Top Law Schools

For Houston biglaw? If $$ is not a factor. Born and raised Texan.

Based on anecdotal evidence and LST, UT > UH for Houston big law.

UT.

Some day, I'd really like to meet all the people who say that "money isn't an issue" and see whether their parents actually agree that a few hundred grand isn't an issue.

Not that I owe you an explanation, but I definitely said "if." I wanted to know, objectively, which was the better school for the goal stated. Period. Thanks for your two pennies though

cavalier1138 wrote:Some day, I'd really like to meet all the people who say that "money isn't an issue" and see whether their parents actually agree that a few hundred grand isn't an issue.

For Texas BigLaw: T-14>UT>UH (for Houston)/SMU (for Dallas). Honestly, T20 with ties will probably give you a better shot than UH, or at least most of the T20 (I know Vanderbilt and WUSTL do pretty well in Texas).

HenryHankPalmer wrote:For Texas BigLaw: T-14>UT

? I'd be surprised if, say, Cornell or Northwestern grads would have as much reach down here. UT law folks, by comparison, are peppered throughout every level of leadership.

edit: obviously, T6 and Duke and maybe UVA grads probably do just fine though.

sev wrote:

HenryHankPalmer wrote:For Texas BigLaw: T-14>UT

? I'd be surprised if, say, Cornell or Northwestern grads would have as much reach down here. UT law folks, by comparison, are peppered throughout every level of leadership.

Caveat should have been T14 with ties. Obviously UT dominates the Texas BigLaw markets generally, but a Cornell or Northwestern student that happens to be a native Texan may get more play than a UT student, all other things held equal. Or at least that is how I understand it.

HenryHankPalmer wrote:

sev wrote:

HenryHankPalmer wrote:For Texas BigLaw: T-14>UT

? I'd be surprised if, say, Cornell or Northwestern grads would have as much reach down here. UT law folks, by comparison, are peppered throughout every level of leadership.

Caveat should have been T14 with ties. Obviously UT dominates the Texas BigLaw markets generally, but a Cornell or Northwestern student that happens to be a native Texan may get more play than a UT student, all other things held equal. Or at least that is how I understand it.

Just ran into this post: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... #p10257917

sev wrote:

HenryHankPalmer wrote:

sev wrote:

HenryHankPalmer wrote:For Texas BigLaw: T-14>UT

? I'd be surprised if, say, Cornell or Northwestern grads would have as much reach down here. UT law folks, by comparison, are peppered throughout every level of leadership.

Caveat should have been T14 with ties. Obviously UT dominates the Texas BigLaw markets generally, but a Cornell or Northwestern student that happens to be a native Texan may get more play than a UT student, all other things held equal. Or at least that is how I understand it.

Just ran into this post: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... #p10257917

Try not to use anonymous 1Ls spitting conjecture based on nothing to back up whether ties matter in TX Biglaw. Anecdotally, I could claim that grades don't even much matter in TX Biglaw and people regularly get job offers during screening interviews with decent ties to TX, and that sometimes all it takes is showing up to a firm reception during 1L winter break to get a job offer. Those are both true stories, but hardly helpful in proving what it takes to get a job in TX Biglaw.

For OP, UT is the best Texas option for getting TX Biglaw. Whether they do better than a T6, T13, T14, etc. is up for some conjecture because of the inherent correlation/causation problem. It may be that UT places way more graduates in TX Biglaw because UT is seen so highly in TX, or it could be because a lot of people go to UT wanting TX Biglaw and gun exclusively for it, or it could be somewhere in the middle. And there's not going to be a sizable portion of people going to Columbia or Northwestern wanting to go to TX Biglaw, but there lack of placement there doesn't necessarily suggest they don't have the placement power there. If Columbia or Northwestern had 25% of their class from TX and wanting Texas Biglaw, they might be able to put that portion of the class there. That just never happens.

If you want TX BIglaw and you aren't considering a T14, UT is your best option (not considering cost, which is stupid to not consider in all of this).

UVA2B wrote:

sev wrote:

HenryHankPalmer wrote:

sev wrote:

HenryHankPalmer wrote:For Texas BigLaw: T-14>UT

? I'd be surprised if, say, Cornell or Northwestern grads would have as much reach down here. UT law folks, by comparison, are peppered throughout every level of leadership.

Caveat should have been T14 with ties. Obviously UT dominates the Texas BigLaw markets generally, but a Cornell or Northwestern student that happens to be a native Texan may get more play than a UT student, all other things held equal. Or at least that is how I understand it.

Just ran into this post: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... #p10257917

Try not to use anonymous 1Ls spitting conjecture based on nothing to back up whether ties matter in TX Biglaw. Anecdotally, I could claim that grades don't even much matter in TX Biglaw and people regularly get job offers during screening interviews with decent ties to TX, and that sometimes all it takes is showing up to a firm reception during 1L winter break to get a job offer. Those are both true stories, but hardly helpful in proving what it takes to get a job in TX Biglaw.

Anon seemed to speak with some authority and experience (and wasn't talking anecdotally) so it seems they're not just a 1L; in any case it's better than my 0L conjectures.

They literally started the second paragraph with “anecdotally...”

UT and it isn't close.

sev wrote:Anon seemed to speak with some authority and experience (and wasn't talking anecdotally) so it seems they're not just a 1L; in any case it's better than my 0L conjectures.

They are a 1L, FWIW.

UVA2B wrote:They literally started the second paragraph with “anecdotally...”

And the second paragraph didn't have anything to do with what HHP and I were discussing--I was quoting it to refer to this "Nailed it on the grades. Firms will throw out interviews to T6 + UT students without grades, but anyone outside of the T6 + UT will need to show grades."

A. Nony Mouse wrote:They are a 1L, FWIW.

(are anons not truly anons to mods?)

sev wrote:

UVA2B wrote:They literally started the second paragraph with “anecdotally...”

And the second paragraph didn't have anything to do with what HHP and I were discussing--I was quoting it to refer to this "Nailed it on the grades. Firms will throw out interviews to T6 + UT students without grades, but anyone outside of the T6 + UT will need to show grades."

A. Nony Mouse wrote:They are a 1L, FWIW.

(are anons not truly anons to mods?)

Nope. We can see who the authors are (so we can address alting, sockpuppeting, trolling, who's allowed to post in forums, etc.)

Also I'm confused by the first part of this post because no one had mentioned grades so far in this thread, just ties.

A. Nony Mouse wrote:

sev wrote:

UVA2B wrote:They literally started the second paragraph with “anecdotally...”

And the second paragraph didn't have anything to do with what HHP and I were discussing--I was quoting it to refer to this "Nailed it on the grades. Firms will throw out interviews to T6 + UT students without grades, but anyone outside of the T6 + UT will need to show grades."

A. Nony Mouse wrote:They are a 1L, FWIW.

(are anons not truly anons to mods?)

Nope. We can see who the authors are (so we can address alting, sockpuppeting, trolling, who's allowed to post in forums, etc.)

Also I'm confused by the first part of this post because no one had mentioned grades so far in this thread, just ties.

Ah, sorry: it's support for why UT would be better than the lower T14. If anon 1L is correct, the lower T14 will need to show/wait for grades before proceeding, but UT students don't.

UT. Tuition isn't (comparatively to other T20) outrageous, but if you can get some money it's an even more solid option. From what I've seen the schools give out, and my own personal experience, the beginning scores for a full at UH is roughly equal to 10K at UT + resident tuition (for a resident at least).