Top Law Schools

I'm sure this is an age old question... but how much does prestige really matter?

I was talking on the phone to my aunt and she was saying that her SO who is a lawyer always says, "Once you have that J.D. at the end of your name, it doesn't really matter where it's from. It's about experience." I saw some thoughts online about how grades are incredibly important. It's near impossible to predict how you'll perform in law school, so you can't bank of succeeding in the top of your law class. oh, and I'm not talking about a Tier 4 vs. T14. I mean like T100 schools. Is the prestige of the T14 truly worth it?

So for all you graduates out there or people who know law graduates, how important do you think the name of your school is?

What do you think is crucial when choosing a school (besides region outside of T14)? Prestige? Strength of specific programs that you're interested in? clinical experience?

Retake

rpupkin wrote:Retake

Objectively.

Prestige is only important if it leads to good employment. Placement, cost, and location should be the primary factors you look at when considering law school. In general, T14 placement is good enough to justify cost, but that will depend on one's specific goals, opportunity cost, and tolerance for risk.

http://www.lawschooltransparency.com/

UVA and NYU do not strike me as especially prestigious institutions (certainly not more than WUSTL, Notre Dame, Emory or Vanderbilt), but definitely have objectively better placement. That's the part that matters.

yeslekkkk wrote:I'm sure this is an age old question... but how much does prestige really matter?

I was talking on the phone to my aunt and she was saying that her SO who is a lawyer always says, "Once you have that J.D. at the end of your name, it doesn't really matter where it's from. It's about experience." I saw some thoughts online about how grades are incredibly important. It's near impossible to predict how you'll perform in law school, so you can't bank of succeeding in the top of your law class. oh, and I'm not talking about a Tier 4 vs. T14. I mean like T100 schools. Is the prestige of the T14 truly worth it?

So for all you graduates out there or people who know law graduates, how important do you think the name of your school is?

What do you think is crucial when choosing a school (besides region outside of T14)? Prestige? Strength of specific programs that you're interested in? clinical experience?

T14 is a myopic, intra-national metric. you need to be thinking about prestige worldwide.

patogordo wrote:

yeslekkkk wrote:I'm sure this is an age old question... but how much does prestige really matter?

I was talking on the phone to my aunt and she was saying that her SO who is a lawyer always says, "Once you have that J.D. at the end of your name, it doesn't really matter where it's from. It's about experience." I saw some thoughts online about how grades are incredibly important. It's near impossible to predict how you'll perform in law school, so you can't bank of succeeding in the top of your law class. oh, and I'm not talking about a Tier 4 vs. T14. I mean like T100 schools. Is the prestige of the T14 truly worth it?

So for all you graduates out there or people who know law graduates, how important do you think the name of your school is?

What do you think is crucial when choosing a school (besides region outside of T14)? Prestige? Strength of specific programs that you're interested in? clinical experience?

T14 is a myopic, intra-national metric. you need to be thinking about prestige worldwide.

This, of all posts, is what you registered for? This is post number one?

Clearly wrote:

patogordo wrote:

yeslekkkk wrote:I'm sure this is an age old question... but how much does prestige really matter?

I was talking on the phone to my aunt and she was saying that her SO who is a lawyer always says, "Once you have that J.D. at the end of your name, it doesn't really matter where it's from. It's about experience." I saw some thoughts online about how grades are incredibly important. It's near impossible to predict how you'll perform in law school, so you can't bank of succeeding in the top of your law class. oh, and I'm not talking about a Tier 4 vs. T14. I mean like T100 schools. Is the prestige of the T14 truly worth it?

So for all you graduates out there or people who know law graduates, how important do you think the name of your school is?

What do you think is crucial when choosing a school (besides region outside of T14)? Prestige? Strength of specific programs that you're interested in? clinical experience?

T14 is a myopic, intra-national metric. you need to be thinking about prestige worldwide.

This, of all posts, is what you registered for? This is post number one?

clearly

patogordo wrote:

Clearly wrote:

patogordo wrote:

yeslekkkk wrote:I'm sure this is an age old question... but how much does prestige really matter?

I was talking on the phone to my aunt and she was saying that her SO who is a lawyer always says, "Once you have that J.D. at the end of your name, it doesn't really matter where it's from. It's about experience." I saw some thoughts online about how grades are incredibly important. It's near impossible to predict how you'll perform in law school, so you can't bank of succeeding in the top of your law class. oh, and I'm not talking about a Tier 4 vs. T14. I mean like T100 schools. Is the prestige of the T14 truly worth it?

So for all you graduates out there or people who know law graduates, how important do you think the name of your school is?

What do you think is crucial when choosing a school (besides region outside of T14)? Prestige? Strength of specific programs that you're interested in? clinical experience?

T14 is a myopic, intra-national metric. you need to be thinking about prestige worldwide.

This, of all posts, is what you registered for? This is post number one?

clearly

Well played, Welcome to TLS.

patogordo wrote:

yeslekkkk wrote:I'm sure this is an age old question... but how much does prestige really matter?

I was talking on the phone to my aunt and she was saying that her SO who is a lawyer always says, "Once you have that J.D. at the end of your name, it doesn't really matter where it's from. It's about experience." I saw some thoughts online about how grades are incredibly important. It's near impossible to predict how you'll perform in law school, so you can't bank of succeeding in the top of your law class. oh, and I'm not talking about a Tier 4 vs. T14. I mean like T100 schools. Is the prestige of the T14 truly worth it?

So for all you graduates out there or people who know law graduates, how important do you think the name of your school is?

What do you think is crucial when choosing a school (besides region outside of T14)? Prestige? Strength of specific programs that you're interested in? clinical experience?

T14 is a myopic, intra-national metric. you need to be thinking about prestige worldwide.

TITCR. Boats and hoes, yo

yeslekkkk wrote:I'm sure this is an age old question... but how much does prestige really matter?

I was talking on the phone to my aunt and she was saying that her SO who is a lawyer always says, "Once you have that J.D. at the end of your name, it doesn't really matter where it's from. It's about experience." I saw some thoughts online about how grades are incredibly important. It's near impossible to predict how you'll perform in law school, so you can't bank of succeeding in the top of your law class. oh, and I'm not talking about a Tier 4 vs. T14. I mean like T100 schools. Is the prestige of the T14 truly worth it?

So for all you graduates out there or people who know law graduates, how important do you think the name of your school is?

What do you think is crucial when choosing a school (besides region outside of T14)? Prestige? Strength of specific programs that you're interested in? clinical experience?

Prestige matters in this way. Do top 20% at a tier 2 no one cares. Do top 1/2 at a top 14 everyone loves you.

yeslekkkk wrote: What do you think is crucial when choosing a school (besides region outside of T14)? Prestige?

Prestige of school might not matter very much 10 years out, but it's crucial for getting that first job. So yeah he's dead wrong.

yeslekkkk wrote: Strength of specific programs that you're interested in?

God no, except maybe in a very few circumstances (e.g., tax programs at like three schools).

yeslekkkk wrote: clinical experience?

Eh. Maybe if you're going for a job that super values that, like.... a small firm that will throw you in the deep end on day one, maybe? Not sure.

yeslekkkk wrote:I'm sure this is an age old question... but how much does prestige really matter?

I was talking on the phone to my aunt and she was saying that her SO who is a lawyer always says, "Once you have that J.D. at the end of your name, it doesn't really matter where it's from. It's about experience." I saw some thoughts online about how grades are incredibly important. It's near impossible to predict how you'll perform in law school, so you can't bank of succeeding in the top of your law class. oh, and I'm not talking about a Tier 4 vs. T14. I mean like T100 schools. Is the prestige of the T14 truly worth it?

So for all you graduates out there or people who know law graduates, how important do you think the name of your school is?

What do you think is crucial when choosing a school (besides region outside of T14)? Prestige? Strength of specific programs that you're interested in? clinical experience?

"Prestige" of your degree doesn't matter much once you start practicing (though it does have some impact on lateraling). But it makes a whole heck of a difference when it comes to getting your first job, and the job statistics make that very clear. I'd trust the actual data rather than some aunt who is likely very out of touch with the current legal hiring market.

30 years out, it won't matter. If you graduate top of your class at yale, then spend the next few decades living in a cave, then no one will want to hire you. Likewise, if you're bottom of your class at Cooley, but through hard work and good fortune argued and won a case at the supreme court, everyone will want to hire you.

Thing is, which school you go to will affect the opportunities you get. At HYS, you're more likely to get hired by biglaw, which will give you a better chance of working on prestigious / high-profile cases, better networking opportunities, etc., while a graduate from a TTT will be struggling just to get a job, won't have much chances to build up a meaningful network, etc.