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All things equal (assuming you get the same scholarship money), and not knowing whether or not you want big law or PI, where would you go?

While those humid, 100 degree NC summers are fairly miserable, I would think they are not as bad as being snowed in in MI. Ergo, Duke.

I'd go to Michigan because their law quad reminds me of Harry Potter.

ticklemesilly wrote:All things equal (assuming you get the same scholarship money), and not knowing whether or not you want big law or PI, where would you go?

Where do you want to work?

Winston1984 wrote:

ticklemesilly wrote:All things equal (assuming you get the same scholarship money), and not knowing whether or not you want big law or PI, where would you go?

Where do you want to work?

Northern CA (Bay Area), Atlanta, or Washington D.C. All advice greatly appreciated.

ticklemesilly wrote:

Winston1984 wrote:

ticklemesilly wrote:All things equal (assuming you get the same scholarship money), and not knowing whether or not you want big law or PI, where would you go?

Where do you want to work?

Northern CA (Bay Area), Atlanta, or Washington D.C. All advice greatly appreciated.

I assume Bay Area is going to be equally difficult from both. Duke would give you a better shot at Atlanta. Not sure about Washington. Maybe slight nod to Duke? I do think Duke has overall stronger employment prospects though. Would probably go to Duke, unless you visited both and really disliked Durham/loved AA.

Winston1984 wrote:

ticklemesilly wrote:

Winston1984 wrote:

ticklemesilly wrote:All things equal (assuming you get the same scholarship money), and not knowing whether or not you want big law or PI, where would you go?

Where do you want to work?

Northern CA (Bay Area), Atlanta, or Washington D.C. All advice greatly appreciated.

I assume Bay Area is going to be equally difficult from both. Duke would give you a better shot at Atlanta. Not sure about Washington. Maybe slight nod to Duke? I do think Duke has overall stronger employment prospects though. Would probably go to Duke, unless you visited both and really disliked Durham/loved AA.

Okay, thanks! Haven't gotten into Duke (yet, hopefully).

Duke.

Where are you from? And if you worked in biglaw, do you have any idea what kind of practice area you would want to be in? If you're not in biglaw do you have any idea what kind of practice area you want to be in? How bad would it be if after looking at 1L grades you decided you had to focus on getting a job in New York?

Nomo wrote:Where are you from? And if you worked in biglaw, do you have any idea what kind of practice area you would want to be in? If you're not in biglaw do you have any idea what kind of practice area you want to be in? How bad would it be if after looking at 1L grades you decided you had to focus on getting a job in New York?

I'm on the West Coast. I'm not sure what I'd do if I worked in big law although right now I'm heavily leaning to PI. I that could change later but right now that's my preference. I suppose if I worked in big law I'd like to do corporate litigation (but definitely not in New York). My friend does that now (although he graduated from Stanford so he had his pick of jobs) and he likes it.

Michigan has a strong Bay Area alumni network and a solid/express focus on PI (not quite NYU status but it's there). I don't know if Duke does as well. Something you should obviously look into as you make up your mind about the Bay and PI work in general. I assume Duke places better in Atlanta/the South, but other than Duke's better biglaw placement in general, I would be surprised if either school has much of an edge in DC.

Assuming all things are equal, I might choose Michigan again because Ann Arbor is pretty liberal/fun and I don't like North Carolina, but I think Duke indisputably has an edge in employment outcomes. Not a T6 edge, obviously, but an appreciable one.

I think you've got to visit the schools to make a choice. The schools are very close in employment outcomes. Michigan sends a few more people into PI and government work, while Duke sends a handful more to firms. It should come down to the intangibles and where you feel more at home.

I would go to whichever is cheaper. They are peer schools.

I'm biased though, and would pick Michigan because I lived in Michigan for awhile, and love the state dearly.