Top Law Schools

So I've seen a lot about law schools for people looking to go out work in the private sector after graduation, but what schools are good for people who possibly want to work in academia or pursue further study in the legal field after earning a JD?

I'm thinking about teaching (law) after law school, or going for an advanced law degree (LLM, SJD), or maybe even a PhD in a field that would blend well with law (such as economics, finance, or psychology).

So far I've been accepted to Washington & Lee, Cardozo, St. John's, and wait listed at WUSTL. Any suggestions, or places where I can go to find relevant information? I'm open to explore other schools, so feel free to mention any others.

Let me be the first to do this: Yale.

To be more helpful, legal academia is incredibly competitive and candidates getting interviews these days invariable have top qualifications from top schools. You may find it helpful to look at the faculty listings at those schools, and see where everyone who was hired in the last 5-10 years went to school. (The more recent, the better.)

I'm not saying no one from the schools you list has ever ended up in legal academia...but it's going to be very very very hard, and only getting harder as the market gets worse.

^ that's also my understanding

A. Nony Mouse wrote:Let me be the first to do this: Yale.

To be more helpful, legal academia is incredibly competitive and candidates getting interviews these days invariable have top qualifications from top schools. You may find it helpful to look at the faculty listings at those schools, and see where everyone who was hired in the last 5-10 years went to school. (The more recent, the better.)

I'm not saying no one from the schools you list has ever ended up in legal academia...but it's going to be very very very hard, and only getting harder as the market gets worse.

Yeah I guessed as much, but still figured it was best to ask. I know this might be another question with an obvious answers, but does any having a research background at the graduate level in another field help? I've got research experience in computer mediated communications as well as finance, just curious as to how I may able to apply those in the legal field.

even through yale you'll prob need a phd

YLS

In other words, retake the LSAT

Put it this way: if you graduate top 5% from HYS you will still have less than a 50% chance of getting legal academia. It is extremely competitive because: 1) tenured faculty are not retiring, and many are teaching late into their 70s and even 80s, so their spots are not opening up 2) law schools can staff classes with adjunct faculty, who are much cheaper and often have great credentials (ex t14 grad who is partner at big law firm, sitting appellate judge) 3) law school enrollment has been down across the board for nearly 10 years, so fewer students means fewer faculty are needed; when someone retires the school may not even hire a replacement 4) there are many highly qualified law grads who would absolutely jump at the chance to make $100,000, work 30-40 hours a week, have a prestigious position, and be unfireable.

Just anecdotally a friend of mine has an Ivy League MA, graduated top 10% from H, clerked for a major district court judge and a major federal appellate judge, and could not get a law school faculty position anywhere in the country. He is working as a lawyer in a government position now.

wjlaw wrote:So I've seen a lot about law schools for people looking to go out work in the private sector after graduation, but what schools are good for people who possibly want to work in academia or pursue further study in the legal field after earning a JD?

I'm thinking about teaching (law) after law school, or going for an advanced law degree (LLM, SJD), or maybe even a PhD in a field that would blend well with law (such as economics, finance, or psychology).

So far I've been accepted to Washington & Lee, Cardozo, St. John's, and wait listed at WUSTL. Any suggestions, or places where I can go to find relevant information? I'm open to explore other schools, so feel free to mention any others.

With these choices, your best bet is to abandon law school for now and go get a PhD first. Then you can revisit whether you really want the JD as well after (hopefully) having improved your law school application to the point where you'd get in to at least hyscc if not just y. And, as someone above mentions, even with y, you'd probably still need the PhD or similar research experience (does not include LLM or other grad law degrees: unless you want tax, these are worthless for US students) that law school alone cannot provide before you'd become a serious candidate. So go get it first and then we can talk legal academia.

If teaching is your goal, another option is to go become partner at a biglaw firm and then become an adjunct at the local school. In that case, you can get biglaw from the schools you mention, but only if you're a top 5 student and even then you'd have to hustle for connections to get a foot in the door. Plus you'd then have to factor in the chance that you'd make partner, which is very low regardless of the school you've attended.

If you want to follow academic hiring the blog the Faculty Lounge is worth following. Most academics now get at best 2 year VAP with no chance at tenure where they are hired. Many schools don't even have a program to support VAPs eventually getting s job, though they do allow you to use the school's email address.

http://www.thefacultylounge.org/2016/02 ... w-vap.html

That particular link is looking for a VAP who will have a two year term with no formal program for help towards a permanent program.
It's for some program at Hastings for innovative law and a start up garage which doesn't even give you your own office. ( because it's an open space with everyone at one desk) And you need to teach IP as well.
And they want someone with both 5 year of biglaw experience plus program management.

I always love these threads and the serious responses they engender. A cursory Google search would have informed OP that there were 70 new hires last year, out of the 37,000 law grads, all of whom would presumably want this job.

"Law school for academic path"

"Best schools for SCOTUS clerks"

"One-quarter Dutch, can I prosecute at the Hague?"

"Wanna be the fucking president, GW good enough?"

"Does Emily Ratajkowski have a thing for Wake Forest grads?"

Danny Mothers wrote:

wjlaw wrote:So I've seen a lot about law schools for people looking to go out work in the private sector after graduation, but what schools are good for people who possibly want to work in academia or pursue further study in the legal field after earning a JD?

I'm thinking about teaching (law) after law school, or going for an advanced law degree (LLM, SJD), or maybe even a PhD in a field that would blend well with law (such as economics, finance, or psychology).

So far I've been accepted to Washington & Lee, Cardozo, St. John's, and wait listed at WUSTL. Any suggestions, or places where I can go to find relevant information? I'm open to explore other schools, so feel free to mention any others.

With these choices, your best bet is to abandon law school for now and go get a PhD first. Then you can revisit whether you really want the JD as well after (hopefully) having improved your law school application to the point where you'd get in to at least hyscc if not just y. And, as someone above mentions, even with y, you'd probably still need the PhD or similar research experience (does not include LLM or other grad law degrees: unless you want tax, these are worthless for US students) that law school alone cannot provide before you'd become a serious candidate. So go get it first and then we can talk legal academia.

If teaching is your goal, another option is to go become partner at a biglaw firm and then become an adjunct at the local school. In that case, you can get biglaw from the schools you mention, but only if you're a top 5 student and even then you'd have to hustle for connections to get a foot in the door. Plus you'd then have to factor in the chance that you'd make partner, which is very low regardless of the school you've attended.

Got to love advice that says just become partner lol. Tops and I mean tops, one Cardozo grad every 20 years make partner. Bank on a 1:6000 chance as a credential to land another 1:6000 chance.

OP you probably shouldn't be going to any of these schools with the aim of becoming a lawyer, and most certainly not with the aim of becoming an academic.

jrass wrote:

Danny Mothers wrote:

wjlaw wrote:So I've seen a lot about law schools for people looking to go out work in the private sector after graduation, but what schools are good for people who possibly want to work in academia or pursue further study in the legal field after earning a JD?

I'm thinking about teaching (law) after law school, or going for an advanced law degree (LLM, SJD), or maybe even a PhD in a field that would blend well with law (such as economics, finance, or psychology).

So far I've been accepted to Washington & Lee, Cardozo, St. John's, and wait listed at WUSTL. Any suggestions, or places where I can go to find relevant information? I'm open to explore other schools, so feel free to mention any others.

With these choices, your best bet is to abandon law school for now and go get a PhD first. Then you can revisit whether you really want the JD as well after (hopefully) having improved your law school application to the point where you'd get in to at least hyscc if not just y. And, as someone above mentions, even with y, you'd probably still need the PhD or similar research experience (does not include LLM or other grad law degrees: unless you want tax, these are worthless for US students) that law school alone cannot provide before you'd become a serious candidate. So go get it first and then we can talk legal academia.

If teaching is your goal, another option is to go become partner at a biglaw firm and then become an adjunct at the local school. In that case, you can get biglaw from the schools you mention, but only if you're a top 5 student and even then you'd have to hustle for connections to get a foot in the door. Plus you'd then have to factor in the chance that you'd make partner, which is very low regardless of the school you've attended.

Got to love advice that says just become partner lol. Tops and I mean tops, one Cardozo grad every 20 years make partner. Bank on a 1:6000 chance as a credential to land another 1:6000 chance.

Pretty sure that was the point of the post.

Not a good plan. Go to law school if you want to be a lawyer. Go to these law schools if you are fine making 45-65k at a small firm or in local/state gov.