Best Schools for Pacific Northwest? Forum

[PDX4343]

Because of family reasons I'd very much like to be able to practice law in the Pacific Northwest right out of law school, but I'm not sure which schools give me the best shot at doing this. I have a 173 / 3.4, so I'm wondering if I should go somewhere in the T14 and then try and get back to the PNW after graduation? Or if I should go to a school like The University of Washington and try and get a scholarship? If I go to The University of Washington or another school in the area would I be able to get $$$? Would it be worth it?

I tried to look up scholarship info on MyLSN but there wasn't a lot of data.

Other possibly relevant information:

I went to undergrad in Oregon, but am originally from California
As long as I don't have to take on tons of debt, decent paying law jobs in PNW > big law elsewhere

Thanks for your help!

[Kimikho]

uw or t14 titcr

there arent any other good schools in the PNW though

[rad lulz]

Yale

[hephaestus]

I definitely would do T14. Your numbers will probably get you money at one of the splitter friendly T14 (NU, UVA, GULC).

[badaboom61]

YS > H > CCB > rest of T14 > UW.

[phillywc]

uw or t14 titcr

there arent any other good schools in the PNW though

UW barely even counts hth

[Toby Ziegler]

I am from Seattle.

And UW does not have the grasp on the market that it would seem. TCR is definately go to a T-14 school and if you want PNW, with your numbers you will get decent money somewhere, and UW is historically stingy with $$$. The elite firm is Perkins Coie try and do you SA with them. This is their Vault profile:
http://www.vault.com/company-profiles/l ... e-llp.aspx

I don't know exactly what you mean by PNW but being from Seattle I think of NW Washington.

TL;DR Don't go to UW, you will get equal or better money at the T-14 which can bring you back to PNW.

[Watchenlaw]

Friend went to Michigan and then moved to Seatle for relationship reasons straight out of law school. Lawyers interviewing her in Seatttle thought it was just some state school in Michigan. The Pacific Northwest might not be Texas, but it is backwards and parochial.

[Toby Ziegler]

Friend went to Michigan and then moved to Seatle for relationship reasons straight out of law school. Lawyers interviewing her in Seatttle thought it was just some state school in Michigan. The Pacific Northwest might not be Texas, but it is backwards and parochial.

This is pretty ridiculous. Was your friend interviewing with some bass-ackwards hole in the wall personal injury office? The point is, OP can go to a much better school than UW with more money, and any firm worth working for will recognize his T-14 degree as being granted from a high caliber school. Your blatant anti-PNW trolling is, in my experience, unfounded.

[rad lulz]

m

[RaleighStClair]

If you can get money and in-state at UW, it's worth it, but it doesn't sound like the latter is going to happen for you. I would consider going T14 and try not to be too geographically limited (as getting Seattle biglaw is difficult no matter what school you go to).

[Toby Ziegler]

Friend went to Michigan and then moved to Seatle for relationship reasons straight out of law school. Lawyers interviewing her in Seatttle thought it was just some state school in Michigan. The Pacific Northwest might not be Texas, but it is backwards and parochial.

This is pretty ridiculous. Was your friend interviewing with some bass-ackwards hole in the wall personal injury office? The point is, OP can go to a much better school than UW with more money, and any firm worth working for will recognize his T-14 degree as being granted from a high caliber school. Your blatant anti-PNW trolling is, in my experience, unfounded.

Let's not get too hasty there 0L

Apologies for coming off as hasty. Haha. I have 2 buds who are associates with Perkins Coie in Seattle and they both attest to the love their firm gives to t-14 over regional schools.

[Watchenlaw]

Friend went to Michigan and then moved to Seatle for relationship reasons straight out of law school. Lawyers interviewing her in Seatttle thought it was just some state school in Michigan. The Pacific Northwest might not be Texas, but it is backwards and parochial.

This is pretty ridiculous. Was your friend interviewing with some bass-ackwards hole in the wall personal injury office? The point is, OP can go to a much better school than UW with more money, and any firm worth working for will recognize his T-14 degree as being granted from a high caliber school. Your blatant anti-PNW trolling is, in my experience, unfounded.

I agree it is ridiculous, but true nonetheless. They were not interviewing at big law, but OP seems to be cool with "decent paying law jobs" in PNW, at least as opposed to biglaw anywhere else. All I am saying is don't expect your average Seattle lawyer to know that your T14 is actually good unless you go to a school famous for academics as opposed to football (I'd also throw in NYU, Chicago, and probably UPenn too for schools they think are meh state schools).

[stillwater]

Friend went to Michigan and then moved to Seatle for relationship reasons straight out of law school. Lawyers interviewing her in Seatttle thought it was just some state school in Michigan. The Pacific Northwest might not be Texas, but it is backwards and parochial.

Michigan is a state school bro.

[Watchenlaw]

Friend went to Michigan and then moved to Seatle for relationship reasons straight out of law school. Lawyers interviewing her in Seatttle thought it was just some state school in Michigan. The Pacific Northwest might not be Texas, but it is backwards and parochial.

Michigan is a state school bro.

True. However, Michigan State is "just some state school in Michigan," while--as much as I am loath to admit it--Michigan is not.

[TheJanitor6203]

I always figured UWs poor employment score relative to its ranking just reflected a poor legal market in the area. I temporarily live near Seattle and I took a LSAT prep class in Seattle and everyone in my class wanted to go to UW. I brought up there LST score but they blew it off as a poor indicator some how. PNWers are fiercely loyal to everything PNW in my experience.

[Kimikho]

I always figured UWs poor employment score relative to its ranking just reflected a poor legal market in the area. I temporarily live near Seattle and I took a LSAT prep class in Seattle and everyone in my class wanted to go to UW. I brought up there LST score but they blew it off as a poor indicator some how. PNWers are fiercely loyal to everything PNW in my experience.

I've also wondered if it is because UW it the only school really worth going to in the pacific northwest, so people are trying to go to oregon/idaho/california with the degree.

[rebexness]

I agree it is ridiculous, but true nonetheless. They were not interviewing at big law, but OP seems to be cool with "decent paying law jobs" in PNW, at least as opposed to biglaw anywhere else. All I am saying is don't expect your average Seattle lawyer to know that your T14 is actually good unless you go to a school famous for academics as opposed to football (I'd also throw in NYU, Chicago, and probably UPenn too for schools they think are meh state schools).

LOL just LOL at this.

[sidhesadie]

I always figured UWs poor employment score relative to its ranking just reflected a poor legal market in the area. I temporarily live near Seattle and I took a LSAT prep class in Seattle and everyone in my class wanted to go to UW. I brought up there LST score but they blew it off as a poor indicator some how. PNWers are fiercely loyal to everything PNW in my experience.

I've also wondered if it is because UW it the only school really worth going to in the pacific northwest, so people are trying to go to oregon/idaho/california with the degree.

I haven't noticed UW having any particular advantage over the Oregon schools here in Oregon. T14 has a DEFINITE advantage though. If you can go T14, go. If you can't get t14, and you want to work in washington, go UW. If you want to work in Oregon, and you can't get into T14, go to whichever Oregon school gives you the most money. But really…try to get T14. They're taking the jobs right and left, really.

[thedive]

If you have significant ties, definitely T14 unless you get a significant scholarship [don't underestimate a light debt load]. A lot of firms in this area really want to see ties and the ability to demonstrate a plan for long term commitment. If you get a callback, you can likely assume this will be a topic at that interview. Statements like "we want associates that will hang their hat here and become partner" are not uncommon.

[tictactoe]

Obviously apply to UW as well as T14.

I had pretty similar numbers - slightly lower LSAT, slightly higher GPA. But I chose lower T14 with $$$ (which I think is totally possible) over UW with $ (out of state tuition, though even with in-state, it would still have cost more). Maybe UW stepped up their scholly game, but I just found a huge gap b/n the kind of $$ UW seemed to be offering vs. what T14 schools were offering. UW also wouldn't budge on their $ offer, which made my decision less agonizing.

I'm headed to PNW, with what some on TLS would consider minimal ties to the region (visited the region a handful of times). I found a surprising number of alums in the area (and I didn't have your undergrad in the region, too, which should help a lot). But most importantly, being able to branch out into other major markets (and having had that many more callbacks + opportunities) was truly helpful. I loved UW, but I was much more willing to be employed elsewhere doing the kind of work I was interested in than not employed/not doing work I liked.

[Kimikho]

I agree it is ridiculous, but true nonetheless. They were not interviewing at big law, but OP seems to be cool with "decent paying law jobs" in PNW, at least as opposed to biglaw anywhere else. All I am saying is don't expect your average Seattle lawyer to know that your T14 is actually good unless you go to a school famous for academics as opposed to football (I'd also throw in NYU, Chicago, and probably UPenn too for schools they think are meh state schools).

LOL just LOL at this.

this isn't true. Chicago has a FANTASTIC reputation in seattle (mostly through McKenna), and UPenn is well respected due to its med school.

ties can't be more stressed, though. you can't get much more ties than I have back to the seattle area, and i am not 100% certain i could come back here, at least not right after graduation.