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Hi I just wanted to know does anybody know any law school where class sizes are not too big or not too small. I'm asking because I'm currently going to a small undergrad college I like it academically but socially I hate it. I kind of regret going to the college that I'm going to now because it is too small and in the middle of no where. Does anyone have any recommendations about any medium sized law schools that are not too big or too small?

Thank you

What kind of class size (numbers range) are you looking for?

More importantly:
Where do you want to practice law?
What’s your GPA / do you have a sense of what your GPA will be upon graduation?
Have you taken the LSAT, and if so, what’s your score, or where are your practice tests landing?

Hi ! Yes im looking for class sizes ranging from maybe 50-140. I want to study family law and my gpa should be a 3.6 by the time graduation comes. And I havent taken the lsat yet just a diagnostic

You're thinking about this way too early, and you're thinking about it the wrong way.

brebre234 wrote:Yes im looking for class sizes ranging from maybe 50-140.

That describes every law school. Schools that have more than 140 students in a particular class year will divide those larger classes into sections. So if you went to Harvard, for example, you would not be taking Civil Procedure in a lecture hall with 500+ other students. The total size of your class year has no impact on your legal education.

brebre234 wrote:I want to study family law

If your goal is to practice family law, then you should target a T1 school in the state where you want to practice. You'll want to get as close as possible to a full scholarship there (which will require a decent LSAT), because your likely salary in family law for the first few years is not going to be sufficient to realistically pay off six-figure loans.

But again, you're thinking about this far too early. Finish undergrad, and focus on getting your GPA as high as possible. Spend at least a couple of years after school working, maybe in an assistant/paralegal position at a law firm to get an idea of what practice actually entails. Then take the LSAT and start thinking about applying to law school if you still want to do it.

I actually do think class size is relevant to the law school experience, but I agree it is far from the most important consideration. The state/region in which you want to practice (which you haven’t addressed) is the most important consideration. For family law goals, your strongest local law school with a significant/full-ride scholarship is best case scenario, regardless of class size (which is unlikely to much exceed the range you listed anyway).

Many have compared law school to high school, in that (particularly in your 1L year) much of your class time will be with the same very small group. Section sizes are often around 30, though classes often include more than one section. Average class sizes at the top law schools (albeit from a decade ago) are here: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=141352 .

Much of your socializing will be within your section. I went to a fairly small undergraduate school, and law school was an order of magnitude more intimate.

cavalier1138 wrote:You're thinking about this way too early, and you're thinking about it the wrong way.

brebre234 wrote:Yes im looking for class sizes ranging from maybe 50-140.

That describes every law school. Schools that have more than 140 students in a particular class year will divide those larger classes into sections. So if you went to Harvard, for example, you would not be taking Civil Procedure in a lecture hall with 500+ other students. The total size of your class year has no impact on your legal education.

brebre234 wrote:I want to study family law

If your goal is to practice family law, then you should target a T1 school in the state where you want to practice. You'll want to get as close as possible to a full scholarship there (which will require a decent LSAT), because your likely salary in family law for the first few years is not going to be sufficient to realistically pay off six-figure loans.

But again, you're thinking about this far too early. Finish undergrad, and focus on getting your GPA as high as possible. Spend at least a couple of years after school working, maybe in an assistant/paralegal position at a law firm to get an idea of what practice actually entails. Then take the LSAT and start thinking about applying to law school if you still want to do it.

How am I thinking about this way too early? I graduate next year. And its class size is not my top priority but it is a priority. Yeah I was just asking because I know with undergrad you have big schools then your small schools of course. I thought it would be like that for law school but I can see its not. And yes! my goal score is a 161 on the lsat and I definitely trying to get a full ride. Thanks for the advice.

Sls17 wrote:I actually do think class size is relevant to the law school experience, but I agree it is far from the most important consideration. The state/region in which you want to practice (which you haven’t addressed) is the most important consideration. For family law goals, your strongest local law school with a significant/full-ride scholarship is best case scenario, regardless of class size (which is unlikely to much exceed the range you listed anyway)

Thank you yes Im looking at law schools since im taking the lsat and applying to schools next year. I really don't know which state where I want to practice law at. For now Im thinking about applying to different law schools in different states and see which one has the best family law program along with the amount of scholarship money I am offered.

albanach wrote:Many have compared law school to high school, in that (particularly in your 1L year) much of your class time will be with the same very small group. Section sizes are often around 30, though classes often include more than one section. Average class sizes at the top law schools (albeit from a decade ago) are here: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=141352 .

Much of your socializing will be within your section. I went to a fairly small undergraduate school, and law school was an order of magnitude more intimate.

Oh wow that is perfect! I asked because when I went to visit Florida State Law School I saw how their section size was 80 students which I felt uncomfortable in. But I asked this question because even though class size is not my main priority when chosing a law school. However it plays a significant role because I want to go somewhere where I will feel comfortable at as far as class size Thank you

brebre234 wrote:How am I thinking about this way too early?

I'd strongly recommend not going straight through.

brebre234 wrote:

Sls17 wrote:I actually do think class size is relevant to the law school experience, but I agree it is far from the most important consideration. The state/region in which you want to practice (which you haven’t addressed) is the most important consideration. For family law goals, your strongest local law school with a significant/full-ride scholarship is best case scenario, regardless of class size (which is unlikely to much exceed the range you listed anyway)

Thank you yes Im looking at law schools since im taking the lsat and applying to schools next year. I really don't know which state where I want to practice law at. For now Im thinking about applying to different law schools in different states and see which one has the best family law program along with the amount of scholarship money I am offered.

When you choose a law school in a particular state (outside the top 13-20 or so ranked schools), you are choosing the state where you will take the bar exam and will live and work *for your entire career*. Please do not make this selection on the basis of “family law program” (this is not really a thing — you might hope for an applicable class or clinic but law school is a general education) or class size. If you are truly geographically flexible then go to the school with the highest JD-required employment statistics that gives you a full ride or comparable scholarship. But do think first about where you want to live for literally your entire life.

^ I agree with this. Family law is one of those absolutely classic, evergreen topics that every law school in the country will prepare you to practice. You don't need a good "family law program" - you will be able to take the relevant classes and get relevant work experience from basically every law school in the country. Going to a strong regional program in the region where you want to practice (for alumni connections) at the lowest price you can get is the way to go. I also agree that you should think about where you want to live/practice, because family law is very state-specific, so it may be a bit harder to move around the country than it would with some other fields.

nixy wrote:^ I agree with this. Family law is one of those absolutely classic, evergreen topics that every law school in the country will prepare you to practice. You don't need a good "family law program" - you will be able to take the relevant classes and get relevant work experience from basically every law school in the country. Going to a strong regional program in the region where you want to practice (for alumni connections) at the lowest price you can get is the way to go. I also agree that you should think about where you want to live/practice, because family law is very state-specific, so it may be a bit harder to move around the country than it would with some other fields.

Oh wow okay this is really helpful because I always had professors tell me to look for law schools with a good family law program. Thank you

If those profs are themselves not lawyers, they don't have any idea how law school works. There's an assumption that grad programs are very subject-matter specific/specialized, because that's how almost all grad programs work that your profs will have attended, but law school really isn't like that. Networking is probably going to be more helpful for you in family law than the courses you take - I know a number of people who are in family law firms that they first worked for as students.