Top Law Schools

TheZoid wrote:Eh, I think the above responses are fair enough from a purely financial/economic standpoint, but how much do you enjoy your job/how badly do you want to be a lawyer?

zazoo wrote:Would be curious about y'alls thoughts on my situation:

I've been working for 4 years in litigation consulting and have saved ~$100K to finance my law education. I currently make ~$100K a year and assume I could come back to this job after graduation. I am set on going to law school in NYC or the Bay Area (NYU or Boalt) so that my partner can get a job (and hopefully offset some COA).

Assuming I get no scholly money, am I right to think of my savings as a functional scholarship making the decision to pay "sticker" a low risk proposition even for the average TLSer (especially if I can count on my current job as a back-up plan). The plan is BigLaw, btw.

TheZoid wrote:I wouldn't say count it as a functional scholarship, but it's certainly less risky since your loan payments and overall debt load are lower if you miss the big law boat. Especially if your wife can pay for cost of living, I think you can justify sticker at a T10 in your situation.

homestyle28 wrote:What everyone here is going to overlook is the fact that with your background you've got a better than coin-flip chance at biglaw if you get NYU or Boalt. You'll come into LS with a background that most people lack so you'll probably pick it up faster and you'll have a great resume for OCI...nothing's guaranteed but your situation makes it less risky than most...I assume you have a strong professional network in Biglaw, so probably landing a 1L SA is a realistic goal, further offsetting the debt.

BruceWayne wrote:

homestyle28 wrote:What everyone here is going to overlook is the fact that with your background you've got a better than coin-flip chance at biglaw if you get NYU or Boalt. You'll come into LS with a background that most people lack so you'll probably pick it up faster and you'll have a great resume for OCI...nothing's guaranteed but your situation makes it less risky than most...I assume you have a strong professional network in Biglaw, so probably landing a 1L SA is a realistic goal, further offsetting the debt.

If he lands below median they really won't give a damn about his background.

homestyle28 wrote:

BruceWayne wrote:

homestyle28 wrote:What everyone here is going to overlook is the fact that with your background you've got a better than coin-flip chance at biglaw if you get NYU or Boalt. You'll come into LS with a background that most people lack so you'll probably pick it up faster and you'll have a great resume for OCI...nothing's guaranteed but your situation makes it less risky than most...I assume you have a strong professional network in Biglaw, so probably landing a 1L SA is a realistic goal, further offsetting the debt.

If he lands below median they really won't give a damn about his background.

Do you ever get tired of being wrong about everything?

zazoo wrote:Would be curious about y'alls thoughts on my situation:

I've been working for 4 years in litigation consulting and have saved ~$100K to finance my law education. I currently make ~$100K a year and assume I could come back to this job after graduation. I am set on going to law school in NYC or the Bay Area (NYU or Boalt) so that my partner can get a job (and hopefully offset some COA).

Assuming I get no scholly money, am I right to think of my savings as a functional scholarship making the decision to pay "sticker" a low risk proposition even for the average TLSer (especially if I can count on my current job as a back-up plan). The plan is BigLaw, btw.

Redfactor wrote:

zazoo wrote:Would be curious about y'alls thoughts on my situation:

I've been working for 4 years in litigation consulting and have saved ~$100K to finance my law education. I currently make ~$100K a year and assume I could come back to this job after graduation. I am set on going to law school in NYC or the Bay Area (NYU or Boalt) so that my partner can get a job (and hopefully offset some COA).

Assuming I get no scholly money, am I right to think of my savings as a functional scholarship making the decision to pay "sticker" a low risk proposition even for the average TLSer (especially if I can count on my current job as a back-up plan). The plan is BigLaw, btw.

Don't listen to what some others on this thread are saying. They probably have no idea what it takes to save up 100k. And while they might not agree with how you choose to spend that money, you've done a great and impressive job to save that amount of money to shift your career in some capacity. You wouldn't have done it if you were passionate about your current trajectory.

I have much more confidence in someone like you, who has shown an ability to save rather than live at the top of or above their means, to pay off loans in a timely and comfortable manner than most all the people on these boards.

As long as you understand that spending the money on law school could extend your time renting a home rather than owning and that your partner is comfortable with taking on this much debt, I say you two are more than capable to figure this decision out on your own.

BTW apparently Columbia also has a decent law school in NYC. Who knew?

cwid1391 wrote:Also, how does one get into litigation consulting? I'm pretty sure I'd drop law school and do that for a few years instead.

BruceWayne wrote:

homestyle28 wrote:What everyone here is going to overlook is the fact that with your background you've got a better than coin-flip chance at biglaw if you get NYU or Boalt. You'll come into LS with a background that most people lack so you'll probably pick it up faster and you'll have a great resume for OCI...nothing's guaranteed but your situation makes it less risky than most...I assume you have a strong professional network in Biglaw, so probably landing a 1L SA is a realistic goal, further offsetting the debt.

If he lands below median they really won't give a damn about his background.

zazoo wrote:Would be curious about y'alls thoughts on my situation:

I've been working for 4 years in litigation consulting and have saved ~$100K to finance my law education. I currently make ~$100K a year and assume I could come back to this job after graduation. I am set on going to law school in NYC or the Bay Area (NYU or Boalt) so that my partner can get a job (and hopefully offset some COA).

Assuming I get no scholly money, am I right to think of my savings as a functional scholarship making the decision to pay "sticker" a low risk proposition even for the average TLSer (especially if I can count on my current job as a back-up plan). The plan is BigLaw, btw.

zazoo wrote:Thanks for the replies. I'll be the first to admit attending law school is not necessarily a pragmatic financial decision; but I assume that either way, I'll be able to afford a decent life for me and my future family in the long run (perhaps not everyone assumes this). A law degree will afford me lifetime opportunities that staying at my current job without a PhD will not. There are other grad school options (I've considered many) and I think law is the best fit for me.

On a side note, there is a lot of focus on these boards on the down sides of law school but rarely any discussion on the intrinsic benefits. I know huge debt can "ruin" a life and many lawyers are unhappy; important things to consider. However, three years of learning in a new city, meeting many new friends and "contacts", and having a graduate degree that opens many doors are also important. While I get that financial realities are critical, if you can live with the worst case scenario, why not choose what gives you the best lifetime opportunities for success and, for some people, a more interesting life.

cwid1391 wrote:Also, how does one get into litigation consulting? I'm pretty sure I'd drop law school and do that for a few years instead.