Top Law Schools

I have talked with numerous big law firms, corporate lawyers and a couple of federal judges. All them told me that after two years out of law school, no one cares if I went to UT Law or any of the T14s if you are practicing in Texas. In fact, there seems to be a large network of UT lawyers that were Rice alums that practice big law down here.

My question, is it worth the significant extra cost to attend a T14 school when I can get the same job in oil and gas or big law in Texas as if I attended UT Austin? To qualify my question, I have zero interest in a position either on the east coast or California. Also, my parents are funding law school with the caveat of future repayment. I would rather owe my parents $120K than $240K.

What are your numbers? I'd take Harvard over UT, but probably wouldn't take Cornell/Northwestern/lower T14 over UT in-state if I were you.

Summa Cum Laude Rice, GPA 4.13 but 162 LSAT. Studied for months with 168-175 PTs but the real one didn't click for me. Very disappointing….

Never been a more obvious "retake" situation.

Post removed.

Get in the upper 160s (168+) and enjoy $$ at the T14. I wouuld much rather be looking for biglaw from a T14 than from UT. It may not matter 3 years in, but for your first job it absolutely matters where you went to school. And I would rather be looking for jobs from UVA than from UT. Especially since you might not do super well on law school exams (no one can predict this).

If you get your LSAT up enough to get into H, go there. Basically guaranteed biglaw

As I said in your other thread, more likely than not, TX big law will be significantly easier to snag from a T14 than UT.

SMU does pretty well. Have you thought about them?

BLUERUFiO wrote:SMU does pretty well. Have you thought about them?

This post is wrong and you should feel wrong

BLUERUFiO wrote:SMU does pretty well. Have you thought about them?

Ha ha. No.

Most obvious retake scenario in the history of all retake scenarios. OP is the poster child of retake scenarios. If you look up "retake" in the dictionary, it's just a link to this thread. Google "when should I retake the LSAT?" and it will only come back with one result and that result will be the OP.

For what it's worth I want to practice in TX as well, and I turned down a full ride at UT and took a smaller scholarship at UChicago. What your saying in regards to people eventually not caring where you went to school may very well be true, but as other posters have noted, ignoring the fact that you need to get a "first job" out of law school is a bad decision.

I'm not necessarily opposed to people taking $$$ instead of simply going to the best school that you got in to, but there is a pretty substantial gap between your employment prospects at UT and the employment prospects that you could potentially be looking at if you get your LSAT score up and land a spot at a top school.

rickgrimes69 wrote:Most obvious retake scenario in the history of all retake scenarios. OP is the poster child of retake scenarios. If you look up "retake" in the dictionary, it's just a link to this thread. Google "when should I retake the LSAT?" and it will only come back with one result and that result will be the OP.

And the other two threads the OP has made about this in which everyone has responded "retake"

TheSpanishMain wrote:Never been a more obvious "retake" situation.

Yep. Not retaking would be a tremendously short-sighted and ill-advised decision.

for those T14 advocate, i know it is obvious if you have HSY or Chicago/Penn/CLS/Berkeley you should definitely choose them over UT, but what about Cornell/Georgetown those bottom T14 if the OP's goal is to practice in Texas? Apparently they place a much greater portion in biglaw than UT, BUT the majority of those biglaw gigs are in East Coast, in terms of Texas biglaw do those bottom T14 really have such an "obvious" advantage over UT? For sure they are prestigious and stuff, but Texas isn't their backyard and they are not THAT better than UT. (13,14 vs 15)?

btw OP I think you should retake. your 4.12 GPA shouldn't go wasted with 162. Maybe not in order pick Cornell/Georgetown over UT, at least try to get more money..

kobe1020 wrote:for those T14 advocate, i know it is obvious if you have HSY or Chicago/Penn/CLS/Berkeley you should definitely choose them over UT, but what about Cornell/Georgetown those bottom T14 if the OP's goal is to practice in Texas? Apparently they place a much greater portion in biglaw than UT, BUT the majority of those biglaw gigs are in East Coast, in terms of Texas biglaw do those bottom T14 really have such an "obvious" advantage over UT? For sure they are prestigious and stuff, but Texas isn't their backyard and they are not THAT better than UT. (13,14 vs 15)?

I don't get why Penn/Berkeley are obvious choices but Cornell is dubious.

Anyway, this is anecdotal, but: I have spoken to three recent Georgetown grads who work at one of the "Big Three" Texas firms, two were median bros and they said that median T14 grads with TX ties have a relatively easy time getting TX big law. Yes, even lowly Georgetown. By and large, that just doesn't happen for median bros at UT.

The OP will be median, more likely than not. And, he/she will have to pay a lot of money to attend UT with those numbers. That is not a great spot to be in if you want/are relying on big law.

BigZuck wrote:
I don't get why Penn/Berkeley are obvious choices but Cornell is dubious.

Anyway, this is anecdotal, but: I have spoken to three recent Georgetown grads who work at one of the "Big Three" Texas firms, two were median bros and they said that median T14 grads with TX ties have a relatively easy time getting TX big law. Yes, even lowly Georgetown. By and large, that just doesn't happen for median bros at UT.

The OP will be median, more likely than not. And, he/she will have to pay a lot of money to attend UT with those numbers. That is not a great spot to be in if you want/are relying on big law.

Also anecdotal, but have a prof who her and her husband have JD from UVA and said that when they moved here for her to pursue her PhD after law school he had a hard time finding a job. Granted, it is in Austin.

To OP: I think it depends. Are you set on doing Texas Oil&Gas Biglaw or jsut general work in the field? If you aren't necessarily seeking biglaw I don't see why you'd go to a T14 over Texas. But then again, I'm a Texas fanboy.

Attax wrote:

BigZuck wrote:
I don't get why Penn/Berkeley are obvious choices but Cornell is dubious.

Anyway, this is anecdotal, but: I have spoken to three recent Georgetown grads who work at one of the "Big Three" Texas firms, two were median bros and they said that median T14 grads with TX ties have a relatively easy time getting TX big law. Yes, even lowly Georgetown. By and large, that just doesn't happen for median bros at UT.

The OP will be median, more likely than not. And, he/she will have to pay a lot of money to attend UT with those numbers. That is not a great spot to be in if you want/are relying on big law.

Also anecdotal, but have a prof who her and her husband have JD from UVA and said that when they moved here for her to pursue her PhD after law school he had a hard time finding a job. Granted, it is in Austin.

To OP: I think it depends. Are you set on doing Texas Oil&Gas Biglaw or jsut general work in the field? If you aren't necessarily seeking biglaw I don't see why you'd go to a T14 over Texas. But then again, I'm a Texas fanboy.

Austin is a tough market. There are a lot more jobs in Houston and Dallas.