Top Law Schools

Hello all ! I was wondering if anyone out there could give me their opinion on my current options for the coming fall. I still have some applications pending, but I have been admitted into William & Mary, Indiana Bloomington, and Emory all with half tuition scholarships. I have an interest in more of the law and public policy side of things instead of aspirations of working in a big law firm. Any opinions are welcomed.

where are you from/where do you want to work. All are strong regionally. So make your choice on the area that you like best.

I want to go back and work in Arkansas, but I have been leaning toward doing a federal clerkship first. Which of these carries the most weight in the south?

None of these are going to carry any weight in Arkansas. If you can't get a T14 or Vandy (maybe Bama?), you're better off going to Arkansas for free.

I would think Emory would carry the most weight in the South. But you are almost assured of not getting a clerkship from any of these schools (or almost any school really). If you want any sort of shot at a clerkship and a school that places well in the south as a whole you need to go to Vandy or a t14 (preferably Duke or UVA). As it stands if you want Arkansas you should go to whatever the best school is in that state, preferably for free or as close to it as possible. Basically what ND said.


Retake!

Tulane is very well received in Arkansas, and, given your acceptances and scholarships, you should be able to swing a full ride there. Out of the schools you listed, Emory would probably carry the most weight, however, I'm not sure how Tulane vs. Emory would play out there. If you are interested in finding out, you should contact a few attorneys there.

You shouldn't worry about federal clerkships, because you probably won't get one.

All three of these options are terrible for you. Truly terrible. Here is the best course of action:

1. Retake the LSAT.
2. If you improve on the LSAT, attend Vandy, Texas, or a T14. Barring admission to HYS, scholarship offers should weigh heavily in your choice of Vandy, Texas, or another T14.
3. If your improvement on the LSAT is not sufficient, attend Arkansas.
4. Never mention a federal clerkship again unless you are attending HYS, or obtain a decent 1L class rank at one of the above listed options.

catlawl wrote:All three of these options are terrible for you. Truly terrible. Here is the best course of action:

1. Retake the LSAT.
2. If you improve on the LSAT, attend Vandy, Texas, or a T14. Barring admission to HYS, scholarship offers should weigh heavily in your choice of Vandy, Texas, or another T14.
3. If your improvement on the LSAT is not sufficient, attend Arkansas.
4. Never mention a federal clerkship again unless you are attending HYS, or obtain a decent 1L class rank at one of the above listed options.

+1

All are poor options for Arkansas, and atrocious options if you want a federal clerkship. Either retake (best choice), change your goals and geographic preferences, or go to Arkansas for cheap and forget the federal clerkship.

If you want to do policy, do policy. Don't go to law school.

I would still push Tulane for free over some of the others. Most of the firms I talked to in Arkansas (1) really liked Tulane and (2) had 3.0 GPA floors for interviews (regardless of the actual rank of the student). As for (1), Tulane for free wouldn't be a bad choice for Arkansas (it would be better than the options you listed). As for (2), Arkansas grades too low to justify it if you can get into a more desirable school in the region for a similar price.

Also, if you don't want to practice law, avoid law school.

As a side note, it may look like I'm pushing Tulane because I went there, which is certainly not the case. For someone with ties to Arkansas, has huge scholarships to Tulane and Arkansas (Full tuition at both), and wants Arkansas, Tulane is the clear choice. With that as an option, it doesn't make sense to pay more than that for anything outside of UVA.

Aberzombie1892 wrote:I would still push Tulane for free over some of the others. Most of the firms I talked to in Arkansas (1) really liked Tulane and (2) had 3.0 GPA floors for interviews (regardless of the actual rank of the student). As for (1), Tulane for free wouldn't be a bad choice for Arkansas (it would be better than the options you listed). As for (2), Arkansas grades too low to justify it if you can get into a more desirable school in the region for a similar price.

Also, if you don't want to practice law, avoid law school.

As a side note, it may look like I'm pushing Tulane because I went there, which is certainly not the case. For someone with ties to Arkansas, has huge scholarships to Tulane and Arkansas (Full tuition at both), and wants Arkansas, Tulane is the clear choice. With that as an option, it doesn't make sense to pay more than that for anything outside of UVA.

You're saying if he got a 3/4 ride to Duke he should take Tulane on a free ride over that? Come on bro, I know you went there and all but let's be reasonable.

An update, I got a full ride to Bloomington.

hopingfor160 wrote:An update, I got a full ride to Bloomington.

I would not go to IU without ties to Indiana. Take this from someone who has lived in Indiana for the last 6 years and hopes to stay here.