Top Law Schools

Hi,
I'm new here.

I have already paid couple of deposits to save my spot, but can't choose where to go.
- need to decide before 2nd deposit's due.

I want to practice in California, pref Southern CA
My goal is public interest, women's rights, - just want to use the law to help the downtrodden.

My choices are:

Loyola LA (Los Angeles) $
U of Miami $$
Michigan State $$$
Emory
UW

The last 2 are ranked highest.

What's the best choice for internships & jobs in 2015?

Thanks

What's the cost of attendance at Loyola LA?

None of these are great options for your goals but Loyola LA is the best if it's cheap enough I guess.

Your situation comes down to LOCATION mostly.

If you really really really want Cali, then go to Loyola.

If you want to go to the best school, are willing to relocate, and arent to concerned with COA, go to Emory or UW.

If you are scared of debt and could handle living in Michigan your entire life, go to MS.

If you dont mind living in Miami for a considerable amount of time (who would?) and are ok with competing in an over saturated job market, go to Miami.

Also OP, please give total costs of attendance (tuition + cost of living) for each. It will help more than "$$"

.

rad lulz wrote:

Jeffleo7 wrote: My goal is public interest, women's rights, - just want to use the law to help the downtrodden.

Unless you put "filing employment discrimination claims and class actions for damages against former employers of women" under the broad ambit of "women's rights," basically nobody does this. At least not as a lawyer.

Reevaluate your career goals and come back.

I agree with this to some degree. It sounds like you have noble ambitions, but there are better ways to "help the downtrodden" than a law degree. Can you point to or articulate exactly what it is you want to do with your law degree? You should definitly make sure getting a law degree is in your long-term career interests.

And I agree with this:

tfleming09 wrote:None of these are great options for your goals but Loyola LA is the best if it's cheap enough I guess.

Cost should be a factor here, even with IBR. You don't want to go six-figures into debt for Loyola and have a mountain of debt.

Dude, I know it really gets shit on, but if you're really a save the world type, what about People's College of Law? Yeah, it's shitty, but you can sit for the bar and tuition is dirt ass cheap.

Wow, some folks can be cruel.

Jeff, In various TLS forums, some have said Loyola is good for PI and it has many grads in the largest 10 LA law firms. If accurate, that's good news.

I would only consider Loyola, UW and Emory.
Emory would mean probably working in GA at least initially.
UW - likely washington, although enough grads do return to Souhern CA.

Another possibility, if you do well, is to transfer afer L1 to a better college.

I know its tough, But ultimately, its your decision.
Since you are in LA, simply call a few large firms and ask their opinion of Loyola.
Also call your targeted PI firms since thats your goal.

Good luck.

kmason wrote:Another possibility, if you do well, is to transfer afer L1 to a better college.

That should not even be considered in the calculus because the chances are so minuscule that you will do so.

kmason wrote:Wow, some folks can be cruel.

IMO, advice ITT seems tame and sincere. Frank responses are not meant to crush OP's dreams. We all want the OP to do well.

OP, have you tried negotiating your scholarship with Loyola yet? $$ from Miami and $$$ from MS are legit bargaining chips.

Another option would be to retake.

If you are set on practicing law in Cali, then moving across the country for a regional law school is not a good idea. Not sure how many Cali employers come to MS's and Miami's OCI... but I can safely say it is not many.

Nova wrote:

kmason wrote:Wow, some folks can be cruel.

IMO, advice ITT seems tame and sincere. Frank responses are not meant to crush OP's dreams. We all want the OP to do well.

Amen sir. Telling frank truths and giving sincere advice is not "cruel." And this is among the tamer Choosing a Law School threads. My, what delicate sensibilities you have, kmason.

Law school is a bad investment for most people as a result of (among other things) poor job prospects, high debt, and unrealistic goals. That's not cruel. It's the truth.

romothesavior wrote:It's the truth.

So does that mean Ron Burgundy said it?

Oops I think I just failed the LSAT.

The TLS Euthyphro... is it the truth because Ron Burgundy says it, or does Ron Burgundy say it because its the truth?

Typical TLSers being typical. Funny stuff.

Water is wet.

BearsGrl wrote:Typical TLSers being typical. Funny stuff.

Water is wet.

In terms of the direct responses to the OP, what do you substantively disagree with? Because if you're just coming in here to interject with another personal pissing contest, my guess is the mods won't like that a whole lot.

This thread's title seems like it was generated via use of a dartboard or random generator. If your goal is SoCal, many of these schools shouldn't make your short list.

Loyola is the only realistic option for the locale you want, unless you kill it at UW, which isn't a safe bet.

BearsGrl wrote:Typical TLSers being typical. Funny stuff.

Water is wet.

This idiot again?

romothesavior wrote:

BearsGrl wrote:Typical TLSers being typical. Funny stuff.

Water is wet.

In terms of the direct responses to the OP, what do you substantively disagree with? Because if you're just coming in here to interject with another personal pissing contest, my guess is the mods won't like that a whole lot.

Seeing as 1) you lack credibility and 2) I steered an off-topic thread back into what OP wanted yesterday, I think we can both agree that none of that will happen.

You give the same response over and over. OP can find it in every thread that he reads. So if your advice is to retake and reapply, state it once and move along. I think that would be the normal thing to do.

If OP wants the best, then he should retake and reapply. If OP doesn't have financial concerns, then Loyola-LA should be his only choice since he wants Southern CA. However, no one should go into PI from out of state in CA unless you have lived in CA and even then, it's questionable. Plus, I question the seriousness of OP.

lobolawyer wrote:This thread's title seems like it was generated via use of a dartboard or random generator. If your goal is SoCal, many of these schools shouldn't make your short list.

Loyola is the only realistic option for the locale you want, unless you kill it at UW, which isn't a safe bet.

That was my point. Why would OP put down multiple deposits at schools not in CA and list randoms like MSU? I questioned this from the start.

BearsGrl wrote:

lobolawyer wrote:This thread's title seems like it was generated via use of a dartboard or random generator. If your goal is SoCal, many of these schools shouldn't make your short list.

Loyola is the only realistic option for the locale you want, unless you kill it at UW, which isn't a safe bet.

That was my point. Why would OP put down multiple deposits at schools not in CA and list randoms like MSU? I questioned this from the start.

You might be giving OP too much credit:

Jeffleo7 wrote:The last 2 are ranked highest.

OP, don't get caught up in the rankings. Did you apply elsewhere in Southern California? Whether you did or not, you should aggressively negotiate that Loyola scholarship.

OP, have you worked for a non-profit or government org before? I think you could do a lot more good in a non-profit management type job. Most non-profits and bleeding heart organizations do not have many lawyers and certainly do not need first years.

BearsGrl wrote:

lobolawyer wrote:This thread's title seems like it was generated via use of a dartboard or random generator. If your goal is SoCal, many of these schools shouldn't make your short list.

Loyola is the only realistic option for the locale you want, unless you kill it at UW, which isn't a safe bet.

That was my point. Why would OP put down multiple deposits at schools not in CA and list randoms like MSU? I questioned this from the start.

Take a look at the titles in the Choosing a Law School Forum. People often lack geographic focus in their application cycles. This is very common, and often indicates a lack of direction or research. This, coupled with the OP's stated career goals (which are very amorphous and usually require a certain background), would indicate that (s)he needs to think more about why they want to be a lawyer and research the legal market a little more.

top30man wrote:OP, have you worked for a non-profit or government org before? I think you could do a lot more good in a non-profit management type job. Most non-profits and bleeding heart organizations do not have many lawyers and certainly do not need first years.

OP could even work in Government Relations for X Org. and suffice his legal leanings while mixing it with good intentions.

BearsGrl wrote:

lobolawyer wrote:This thread's title seems like it was generated via use of a dartboard or random generator. If your goal is SoCal, many of these schools shouldn't make your short list.

Loyola is the only realistic option for the locale you want, unless you kill it at UW, which isn't a safe bet.

That was my point. Why would OP put down multiple deposits at schools not in CA and list randoms like MSU? I questioned this from the start.

App fee waivers.

OP got a their biggest scholarship from MSU. Seems relevent.

Nova wrote:

BearsGrl wrote:

lobolawyer wrote:This thread's title seems like it was generated via use of a dartboard or random generator. If your goal is SoCal, many of these schools shouldn't make your short list.

Loyola is the only realistic option for the locale you want, unless you kill it at UW, which isn't a safe bet.

That was my point. Why would OP put down multiple deposits at schools not in CA and list randoms like MSU? I questioned this from the start.

App fee waivers.

Odd strategy unless the OP thought he'd get scholarship money from the others. I mean, I've lived in CA so I know that people from all over make it, but I wouldn't risk it in CA. Unless, he planned a lateral move. Even then, not sure it would be smart.

I've been to MSU too. LA is not anything like Lansing.

They probably just wanted to cast the widest net they could.

The OP managed to nab scholarships at a few T2 that can be used to negotiate with Loyola.