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Ok guys, where should I go?

Options
1. Texas (In)
2. Vandy (In)
3. Cornell (In)
4. UCLA (waiting for decision)

Cost
1. I'm a Texas resident, so automatically my COA for Texas is lower than my COA for the others.
2. No scholarship info yet, but I'm not expecting anything from Cornell. I may qualify for some money from Vandy or Texas.

Career Plans
1. I have two strong (but unrelated) potential areas of interest: energy/natural resource law (am a geologist by training) or public law (non-TFA professional experience in urban teaching and inner city community development, social sciences advanced degree).
2. I badly want an article three clerkship.
3. Someday I may pursue a Ph.D. in my social science field and make the jump to academia. Maybe. Possibly. Meh.

Random factors
1. Clinical opportunities matter tremendously.
2. Collegiality with peers and alumni matter tremendously.
3. I would like to practice in Washington State or Tennessee, the states to which I have the closest ties.

Thanks for your advice!

Third factor you listed in regard to where you want to practice is not random, but central to your decision about which school to attend. As most, if not all, of these schools are not entirely national in scope in terms of placement (Cornell arguably being the exception), it may be best to attend a law school in the region where you wish to practice. Vandy seems like it would be best considering your wish to possibly practice in Tennessee.

However, maybe if your ties are strong enough to those regions it won't be absolutely necessary to go to a school in one of those regions. I don't know the credited response in regard to how strong ties should be in relation to which school you want to attend and the inclosure of the regions you listed.

Ah, ok, good point. I should also say that I prioritize doing what I want to do over living where I want to live. I've lived in eight states and can be happy most anywhere. Except Oklahoma. No offense, OK -- I just don't jive with you.

Your two main priorities should be 1) cost and 2) job prospects in the area you want to work.

Art. III clerkship numbers should not be a huge consideration, since it will be difficult to do from any of the three schools (and it is difficult to do at really most schools besides HYS). Academia should not be a consideration point since that is very unlikely from these three schools (and it is very difficult for most schools besides Yale).

From what I know Washington and it's legal markets (Seattle and Portland) can be very insular. You might want to do research on specific markets to figure out if it is a realistic proposition to work there after graduation (especially trying to come from schools halfway across the country). As for TN, that seems to point in the obviousness direction of Vandy, though there's still the issue of cost to consider.

shrimpandgrits wrote:Ah, ok, good point. I should also say that I prioritize doing what I want to do over living where I want to live. I've lived in eight states and can be happy most anywhere. Except Oklahoma. No offense, OK -- I just don't jive with you.

Well, figure out markets that well let you do what you want to do for a living then, and focus on those markets. Texas and Houston especially is very well known for energy law type-work. If you think you would enjoy doing this type of work for a big law firm in Houston, then UT should a be a tempting choice. Public interest is a bit too vague to try and identify a market for.

Of these options if you want energy law and you are a Texas resident I can't see why you wouldn't go anywhere but UT (unless someplace else was cheaper). If you really want to live in TN and cost is anywhere close to similar then I would choose Vandy. If you really want a clerkship then you need to retake. And given you don't think you'll get anything from Cornell then it sounds like a retake is definitely in order.

I think you have to wait until you get money. Unless you get money to Vandy or Cornell, I think its Texas.

with an interest in energy law and a geology background it seems like texas should really probably be on your list of places to live. you should go somewhere that lets you get your jd and geology masters at the same time and then just crush texas when youre done

FlanAl wrote:with an interest in energy law and a geology background it seems like texas should really probably be on your list of places to live. you should go somewhere that lets you get your jd and geology masters at the same time and then just crush texas when youre done

I doubt Texas firms care or would value a geology masters.