UW v. T14 Forum

[purkinje]

Long-time lurker seeking out the collective wisdom of TLS..

I'm committed to University of Washington and I'm wondering if I'm making a mistake. My current goal is to work in Seattle after graduation (I have extensive ties) but I don't necessarily want to limit my options to just the NW, which I'm fearful UW will do. Stats are 3.79 and 164. I took the LSAT cold without studying (Dumb I know). Would sitting out a year be a good option? Or does UW at minimal cost make sense? (projected COA = 35k) I don't think an increase in my LSAT will get me any more money from UW, but the only T14 that gave me money this cycle was Michigan at 15k/year.

So two questions:

how much room for improvement is there in my LSAT?

Is it worth the risk to sit out and retake if the school I'm committed to can't be beat at the cost I'm going for?

Thanks in advance!

[Whnlifegvsulmns]

.

[Serett]

Depends what you want to do in Seattle. Anything? It's more defensible. Biglaw? Less so. Washington at low CoA + ties is probably the best non-T14 option for the state, but T14 at low CoA + ties is still better. You can absolutely improve your LSAT, and it'll substantially improve the $$$ you'd get from T14s and your odds of a good outcome. Compare this to T14 outcomes. Even at low debt, 61% LTFT legal employment, 21.5% underemployment, and 16% large firm/fed clerk are tough odds. You're not doomed if you ignore the advice you're going to get here, but you really ought to improve your LSAT and retake.

[CanadianWolf]

Your decision should be based on whether or not you want to remain in the Pacific Northwest.

[shump92]

You have a lot of room to improve for the LSAT. My first PT was the exact same score that you got for the real thing and when I had a light amount of comprehensive studying I bumped up to 168 on the real test. I know there is still plenty of room for me to improve, so while I don't want to say how much you would improve I would say 5+ point with a heavy study load easily. Where you want to go is really up to you, though one of my attorney friends told me that non-T14 schools really only have regional reach. Hitting 168+ would get you into the competitive range for T14 if the rest of your app is strong.

[purkinje]

Your decision should be based on whether or not you want to remain in the Pacific Northwest.

So if my goal is to stay in Seattle, at least for my first job out of law school, UW is a defensible option?

And I don't know if it changes anything, but I'll be pursuing IP law and am eligible for the patent bar.

[purkinje]

Also, any thoughts on if Seattle big law is easier to break into from the dominant regional school (UW) or from lower T14 such as Michigan, duke, etc.?

[shump92]

Also, any thoughts on if Seattle big law is easier to break into from the dominant regional school (UW) or from lower T14 such as Michigan, duke, etc.?

Probably depends on the firms individually. That is a question of whether Seattle firms have a more local focus or if they value prestige instead. I would recommend thinking twice about committing yourself to a specific location though. Things could change after 3 years and T14 would give you much more flexibility if that did happen.

[hearsay77]

If you want to have geographic flexibility with your degree, you're better off sitting out a year and retaking the LSAT. With a 168+ you'll likely have large scholarships to the lower T14.

[BearState]

My general impression is its easier to stand out from the pack of U. Dub and SU applicants at Seattle firms if you are from a T-14 and have done pretty well. But you will probably be questioned on the sincerity of your ties and desire to return to the market.

[b769s]

Long- time lurker here as well, but I have extensive NW ties and might be able to offer some input. Anecdotally, I know multiple people who have attended UW Law, graduated towards the top 15% and had no problem getting biglaw in Seattle. UW is highly respected within the state and is an excellent choice if you want to stay within the PNW area, but know you are going to have to hustle grade-wise to get biglaw (You are still probably competing with Stanford, Berkeley, and other T-14 grads who have ties to the region). If you want to keep your options open, I'd recommend retaking in October, and apply to T-14/ T- 20 schools (Berkeley has an excellent reputation in Seattle), UCLA and USC might offer you some solid scholarship money with an increase in your LSAT as well.

[Glasseyes]

I considered these options myself, as my family and I were hoping to get to either Seattle or Portland after law school. (I wound up not choosing UW, fwiw.) My only ties to the region were the presence of family, and ultimately I realized it was too much of a risk to either go to UW in the hopes of crushing the curve or attempt to go somewhere else and actually get back to the NW. With stronger ties, you'll have an easier time of it than I would have, but this is exactly why the NW is such a hard region to effectively target: it's a small market that demands maximum ties, and there are no particularly great schools there. Not a knock on UW at all; it seems like a strong regional, but it's unlikely to take you far outside the region, and once you miss the grades that would get you Biglaw, it's gonna be uphill anywhere. Presumably UW would put you in the best position to get midlaw, small firm work, local govt work as well, but I can't speak to how much of that there actually is to go around.

It's worth asking the question whether the thing you care about most is getting biglaw (somewhere/anywhere) or working in Seattle (biglaw, smalllaw/shitlaw, govt, or otherwise). If biglaw is the key, gun for a T14. If Seattle is the key, UW is probably the right choice if you're fully committed to this whole law school thing (definitely worth asking yourself that question as well).

[purkinje]

Thanks for the responses everybody. I think the best choice is to start studying again for the LSAT and see what I'm PTing at by the time school is supposed to start. Then I can make a better decision. I appreciate all the help!