University of Miami law. Forum

[cpena1991]

Hey guys and girls,

I just wanted to see why, in your opinions, University of Miami Law has been going down in ranking so much?

How does a UM J.D. look in the Miami legal market?

Is it still a good choice to attend UM over UF if your intending on staying in Miami?

[Nova]

I just wanted to see why, in your opinions, University of Miami Law has been going down in ranking so much?
It doesn't really matter. USNWR doesn't really matter. Whether its at 55 or 80, its the same TT.

Is it still a good choice to attend UM over UF if your intending on staying in Miami?
Depends on scholarships and cost of attendance. If cost is equal, Id go with Miami. That way youd be part of the largest alumni base in the city and be in the best position to network while in school.

[Nova]

Miami is usually expensive, though. If its gonna cost much more than in state at UF, Id go UF

[Winston1984]

They are also super stingy on scholarships. I think only about a third of incoming students get scholarships.

[nebula666]

COL is also significantly higher in Miami than in Gainesville or Tally.

[AT9]

I just wanted to see why, in your opinions, University of Miami Law has been going down in ranking so much?
It doesn't really matter. USNWR doesn't really matter. Whether its at 55 or 80, its the same TT.

Is it still a good choice to attend UM over UF if your intending on staying in Miami?
Depends on scholarships and cost of attendance. If cost is equal, Id go with Miami. That way youd be part of the largest alumni base in the city and be in the best position to network while in school.

This. If you specifically want Miami, I'd go to whichever one is cheaper. Apply to FSU as well...don't think they do as well in S. Florida, but they currently have the best employment score (on LST) in the state by a comfortable margin.

[Myself]

.

[Lord Randolph McDuff]

I'm sure this video has something to do with the drop in rankings: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8d1aTm2ihko

Don't go unless you want to be like that guy ^ or want to have classmates like that guy.

This dude seems like a douche, but Judge Judy sucks. It wouldn't surprise me if the law student was actually correct about notice taking place under Florida law. Judge Judy (like a lot of small claims court judges or even rural county court judges) just makes shit up.

[Myself]

.

[jingosaur]

I'm sure this video has something to do with the drop in rankings: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8d1aTm2ihko

Don't go unless you want to be like that guy ^ or want to have classmates like that guy.

This dude seems like a douche, but Judge Judy sucks. It wouldn't surprise me if the law student was actually correct about notice taking place under Florida law. Judge Judy (like a lot of small claims court judges or even rural county court judges) just makes shit up.

That's People's Court just FYI. It's Marilyn Milian. She graduated from GULC cum laude, was a former assistant state attorney in Florida, and also served as a Florida state judge, appointed by the governor (not elected). So she probably has some general legal smarts and knowledge of Florida law. Just saying.

Judge Judy went to NYLS.

[Myself]

.

[vicpin5190]

I'm sure this video has something to do with the drop in rankings: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8d1aTm2ihko

Don't go unless you want to be like that guy ^ or want to have classmates like that guy.

This dude seems like a douche, but Judge Judy sucks. It wouldn't surprise me if the law student was actually correct about notice taking place under Florida law. Judge Judy (like a lot of small claims court judges or even rural county court judges) just makes shit up.

That's People's Court just FYI. It's Marilyn Milian. She graduated from GULC cum laude, was a former assistant state attorney in Florida, and also served as a Florida state judge, appointed by the governor (not elected). So she probably has some general legal smarts and knowledge of Florida law. Just saying.

Judge Judy went to NYLS.

so you're telling me.....there's a chance?

[Nova]

Marilyn >>>> Judy

In every facet (brains, beauty, personality)

[Crowing]

Judy is like the worst of the TV judges in both intelligence and personality. I have no idea why she's so popular, other than because she's like the Simon Cowell of judges and people like that sorta shit for some weird reason.

[romothesavior]

I just wanted to see why, in your opinions, University of Miami Law has been going down in ranking so much?
It doesn't really matter. USNWR doesn't really matter. Whether its at 55 or 80, its the same TT.

Is it still a good choice to attend UM over UF if your intending on staying in Miami?
Depends on scholarships and cost of attendance. If cost is equal, Id go with Miami. That way youd be part of the largest alumni base in the city and be in the best position to network while in school.

TITCR.

It doesn't matter. You should really only go if you have a full ride.

[xylocarp]

I just wanted to see why, in your opinions, University of Miami Law has been going down in ranking so much?
It doesn't really matter. USNWR doesn't really matter. Whether its at 55 or 80, its the same TT.

Is it still a good choice to attend UM over UF if your intending on staying in Miami?
Depends on scholarships and cost of attendance. If cost is equal, Id go with Miami. That way youd be part of the largest alumni base in the city and be in the best position to network while in school.

TITCR.

It doesn't matter. You should really only go if you have a full ride.

Full ride w/o stips. I've heard Miami section stacks.

[Myself]

.

[JCougar]

Honestly, the Florida legal market is terrible. Just terrible. It's overrun by about 5 or 6 scam schools (Barry, Florida Coastal, new Cooley campus, St. Thomas, and probably like 3 more I can't remember). It's got not just one, but two semi-decent state schools. If you can't get in to either of these and take advantage of in-state tuition, I would just save my time. You're better off living as an alcoholic vagrant on the beaches for three years than going to most of these Florida schools. And that includes TTT rackets like Stetson.

Don't go to Miami unless 1) you're 100% sure you want to practice in Miami, and 2) you get like a 75% guaranteed scholarship and have relatives you can live with during school that can help you mitigate your cost of living. It's as simple as that.

[xylocarp]

You're better off living as an alcoholic vagrant on the beaches for three years than going to most of these Florida schools.

After asking whether there was alcohol in my shopping bag, a homeless man on South Beach once told me, "A beach bum is the happiest type of bum," before pulling out and openly smoking an enormous blunt.

So is that fate better than that of an Ave Maria grad? That's probably up to the individual, but there's a case to be made either way.

[JCougar]

So is that fate better than that of an Ave Maria grad? That's probably up to the individual, but there's a case to be made either way.

Sleeping for three years in the sand without a shower, bathroom, or shaver--and smoking blunts while you're at it--will almost objectively leave you in a better psychological condition than going to something like Ave Maria.

The thing is, Miami isn't all that far behind. Neither are many schools outside the T10. Ask a median GeorgeTTTown grad these days whether law school was worth it.

The thing is, the ABA and the "leaders" in legal education have created a system that is so absolutely, completely, and thoroughly dysfunctional and corrupt that even going to a law school ranked in the top 10% of all law schools, without a very serious discount in tuition, is a grave mistake.

And they all stand by and do absolutely nothing about it and "let nature take its course." If the ABA weren't run by a bunch of greedy, self-interested shysters, something would have been done by now. Either caps on tuition or significantly increasing the standards for being accredited.

Instead, the scam continues. The fact that these people are not the least bit embarrassed for themselves as a result of the mess they've created speaks volumes. Either they are complete sociopaths, or they're a bunch of naive palookas living in a fantasy bubble.

[froglee]

I just wanted to see why, in your opinions, University of Miami Law has been going down in ranking so much?
It doesn't really matter. USNWR doesn't really matter. Whether its at 55 or 80, its the same TT.

Is it still a good choice to attend UM over UF if your intending on staying in Miami?
Depends on scholarships and cost of attendance. If cost is equal, Id go with Miami. That way youd be part of the largest alumni base in the city and be in the best position to network while in school.

Networking for what? There is no legal job in Florida. You will probably will just join the army of jobless UM alumni

[Nova]

[BarbellDreams]

I lol'ed hard at many of the responses, really well done.

As for my 0.02. Don't go to Miami unless you are taking out less than 50K total student loans for tuition + COL combined over the three years. Basically you need a fullride as in Miami 50K will likely be 3 years of COL alone. I wouldn't even necessarily be comfortable with Miami and 50K, but it wouldn't be the end of the world. If UF is cheaper go there. Honestly retaking is likely your best bet anyway.

[cotiger]

I'm sure this video has something to do with the drop in rankings: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8d1aTm2ihko

Don't go unless you want to be like that guy ^ or want to have classmates like that guy.

Epic.

[raininthedesert]

There are enormous misconceptions in the TLS world about law schools in Florida that make the various threads laughable at best. To suggest that Florida Law or Florida State Law are "better" schools than MIami Law is patently incorrect in almost all facets -- geographic portability, alumni base, faculty scholarship, etc. The only truly rational and objective perspective that I've read is what every future law student in every state around this country should already know: if you are going to attend law school at all in this economy and do not receive substantive scholarships then you should attend an accredited school with the lowest cost of attendance...which would be the public state school options. However, if Miami Law offers a significant scholarship, the reality is that it's better located than UF and has equal to -- if not better -- resources than both UF and Florida State and actually has a very strong reputation within Florida and, of course, South Florida. In fact, I work with quite a few who are in big law.

The fact that Miami Law is a private institution with a high sticker price doesn't mean that it be needlessly defamed. Any law school with an entering class of 300+ students and LSAT scores in its accompanying range are going to end up with a larger percentage of the class who aren't successful in the marketplace. Who knows why the school doesn't restrict its numbers but it's obvious that if the administrators wanted to play the U.S. News game that they could easily shrink the class size to under 200 and sit comfortably within the Top 50 law schools alongside the William & Mary, Boston College, and Wake Forest law schools of the world.

It's simply confounding how TLS has created a world of T-14 to attempt to justify the inclusion of the U VA's, U Michigan's, and Northwestern's of the world. There are only a handful of national portable brands: Yale, Harvard, Penn, Chicago, Stanford, and Columbia.