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lurker816 wrote:Not sure if the Internet hivemind is going to be particularly helpful with this one, but I'm going for it anyway -

Deciding between 120k at Fordham and 75k at GW, though I'm going to try to negotiate GW up. I'm lucky enough to have 150k in family money (not coming directly from parents, I know TLS is hostile to this so it feels important to specify) to use for education, so even at more-expensive GW, my debt load would be manageable.

Long term goal/ties are all to NYC, but I'm most interested in BigFed (ideally in NY field office, but I recognize that's an unlikely outcome) or NYC government agencies as a short-term post law school career goal. I worked in BigLaw at a very prestigious firm for two years after undergrad and do not have any interest in returning to that/similar work environments, so I'm trying not to pay too much attention to biglaw statistics.

Am I crazy for even considering Fordham here? GW's placement for gov seems to be quite good, but I know based on my experiences within the legal community here that Fordham still has a pretty good reputation in NY, which is where I want to practice long-term.

Still waiting on a few T14 & considering BU as well but I think this will be my ultimate choice - I'm 3 years out and 100% out of LSAT takes so that's not an option.

lurker816 wrote:

trebekismyhero wrote:

lurker816 wrote:Not sure if the Internet hivemind is going to be particularly helpful with this one, but I'm going for it anyway -

Deciding between 120k at Fordham and 75k at GW, though I'm going to try to negotiate GW up. I'm lucky enough to have 150k in family money (not coming directly from parents, I know TLS is hostile to this so it feels important to specify) to use for education, so even at more-expensive GW, my debt load would be manageable.

Long term goal/ties are all to NYC, but I'm most interested in BigFed (ideally in NY field office, but I recognize that's an unlikely outcome) or NYC government agencies as a short-term post law school career goal. I worked in BigLaw at a very prestigious firm for two years after undergrad and do not have any interest in returning to that/similar work environments, so I'm trying not to pay too much attention to biglaw statistics.

Am I crazy for even considering Fordham here? GW's placement for gov seems to be quite good, but I know based on my experiences within the legal community here that Fordham still has a pretty good reputation in NY, which is where I want to practice long-term.

Still waiting on a few T14 & considering BU as well but I think this will be my ultimate choice - I'm 3 years out and 100% out of LSAT takes so that's not an option.

If you want to be in NY then Fordham makes more sense than GW especially since it will be cheaper. If you wanted to be in DC that would be different.

BigFed in NY is going to be really hard no matter where you go. If you are ok with ending up in NYC gov't go to Fordham and just work hard to make connections as much as possible

I guess I should specify that if it meant BigFed at the agency I'm most interested in, I would be willing to do so in DC for a few years - just want to end up back here eventually. That said, the equivalent NYC agency is a cool place to work and I'd be happy there as well/work for a partner agency currently and could probably weasel my way back here (though who knows who the mayor will be in 3 years). Totally recognize that BigFed here is unlikely. But if the priority was shifted to BigFed in general, GW would be the no-brainer, right?

@below poster (on a phone and having trouble quoting, sorry!) debt load after Fordham would be around 10k, GW would be 70k.