T13 vs. Ohio State vs. Case Western Forum

[PanjandrumOfReason]

T13 vs. Ohio State (USNWR Rank 30) vs. Case Western (USNWR Rank 62) for placement in Cleveland, Ohio? ...though I'm not sure I want to stay in Cleveland, so perhaps I'd be better off with a T13 to keep geographical options open? Should I definitively decide where I want to practice before choosing a law school?

Also, I see a lot of posts about how the T13, and perhaps even the T6, is required for federal clerkships. But what's the deal with state level clerkships? Are they just not prestigious positions, so people aren't gunning for them? Do they add any significant value to one's resume? And if so, could one obtain an Ohio clerkship from Ohio State or Case Western?

(I realize my talk of the T13 is premature, as I don't even have an LSAT score yet. )

Thanks!

[cavalier1138]

It entirely depends on what you want to do in Ohio. That said, Ohio State will always be better than Case Western for placement in-state. If you want to keep your geographic options open, then you pretty much need a T13 school or strong ties to a specific area.

There's nothing wrong with a state clerkship, but a state clerkship won't carry any weight if you want to work for a federal office, a big law firm, or a boutique firm that specialized in federal work. State clerkships also only carry weight in their state. So doing a clerkship for a Nebraska judge is pretty useless if you end up applying for jobs in Ohio.

And yes, all of this is useless information without an LSAT and/or without a clear reason for going to law school in the first place (which you don't have in your prior threads).

[silenttimer]

It entirely depends on what you want to do in Ohio. That said, Ohio State will always be better than Case Western for placement in-state. If you want to keep your geographic options open, then you pretty much need a T13 school or strong ties to a specific area.

There's nothing wrong with a state clerkship, but a state clerkship won't carry any weight if you want to work for a federal office, a big law firm, or a boutique firm that specialized in federal work. State clerkships also only carry weight in their state. So doing a clerkship for a Nebraska judge is pretty useless if you end up applying for jobs in Ohio.

And yes, all of this is useless information without an LSAT and/or without a clear reason for going to law school in the first place (which you don't have in your prior threads).

I generally agree with this except the statement that state clerkship "won't" carry any weight with a big law firm. It will depend on firms obviously, but as a former state law clerk, the partners who interviewed me at my current firm (V50) when I came out my clerkship in 2011 liked that I clerked. BTW, I did not clerk in the state I currently work, but the two states are close geographically. Since I have been hired, my firm also has hired several state trial court level clerks. I also know of several other V firms that have hired state trial court level clerks. So in my experience, it does mean something.

[albanach]

It entirely depends on what you want to do in Ohio. That said, Ohio State will always be better than Case Western for placement in-state. If you want to keep your geographic options open, then you pretty much need a T13 school or strong ties to a specific area.

...

And yes, all of this is useless information without an LSAT and/or without a clear reason for going to law school in the first place (which you don't have in your prior threads).

I generally agree with this advice, however even the T13 may be difficult without ties. Firms in the City are reluctant to spend three years training an associate only for them to then leave for warmer winters elsewhere, so ties are really valued. I think that's one of the reasons schools like CWRU place 15% of the class into firms with 100+ attorneys - just a few percent behind OSU. (I was looking at class of 2015 numbers).

If you have the ties, the T13 opens up many more options. If you don't, and do want to be in Cleveland just because you like the cold or watching losing football teams, going to school locally might be better. But if you go to school locally, there's only a 15-20% chance of you getting into a medium to large firm.

[goldenflash19]

If you go to a T14, then you don't necessarily need to pick where you want to live before law school. You'll at least have access to NYC, other secondary markets near your T14, and possibly DC depending on your grades.

If you go to OSU/CWRU, then you will almost assuredly be practicing in Ohio.

If you want big law in Cleveland, then you will likely need to attend a T14 (T20 or ND could cut it if you do relatively well) or be at the top of your class at Case or OSU.

I can't overstate the importance of ties, for Cleveland or any another secondary market if you decide you want to work there. I left NEOH for law school, summered in CA, and then interviewed at some Cleveland firms as safeties at OCI (would rather be in Cleveland than NYC any day lol). The Cleveland firms were super skeptical that I left and then didn't summer in Cleveland. Your summer is a major chance to establish ties wherever you want to practice, so I'd recommend having an idea of where you want to work by then.

Good luck and Go Browns!

[_lw1234]

This is definitely anecdotal but I have a family friend who has been a Cleveland big law partner for a decade and said their firm prefers OSU grads to Case grads, especially in the most recent few cycles. When he found out I got into OSU his response was "Congrats, OSU is much better than Case" without me saying anything about Case.. I didn't even apply there