Top Law Schools

Hey everyone,

I am new to this forum and I am planing on attending law school in a couple years. I want to practice law in Florida. Is it better to attend a school outside of Florida, or should I try to apply to a school in Florida? My gpa is a 3.7 and I have not taken the Lsat yet.

What type of legal job do you want?

If your answer has anything to do with salary:
Generally, the advice is to go to the best school after considering cost within the t14.
If you aren't accepted there, attempt to go to a strong regional school in the geographic area you want to work for as low of a cost as possible.

Do you have significant ties to FL? If so...

T14
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Vandy
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UF/FSU
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local TT/T/T

I live here in Florida, so I would like to stay in the area. However, I don't mind moving if it means I will get better opportunities when I come back. The only school I think I would consider is UF, but I think I am leaning more towards one of the t14. Is it worth going to a top school out of state, or is it better to stay local? Thanks

Nova wrote:Do you have significant ties to FL? If so...

T14
...
...
Vandy
...
...
UF/FSU
...
...
...
local TT/T/T

And emory!

Cohiba wrote:I live here in Florida, so I would like to stay in the area. However, I don't mind moving if it means I will get better opportunities when I come back. The only school I think I would consider is UF, but I think I am leaning more towards one of the t14. Is it worth going to a top school out of state, or is it better to stay local? Thanks

Almost always better to go to a T-14 school. Staying local is better than going out of state for a non T-14, going out of state for a T-14 is probably better than staying local.

Considering you wish to stay in the area, you may as well apply to strong regionals, then apply to your desired spread of the T-14.

Emory and Vandy are above average non T-14's you may want to consider depending on the COA you get at your strong regionals.

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Nova wrote:Do you have significant ties to FL? If so...

T14
...
...
Vandy
...
...
UF/FSU
...
...
...
local TT/T/T
...
...
...
...
...
...
Florida Coastal

Edited for accuracy.

But really, I've heard depending on where you want to be in Florida and what kind of legal work you would like to do, you choose either T14 or UF/FSU. (And COA matters as well)

I like the Tampa area. Anybody know of any schools that are good for the Tampa area?

Dont dip below UF/FSU

Best thing you can do right now is study for the LSAT and nail it. With that gpa you are prime t14 material with a good LSAT and then a lot of this discussion becomes moot. I am sure it's hard to crack Florida from a t14 because a legal job anywhere is difficult to get, but the best mix of gettin back to Florida combined with getting a good job, being on track for a good career, is to shoot for that t14.

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I live in the Tampa area as well. I have visited Stetson it didn't impress me at all, however I do agree with Stetson being respected here. But I wonder if it is respected in other areas around Florida? Stetson is also high on tuition.

Stetson's job stats are not bad for a TTT. Avoid if possible, though.

Stet wrote:•59.8% of graduates were known to be employed in long-term, full-time legal jobs. 0.3% of these jobs were school-funded jobs.
•80.6% graduates were employed in long-term jobs.
•79.8% graduates were employed in full-time jobs.

http://www.lstscorereports.com/?school= ... show=chars

,

Cohiba wrote:I live in the Tampa area as well. I have visited Stetson it didn't impress me at all, however I do agree with Stetson being respected here. But I wonder if it is respected in other areas around Florida? Stetson is also high on tuition.

It may be "respected" but job prospects suck

I see, thanks for the info.

If I plan on starting my own practice after law school would it be necessary to go to a t14 school, or should I stay local?

law school doesn't teach you how to practice law. You need to learn by working under someone first or you will almost surly fail

Do you mean how to run the business part of law? I have experience in businesses. I owned several successful business. I would not mind working under someone for a short period of time to get advice specifically in the business aspect of law, but I would not want to do that for a long period of time. I really would like to stay in Florida. I just don't see the point in me going to a t14 school if I plan on doing my own thing. I also own a home in FL completely paid off, so that is another reason I do not want to leave.

No he means practicing law takes time and patience to learn... and experience, you can't learn to be a surgeon from reading text books can you?

rad lulz wrote:If you want to come back to FL above all else, go to UF/FSU

But you probably won't get big law

Don't go to Stetson at all

If you care more about getting big law anywhere than going back to FL go to T14/Vandy

Is this really true? I have been getting mixed info from the board. half the time i get "dont go to uF under any circumstances, that school is FAIL... and other times i get, Go to UF if you want to tstay in FL." Surely they both cant be correct.

I get what you are saying, but I am sure there are some people that have done it right out of law school and have been successful. My concern is that a t14 school really is not going to help me more than a law school from my state if I plan on doing my own thing eventually. I no I could possibly get paid better and better job opportunities from going to a t14, but is it worth paying a lot more money on tuition?

Through researching this forum I have also seen mixed reviews about UF. Not sure what to think about all this.