Top Law Schools

I'm going to law school to begin a career in politics. I have been accepted to William and Mary and American. I am waitlisted at George Washington, was rejected at Georgetown. For now, assume that my options are William and Mary, American, and George Washington.

Which has the best program for politics? George Washington has the best ranking and the best reputation. Also, which would give me the best chance to transfer to Georgetown? Do NOT tell me not to go to law school to enter politics; lots of politicians went to law school. I just want to figure out the best one. Also, do NOT ask me about money, and do NOT tell me to retake, thank you for your cooperation in advance. Pretend that I am very wealthy and have taken the LSAT three times if that helps you.

brianiac wrote:I'm going to law school to begin a career in politics. I have been accepted to William and Mary and American. I am waitlisted at George Washington, was rejected at Georgetown. For now, assume that my options are William and Mary, American, and George Washington.

Which has the best program for politics? George Washington has the best ranking and the best reputation. Also, which would give me the best chance to transfer to Georgetown? Do NOT tell me not to go to law school to enter politics; lots of politicians went to law school. I just want to figure out the best one. Also, do NOT ask me about money, and do NOT tell me to retake, thank you for your cooperation in advance. Pretend that I am very wealthy and have taken the LSAT three times if that helps you.

Good Luck getting the responses you want, you won't see many. If you were looking for people to tell you you're making the right choice you're in the wrong place. American is a dumpster fire, GW will cost a fortune with no aid, and William and Mary is okay(If its cheap) if you will accept any kind of legal job in Virginia.

inb4 retake anyway

This should be good.

You mean you want to run for office, or you want to work on the Hill?

If you want to run for office, and for some dumb reason must go to law school, go to the state flagship of wherever you're from and network like hell with the local branch of your party.


But really, your plan seems pretty half baked.

brianiac wrote:I'm going to law school to begin a career in politics.

Expect to work as a lawyer for some number of years before entering politics. Check the resumes of the politicians who went to law school and you'll see that they were lawyers before making that switch or had family connections.

brianiac wrote:Which has the best program for politics?

lol, none of them have programs meant for politics. You're thinking of a masters in public policy, which is way better suited for what you want.

brianiac wrote:Also, which would give me the best chance to transfer to Georgetown?

Do NOT go to law school expecting to transfer. It is extremely unlikely that you'll have 1L grades good enough to do so and it is hugely risky move.

brianiac wrote:Do NOT tell me not to go to law school to enter politics; lots of politicians went to law school. I just want to figure out the best one. Also, do NOT ask me about money, and do NOT tell me to retake, thank you for your cooperation in advance. Pretend that I am very wealthy and have taken the LSAT three times if that helps you.

do NOT not retake.

see wut i did there?

CoffeeIsLife wrote:

brianiac wrote:I'm going to law school to begin a career in politics. I have been accepted to William and Mary and American. I am waitlisted at George Washington, was rejected at Georgetown. For now, assume that my options are William and Mary, American, and George Washington.

Which has the best program for politics? George Washington has the best ranking and the best reputation. Also, which would give me the best chance to transfer to Georgetown? Do NOT tell me not to go to law school to enter politics; lots of politicians went to law school. I just want to figure out the best one. Also, do NOT ask me about money, and do NOT tell me to retake, thank you for your cooperation in advance. Pretend that I am very wealthy and have taken the LSAT three times if that helps you.

Good Luck getting the responses you want, you won't see many. If you were looking for people to tell you you're making the right choice you're in the wrong place. American is a dumpster fire, GW will cost a fortune with no aid, and William and Mary is okay(If its cheap) if you will accept any kind of legal job in Virginia.

I am aware that American is a Tier 2, but that doesn't make it a dumpster fire. Take off your prestige blinders. American will be cheaper for me AND the students won't be as qualified or intelligent as they will be in George Washington. Therefore, it would seem that American is the better choice if I want to excel and transfer. On the other hand, George Washington is more of an insurance policy. I would not need to do amazing as I would in American, because of the George Washington brand name. I'm thinking about the long-term here.

Georgetown is the only one of these schools that has any semblance of a tradition or history of producing national politicians. Not transfers though, your TTT upbringing would come up during opposition research in your first primary fight and you'd be done forever.

bl1nds1ght wrote:

brianiac wrote:Do NOT tell me not to go to law school to enter politics; lots of politicians went to law school. I just want to figure out the best one. Also, do NOT ask me about money, and do NOT tell me to retake, thank you for your cooperation in advance. Pretend that I am very wealthy and have taken the LSAT three times if that helps you.

I mean, he's made up his mind and sticking to it despite all evidence to the contrary. Maybe he does have a future in politics after all.

brianiac wrote:

CoffeeIsLife wrote:

brianiac wrote:I'm going to law school to begin a career in politics. I have been accepted to William and Mary and American. I am waitlisted at George Washington, was rejected at Georgetown. For now, assume that my options are William and Mary, American, and George Washington.

Which has the best program for politics? George Washington has the best ranking and the best reputation. Also, which would give me the best chance to transfer to Georgetown? Do NOT tell me not to go to law school to enter politics; lots of politicians went to law school. I just want to figure out the best one. Also, do NOT ask me about money, and do NOT tell me to retake, thank you for your cooperation in advance. Pretend that I am very wealthy and have taken the LSAT three times if that helps you.

Good Luck getting the responses you want, you won't see many. If you were looking for people to tell you you're making the right choice you're in the wrong place. American is a dumpster fire, GW will cost a fortune with no aid, and William and Mary is okay(If its cheap) if you will accept any kind of legal job in Virginia.

I am aware that American is a Tier 2, but that doesn't make it a dumpster fire. Take off your prestige blinders. American will be cheaper for me AND the students won't be as qualified or intelligent as they will be in George Washington. Therefore, it would seem that American is the better choice if I want to excel and transfer. On the other hand, George Washington is more of an insurance policy. I would not need to do amazing as I would in American, because of the George Washington brand name. I'm thinking about the long-term here.

Explain your long term plan, please. Where are you hoping to run for office? When? Do you think Georgetown gives you a reasonable shot at BigCongress or something?

brianiac wrote:

CoffeeIsLife wrote:

brianiac wrote:I'm going to law school to begin a career in politics. I have been accepted to William and Mary and American. I am waitlisted at George Washington, was rejected at Georgetown. For now, assume that my options are William and Mary, American, and George Washington.

Which has the best program for politics? George Washington has the best ranking and the best reputation. Also, which would give me the best chance to transfer to Georgetown? Do NOT tell me not to go to law school to enter politics; lots of politicians went to law school. I just want to figure out the best one. Also, do NOT ask me about money, and do NOT tell me to retake, thank you for your cooperation in advance. Pretend that I am very wealthy and have taken the LSAT three times if that helps you.

Good Luck getting the responses you want, you won't see many. If you were looking for people to tell you you're making the right choice you're in the wrong place. American is a dumpster fire, GW will cost a fortune with no aid, and William and Mary is okay(If its cheap) if you will accept any kind of legal job in Virginia.

I am aware that American is a Tier 2, but that doesn't make it a dumpster fire. Take off your prestige blinders. American will be cheaper for me AND the students won't be as qualified or intelligent as they will be in George Washington. Therefore, it would seem that American is the better choice if I want to excel and transfer. On the other hand, George Washington is more of an insurance policy. I would not need to do amazing as I would in American, because of the George Washington brand name. I'm thinking about the long-term here.

I definitely don't have "prestige blinders" I go to a State Flagship. Ignore the rankings. American is a dump because only 44% of students that walk through their doors has a job 9 months after graduating. If you don't believe me check this out http://www.lstscorereports.com/schools/american/2013/ Transferring is extremely hard. Expect to be median

brianiac wrote:

CoffeeIsLife wrote:

brianiac wrote:I'm going to law school to begin a career in politics. I have been accepted to William and Mary and American. I am waitlisted at George Washington, was rejected at Georgetown. For now, assume that my options are William and Mary, American, and George Washington.

Which has the best program for politics? George Washington has the best ranking and the best reputation. Also, which would give me the best chance to transfer to Georgetown? Do NOT tell me not to go to law school to enter politics; lots of politicians went to law school. I just want to figure out the best one. Also, do NOT ask me about money, and do NOT tell me to retake, thank you for your cooperation in advance. Pretend that I am very wealthy and have taken the LSAT three times if that helps you.

Good Luck getting the responses you want, you won't see many. If you were looking for people to tell you you're making the right choice you're in the wrong place. American is a dumpster fire, GW will cost a fortune with no aid, and William and Mary is okay(If its cheap) if you will accept any kind of legal job in Virginia.

I am aware that American is a Tier 2, but that doesn't make it a dumpster fire. Take off your prestige blinders. American will be cheaper for me AND the students won't be as qualified or intelligent as they will be in George Washington. Therefore, it would seem that American is the better choice if I want to excel and transfer. On the other hand, George Washington is more of an insurance policy. I would not need to do amazing as I would in American, because of the George Washington brand name. I'm thinking about the long-term here.

http://www.lstscorereports.com/schools/american/2013/ - American is a confirmed dumpster fire.

http://www.lstscorereports.com/schools/gw/2013/ - better than American, but 27% of the 77% employment score is school funded - giving GW a 50% employment rate which requires JD/Bar passage. For the right price (read: $$$$; but we're ignoring money in your case because you're rich...), GW could be alright.

TheSpanishMain wrote:You mean you want to run for office, or you want to work on the Hill?

If you want to run for office, and for some dumb reason must go to law school, go to the state flagship of wherever you're from and network like hell with the local branch of your party.


But really, your plan seems pretty half baked.

What is half baked about it? This is what politicians do all the time. Are you in politics? Yes, I mean that I want to run for office. My dream is to be a Senator, yes I know that is highly unlikely. I don't want to foreclose that path though. Realistically, I want to return to my home state after law school, start my own practice, and begin laying the groundwork for a run for the State Senate. And after that, a run for the House. That's why I'm only looking at schools that give me access to D.C. I plan to return to D.C. one day and want my network up and running. Back to my choices, which would be the best for network building in D.C.? George Washington because of the large alumni base and name brand?

brianiac wrote:[T]he students won't be as qualified or intelligent as they will be in George Washington.

spoken like a true (budding) politician.

brianiac wrote:I would not need to do amazing as I would in American, because of the George Washington brand name.

what brand name?

brianiac wrote:Take off your prestige blinders.

i can't, they're permanently attached to my face.

brianiac wrote:which would be the best for network building in D.C.?

Yale.

bl1nds1ght wrote:

brianiac wrote:I'm going to law school to begin a career in politics.

Expect to work as a lawyer for some number of years before entering politics. Check the resumes of the politicians who went to law school and you'll see that they were lawyers before making that switch or had family connections.

brianiac wrote:Which has the best program for politics?

lol, none of them have programs meant for politics. You're thinking of a masters in public policy, which is way better suited for what you want.

brianiac wrote:Also, which would give me the best chance to transfer to Georgetown?

Do NOT go to law school expecting to transfer. It is extremely unlikely that you'll have 1L grades good enough to do so and it is hugely risky move.

brianiac wrote:Do NOT tell me not to go to law school to enter politics; lots of politicians went to law school. I just want to figure out the best one. Also, do NOT ask me about money, and do NOT tell me to retake, thank you for your cooperation in advance. Pretend that I am very wealthy and have taken the LSAT three times if that helps you.

I'm not interested in a masters, I want a law degree. Lawmakers should know about the law. I already have a public policy background from my undergraduate studies. Also, I don't know what you find so eye-rolling about my wanting to keep this thread on-topic.

ballcaps wrote:

brianiac wrote:Take off your prestige blinders.

i can't, they're permanently attached to my face.

Seems pretty hypocritical of him calling us out for supposed preftige-whoring when he's obviously doing it, himself.

calling troll

I mean George Washington is named after a great president so that's clearly a big plus given your goals, but going to American University will signal how much you love you America, which is worth quite a lot too. Though choice, man.

jbagelboy wrote:Georgetown is the only one of these schools that has any semblance of a tradition or history of producing national politicians. Not transfers though, your TTT upbringing would come up during opposition research in your first primary fight and you'd be done forever.

There are many politicians with less than prestigious backgrounds. Look at Reagan. Truman didn't even have a college degree. Same with Scott Walker. Did their lack of prestige stop their march to the top? NO.

brianiac wrote:

CoffeeIsLife wrote:

brianiac wrote:I'm going to law school to begin a career in politics. I have been accepted to William and Mary and American. I am waitlisted at George Washington, was rejected at Georgetown. For now, assume that my options are William and Mary, American, and George Washington.

Which has the best program for politics? George Washington has the best ranking and the best reputation. Also, which would give me the best chance to transfer to Georgetown? Do NOT tell me not to go to law school to enter politics; lots of politicians went to law school. I just want to figure out the best one. Also, do NOT ask me about money, and do NOT tell me to retake, thank you for your cooperation in advance. Pretend that I am very wealthy and have taken the LSAT three times if that helps you.

Good Luck getting the responses you want, you won't see many. If you were looking for people to tell you you're making the right choice you're in the wrong place. American is a dumpster fire, GW will cost a fortune with no aid, and William and Mary is okay(If its cheap) if you will accept any kind of legal job in Virginia.

I am aware that American is a Tier 2, but that doesn't make it a dumpster fire. Take off your prestige blinders. American will be cheaper for me AND the students won't be as qualified or intelligent as they will be in George Washington. Therefore, it would seem that American is the better choice if I want to excel and transfer. On the other hand, George Washington is more of an insurance policy. I would not need to do amazing as I would in American, because of the George Washington brand name. I'm thinking about the long-term here.

Lol at clueless 0L pretending to ask a question and then telling everyone they are wrong when they are actually giving him/her sound advice.

OP, I guess you are a "I want to be right" instead of a "I want to get it right" person. Going into any law school with the plan of transferring is incredibly short-sighted.

Also, you can't go to the school you think gives you the best chance at politics. You will almost for sure have to have a job for a while before politics unless your last name is Clinton or Bush. None of your options have great employment numbers.

None of these schools are worth paying a lot of money for. Oh, and you telling someone to take off their "prestige blinders" in dumb. Law is a prestige obsessed industry. Look on the Supreme Court. How many justices can you find that went to W&M, American, or even Georgetown? Spoiler alert: they all went to H or Y (Ginsburg went the H and then to Columbia I think).

I'm sorry it isn't what you want to hear, but it's absolutely the truth. Good luck to you.

brianiac wrote:

jbagelboy wrote:Georgetown is the only one of these schools that has any semblance of a tradition or history of producing national politicians. Not transfers though, your TTT upbringing would come up during opposition research in your first primary fight and you'd be done forever.

There are many politicians with less than prestigious backgrounds. Look at Reagan. Truman didn't even have a college degree. Same with Scott Walker. Did their lack of prestige stop their march to the top? NO.

Maybe just drop out now and read Ayn Rand for the next few years I'm sure Scott Walker will find a job for you

Just saw you're WLed at GW.

Honestly, retake. No rush to go to law school.

brianiac wrote: There are many politicians with less than prestigious backgrounds. Look at Reagan. Truman didn't even have a college degree. Same with Scott Walker. Did their lack of prestige stop their march to the top? NO.

If you don't even need a college degree to succeed in politics, why would you go to law school?

If you want to go into politics in your home state first, you're likely better off just going into politics in your home state. If you must go to law school, go to law school in your home state. The networking you can accomplish there to establish your political career at home is going to do more to set you on your path than going to law school in DC.