Top Law Schools

Here's the deal:

1. I've been set on CU-Boulder for a few months now, but have recently been admitted to Maryland.

2. They are equally ranked and equally priced.

3. I have strong undergraduate-related ties to the East Coast, but family ties to Colorado.

4. I am interested in environmental/energy law, and both schools have solid reputations in the field.

5. I would like to end up on the East Coast later in life, but am willing to spend 10ish years in Colorado earning a degree and starting my legal career there.

6. I am eating chocolate cake at work right now, frantically trying to weigh my options.

Thoughts? Experiences with either of these two schools? Short term career prospects in CO vs. MD? Long term career prospects? Should I stop eating chocolate cake?

Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated.

For the sake of landing an entry level ft/lt/jdr job, I think you should go to Colorado. IMO, The difference of about 9% in ft/lt/jdr employment is enough to justify attending UC-B over UMD.

Colorado wrote:55.7% of graduates were known to be employed in long-term, full-time legal jobs. This figure includes an unknown number school-funded jobs.
67.6% graduates were employed in long-term jobs.
75% graduates were employed in full-time jobs.

--LinkRemoved--

Maryland wrote:47.1% of graduates were known to be employed in long-term, full-time legal jobs. This figure includes no school-funded jobs..
78.5% graduates were employed in long-term jobs.
74.7% graduates were employed in full-time jobs.

--LinkRemoved--

Are you getting money from either school? What would the cost of attendance be? What are your stats (LSAT/uGPA)?

Long term it will be hard to move from one to the other. Short term nearly impossible. Can't imagine someone wanting to live in Maryland as opposed to Boulder, but that's me.

tough decision given your situation, advice here will probably not be in your best interests as it seems like a personal decision

Ask Maryland to add some scholly money. Your situation is tough since you want to end up on the East coast. Where specifically on the East coast? You have family ties to CO but don't want to stay there?

maryland is an amazing school and its located in the beautiful city of baltimore where u can pick on the kids from inferior schools like university of baltimore law

Jah'rakal wrote:maryland is an amazing school and its located in the beautiful city of baltimore where u can pick on the kids from inferior schools like university of baltimore law

Trolling fail 1/10 would not read again

rickgrimes69 wrote:

Jah'rakal wrote:maryland is an amazing school and its located in the beautiful city of baltimore where u can pick on the kids from inferior schools like university of baltimore law

Trolling fail 1/10 would not read again

Dude is heroically awful at trolling. It's tragic.

Two thumbs way way down for the trolling.

I'd go CU. Check both COA and COL, overall I think CU is ahead, but it's probably close enough to be a personal decision more than anything.

I'm from Colorado so I'm biased towards CU, but this sounds like it'll come down to personal preference. You're ok living in Colorado for 10 years, but what about if you get stuck there for longer? Are you ok living in Colorado if you don't get a job at all? Good luck with your decision, and carry on with eating the cake (just not the entire thing in one sitting...)

If you hypothetically spend 10 years in Colorado, 7 of which working, you're not gonna want to give up your clients to go to the East Coast. So if you REALLY want to be on the East Coast, I'd retake.

yeah going to CU to one day work on the east coast is odd. As said all your contacts and knowledge of the law are going to be in Colorado.... I mean maybe if you want to work in both places and are ok with just about completely starting over ten years from now and moving to the east coast, then ok.

figure out where you want to work and go to school there. law is made up bullshit and you are going to want to learn the correct made up bullshit for your region of choice.

Lord Randolph McDuff wrote:yeah going to CU to one day work on the east coast is odd. As said all your contacts and knowledge of the law are going to be in Colorado.... I mean maybe if you want to work in both places and are ok with just about completely starting over ten years from now and moving to the east coast, then ok.

figure out where you want to work and go to school there. law is made up bullshit and you are going to want to learn the correct made up bullshit for your region of choice.

Agree with the conclusion, though I don't think where you go will have much impact on what you learn. But you do need to decide if you want to work in Colorado or Maryland.

I think Colorado is a better choice. You've got family there, and it has better job prospects. But like Rad said, this idea that you can or will want to up and move ten years into your career is silly. Unless you're going in house or something, law is one of the least geographically flexible jobs there is.

Yeah unless it is a lower ranked school you don't learn a bunch of state law in law school. However, after two summers and a couple years working in the local state you do begin to have some specialized knowledge about state law. For example, you can't be a public defender in Colorado then transfer all your knowledge and expertise to a PD's office in Maryland. Skills yes but knowledge no.

Go to wherever you want to live these schools are peers.