Ranking vs. Life after law school Forum

[ttrairai]

Is it better to focus on getting into a highly ranked school or to just go to a cheap school and save myself the huge debt. I have read answers to both but would like collective responses. I plan on focusing on criminal law and working as a prosecutor and so I doubt the school makes a difference in my salary.

[FSK]

You want to go to an excellent school for very little money. Do both.

[Lord Randolph McDuff]

Go to the school that allows you to live the life you want, for the least amount of money.

Don't fall in with the prestige seekers. You'll either end up completely broke or living a desperate existence within the corporate rat-race.

[Chrstgtr]

LS is an investment. The answer to your question depends on how averse you are to risk and what your ultimate goals are because each school will provide you with a different likelihood to achieve those goals.

[Saddle Up]

It is this simple. With the right stats you call the shots.

[anyriotgirl]

Tell us your gpa, LSAT and where you want to practice

[jbagelboy]

where do you want to work as a prosecutor?

If you want Manhattan DA, shelling out for NYU or Harvard & securing an SDNY clerkship first isn't a bad idea. If, on the other hand, you want to be a city attorney in Duluth, Minnesota, the strong regional school for free is definitely a better option.

[Crowing]

You want to go to an excellent school for very little money. Do both.

[twenty]

imho:

good school for cheap > regional school for cheap > good school for expensive > don't go > regional school for expensive

[ManoftheHour]

imho:

good school for cheap > regional school for cheap > good school for expensive > don't go > regional school for expensive

[donewithannarbor]

Here's what I observe:
I. Law hiring-- not practice itself but the hoops to get to a certain practice-- is quite prestige driven. Depends on the job and how many options the employer has. These days, in most markets, almost all employers have tons of options, from big law to judges to prosecutors offices. Whether you get called in for the interview depends on performance/experience plus, to varying degrees, which school and which employers. Once you've interviewed and they make their final choices, it's more about your personal qualities, but resume and prestige will still be a tie breaker or a multiplier. All of what I describe is probably most acute in big law and big fed.
II. As I alluded to, once you're in practice, it matters less and less. 5 years of excellent experience will lead you into the next thing you want, and your school will matter little, unless there are obvious affinities like someone from your school, or even your class, in a position to hire you etc.
III. The open-mindedness of employers varies, but there is inherent conservatism. Typical paradigm: ivy leaguers get offered interviews, strong regionals will get offered interviews if they are on a journal with good grades, outside the top 100 likely get shut out, or are reliant on connections and networking.

Bottom line, schools play a role in providing potential doors for you to open. Some provide many many more than others. A good thing to do is to look into your desired firm or office and see how many alums of your prospective school are there (keeping in perspective the size and location of the school); this might give you a sense of how open the doors are between your prospective school and prospective job. Will school matter a bunch once you are through the door? Not much, except for affinities with colleagues and friends, which is a real and important thing professionally. Official advice: think in terms of how many opportunities a school is likely to get you (and what kind, in relation to what you are looking for), and compare schools using your cost of attendance as a denominator of sorts. Remember that your employment goals may change over time, but a strong start will likely enable to move on to where you want to be.

[Louis1127]

Is it better to focus on getting into a highly ranked school or to just go to a cheap school and save myself the huge debt. I have read answers to both but would like collective responses. I plan on focusing on criminal law and working as a prosecutor and so I doubt the school makes a difference in my salary.

What region?

[Informative]

You want to go to an excellent school for very little money. Do both.

This.

[ymmv]

imho:

don't go > good school for cheap > regional school for cheap > good school for expensive > regional school for expensive

Obligatory FTFY.

[sd5289]

If you want Manhattan DA, shelling out for NYU or Harvard & securing an SDNY clerkship first isn't a bad idea. If, on the other hand, you want to be a city attorney in Duluth, Minnesota, the strong regional school for free is definitely a better option.

Starting salary at Manhattan is $60K, and raises do not come quickly. Do not shell out, period. If you have the stats to get considerable $$$ from these schools, then by all means, but it is certainly not a requirement that you go to either of these, or even a T-14 for that matter. Just don't go down to the TTT or TTTT gutter. Then it will start to matter.

However, what will absolutely matter is your resume/WE, as well as how you do at the school you're at. Also, clerkship (or BigLaw) is pretty much a requirement to get into the USAO (SDNY), but again, not for Manhattan DA.

[TheSpanishMain]

I love it when the OP just loses interest in their own question and disappears.