Top Law Schools

Posted: **Thu Sep 29, 2016 12:29 pm**

Hello all,

I'm a 0L who has NOT taken the LSAT yet. I am interested in pursuing non-profit/ public interest law of some sort and I am looking for advice on if the University of Houston Law Center could adequately prepare me for a career in non-profit law. I am assuming that because Houston is such a large city that there will be plenty of opportunity for internships and volunteering. Also, I have read that school ranking does not matter as much as internship and volunteer experience. Is this true? Does anyone have any advice on if the Houston Law Center is worth going to? How difficult will it be to get PI law in Dallas or Austin from Houston Law?

Side info:
UT Law is my first choice by far, but Houston is my 2nd choice if I can't get in.
I have 8 months before I intend on taking the June 2017 LSAT - like I said, I'm gunning for UT, but I need back ups.
GPA: 3.6
I want to work in either Austin, Dallas, or Houston
I am a Texas resident planning on using the Hazlewood Act (96 credits left)
My ideal PI law gig would be working for TRLA, the Texas Civil Rights Project, or Lone Star Legal Aid (something along those lines)

Posted: **Fri Sep 30, 2016 10:40 am**

Polarbear1993 wrote:Hello all,

I'm a 0L who has NOT taken the LSAT yet. I am interested in pursuing non-profit/ public interest law of some sort and I am looking for advice on if the University of Houston Law Center could adequately prepare me for a career in non-profit law. I am assuming that because Houston is such a large city that there will be plenty of opportunity for internships and volunteering. Also, I have read that school ranking does not matter as much as internship and volunteer experience. Is this true? Does anyone have any advice on if the Houston Law Center is worth going to? How difficult will it be to get PI law in Dallas or Austin from Houston Law?

Side info:
UT Law is my first choice by far, but Houston is my 2nd choice if I can't get in.
I have 8 months before I intend on taking the June 2017 LSAT - like I said, I'm gunning for UT, but I need back ups.
GPA: 3.6
I want to work in either Austin, Dallas, or Houston
I am a Texas resident planning on using the Hazlewood Act (96 credits left)
My ideal PI law gig would be working for TRLA, the Texas Civil Rights Project, or Lone Star Legal Aid (something along those lines)

For non-profit work, school ranking matters a lot more if you are looking to do impact litigation or policy work (i.e. ACLU Staff Attorney). If you want to be a legal aid attorney the impact is still reduced. Keep in mind though that higher-ranked schools tend to be better connected and can still open doors that would otherwise be closed to you. Also keep in mind that full-time salaried positions at non-profits are very difficult to come by anywhere, it's a harder road to travel than getting a job at a law firm.

Posted: **Fri Sep 30, 2016 2:15 pm**

Polarbear1993 wrote:Also, I have read that school ranking does not matter as much as internship and volunteer experience. Is this true?

Both are important. Some of the jobs are more competitive than others. UT will be best. Overall, yes, ranking is probably less important than location and demonstrated interest in the field. Since you have free tuition to UT, that should be your goal of course.

Polarbear1993 wrote:Does anyone have any advice on if the Houston Law Center is worth going to?

It's really going to depend on your LSAT score where you will be admitted and with what scholarships. So your questions are a bit premature. It's fine to compile a list of schools to consider this early, and UH should definitely be on that list as a public university in TX. If you don't get into UT, then it's probably your best option because of the free tuition through Hazelwood. As mentioned above, ranking is important, but I wouldn't go out of state to a much more expensive regional school without a scholarship over UH (for example, somewhere like Emory/Iowa/George Washington/Boston).

Polarbear1993 wrote:How difficult will it be to get PI law in Dallas or Austin from Houston Law?

Impossible to answer. Austin is generally considered a more difficult market to break into coming non-UT schools.

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University of Houston Law Center: pros and cons (non-profit law)? Forum

University of Houston Law Center: pros and cons (non-profit law)?

Re: University of Houston Law Center: pros and cons (non-profit law)?

Re: University of Houston Law Center: pros and cons (non-profit law)?