Top Law Schools

Thoughts? I want to focus on public interest law.

Rediculous scholarship from Vandy is no question the best choice for PI. You'll graduate with almost no debt.

I'd do Vanderbilt, but just FYI, true PI will be insanely hard to accomplish from all of these. PI orgs are largely not really hiring. $5 says you go out got OCI like everyone else.

While Vanderbilt's offer is enticing, I feel as though Northwestern would be appropriate choice. If you do get PI, then any debt would be forgiven after 10 years. If you don't get PI, Northwestern would leave you better positioned for private sector jobs than Vanderbilt.

What kind of PI? If government type stuff, don't go to law school right now. Or, come to terms with working litigation at a firm for a few years before jumping to PI. These organizations have no budget to hire and train fresh grads these days.

rayiner wrote:What kind of PI? If government type stuff, don't go to law school right now. Or, come to terms with working litigation at a firm for a few years before jumping to PI. These organizations have no budget to hire and train fresh grads these days.

Yes, government type stuff. I'd like to work at the DOJ. And I am coming to grips with the idea that I will have to work in a firm for at least a few years upon graduation.

mockmockmock wrote:

rayiner wrote:What kind of PI? If government type stuff, don't go to law school right now. Or, come to terms with working litigation at a firm for a few years before jumping to PI. These organizations have no budget to hire and train fresh grads these days.

Yes, government type stuff. I'd like to work at the DOJ. And I am coming to grips with the idea that I will have to work in a firm for at least a few years upon graduation.

Best route for DOJ would be to work BigLaw, and to land BigLaw you need to go somewhere with the most prestige if that's the route you want/need to go. This really comes down to how debt averse you are, plus how well you're able to do. It also has to do with where you eventually want to work.

Finish top 1/3 at Vandy and you've got great options in Atlanta (the least ties-centric of southern markets). I know Vandy grads who finish at the top can land NYC/DC/Chicago, but it's mostly a feeder school for the south with great lay prestige.

Employers will dip further into the pool at Penn/NU, but you'd have more debt. Your call bruh. They're more nationally portable than Vandy is.

If the agreed path is biglaw to DOJ, OP should be looking for schools that maximize his chances at prestigious biglaw. For that reason, I'd say Penn or Northwestern. Not sure if Penn is worth the extra $40k, but it's understandable.

The one question I'm wondering is if the geographic location of the biglaw firm matters from going biglaw to DOJ. Does anyone know? Is there an advantage of being in NYC or DC over Chicago? That might make the choice between Penn and Northwestern pretty easy.

Doorkeeper wrote:If the agreed path is biglaw to DOJ, OP should be looking for schools that maximize his chances at prestigious biglaw. For that reason, I'd say Penn or Northwestern. Not sure if Penn is worth the extra $40k, but it's understandable.

The one question I'm wondering is if the geographic location of the biglaw firm matters from going biglaw to DOJ. Does anyone know? Is there an advantage of being in NYC or DC over Chicago? That might make the choice between Penn and Northwestern pretty easy.

I only have anecdotal evidence, but we just had a senior associate leave for the DOJ. I work for a biglawl firm in ATL. No idea where he went to school though.

Penn.

With no debt, you can focus on any type of law in almost any location.

If you want public interest, go wherever is cheapest