What matters more? Location or program? Forum

[jenjo97]

I have applied to Denver University, Suffolk University, and Tulane among others. Should I attend the school closest to where I want work after graduation or the one that has the program closest to what I want to do? Does location make a big difference as far as job opportunities after?

[cavalier1138]

The correct answer is: (c) employment outcomes and cost of attendance.

But between the two aspects you picked, location is far more important. All the schools you identified are regional schools, and they will give you a shot at working locally (or possibly back in a state where you have significant ties). Specialty programs/rankings are meaningless.

So what's your cost of attendance at each school? Career goals? LSAT/GPA?

[nixy]

Agreed that location is more important than program. The JD is a professional degree and all accredited law schools are required to offer the same basic opportunities that will prepare you for pretty much any job; you don't need to specialize. Specialization rankings in USNWR are based on professors' assessment of law profs' research, and are not connected in any realistic way to job opportunities in the specialization.

Also, depending what kind of program you're talking about, there's usually a way to get the same experience at pretty much any other school (or, the program itself isn't going to make enough of a difference for getting a job to pick that school over one with better employment prospects). So, for instance, one school may have a juvenile law clinic and another doesn't, but you can get the same (or better) experience at the second school working in juvenile law by interning with a non-school-based organization (like Child Protective Services or similar government agencies, or non-profits). You could do a criminal defense clinic through your school, or you could intern with a public defender's office.

[LSATWiz.com]

These are regional places that only place in their immediate vicinity. It may not be sufficient to go to a school to establish ties. If someone asks what brings you to Denver and your reply is it's the best school I can get into, they won't be very impressed. If you're going to go to a regional school, I'd err towards one where you grew up. Specialty rankings don't matter.

As someone said, it doesn't matter how much of an expert Professor A is in Area X, because you're probably just doing intro level courses and the questions that you'll deal with in that area of law won't be as complex as Professor A's research, which will inevitably focus on the margins of that law or exceptional cases you probably won't see in practice. Even putting aside the fact that employers don't care about specialty rankings, there is no link between being an esteemed professor and good teacher. Law professors are judged on their research and internal politics. Law professors have no incentive other than kindness to be a good teacher.

You should go to the school closest to where you live - don't move across the country for these kinds of schools.

[nixy]

I think you *can* establish ties in a new community by going to law school there. You obviously don't say you went to School X because it was the best you could get into (I mean, you'd never say that about any school), you say that you made a decision to move to City Y for the long term and to establish a career there for [reasons]. It's really helpful to be able to talk about family or other personal connections, but career reasons work too if you can carry it off plausibly (e.g. Texas because you really want to work in gas/oil law, DC b/c you really want to do regulatory work - you just need to know enough about the kind of work to be able to convince someone you really do want to do it).

Obviously it's easier if you attend school somewhere you already live and have connections, but it is doable going to a regional school. (I know some people grow up places where there just aren't really any law schools.) You just also have to balance the kind of realistic job opportunities the regional school offers, and weigh whether you'd rather have any job in the particular location, or go to a school that offers more opportunities in a wider range of locations. The schools you've listed are pretty much going to limit you to their immediate areas, and won't offer you an equal chance at all kinds of law jobs.

[QContinuum]

I'd also add that, in addition to the usual lack of portability of J.D.s from schools outside the T20, Louisiana is unique in the U.S. due to its civil law regime. For someone interested in practicing in Louisiana, I wouldn't attend any school other than a Louisiana law school or maybe the T6 (if there are strong preexisting Louisiana ties). For all others I would most definitely not recommend attending law school in Louisiana.