Top Law Schools

I was wondering if anyone could provide perspective on UT and how they feel school places (first-hand experience would be awesome)? I live in Texas, and expecting a decent amount of merit-based scholarship from UT, so attending would be affordable.

So I have two questions.

The first is does UT really place significantly better than SMU (or even UofH?)? I read an article recently (local news out of Dallas I believe) saying that UT is sliding in employment etc, and based on their recent LST update for the previous class I am concerned with their employment numbers. Knowing I want to practice in Texas, would you recommend attending SMU on full + stipend, or attending UT with less than $80,000 in debt. (These numbers are rough estimations, but based on LSN they are realistic figures for me)

Second, would I be better off attending t-10 school with considerably more debt (rough estimation, $110,00-$140,000).

I want to work in big law, but I also recognize that I have no idea where I will end up in class ranking etc so banking on being in the top is a risky proposition. So I want to make the best decision overall, and I am interested in hearing feedback. Thank you!

If you want to work in Texas, UT with good money is a better option than a T13 with little to no money. And yes, UT has nearly double the biglaw placement compared to its peer schools in TX, so it's clearly a better choice for that.

Yes, UT does place significantly better than SMU and Houston. I see on LSN that the schools have roughly equal "employment scores." Is that what concerns you? The "large firm" score is much more relevant. UT tends to place at least 2x the number of students into biglaw. That multiplier is also a rough proxy for UT's comparative placement into other competitive jobs.

I'd take UT for 80k over SMU/Houston full rides +stipends any day.

As for T-10, it depends on: the school, your ties to Texas, the city you're targeting, and the practice area you're interested in (if any).

I'll assume you have a generic profile—i.e., interested in biglaw but no real preference between corporate and litigation, targeting Houston or Dallas, and either grew up or did UG in Texas. You're asking which schools are worth 30k-60k more than UT. There's a strong argument for Duke and UVA, and decent arguments for NYU and Penn. But since you'd probably get more aid at Duke and UVA than you would at the other two, I think Duke and UVA are the only real contenders.

If you're targeting Austin, this advice would likely change. Also, if you "maybe want to work in Austin," then you have no shot. It's tough city to get, and you've gotta gun for it from the very beginning. (I added this due to your username).

If you can add more details about your goals (city, practice area, etc.) and options (admissions and scholarships) then I can be more specific.