Top Law Schools

As the title suggests, I want to practice in CA after law school (I have ties there). While i'd much more strongly prefer So Cal than Nor Cal, I wouldn't mind or be averse to practicing in Nor Cal.

My intent is to get into biglaw (V100), but I was wondering whether attending and having the prestige of a T14 degree (primarily the lower T14, like T7-14)) would give me a better chance of practicing biglaw in SoCal than say, attending USC or UCLA? Or would attending UCLA or USC be even better or equal to attending a lower T14 school?

The reason I'm asking is because I really want T14, but don't want my primary choice of attending a T14 to be counterproductive to me getting biglaw in CA when I could have just remained in the state. Also attending a So Cal school would save me quite a bit of $, but thinking about the pervasive attitude regarding prestige within the profession gives me some doubts as to what would be best for me. Another reason I want T14 is the suggested nationwide portability the lower T14 has to offer, should I end up NOT wanting to practice in CA somewhere down the road.

Your thoughts, input, and/or personal experience with this would be immensely helpful and appreciated!

Unless it's HYS, go with whoever gives you more money between lower T14s and USC/UCLA.

John_rizzy_rawls wrote:Unless it's HYS, go with whoever gives you more money between lower T14s and USC/UCLA.

Definitely do not necessarily agree with this if OP gets into Berkeley.

Which T14 and how much money?

Real Madrid wrote:

John_rizzy_rawls wrote:Unless it's HYS, go with whoever gives you more money between lower T14s and USC/UCLA.

Definitely do not necessarily agree with this if OP gets into Berkeley.

This. Given your goals, I'd suggest Berkeley >>>> T14 + UCLA/USC with most money. I'd probably even take USC/UCLA with a significant scholarship over Georgetown or Cornell sticker/small scholarship in a heartbeat.

Need to know exact schools plus COA for each before advice can be given IMO.

Probably depends on your GPA.

If you have a high GPA, get a decent LSAT and enjoy Berkeley. Low GPA like me? You'll have to kill the LSAT, then go to a splitter friendly t14 and go back to CA.

Berkeley, USC, UCLA are all GPA crazy.

Tim0thy222 wrote:Probably depends on your GPA.

If you have a high GPA, get a decent LSAT and enjoy Berkeley. Low GPA like me? You'll have to kill the LSAT, then go to a splitter friendly t14 and go back to CA.

Berkeley, USC, UCLA are all GPA crazy.

Well said.

Tiago Splitter wrote:

Tim0thy222 wrote:Probably depends on your GPA.

If you have a high GPA, get a decent LSAT and enjoy Berkeley. Low GPA like me? You'll have to kill the LSAT, then go to a splitter friendly t14 and go back to CA.

Berkeley, USC, UCLA are all GPA crazy.

Well said.

Sometimes true but not always. Get well above their 75th for GPA OR LSAT and write a Berkeley specific PS. I'm below their 25th GPA I think and above the 75th LSAT and got in.

twinkletoes16 wrote:

Tiago Splitter wrote:

Tim0thy222 wrote:Probably depends on your GPA.

If you have a high GPA, get a decent LSAT and enjoy Berkeley. Low GPA like me? You'll have to kill the LSAT, then go to a splitter friendly t14 and go back to CA.

Berkeley, USC, UCLA are all GPA crazy.

Well said.

Sometimes true but not always. Get well above their 75th for GPA OR LSAT and write a Berkeley specific PS. I'm below their 25th GPA I think and above the 75th LSAT and got in.

Good job! I think there are a whole bunch of GPAs between what you mean by low and what I mean by low though. 3.5 is well below Berkeley's 25th, and I meant like less than 3.3 sort of low. Either way though, that is impressive to get into Berkeley below the 25th percentile GPA.

Tim0thy222 wrote:

twinkletoes16 wrote:

Tiago Splitter wrote:

Tim0thy222 wrote:Probably depends on your GPA.

If you have a high GPA, get a decent LSAT and enjoy Berkeley. Low GPA like me? You'll have to kill the LSAT, then go to a splitter friendly t14 and go back to CA.

Berkeley, USC, UCLA are all GPA crazy.

Well said.

Sometimes true but not always. Get well above their 75th for GPA OR LSAT and write a Berkeley specific PS. I'm below their 25th GPA I think and above the 75th LSAT and got in.

Good job! I think there are a whole bunch of GPAs between what you mean by low and what I mean by low though. 3.5 is well below Berkeley's 25th, and I meant like less than 3.3 sort of low. Either way though, that is impressive to get into Berkeley below the 25th percentile GPA.

Lol, I'm pretty sure Twinkletoes has a 3.7

ChampagnePapi wrote:
Lol, I'm pretty sure Twinkletoes has a 3.7

People consider 3.7 a low GPA? Are those people who like, took all AP classes and went to Princeton or something? I've spent my life getting Bs in the easiest classes at public schools, so I really don't understand that world.

That is an aside though. OP, look at LSN, and you'll be able to figure out if you have a Berkely GPA like twinkletoes, or if you have an ED UVA GPA like me.

I will say though, that I would take t10 over USC/UCLA. Even for CA, those schools seem to have better job prospects based on the data I've seen. Though you may or may not want to take on the extra debt for that.

Tim0thy222 wrote:

ChampagnePapi wrote:
Lol, I'm pretty sure Twinkletoes has a 3.7

People consider 3.7 a low GPA? Are those people who like, took all AP classes and went to Princeton or something? I've spent my life getting Bs in the easiest classes at public schools, so I really don't understand that world.

That is an aside though. OP, look at LSN, and you'll be able to figure out if you have a Berkely GPA like twinkletoes, or if you have an ED UVA GPA like me.

I will say though, that I would take t10 over USC/UCLA. Even for CA, those schools seem to have better job prospects based on the data I've seen. Though you may or may not want to take on the extra debt for that.

Twinkle did not call her gpa "low" (at least not in this thread). And I don't understand your T10 distinction. Why Michigan but not Duke? Or NU? Or Cornell?

BigZuck wrote:

Tim0thy222 wrote:

ChampagnePapi wrote:
Lol, I'm pretty sure Twinkletoes has a 3.7

People consider 3.7 a low GPA? Are those people who like, took all AP classes and went to Princeton or something? I've spent my life getting Bs in the easiest classes at public schools, so I really don't understand that world.

That is an aside though. OP, look at LSN, and you'll be able to figure out if you have a Berkely GPA like twinkletoes, or if you have an ED UVA GPA like me.

I will say though, that I would take t10 over USC/UCLA. Even for CA, those schools seem to have better job prospects based on the data I've seen. Though you may or may not want to take on the extra debt for that.

Twinkle did not call her gpa "low" (at least not in this thread). And I don't understand your T10 distinction. Why Michigan but not Duke? Or NU? Or Cornell?

Ok, fair point about the low GPA thing. I really didn't mean anything beyond the fact that it was not the kind of GPA I was referring to.

As for the T10 distinction, I only said that I would take a T10, not that I wouldn't take a T14. I looked at all of MVP pretty seriously, but don't know DNCG as well, so I don't have an opinion one way or the other on whether or not those schools (DNCG) would be a better choice than UCLA/USC for OP's goals.

Students at UVA's ASW last week who were looking to go to the West Coast told me that 100% of students who focused their OCI bids on California (as in, more than 50% on cali firms), secured firm jobs in California. Take that for what it's worth. I think there is something to say about the fact that firms like to hire from different schools and there is far less competition for California at east coast T14s.