Choosing between a few schools Forum

[Kdutch76]

I would like to stay in the Philadelphia area for law school. Therefore, I am only considering PA, DE, and NJ schools. I have received full scholarships to Widener Delaware, Drexel, and Rutgers. I have met the criteria for full scholarship to Villanova, but must participate in an interview process first. I am hoping to receive a full scholarship from Villanova, but I realize that may not happen. I have been accepted to Temple with a small scholarship. I was not accepted to Penn. My ultimate goal is to practice corporate law in Philadelphia or Wilmington. Which is the best option?

[LawTweet]

What are your career goals besides working in the Philly area?

[decimalsanddollars]

Quick note on Wilmington and Widener: I've noticed from looking at attorney bios at all the schools you've listed that Widener bats well above its weight in Wilmington, for obvious reasons. Firms in both cities prefer people who went to law school in the area and preferably in their city (for Philly), but it's worth noting that rank/prestige still matters for national and large regional firms.

[LawTweet]

Quick note on Wilmington and Widener: I've noticed from looking at attorney bios at all the schools you've listed that Widener bats well above its weight in Wilmington, for obvious reasons. Firms in both cities prefer people who went to law school in the area and preferably in their city (for Philly), but it's worth noting that rank/prestige still matters for national and large regional firms.

Are you looking at partners/judges at firms? Or current new associates? Widener had a much better reputation 20 years ago than it does now, which explains while you'll see plenty of successful, older attorneys with Widener degrees. To get a decent job out of Widener, you pretty much have to be tippy top of your class.

[cavalier1138]

When you say "corporate law," what do you envision? Are you aiming for a big firm? What salary are you hoping to make as a new grad?

[decimalsanddollars]

Quick note on Wilmington and Widener: I've noticed from looking at attorney bios at all the schools you've listed that Widener bats well above its weight in Wilmington, for obvious reasons. Firms in both cities prefer people who went to law school in the area and preferably in their city (for Philly), but it's worth noting that rank/prestige still matters for national and large regional firms.

Are you looking at partners/judges at firms? Or current new associates? Widener had a much better reputation 20 years ago than it does now, which explains while you'll see plenty of successful, older attorneys with Widener degrees. To get a decent job out of Widener, you pretty much have to be tippy top of your class.

I was looking at associates too, but that's a good point. It's probably harder for Widener grads now than in the past.

[Wubbles]

The best way to get a biglaw job in Wilmington is to go to a T13 and have a GPA above 3.1 (ties not very important, but being a non-NYC person helps). Being from Philly will make it fairly easy for you to land a job there paying 175k if you go to a T13.

[Kdutch76]

What are your career goals besides working in the Philly area?

I would love the opportunity to work at a big firm (not only for the salary but also the top tier learning experience), but I realize it is unlikely with the schools I am considering unless I were to graduate in the top 5-10% of my class. I would be happy with a mid-sized firm or a job at the Philly DA's office. Ultimately, I just want to do something I am confident I will like (practicing law) and make enough money to sustain a comfortable lifestyle.

[Kdutch76]

When you say "corporate law," what do you envision? Are you aiming for a big firm? What salary are you hoping to make as a new grad?

I would love the opportunity to practice at a big firm, but I am not so naive to think I have a great chance at doing so given the schools I am considering. I understand I would need to graduate in the top 5-10% of my class and be on law review. Although my overall goal is working at a big firm, I would be very happy with a mid-sized firm or a job as an ADA in Philly. Ultimately, I want to do something I will like (practicing law) and make enough money to sustain a comfortable life.

[cavalier1138]

Merged your new topic with your old topic, since you bumped it anyway.

I am not so naive to believe I will have a great chance at working at a big law firm, but it is my goal. If I do not accomplish that goal, I will still be happy with a mid-sized firm or DA position. Ultimately, I just want to practice law and make enough money to sustain a comfortable life. I feel that I have set myself up to be in a good situation upon graduation from Drexel, but based on a lot of the comments I have seen about the school on this site, people make it seem like it is not worth going to at all. Is this because people on here 1. are insecure and like to belittle "inferior" schools, 2. are lying on an anonymous forum about their successes, 3. are very elitist, or is this because Drexel is legitimately not a good choice? I am just curious about what people think.

So a few things.

1. Most people are insecure, but that's got nothing to do with why people don't puff up Drexel as a phenomenal choice of law school.

2. No one pretends to be that successful here.

3. No one has any skin in this game except you. Your ability to get a job and pay off your debts is only going to affect you. So if anyone's being "elitist," it's certainly not because there's some perceived benefit for them.

Now, to your actual question: Why not look at the school's employment stats yourself? As you can see there, you're almost certainly not going to practice at a big firm. And in a good legal hiring market, 30% of Drexel students aren't working as lawyers within 9 months of graduation. So knowing that, do you think it sounds like a great idea?

If your goal were solely to be a DA in Pennsylvania, I'd say go for it (assuming that a 2.2 at Drexel equates to "good standing" and isn't a real stipulation). But you want biglaw, and failing that, you want "enough money to sustain a comfortable life." If you don't get biglaw, odds are that your starting salary will be in the range of $45-65k.

Is Drexel a "bad" school? It depends on what you want to do and how much debt you'll be in. It sounds like you won't take on much debt, which is good. And if you're comfortable with the idea of practicing law at a relatively low starting salary or never practicing law at all, then it'll be fine for you. But don't go in with the expectation that you're going to be the exception that proves the rule.