Top Law Schools

Is there a good tool I can use to compare law schools based off of their employment numbers and geographic placement? Law School Transparency is nice, but I'd rather have more in depth info than simply an overall employment score.

Kind of shocked to see a school like Georgetown has only a 75% employment rate. What attributes to this score? People who are stubborn and refuse to leave the D.C. area despite not getting a job?

somedeadman wrote:Kind of shocked to see a school like Georgetown has only a 75% employment rate. What attributes to this score? People who are stubborn and refuse to leave the D.C. area despite not getting a job?

There are so, so many threads about this exact topic. Here is one last posted in yesterday. http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=272178

blueapple wrote:

somedeadman wrote:Kind of shocked to see a school like Georgetown has only a 75% employment rate. What attributes to this score? People who are stubborn and refuse to leave the D.C. area despite not getting a job?

There are so, so many threads about this exact topic. Here is one last posted in yesterday. http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=272178

My bad about the Gtown comment.

However, the original question about finding a better tool than law school transparency still stands.

somedeadman wrote:

blueapple wrote:

somedeadman wrote:Kind of shocked to see a school like Georgetown has only a 75% employment rate. What attributes to this score? People who are stubborn and refuse to leave the D.C. area despite not getting a job?

There are so, so many threads about this exact topic. Here is one last posted in yesterday. http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=272178

My bad about the Gtown comment.

However, the original question about finding a better tool than law school transparency still stands.

Play around here: http://www.abarequireddisclosures.org/

ETA: Nevermind, I didn't realize they only had bar passage rates. I thought there was employment stuff on there too

blueapple wrote:

somedeadman wrote:

blueapple wrote:

somedeadman wrote:Kind of shocked to see a school like Georgetown has only a 75% employment rate. What attributes to this score? People who are stubborn and refuse to leave the D.C. area despite not getting a job?

There are so, so many threads about this exact topic. Here is one last posted in yesterday. http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=272178

My bad about the Gtown comment.

However, the original question about finding a better tool than law school transparency still stands.

Play around here: http://www.abarequireddisclosures.org/

ETA: Nevermind, I didn't realize they only had bar passage rates. I thought there was employment stuff on there too

Okay, found what I was looking for - http://employmentsummary.abaquestionnaire.org/

blueapple wrote:

blueapple wrote:

somedeadman wrote:

blueapple wrote:

somedeadman wrote:Kind of shocked to see a school like Georgetown has only a 75% employment rate. What attributes to this score? People who are stubborn and refuse to leave the D.C. area despite not getting a job?

There are so, so many threads about this exact topic. Here is one last posted in yesterday. http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=272178

My bad about the Gtown comment.

However, the original question about finding a better tool than law school transparency still stands.

Play around here: http://www.abarequireddisclosures.org/

ETA: Nevermind, I didn't realize they only had bar passage rates. I thought there was employment stuff on there too

Okay, found what I was looking for - http://employmentsummary.abaquestionnaire.org/

Nice!! Thanks

Are the school websites/Law school transparency accurate for avg. salary?

somedeadman wrote:

blueapple wrote:

blueapple wrote:

somedeadman wrote:

blueapple wrote:

somedeadman wrote:Kind of shocked to see a school like Georgetown has only a 75% employment rate. What attributes to this score? People who are stubborn and refuse to leave the D.C. area despite not getting a job?

There are so, so many threads about this exact topic. Here is one last posted in yesterday. http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=272178

My bad about the Gtown comment.

However, the original question about finding a better tool than law school transparency still stands.

Play around here: http://www.abarequireddisclosures.org/

ETA: Nevermind, I didn't realize they only had bar passage rates. I thought there was employment stuff on there too

Okay, found what I was looking for - http://employmentsummary.abaquestionnaire.org/

Nice!! Thanks

Are the school websites/Law school transparency accurate for avg. salary?

You should ignore average salary. If you take a look here you can see what the spread is like for salary in legal jobs http://www.nalp.org/salarydistrib

Basically, unless you are in biglaw making what is now $180, you're likely to be making <$60k

blueapple wrote:

somedeadman wrote:

blueapple wrote:

blueapple wrote:

somedeadman wrote:

blueapple wrote:

somedeadman wrote:Kind of shocked to see a school like Georgetown has only a 75% employment rate. What attributes to this score? People who are stubborn and refuse to leave the D.C. area despite not getting a job?

There are so, so many threads about this exact topic. Here is one last posted in yesterday. http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=272178

My bad about the Gtown comment.

However, the original question about finding a better tool than law school transparency still stands.

Play around here: http://www.abarequireddisclosures.org/

ETA: Nevermind, I didn't realize they only had bar passage rates. I thought there was employment stuff on there too

Okay, found what I was looking for - http://employmentsummary.abaquestionnaire.org/

Nice!! Thanks

Are the school websites/Law school transparency accurate for avg. salary?

You should ignore average salary. If you take a look here you can see what the spread is like for salary in legal jobs http://www.nalp.org/salarydistrib

Basically, unless you are in biglaw making what is now $180, you're likely to be making <$60k

So it's either all or nothing essentially?

somedeadman wrote:So it's either all or nothing essentially?

Pretty much. There are some exceptions of course, like people who go to below-market law firms that still pay well, but those jobs are tough to get from what I understand. I do public interest work though, so maybe someone who does private sector/law firm work can talk about what those few in-between options look like and what it takes to get those jobs.

There are some mid-law and secondary big law places that pay around the $120k, but they are few and almost as competitive as the 180k jobs.

I had friends from law school that went in-house right away at large companies or to the Big 4 and I think most make $80-90k. These aren't as competitive in terms of grades, but there aren't many. So that is why most ppl say if you aren't making 180 in big law you most likely will be making 60k

blueapple wrote:

somedeadman wrote:So it's either all or nothing essentially?

Pretty much. There are some exceptions of course, like people who go to below-market law firms that still pay well, but those jobs are tough to get from what I understand. I do public interest work though, so maybe someone who does private sector/law firm work can talk about what those few in-between options look like and what it takes to get those jobs.

Awesome, thanks for your help!

trebekismyhero wrote:There are some mid-law and secondary big law places that pay around the $120k, but they are few and almost as competitive as the 180k jobs.

I had friends from law school that went in-house right away at large companies or to the Big 4 and I think most make $80-90k. These aren't as competitive in terms of grades, but there aren't many. So that is why most ppl say if you aren't making 180 in big law you most likely will be making 60k

Excuse my ignorance, but what is the big 4?

Great intel, thanks!

Big 4 tax consulting companies, Deloitte, KPMG, EY, and and PwC

.

zerato5 wrote:If you're making 60k out of school, what does the average earning growth look like 5, and 10 years out?

For fed jobs you can look at the GS scale. https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversig ... ies-wages/
Not sure how long it takes to move up but I believe lawyers start at GS-11 (Straight through) and GS-12 (with some experience)

For fed jobs it is pretty easy, you will probably be a GS-13 within two-three years. Then smaller step increases before moving up to GS-14, 15.

Generally the same for state and local jobs just usually less pay than feds.

Private practice it will really depend on the individual. I had a friend start in shitlaw in 2012 making 55k. Did that for a couple years got small couple thousand dollar a year raises and then made the move to a slightly larger firm and is now making just over $100k.