricted to figurative or abstract senses. "Farther" is restricted to measurable distances.

Oxford American Dictionary

Edit: Damn! Scooped!

Re: University of Washington job prospects outside of Pacific NW

Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 11:03 pm
by romothesavior
Don't do it brah.

Seriously, 3,000+ miles away? Not smart.

Re: University of Washington job prospects outside of Pacific NW

Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 11:27 pm
by timeandspace11
Ok all this makes sense. What if you work in a field of law in one state and have a successful career. With a built up resume does it make it easier to transfer to an another state.

Re: University of Washington job prospects outside of Pacific NW

Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 11:40 pm
by PDaddy
timeandspace11 wrote:Ok all this makes sense. What if you work in a field of law in one state and have a successful career. With a built up resume does it make it easier to transfer to an another state.
Does a top BigLaw firm that recruits at UW have a Florida office? Perkins Coie, K & L Gates or Foster Pepper maybe? If that's the case, then it would theoretically be possible to go to UW with the intent of working at such a firm for awhile and transfering internally. One problem...no guarantees that you'd actually get the job in the first place.

Bottom line? You're looking at the T14, the top Florida schools (UF, Miami and FSU), and/or the top schools in close proximity (Vandy, Emory, UNC, Wake Forest, and maybe UGA). Don't know about USC-2. Forget Stetson, Florida Coastal, etc.

Re: University of Washington job prospects outside of Pacific NW

Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 11:41 pm
by rad lulz
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Re: University of Washington job prospects outside of Pacific NW

Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 11:50 pm
by timeandspace11
rad lulz wrote:
timeandspace11 wrote:Ok all this makes sense. What if you work in a field of law in one state and have a successful career. With a built up resume does it make it easier to transfer to an another state.
Yeah, but you probably won't want to move, because all your client contacts and professional network are in the region.

Also I'd caution against going to school in a region you don't have any ties to. Insular places like the Pac NW exhibit bias against outsider, often even if you go to the local school.
That is a good point. Have you experienced this out of state bias?

Re: University of Washington job prospects outside of Pacific NW

Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 11:54 pm
by rad lulz
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Re: University of Washington job prospects outside of Pacific NW

Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 11:56 pm
by timeandspace11
rad lulz wrote:
timeandspace11 wrote:
rad lulz wrote:
timeandspace11 wrote:Ok all this makes sense. What if you work in a field of law in one state and have a successful career. With a built up resume does it make it easier to transfer to an another state.
Yeah, but you probably won't want to move, because all your client contacts and professional network are in the region.

Also I'd caution against going to school in a region you don't have any ties to. Insular places like the Pac NW exhibit bias against outsider, often even if you go to the local school.
That is a good point. Have you experienced this out of state bias?
Not in the PAC NW but in other similarly insular states (Alabama, Mississippi), yes. So have all of the other 2Ls I know in applying in regions they didn't have solid ties to.

Do you think the pacific NW is as insular as Mississippi and Alabama?

Re: University of Washington job prospects outside of Pacific NW

Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 11:57 pm
by Bronck
timeandspace11 wrote:
rad lulz wrote: Not in the PAC NW but in other similarly insular states (Alabama, Mississippi), yes. So have all of the other 2Ls I know in applying in regions they didn't have solid ties to.

Do you think the pacific NW is as insular as Mississippi and Alabama?
:|

Re: University of Washington job prospects outside of Pacific NW

Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2012 12:12 am
by rad lulz
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Re: University of Washington job prospects outside of Pacific NW

Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2012 2:55 am
by romothesavior
rad lulz wrote:
timeandspace11 wrote: Do you think the pacific NW is as insular as Mississippi and Alabama?
From the people I know who have looked for jobs there, yup.
Hey I want a job in Tijuana, should I go to school in Greenland?

Re: University of Washington job prospects outside of Pacific NW

Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2012 11:20 am
by dr123
rad lulz wrote:
timeandspace11 wrote: Do you think the pacific NW is as insular as Mississippi and Alabama?
From the people I know who have looked for jobs there, yup.
Really? I've lived in the northwest for quite some time now and hardly anyone is actually from here

Re: University of Washington job prospects outside of Pacific NW

Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2012 11:45 am
by bdubs
dr123 wrote:Really? I've lived in the northwest for quite some time now and hardly anyone is actually from here
You probably live in Portland then.

Re: University of Washington job prospects outside of Pacific NW

Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2012 11:59 am
by chiwachiwa
Go to a top 14 school or the best school you can in the region in which you want to practice. /Thread

Re: University of Washington job prospects outside of Pacific NW

Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2012 12:02 pm
by romothesavior
dr123 wrote:
rad lulz wrote:
timeandspace11 wrote: Do you think the pacific NW is as insular as Mississippi and Alabama?
From the people I know who have looked for jobs there, yup.
Really? I've lived in the northwest for quite some time now and hardly anyone is actually from here
Legal hiring is a bit different, so how many transplants live in a city is isn't necessarily indicative of how the market there works. I know people who got grilled on "Why D.C.?" and that city is the most transient market in the country.

Also, ties aren't an absolute prereq, they just help a ton. Firms want to know why you want to stay there, and that's a hard question to answer if you're from 3,000 miles away and just moved there on a whim for law school. Why is that? OP just gave you the reason why ITT. People try to bail after a year or two, and that costs the firm hundreds of thousands of dollars. Especially in these secondary markets, immediate turnover is not the norm. They want a commitment from you, and generally their bullshit meters are pretty good (probably even over inclusive). OP, if you want Florida, pursue other options.

Re: University of Washington job prospects outside of Pacific NW

Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2012 12:16 pm
by dr123
bdubs wrote:
dr123 wrote:Really? I've lived in the northwest for quite some time now and hardly anyone is actually from here
You probably live in Portland then.
I used to, but not anymore. I've lived in all of the northwest (includin the inland states - alaska) and actual "locals" have been the minority everywhere.

Re: University of Washington job prospects outside of Pacific NW

Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2012 2:22 pm
by timeandspace11
romothesavior wrote:
dr123 wrote:
rad lulz wrote:
timeandspace11 wrote: Do you think the pacific NW is as insular as Mississippi and Alabama?
From the people I know who have looked for jobs there, yup.
Really? I've lived in the northwest for quite some time now and hardly anyone is actually from here
Legal hiring is a bit different, so how many transplants live in a city is isn't necessarily indicative of how the market there works. I know people who got grilled on "Why D.C.?" and that city is the most transient market in the country.

Also, ties aren't an absolute prereq, they just help a ton. Firms want to know why you want to stay there, and that's a hard question to answer if you're from 3,000 miles away and just moved there on a whim for law school. Why is that? OP just gave you the reason why ITT. People try to bail after a year or two, and that costs the firm hundreds of thousands of dollars. Especially in these secondary markets, immediate turnover is not the norm. They want a commitment from you, and generally their bullshit meters are pretty good (probably even over inclusive). OP, if you want Florida, pursue other options.
Understandable. Im not saying I would not consider staying in the Pacific NW, I am just considering the option. I know if someone goes to a t14 law school they have a better chance of getting a job in a different reion of the country. It just seems like UW is a really respected school, so I thought employment prospects in different regions would be decent.

Re: University of Washington job prospects outside of Pacific NW

Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2012 2:25 pm
by rad lulz
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