Top Law Schools

Located right off Music Row in Nashville, Belmont just built a gorgeous law school a few years ago (first full graduating class this past year), and I'm just curious if anyone has any insight on how to view such a school as a potential applicant.

well if it's gorgeous how can you lose

Typically it's best to avoid schools that aren't ABA accredited or are only provisionally accredited like Belmont.

No employment numbers.
No alumni network.
Over 100k in tuition.

It's just not a good idea.

You should stay far away. Nashville is truly one of the toughest legal markets to crack. Vandy kids are even shut out there. Then you have to compete with Nashville SOL, UT, Memphis, and a bunch of other state schools when there just are not that many jobs available.

I would say Vandy with $$, T14 with $ or UT for practically free are really your only options if you want to be employed as a lawyer in Nashville.

FWIW, I know a UT grad that practiced for awhile in another city, packed up, moved to Nashville and has been there a few years now. He does doc review and it took him awhile to find that. This guy had good grades and good experience too.

What kind of job do you want and what kind of job do you expect out of Belmont?

prelawTN wrote:Located right off Music Row in Nashville

This has gotta be someone from the school. Who else speaks in blatant brochurese.

deadpanic wrote:You should stay far away. Nashville is truly one of the toughest legal markets to crack. Vandy kids are even shut out there. Then you have to compete with Nashville SOL, UT, Memphis, and a bunch of other state schools when there just are not that many jobs available.

I would say Vandy with $$, T14 with $ or UT for practically free are really your only options if you want to be employed as a lawyer in Nashville.

FWIW, I know a UT grad that practiced for awhile in another city, packed up, moved to Nashville and has been there a few years now. He does doc review and it took him awhile to find that. This guy had good grades and good experience too.

What kind of job do you want and what kind of job do you expect out of Belmont?

Stay far away from Belmont, even with big scholly $$. It's the type of school that will only have placing power in the relatively immediate area. If that area is as tough to crack as the quoted poster says (I have no idea, taking their word for it) then you're going to be in a real bad spot if you're not the top one or two students in your class. Even then it's not going to be smooth sailing. It's just not worth it to get a degree that has no portability out of a challenging market.

ymmv wrote:

prelawTN wrote:Located right off Music Row in Nashville

This has gotta be someone from the school. Who else speaks in blatant brochurese.

I'm definitely an undergrad at a different university. But yeah, I was giving people the best possible information because I wanted to see if anyone would say something good about it because people pay $50,000 a year to go to this law school despite median LSAT's in the 150's. It blows my mind anyone would go there at that cost.

>hey guys belmont is beautiful, should I go there
>it blows my mind anyone would go there

well I guess we set you straight

what more would you need to know?

Why not just go to Vandy?

Ron Mexico wrote:Why not just go to Vandy?

ranked lower in beauty

james.bungles wrote:

Ron Mexico wrote:Why not just go to Vandy?

ranked lower in beauty

How would you rank going to a replica of Independence Hall as the law school building?

james.bungles wrote:>hey guys belmont is beautiful, should I go there
>it blows my mind anyone would go there

well I guess we set you straight

I had 0 intentions of attending Belmont. I never said "should I go there?" or anything close re myself. I said does anyone have any idea how to view such a school "as a potential applicant" because it blows my mind and I wondered if I'm missing something.

Since when is the Belmont in TN?

I intend to 1L at Belmont despite acceptances to well regarded programs that would place well in Nashville. TLS is extremely closed off to anything unfamiliar. You guys/gals with 5k posts here may be making claims from offices or schools in other cities, but you don't know Nashville. Yes, Vandy is the beast in town, but if you're awkward and can't fit in (as is the case with many law students IMO), then you don't have a chance no matter what your transcript relates. Nashville values relationships and personality over prestige. 0L, but born and raised into the local legal community. I feel bad for the kids with potential who come here and read into the "t14 or bust" mentality of TLS.

Edit: To bolster the legitimacy my rant: I've spoken with many of those inaugural class grads who are now associates at the largest firms in town, or are comfortably in house.

tennactitans wrote:I intend to 1L at Belmont despite acceptances to well regarded programs that would place well in Nashville. TLS is extremely closed off to anything unfamiliar. You guys/gals with 5k posts here may be making claims from offices or schools in other cities, but you don't know Nashville. Yes, Vandy is the beast in town, but if you're awkward and can't fit in (as is the case with many law students IMO), then you don't have a chance no matter what your transcript relates. Nashville values relationships and personality over prestige. 0L, but born and raised into the local legal community. I feel bad for the kids with potential who come here and read into the "t14 or bust" mentality of TLS.

Edit: To bolster the legitimacy my rant: I've spoken with many of those inaugural class grads who are now associates at the largest firms in town, or are comfortably in house.

lol

im an actual practicing atty familiar w the nashville mkt

belmont is a piss poor idea

also there are no law firms of note on music row

also vannderbitl is also just off music row LOL

tennactitans wrote:I intend to 1L at Belmont despite acceptances to well regarded programs that would place well in Nashville. TLS is extremely closed off to anything unfamiliar. You guys/gals with 5k posts here may be making claims from offices or schools in other cities, but you don't know Nashville. Yes, Vandy is the beast in town, but if you're awkward and can't fit in (as is the case with many law students IMO), then you don't have a chance no matter what your transcript relates. Nashville values relationships and personality over prestige. 0L, but born and raised into the local legal community. I feel bad for the kids with potential who come here and read into the "t14 or bust" mentality of TLS.

Edit: To bolster the legitimacy my rant: I've spoken with many of those inaugural class grads who are now associates at the largest firms in town, or are comfortably in house.

this should be a bannable offense

tennactitans wrote:I intend to 1L at Belmont despite acceptances to well regarded programs that would place well in Nashville. TLS is extremely closed off to anything unfamiliar. You guys/gals with 5k posts here may be making claims from offices or schools in other cities, but you don't know Nashville. Yes, Vandy is the beast in town, but if you're awkward and can't fit in (as is the case with many law students IMO), then you don't have a chance no matter what your transcript relates. Nashville values relationships and personality over prestige. 0L, but born and raised into the local legal community. I feel bad for the kids with potential who come here and read into the "t14 or bust" mentality of TLS.

Edit: To bolster the legitimacy my rant: I've spoken with many of those inaugural class grads who are now associates at the largest firms in town, or are comfortably in house.

Really which firms? There is a grand total of one Belmont Law grad listed on the websites of the big Nash firms.

Why? I really don't get the ABA's reasoning behind accrediting additional law schools in an already overly saturated profession. I'm sure they're acutely aware of the terrible outcomes that awaits for people coming out of these lawl schools. So unethical wtf...!!!!!

tennactitans wrote:I intend to 1L at Belmont despite acceptances to well regarded programs that would place well in Nashville. TLS is extremely closed off to anything unfamiliar. You guys/gals with 5k posts here may be making claims from offices or schools in other cities, but you don't know Nashville. Yes, Vandy is the beast in town, but if you're awkward and can't fit in (as is the case with many law students IMO), then you don't have a chance no matter what your transcript relates. Nashville values relationships and personality over prestige. 0L, but born and raised into the local legal community. I feel bad for the kids with potential who come here and read into the "t14 or bust" mentality of TLS.

Edit: To bolster the legitimacy my rant: I've spoken with many of those inaugural class grads who are now associates at the largest firms in town, or are comfortably in house.

Spending your GI Bill on Belmont makes me horribly sad.

TheSpanishMain wrote:

tennactitans wrote:I intend to 1L at Belmont despite acceptances to well regarded programs that would place well in Nashville. TLS is extremely closed off to anything unfamiliar. You guys/gals with 5k posts here may be making claims from offices or schools in other cities, but you don't know Nashville. Yes, Vandy is the beast in town, but if you're awkward and can't fit in (as is the case with many law students IMO), then you don't have a chance no matter what your transcript relates. Nashville values relationships and personality over prestige. 0L, but born and raised into the local legal community. I feel bad for the kids with potential who come here and read into the "t14 or bust" mentality of TLS.

Edit: To bolster the legitimacy my rant: I've spoken with many of those inaugural class grads who are now associates at the largest firms in town, or are comfortably in house.

Spending your GI Bill on Belmont makes me horribly sad.

Seriously. As someone who served our country you deserve better than Belmont. What are your career goals? Have you looked at http://www.lawschooltransparency.com? We aren't just a bunch of prestige whores who like to make ourselves feel better, we are just familiar with the way the legal field and these law schools work. Have you read the many articles about how law school grads are graduating with crushing debt and no job prospects? I went to a T14 and know several folks from my class who still don't have permanent jobs lined up. Even if you go for free or close to free with the GI Bill I would hate to see you waste 3 years of your life for a degree that you find is basically worthless for your career goals.

"dump" and "scam" were two thoughts that came to mind.

Although that building does look really nice, not gonna lie

Just lol @ wasting military benefits at a crap school like this. Getting a good firm job out of Vandy would be tough enough, trying to get one from this place is a terrible plan. I dunno what a music row is but I doubt those firms are hiring DROVES of Belmont students.

Thanks for all the "constructive" feedback, guys, but I ask you to consider that your experience, or even the collective of TLS, is not universal. Yes, I have scoured lst/abl and all the others. As mentioned, I'm fortunate to already have a few points of contact, and have had numerous conversations with people who REALLY know the Nashville market - senior and hiring partners at Bass Berry and h3gm, state and federal judges. I'm not sure where Kratos is searching, but I've conversed with people in great permanent positions all over Nashville. Nashville natives all know Belmont, just as they do Lipscomb, and know thier standards. Spanish Main, I think I've decided that proximity to my existing network in Nashville will be more fruitful than a T20-75. I'm paying for the fun I had in college 10 years ago - Without question, I'm out of the T20.

Edit: None of this is anything but specific to me, and my situation. I have several fallbacks if I can't work my way into a firm, and will have zero debt at graduation. I don't want people to think I'm saying that going to Belmont at sticker after moving across the country to work in Tennessee is necessarily a good idea.

tennactitans wrote:Thanks for all the "constructive" feedback, guys, but I ask you to consider that your experience, or even the collective of TLS, is not universal. Yes, I have scoured lst/abl and all the others. As mentioned, I'm fortunate to already have a few points of contact, and have had numerous conversations with people who REALLY know the Nashville market - senior and hiring partners at Bass Berry and h3gm, state and federal judges. I'm not sure where Kratos is searching, but I've conversed with people in great permanent positions all over Nashville. Nashville natives all know Belmont, just as they do Lipscomb, and know thier standards. Spanish Main, I think I've decided that proximity to my existing network in Nashville will be more fruitful than a T20-75. I'm paying for the fun I had in college 10 years ago - Without question, I'm out of the T20.

Oh my god shut up.