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Public Interest Law School

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 1:23 pm
by edzit
Which school is the best for public interest? How much does the funding matter when you want to do public interest law? How much does the location matter?

Re: Public Interest Law School

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 1:24 pm
by Ludo!
Yale

Re: Public Interest Law School

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 1:39 pm
by edzit
If I know that I will be living in CA, should I go to a 2nd tier school in Washington, Boston or NY?

Re: Public Interest Law School

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 1:41 pm
by TheThriller
edzit wrote:If I know that I will be living in CA, should I go to a 2nd tier school in Washington, Boston or NY?
None of these schools would get you back to CA. If you want to work in CA then go to school in CA.

By the sound of it (since you are considering TT schools) you should probably retake the LSAT.

Re: Public Interest Law School

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 1:44 pm
by twinkletoes16
Ludovico Technique wrote:Yale

Lololol 180 thank you for making me giggle.


TCR is retake though.

Re: Public Interest Law School

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 1:46 pm
by edzit
TheThriller wrote:
edzit wrote:If I know that I will be living in CA, should I go to a 2nd tier school in Washington, Boston or NY?
None of these schools would get you back to CA. If you want to work in CA then go to school in CA.

By the sound of it (since you are considering TT schools) you should probably retake the LSAT.
So far, I got into American U, Northeastern, Loyola in LA and CUNY, I am waiting to here back from then regarding the funding. Do u think none of them will get me back to CA?

Re: Public Interest Law School

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 1:48 pm
by Ludo!
edzit wrote:
TheThriller wrote:
edzit wrote:If I know that I will be living in CA, should I go to a 2nd tier school in Washington, Boston or NY?
None of these schools would get you back to CA. If you want to work in CA then go to school in CA.

By the sound of it (since you are considering TT schools) you should probably retake the LSAT.
So far, I got into American U, Northeastern, Loyola in LA and CUNY, I am waiting to here back from then regarding the funding. Do u think none of them will get me back to CA?
Those are all terrible schools. If you got a full ride at Loyola maybe you could consider that if you want to live in LA, but otherwise retake

Re: Public Interest Law School

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 1:48 pm
by timbs4339
No.

Re: Public Interest Law School

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 2:12 pm
by cinephile
All legal jobs are competitive these days. You need to go to a competitive school to compete.

Re: Public Interest Law School

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 2:12 pm
by TheThriller
edzit wrote:
TheThriller wrote:
edzit wrote:If I know that I will be living in CA, should I go to a 2nd tier school in Washington, Boston or NY?
None of these schools would get you back to CA. If you want to work in CA then go to school in CA.

By the sound of it (since you are considering TT schools) you should probably retake the LSAT.
So far, I got into American U, Northeastern, Loyola in LA and CUNY, I am waiting to here back from then regarding the funding. Do u think none of them will get me back to CA?
Loyola will "get" you back to CA as in it is already in California. However, employment prospects from all these schools listed will leave you with only around a 5-10% chance at making above 100k (which is needed to service debt taken on my anything less then a 3/4ths full ride).

I would strongly urge you to rethink your current situation, retake the LSAT if you want to go to law school and either gun for a T14 or a strong regional with $$$

Re: Public Interest Law School

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 2:15 pm
by North
edzit wrote:
TheThriller wrote:
edzit wrote:If I know that I will be living in CA, should I go to a 2nd tier school in Washington, Boston or NY?
None of these schools would get you back to CA. If you want to work in CA then go to school in CA.

By the sound of it (since you are considering TT schools) you should probably retake the LSAT.
So far, I got into American U, Northeastern, Loyola in LA and CUNY, I am waiting to here back from then regarding the funding. Do u think none of them will get me back to CA?
No, they absolutely won't. Those schools are also terrible, terrible investments in nearly every case. Don't attend any of them. What is you GPA? LSAT? Are you a minority?

Re: Public Interest Law School

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 2:15 pm
by edzit
Ludovico Technique wrote:
edzit wrote:
TheThriller wrote:
edzit wrote:If I know that I will be living in CA, should I go to a 2nd tier school in Washington, Boston or NY?
None of these schools would get you back to CA. If you want to work in CA then go to school in CA.

By the sound of it (since you are considering TT schools) you should probably retake the LSAT.
So far, I got into American U, Northeastern, Loyola in LA and CUNY, I am waiting to here back from then regarding the funding. Do u think none of them will get me back to CA?
Those are all terrible schools. If you got a full ride at Loyola maybe you could consider that if you want to live in LA, but otherwise retake
Have you yourself done public interest law ? I just want to know why you say the schools are terrible.

Re: Public Interest Law School

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 2:16 pm
by edzit
North wrote:
edzit wrote:
TheThriller wrote:
edzit wrote:If I know that I will be living in CA, should I go to a 2nd tier school in Washington, Boston or NY?
None of these schools would get you back to CA. If you want to work in CA then go to school in CA.

By the sound of it (since you are considering TT schools) you should probably retake the LSAT.
So far, I got into American U, Northeastern, Loyola in LA and CUNY, I am waiting to here back from then regarding the funding. Do u think none of them will get me back to CA?
No, they absolutely won't. Those schools are also terrible, terrible investments in nearly every case. Don't attend any of them. What is you GPA? LSAT? Are you a minority?
3.69/160

Re: Public Interest Law School

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 2:17 pm
by Crowing
American is one of the worst value schools period.

http://www.lstscorereports.com/?school=american

Re: Public Interest Law School

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 2:17 pm
by TheThriller
Do not waste that GPA.

Re: Public Interest Law School

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 2:19 pm
by Ludo!
edzit wrote:
Have you yourself done public interest law ? I just want to know why you say the schools are terrible.
Their employment stats are terrible. They are terrible schools for getting any kind of legal job, including public interest.

160 is a good start. Retake

Re: Public Interest Law School

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 2:19 pm
by edzit
Crowing wrote:American is one of the worst value schools period.

http://www.lstscorereports.com/?school=american
Would it matter if you had a full ride.

Re: Public Interest Law School

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 2:34 pm
by Kabootar
.

Re: Public Interest Law School

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 2:36 pm
by Crowing
edzit wrote:
Crowing wrote:American is one of the worst value schools period.

http://www.lstscorereports.com/?school=american
Would it matter if you had a full ride.
You'd still be paying CoL without income for 3 years for a 35% chance of actually being an employed lawyer after graduation. I wouldn't go to American even with a stipend. Anyway if you can get a full-ride at American you should be a competitive enough candidate to have much better options than American.

Re: Public Interest Law School

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 2:37 pm
by Ludo!
Kabootar wrote:0L here: from my own personal research I would go to northeastern (I'm interested in public interest as well). Northeastern provides a wide range of experience in various fields, which I prefer since I am interested in working in multiple fields (more interdisciplinary). Quite honestly right now you are asking a forum full of majority biglaw fanatics who like to induce collectivized freak outs. I suggest you should get into contact (phone or in person) with alumnis from each school who are working in your preferred field. That will get you more accurate information than elitist 0L advice and my useless obsessive research. Also check out northeastern's co-op program opportunities in California. :D
No

Re: Public Interest Law School

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 2:39 pm
by Kabootar
.

Re: Public Interest Law School

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 2:41 pm
by 20130312
Kabootar wrote:0L here: from my own personal research I would go to northeastern (I'm interested in public interest as well). Northeastern provides a wide range of experience in various fields, which I prefer since I am interested in working in multiple fields (more interdisciplinary). Quite honestly right now you are asking a forum full of majority biglaw fanatics who like to induce collectivized freak outs. I suggest you should get into contact (phone or in person) with alumnis from each school who are working in your preferred field. That will get you more accurate information than elitist 0L advice and my useless obsessive research. Also check out northeastern's co-op program opportunities in California. :D
Shitboomer.

OP, I'm not a 0L, and TCR here is to retake. With that GPA, you could get into Stanford if you bump up your LSAT score. Or you could go to Berkeley on a significant scholarship. We aren't saying these things to be elitist. We are saying them because the employment outcomes from the schools you listed are truly god awful, even for public interest. Look up Law School Transparency to see the stats for yourself.

Re: Public Interest Law School

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 2:44 pm
by Ludo!
Kabootar wrote:
Ludovico Technique wrote:
Kabootar wrote:0L here: from my own personal research I would go to northeastern (I'm interested in public interest as well). Northeastern provides a wide range of experience in various fields, which I prefer since I am interested in working in multiple fields (more interdisciplinary). Quite honestly right now you are asking a forum full of majority biglaw fanatics who like to induce collectivized freak outs. I suggest you should get into contact (phone or in person) with alumnis from each school who are working in your preferred field. That will get you more accurate information than elitist 0L advice and my useless obsessive research. Also check out northeastern's co-op program opportunities in California. :D
No
Kya Baat hai! Va!
Being a good researcher is a pretty important part of being a lawyer. If you actually did research and still somehow concluded that Northeastern is worth attending, you probably shouldn't go to law school

Re: Public Interest Law School

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 2:47 pm
by Ludo!
I agree that hearing what alumni have to say can be valuable though. Here is a Northeastern grad:
Northeastern Law Grad wrote:Did you notice the last page or so of posts in which we were all jizzing about a public defender position available in Barrow, Alaska? I couldn't speak for anyone else but I for one was not entirely exaggerating, I am not completely uninterested in the prospect and I went into law school saying to myself "the one thing I don't want to be is a public defender, I don't have the fortitude for it" but after 3 months of unemployment (well 5 technically but I started the count after I finished the bar, not graduation because at least when I was studying for the bar I had something to do) it's honestly starting to sound pretty good...


Getting a job in law is hard and unlikely. Getting a stable job is considerably harder and unlikelier. Getting a job in the Federal Government is a pipe dream. According to usajobs.gov there are 158 jobs available in the country under the category "legal and claims examining". There are more than 158 law schools in the country, much less yearly law grads. I don't know if you meant to phrase it this way but I get the feeling like you feel like getting a job with the federal government would be settling for mediocrity somehow. Fuck you. I would literally suck a dick for a cushy federal government job and I'm not even joking about that. Women and gay dudes do it all the time (well not for jobs usually but you get my point), I'm so much better than them that I can't do it once and be set for life? If only I had that opportunity.

You don't know why exactly you want to go to law school, well let me help you answer that question, you want to go to law school because you don't know what else to do with your degree and law school seems like the obvious next thing to do. That's the reason I went too and now that I'm done with it and unemployed and overqualified for any vaguely decent mediocre office job that would pay off my $150k-ish debt I feel like I have to tell you that you're thinking about making a huge mistake, don't go you idiot

I didn't mean to come off so hateful and angry when I started writing this reply but fuck, every time I read a post about someone wanting to go to law school it just comes out, I'm sorry, I don't literally hate you, but I do hate the part of your brain that tricked you into thinking that law school is remotely a good idea right now.

Re: Public Interest Law School

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 2:51 pm
by empyreanrrv
Stanford would be hard to get in, even with a higher LSAT score, but Berkeley, USC, UCLA with money all become available.

http://www.mylsn.info/6t6aag