Top Law Schools

First, I have no desire what so ever to practice law. My only goal for attending law school is to learn as I deal daily with our in house council and would appreciate a greater understanding and background in "law". I state this only to say, the rankings for schools and job prospects are not a concern for me. I'm a former army officer, 5 years, with an additional 5 years in the oil and gas industry on the financial side. No desire for a MBA, nor will it benefit me.

Secondly, cost to attend is a nonissue as well, as that is covered by my employer.

Given these factors, if you had to choose one of the above 3 schools, which would you choose based solely on their educational merit? Is there a quantifiable difference in the material taught to justify one school over another, or am I splitting hairs if that is all I am after?

Thanks. I appreciate any and all advice.


ETA: UM as in Miami, sorry for any confusion

Michigan, Texas, and Pepperdine? Pepperdine shouldnt even be in the conversation

nxfedlt1 wrote:Given these factors, if you had to choose one of the above 3 schools, which would you choose based solely on their educational merit? Is there a quantifiable difference in the material taught to justify one school over another, or am I splitting hairs if that is all I am after?

Generally speaking, no, there really isn't a difference in the material taught. Keep in mind that all law students have to take basically the same 1L courses, so that's a big chunk of your education that's pretty much the same wherever you go. There is a truism that the lower down the rankings you go, the more practice-oriented/passing-the-bar oriented law schools get; the higher up the rankings, the more theoretical your education is. However, there are more practical courses (like trial advocacy, clinics) at all schools (and personally, I think there's only so far a school can go in offering truly practical training - you will always need to learn a lot on the job).

You might want to consider that at the higher ranked schools, you'll be surrounded by classmates who have generally earned higher GPAs/LSAT scores - if you're concerned about grades that can be a problem, but if you're purely interested in a learning experience, I'd prefer to have the brightest classmates I could.

(With the caveat that numbers don't mean everything and don't determine who will/won't be a good lawyer, etc. etc., and I'm not sure you're looking at drastic differences, given these schools - Pepperdine has lower average numbers than the other two, but it's not like it's Cooley or Thomas Jefferson or something.)

If you have no desire to ever practice law, go to the school with the nicest people and the best weather (and perhaps the lowest cost for the sake of your employer). Based on your goal, I think you are splitting hairs. Each school you listed will give you a fine (and very similar) legal education. If you believe prestige (or rankings) is a reflection of "educational merit," use USNWR to make your decision.

You might also look at the upper-level courses offered to see if they correspond with your employer's interests.

Go to Pepperdine because it will open a lot of doors for you...biglaw, entertainment law, federal clerkship, doing work for hollywood big names...

froglee wrote:Go to Pepperdine because it will open a lot of doors for you...biglaw, entertainment law, federal clerkship, doing work for hollywood big names...

I enjoyed your post history.

Still can't tell if you are serious or not.

Texas has the best job prospects, so I would go there.

(this should be a pretty easy choice if you dont have any qualms with Texas)

sinfiery wrote:

froglee wrote:Go to Pepperdine because it will open a lot of doors for you...biglaw, entertainment law, federal clerkship, doing work for hollywood big names...

I enjoyed your post history.

Still can't tell if you are serious or not.

I cant tell if you are serious about whether or not you think froglee is being serious.

Keep in mind that Pepperdine has required theological classes, so if that's not your thing take that into consideration.

Nova wrote:

sinfiery wrote:

froglee wrote:Go to Pepperdine because it will open a lot of doors for you...biglaw, entertainment law, federal clerkship, doing work for hollywood big names...

I enjoyed your post history.

Still can't tell if you are serious or not.

I cant tell if you are serious about whether or not you think froglee is being serious.

Malibu man, Malibu.

Texas is big in oil and gas, so you'll probably have a lot of relevant course options at UT if you're interested. Plus Austin's not too bad of a place to spend three years

islandrose0913 wrote:Texas is big in oil and gas, so you'll probably have a lot of relevant course options at UT if you're interested. Plus Austin's not too bad of a place to spend three years

Ahh. I love and miss Austin so much.