Alabama Law? Forum

[scooter123]

Hey guys. Going to the university of Alabama for undergrad I am used to people telling me how good Alabama law is. I got in with scholarship. Wanted to know what the reputation of Alabama law is outside the state. Is it well respected? I have friends from Alabama law working in DC law firms now so just wondering. Thanks and happy holidays!

[sublime]

..

[scooter123]

Why? I know lots of attorneys working outside the south who went to Alabama. Just curious. I feel like a good law school is a good law school. I want to stay in the south . Either in Alabama or South Carolina or Florida but I don't get how it is supposedly so hard to get a job out of the region you are going to school. But I really just wanted to know what those outside the state think about Alabama law and the weight it carries .

Thanks!

[sublime]

..

[03152016]

of employed grads, 57% work in tx, 6.5% in tn, 5.8% in tx, the remainder unknown
don't kid yourself
alabama is a strong regional
it's okay if you want to work in the region
also tuition is very decent if you have a large scholly

[scooter123]

Is there big law in the south? I feel like they would mostly hire from the best schools in the region .

[03152016]

22.2% of the graduating class of 2013 got biglaw or fedclerk
so don't count on it

[sublime]

..

[03152016]

lsat/gpa?
scholly offer from alabama?

[scooter123]

Isn't that high?? I know they have one of the best federal clerkship programs in the country. 22% seems like a lot. And what do you consider big law?

[sublime]

..

[03152016]

the number i cited above is 101 attorneys or more

also i don't consider a 78% likelihood of striking out at bl/fc as good odds

but hey, your life

[Mal Reynolds]

fats provolone endorses alabama.

[scooter123]

I really don't know if what I want to do would be considered big law ha I would like to work for a corporate law firm in Birmingham like balch and bingham. They are one of the biggest firms in the city but I don't think they are near as large as those in major U.S. cities. I'm a southern boy. From south carolina ( living and going to school at alabama now). Not interested in moving out of south but want to do corporate law. And Ya Texas isn't the south ha

Thanks for all the help and advice !

[03152016]

do not go to alabama expecting to work in the corporate practice of a large firm

btw balch & bingham falls within that 22%
they're certainly considered biglaw using the lawschooltransparency methodology

[scooter123]

Where do you think all the big law firms in Birmingham are hiring from? I would only assume it's 23rd ranked law in nation right in its back yard. Also I think that going to a place like alabama I would have a better chance at finishing at the top of my class than a place UVA. Is that not something to consider? What schools would you recommend beside alabama? I have applied to emory as well

[03152016]

you can't fight statistics dude

we have complete and accurate data on how graduates from alabama place in the exact kind of firm you specified, down to placement in individual markets

it's not 2000 anymore, you don't need to make a decision based on assumptions and boomer logic

post lsat/gpa/scholly and you'll get lots of good advice

otherwise we'd all be shooting in the dark

[chuckbass]

It looks like they put like 10ish percent in bigger firms and another 10%ish in fedclerks, even if they aren't like NYC size ones - http://www.lstscorereports.com/schools/ ... yers/2013/

There are some firms in like Atlanta. A few in Birmingham, some in Tampa, Orlando and Miami (but FL has way too many schools as it is).

For big firm hiring in the south though, Emory, Vanderbilt, and Duke are better. Texas definitely is if you consider that part of the south.

You probably shouldn't go to Alabama if your goal is to work at a large firm.

Egregious UVA trolling. Simply egregious. (I'm impressed I spelled that correctly twice at this moment)

[sublime]

..

[sublime]

..

[BigZuck]

Where do you think all the big law firms in Birmingham are hiring from? I would only assume it's 23rd ranked law in nation right in its back yard. Also I think that going to a place like alabama I would have a better chance at finishing at the top of my class than a place UVA. Is that not something to consider? What schools would you recommend beside alabama? I have applied to emory as well

You'll probably need to be about top 10% at Alabama to have a shot at big law if you're schmo-y. More than 10% get big law or prestigious clerkships but you have to realize that there will people better connected then you and/or have key diversity factors that firms look for that you don't. They also probably have really good grades. At a school like UVA, if you have strong ties to the market you target they would probably consider you if you were in the top 25% or maybe even median or maybe regardless of grades just because they want to have someone from such a prestigious school and they rarely get them but they have plenty from the local regionals. It's probably significantly easier to be top 25% at UVA than top 10% at Alabama.

For ties purposes I would imagine that attending Alabama probably won't be enough of a tie to the region to get a job in Birmingham if you went to a school like UVA. You will probably be seen as a South Carolinian and treated as such. But maybe you could try it if you got into UVA. Still, I wouldn't go to a school like UVA unless you were planning to bid on NYC big law heavily at OCI.

If you're deadset on working in Alabama I would go to Alabama, but only on a huge scholarship (like, full ride). Don't expect it to open up other markets in "the south" and don't expect to get a job at a firm in Birmingham because that is a very big long shot. You have to be 100% ok with a modest career outcome like small firm/local government, things like that. Getting any lawyer job would be a really solid outcome from a regional school.

[Louis1127]

Where do you think all the big law firms in Birmingham are hiring from?

True, they hire from Bama. But the point BigZuck is making is that they cherry pick the top 15 percent of the class.

[RTR87]

I am currently a student at Alabama Law, so I though I would offer my perspective. I did a lot of research before making my decision. I have also had the opportunity to see first hand what the school is like and see what opportunities have been available to graduating students.

Since 2010, the ABA has published employment numbers for accredited law schools. In that time, Alabama has placed about 18% of graduates in firms with 100+ attorneys and in federal clerkships. If you factor in other quality outcomes that are not "big law" but are still competitive and sought after (boutique firms, state supreme court clerkships, DOJ, etc.), I would say roughly the top 25% of the class has solid career prospects. The middle 50% find jobs as lawyers but definitely don't make six figures upon graduation.

One thing to consider is that selection bias skews these numbers since many of my classmates chose Alabama specifically because they have no interest in big law. The appeal of UA is that their tuition is very modest. Resident tuition is $21,000 and non-resident tuition is $36,000 (most out-of-state students are able to be reclassified as in-state after the first year). The school is also generous with scholarships, and the median grant last year was almost $20,000. The cost attracts students who don't aspire to work in large firms. I have classmates who chose Alabama over schools like Emory and Vandy because $100,000+ in debt would be crippling on a government/public interest salary. All that to say, the percentage of grads who go to big firms would probably be marginally higher if more students had that career goal.

As for the geographic placement of graduates, 59% of the classes of 2010-13 stayed in Alabama. Most my classmates chose Alabama because they want to stay in the state. As far as many people in Tuscaloosa are concerned, the world ends at the Alabama state line. If more graduates wanted to go to Nashville, Atlanta, or another southern city, I don't doubt that they could. That being said, it is definitely a regional school. If you are dead set on working in another region of the country, consider other options because Alabama's alumni base is heavily concentrated in Alabama and neighboring states. On the other hand, if you do decide to go to Alabama, the possibility of working outside the southeast is not foreclosed to you. Alabama is a good enough school that you will find alumni in major cities across the country, and the school will put you in touch with graduates in your target market.

Ultimately, your options will be determined by your academic performance. Since Alabama has been trending upward in the rankings, several national firms have started doing annual resume collects from Alabama. However, these firms generally only take resumes of students ranked in the top 10% of their class. Birmingham is also a solid legal market with several large regional firms. Burr and Forman, Bradley Arant, Balch and Bingham, Maynard Cooper and Gale are all based out of Birmingham. Other southeastern firms such as Baker Donelson and Butler Snow also have offices in Birmingham as well. These firms will generally only consider students ranked in the top 25% percent of their class.

Overall, I would say that Alabama is a great choice only if...
a) you get a substantial scholarship (At least 90% tuition), AND
b) you are certain of your ability to finish at least in the top quarter of your class.

[arklaw13]

I was a 1L summer at one of the B'ham firms mentioned in this thread. They generally hire between a third and half their class from UA. Overall everyone had pretty competitive stats. Getting a job in B'ham is no cakewalk.

I think the breakdown for my 1L class was:

1 UVA
2 Vandy (1 law review)
1 W&L
1 Cumberland (Samford - #1 in class)
3 Alabama (3/3 LR)

The 2L class was

3 W&L (2/3 LR)
1 Georgia (LR)
1 Tulane (LR)
1 Cumberland (#1 in class)
3 Alabama (3/3 LR)

You have to consider that all the 1Ls were hired before LR results came out, so the three Bama 1Ls probably all were in the grade-on range GPA-wise after first semester 1L. All the Bama 2Ls were rehires from 1L, so the same probably applies to them.

Most (although not all) of the summers also had strong ties to B'ham.

[allamerican73]

You probably shouldn't go to Alabama Law unless you want to practice in Alabama, or at least a bordering state.

Would certainly be difficult to obtain a job in the Midwest from Alabama in this legal environment.