Top Law Schools

EDIT

It happens sometimes but it's not very predictable. What are your numbers and why do you think school rank doesn't matter for you?

Brooklyn has been generous with stipends this year, although the stipends aren't enough to cover NY COL

Chicago Kent does this as well. But as IAFG said, what are your numbers?

They exist even in the T-14+UT/Vandy/UCLA. I was 3.7x, 175+ and URM (from what adcoms would consider a rough background) and I got multiple within the T-14. No need to lower your sights if you have the numbers and a good story.

@AllTheLawz: Are you willing to name the particular law schools which offered such generous scholarship/financial aid awards ?

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Listen son. Unless you can point at some non-biglaw job and say, "THAT! That is what I want to do with my life. And I know it for a fact because I have spent 1+ years working in that field," you're going about this all wrong, on the basis of bad assumptions.

First assumption, there are non-biglaw jobs. There are a few. They're highly competitive. Coming from a lower-ranked school won't help you. And the majority that are available will require as much work as biglaw, for less money.

Second assumption, having no debt is less risky. Having no debt and a JD that doesn't lead to a job is quite risky.

Third assumption, any field in law could make you happy. Again, unless you can point to a gig and say, "THAT! That will make me happy!" you're going about this all wrong.

Fourth assumption, that you can build a career in law after having taken time off to travel. Probably not. Legal work is very treadmill-esque. Taking time off to travel is generally not on the table. Employers in the field will view you skeptically. Do that now, in advance.

CanadianWolf wrote:@AllTheLawz: Are you willing to name the particular law schools which offered such generous scholarship/financial aid awards ?

I got Michigan, Texas and Berkeley.. other schools that I think offer full plus stipend are UVA and Vandy (you have to apply for the scholarship at Vandy).

At a lot of the schools the stipend is one-time so you still might have to take on some amount of debt.

SMU has full tuition plus living stipend for residents of certain states (probably Texas & adjoining states).

IAFG wrote:Listen son. Unless you can point at some non-biglaw job and say, "THAT! That is what I want to do with my life. And I know it for a fact because I have spent 1+ years working in that field," you're going about this all wrong, on the basis of bad assumptions.

First assumption, there are non-biglaw jobs. There are a few. They're highly competitive. Coming from a lower-ranked school won't help you. And the majority that are available will require as much work as biglaw, for less money.

Second assumption, having no debt is less risky. Having no debt and a JD that doesn't lead to a job is quite risky.

Third assumption, any field in law could make you happy. Again, unless you can point to a gig and say, "THAT! That will make me happy!" you're going about this all wrong.

Fourth assumption, that you can build a career in law after having taken time off to travel. Probably not. Legal work is very treadmill-esque. Taking time off to travel is generally not on the table. Employers in the field will view you skeptically. Do that now, in advance.

God this. OP, you need to do basically the most minimal research about what law school and the legal practice entails.

full ride to multiple T14s and worried about taking out COL loans, lol. willing to pass over said T14 options to get full ride and stipend at non T14, LOL.

splitsplat wrote:full ride to multiple T14s and worried about taking out COL loans, lol. willing to pass over said T14 options to get full ride and stipend at non T14, LOL.

It's not clear that the fullrides were at T14s.

Don't forget your SA money. What do schools pay for stipend, $10-15k/year? If you go to a T14 and do big law for the summer, you'll earn $30k that'll wipe out most of your cost of living loans.

Also, I second the comments about figuring out what you want to do. Big law is not just a career in itself, but is the easiest route to a lot of other legal careers. Do you want to work at a environmental non-profit? Those folks can't afford to train you--you'll be much more attractive to them after a few years of big law litigation.

IAFG wrote:

splitsplat wrote:full ride to multiple T14s and worried about taking out COL loans, lol. willing to pass over said T14 options to get full ride and stipend at non T14, LOL.

It's not clear that the fullrides were at T14s.

doh. you're right.

IAFG wrote:
Fourth assumption, that you can build a career in law after having taken time off to travel. Probably not. Legal work is very treadmill-esque. Taking time off to travel is generally not on the table. Employers in the field will view you skeptically. Do that now, in advance.

I haven't heard this so much before. I'm sure some firms allow some form of vacation time, yea? Obviously taking off half a year to go on some adventure in a far away country isn't going to happen but if he just meant take a week or 2 off I don't see why that's not on the table.

For example, the last attorney I worked for took off a month to go to Buenos Aires. She scheduled it really far in advance and runs her own thing but she didn't go to a T14, so it's certainly possible.

Another example, attorney I work with right now just went to Taiwan for a month. No idea where she went to school, but she managed to take some time off to travel.

JohnV wrote:

IAFG wrote:
Fourth assumption, that you can build a career in law after having taken time off to travel. Probably not. Legal work is very treadmill-esque. Taking time off to travel is generally not on the table. Employers in the field will view you skeptically. Do that now, in advance.

I haven't heard this so much before. I'm sure some firms allow some form of vacation time, yea? Obviously taking off half a year to go on some adventure in a far away country isn't going to happen but if he just meant take a week or 2 off I don't see why that's not on the table.

For example, the last attorney I worked for took off a month to go to Buenos Aires. She scheduled it really far in advance and runs her own thing but she didn't go to a T14, so it's certainly possible.

Another example, attorney I work with right now just went to Taiwan for a month. No idea where she went to school, but she managed to take some time off to travel.

Well sure but even substantial debt isn't going to get in the way of vacactions for most people, so I doubt that is what OP has in mind.

Yeah, unless by "time to travel" OP means a few months during bad summer, it's a good way to get career pwned.

I mean here is the problem with the "I don't care about big law so I'll forgo a T14" angle. If an alternative career choice sounds good to you, it sounds good to plenty of people at T14s. More importantly, it sounds good to a lot of lawyers at big firms that have paid off their debt and are looking to do something else.

IAFG wrote:Listen son. Unless you can point at some non-biglaw job and say, "THAT! That is what I want to do with my life. And I know it for a fact because I have spent 1+ years working in that field," you're going about this all wrong, on the basis of bad assumptions.

First assumption, there are non-biglaw jobs. There are a few. They're highly competitive. Coming from a lower-ranked school won't help you. And the majority that are available will require as much work as biglaw, for less money.

Second assumption, having no debt is less risky. Having no debt and a JD that doesn't lead to a job is quite risky.

Third assumption, any field in law could make you happy. Again, unless you can point to a gig and say, "THAT! That will make me happy!" you're going about this all wrong.

Fourth assumption, that you can build a career in law after having taken time off to travel. Probably not. Legal work is very treadmill-esque. Taking time off to travel is generally not on the table. Employers in the field will view you skeptically. Do that now, in advance.

You do have a way of getting the heart rate up.

rayiner wrote:I mean here is the problem with the "I don't care about big law so I'll forgo a T14" angle. If an alternative career choice sounds good to you, it sounds good to plenty of people at T14s. More importantly, it sounds good to a lot of lawyers at big firms that have paid off their debt and are looking to do something else.

If you don't mind making a comparatively low income for the rest of your life, it might work out. But only if the non-T14 is essentially debt free. (I mean, within reason: you can take, meh, 45 grand in non-T14 debt...you'd have to work it out for yourself.)

DestinedWalnut wrote:Not sure if this is the correct sub-forum or not, but I was wondering if schools make offers of full tuition plus living expenses? If so does anyone have any suggestions for specific schools? I'm not really interested in Big Law, hence I don't mind passing over the T14 to save a bunch of money.

ASU gives out 11 full-rides plus living expenses amongst the 1L-3Ls.

There is one T20 you might like to know about: PM for details and stats

I retook the LSAT in June before enrolling and got bumped up to full after playing off the school against much less money from two T6's. But I asked for it and had to convince them. Most 0L's do not have the balls to do that.

DestinedWalnut wrote:Not sure if this is the correct sub-forum or not, but I was wondering if schools make offers of full tuition plus living expenses? If so does anyone have any suggestions for specific schools? I'm not really interested in Big Law, hence I don't mind passing over the T14 to save a bunch of money.

Yeah I go to Y/S/H and I got a full ride plus stipend. It's called "join the Army" .

possibly at Rutgers, and you may not even need to apply.