Is barry a decent law school? Forum

[lawguy2011]

Gotta say its not that hot...did a tour of campus a few weeks ago at an acceptance day and the school has trailers for classrooms....yes modular trailers! I havent had that since high school. Also the jobs thing is a concern. They have the worst rep among other law schools and judges/lawyers in U.S. News. Many grads can only get public interest jobs. Not bad but when you consider they charge the 2nd highest in FL, you got major probs when you get out.

[LearnedHand]

Barry is a young law school!! For those who are under the impression that UF or FSU became highly competitive law schools in only 1 to 2 years after their ABA accreditation, you are mistaken. Barry still has a long way to go, but it will be the student body that makes or breaks it. 3 years ago, it would have been unimaginable to think of a Barry grad clerking on the federal appellate level, and now there is one at the Ninth Circuit!!! Slowly but surely, the future incoming Barry students will be at a higher level than the current.

[hiphoppopotamus]

I have a friend named Barry. He's a pretty decent guy.

[smalon01]

NO, I'm from Florida and people down there have never even heard of it, most don't know where it is or if its ABA accredited.... But if you do go there bust your ass so u are in the top 5%

[hil713]

i'm from south florida. the only reason i've heard of barry is because my step dad got a PhD from there. I didn't even know they had a law school!

[lawguy2011]

plus I have a buddy who's a 1L there and he claims they may have issues with the ABA down the road...

[lawguy2011]

hmm...

[zeezoo]

did someone actually decide to go to barry over UF?

oh my lord....

[ari20dal7]

Barry's accreditation was actually stripped a few years ago. They've got it back, but if any school deserves to be called a TTTT, this is the one.

[lawguy2011]

did someone actually decide to go to barry over UF?

oh my lord....

They'd be nuts if they did...

[iwasgoingtobeasenator]

Don't go to Barry, so the answer to your question is... no, no it is not a decent law school.

At this level, considering "rank" or anything other than location/price is a waste of time. It'd be great if someone could link this, but there was an article that really described why the USNWR rankings are not really the same between groupings. So for instance... the difference between the #5 Columbia and #25 William and Mary (this was at the time) is tremendously different than from the #25 to the #45. Whereas 20 rankings spots when you're going to COLUMBIA is huge and can't be over stated... the difference between the #25 and #45 programs are significantly less noticeable.

When you're talking about T3/T4, you need to be looking at cost of tuition/cost to get that degree in hand. Most of these programs prove to be a bad financial plan for their graduates, so proceed with caution. There really isn't much room for T3 graduates in the market unless you're at the very top of your class.

[tditty15]

I went to Barry- I graduated and moved to NYC. I passed the NY bar no problem with a 158 MBE (thats very good actually). Not saying its the best school because the rankings hurt it of course. BUT, most of this is because its a new school. I went here because of the scholarship potential and because I wanted to move and stay in FL. I actually moved to NY and took the bar here because Orlando got boring. But this year Barry bar passage was 80% which was 3rd in the state.University of Miami (78.9), Stetson University (76.1), St. Thomas University (73.3), Florida International University (78.9), and Florida A&M University (59.3).
It was never stripped of its ABA accredation, that was a false statement. They got full accred over a year ago and they are making it harder to get in and theyre paying for $$$ top professors from great schools to fill spots. The trial team keeps winning national championships- BUT its very expensive for a no name. I do think in a few years theyre gonna be much better recognized, but its still new and has a ways to go- but they are making huge strides so quickly.

But for "coreyalan23" to think hes gonna be top 10% automatically, i laugh at that LOLOL. so you know how many UF go to that school-?? tons. I know a girl that went to Columbia (well that was weird) actually) and lots of great school undergrads. You dont think that people with 3.6 and higher and have always done well in undergrad dont go here? Its still law school and competative- your a jerkoff to think not. I had a 3.4 at University at Bufallo and im pretty sure it was a better school than yours. People go because It might be close to home, because they get a full ride or a big scholarship (like me), because theyre older and want to work full time while going to school close. My study partner was a doctor making $250K and wanted another degree for some reason.

[ari20dal7]

You're right - Barry never lost accreditation. My apologies for misspeaking. What happened is that provisional accreditation was delayed due to a number of issues with Barry's program, which had the same effect as a loss of accreditation on a class of graduates.

--LinkRemoved--

[tditty15]

yeah- it was delayed. And the ABA hated our dean who was finally removed. But look, its pretty much all the same-anyone that goes to a tier 3 or 4 law school is gonna have trouble getting the top firms and top paying jobs that being in a tier one law school can provide. Did I see people get in top firms from my school, yeah a few but not many. They all did get jobs though, some making alot of doe. Once you get that job work a year or so and now the experience will take you to a higher paying postion. And of course if your on law review and are in top of the school your gonna get a good job. Im just saying that the quality of the teachers and externship programs and trial team and moot court which go to the semi's and finals every year, not to mention bar passing rates increasing every year to the point of being only 2 or 3 percentage points behind the top schools in FL, its quality to the point of your learning exp and the how quicly they are improving. See what employers say about Barry in a few years. But its got a looong way to go being a new school to move up the rankings. But its no Cooley.

[tap004]

Ive been accepted to both St. Thomas and Barry and waitlisted at Florida Coastal. Right now it seems more probable that the decision will be between Barry or St Thomas. I have already turned in my deposit to st Thomas but Barry notified me telling me that I could start this summer and get 2 classes out of the way. I know there have been a number of differing opinions about barry on this forum, however are the negative ones coming from the actual reputation among the legal community or just hearsay among law students? Anyways, I am still undecided between St Thomas and Barry. Although the bar passage rate may not be a strong ranking indicator, (Barry at 80%) i feel it bodes extremely well for a school only a few years into its accreditation. If anyone has any feedback on my decision between these T4 it would be greatly appreciated.

[lawguy2011]

I'd go to st thomas...at least you wont be charged the most for a private law school in FL which has the worst rep ranking in US News

[kn6542]

His choice isn't go to law school immediately or die though.

TITCR. He could potentially go to law school immediately and die.

[moemoe09]

Academically the difference between the 2 schools is small. The tuition is very similar, last I checked St. Thomas was more expensive. I would say at this point is more of a personal choice about where to go to school. Take into consideration where you want to live, the size of the school, your peers, and cost of living. Is important to live on campus? I know St. Thomas provides housing for their students who are interested and Barry does not offer campus housing. Is Barry or St. Thomas giving you any money? Look at their clinics or what area the schools are strong in. I could be wrong but St. Thomas is great for immigration law and Barry is good for child advocacy. At this point in the game weigh your choices for what you want and expect out of a law school. Employment after graduation is all about networking, so it basically will be up to you to network and create opportunities for yourself unless you are one of the few of the students in the top 10%, which still does not guarantee you a job. Do not get discourage from the negative comments from everyone from about Tier 4 schools, just tell yourself you got into law school and how many people can say that, tier 4 or not its still law school.

[BarryGirl]

I am a very proud Barry Law student going into my third year. I had numerous other options, including second and third tier law schools. I do not regret my decision to stay at Barry for certain reasons. First, Barry is a great school and it has some very brilliant and talented students. The only drawback within the institution is that they have a very political administration that needs to be a little more organized. However, in the two years that I have attended already, I have seen progression in that area. The professors are excellent, Trial team and Moot Court are recognized nationally, and the bar passage rate is increasing. Also, Orlando ROCKS!!!!

True, there are trailers behind the faculty building. However, when I sat before Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia last year in a study abroad class, he didn't care about that. When I clerked for a judge in Tampa this summer, he didn't ask me about the trailers behind my school. While I am currently interning for an international software company, the attorneys in the legal department don't care about the facilities at my law school. The quality of my work and my professionalism concern these people. Barry prepared me well. This is the bottom line: If you are a determined, hard-working, and intelligent person, you will do very well at Barry. The cost will be lower because the school will provide you with great scholarships. You will have similar opportunities that have been available to many other students. Barry will make you a strong and ethical lawyer. But, if you do not do well and don't take law school seriously, it will be a very expensive education.

However, Barry is not Harvard. Nobody is going to offer a BMW as a sign on bonus. Now I am just rambling. http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/p ... 54bf3cb062#
:lol:But really, I have heard stories about that. Does that really happen to first tier law students when they graduate?

[turkfish]

I am a very proud Barry Law student going into my third year. I had numerous other options, including second and third tier law schools. I do not regret my decision to stay at Barry for certain reasons. First, Barry is a great school and it has some very brilliant and talented students. The only drawback within the institution is that they have a very political administration that needs to be a little more organized. However, in the two years that I have attended already, I have seen progression in that area. The professors are excellent, Trial team and Moot Court are recognized nationally, and the bar passage rate is increasing. Also, Orlando ROCKS!!!!

True, there are trailers behind the faculty building. However, when I sat before Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia last year in a study abroad class, he didn't care about that. When I clerked for a judge in Tampa this summer, he didn't ask me about the trailers behind my school. While I am currently interning for an international software company, the attorneys in the legal department don't care about the facilities at my law school. The quality of my work and my professionalism concern these people. Barry prepared me well. This is the bottom line: If you are a determined, hard-working, and intelligent person, you will do very well at Barry. The cost will be lower because the school will provide you with great scholarships. You will have similar opportunities that have been available to many other students. Barry will make you a strong and ethical lawyer. But, if you do not do well and don't take law school seriously, it will be a very expensive education.

Only a certain percentage are going to get merit scholarships... I don't think it's realistic to assume that only people that are not determined, hard-working, and intelligent won't get these scholarships. Most rational people who understand the legal job market would not choose a school like Barry unless they thought they could be near the top of the class. Anyone on this board can tell anecdotes about going to a poorly-ranked school, doing well, getting a scholarship, getting a great job, etc., but for every story like this there is at least one story about someone who can't find a legal job and is struggling to make their student loan payments. No one goes into law school planning on being the second story, but at any law school (and especially non-public tier 4s), people need to know that it could happen to them regardless of how smart they think they are or how they did in undergrad.

[tsanist]

All it comes down to is what type of law student you will be (whether you are at barry or somewhere else). If you go to law school and do not do well then you will simply have a hard time finding a good job. If you are on the opposite end you will do fine. I recently worked for carlton fields. When I asked them if they would hire someone from barry they said yes. But they would have to be exceptional. I asked what they meant and they said the school did not matter, they need to be an outstanding person and student no matter where they went to school. They said just because you went to UF does not mean you get a good job. They also did not typically hire from barry because the students were not passing the bar and the school did not have its accredidation in the past, since this has all changed things would be different. The point being that you need to be a top student either way, barry or not. I know plenty of people from fsu and Uf that are struggling to find jobs. Its a competitive industry. Don't think you are safe if you go to UF, you still have to do well. Students think that by going to a higher ranked school they are shoe ins for top paying jobs. this is simply not true. They top 10-20% get the good jobs any way (at any school) So just try your hardest to do well

[lawguy2011]

turkfish has it right..

[mitchanonymous]

Wooooow. Its amazing how much BS has been posted to this thread about Barry Law and Law School in general. I'm almost clueless where to start.

Ok here we go. I'm a 1L, 1st year law student at Barry. If you want a history of Barry Law, go to Wikipedia. But the story is that basically Barry University is based out of Miami, and bought out the current campus which was a regional law school and had tried and failed to get accredidation several times. Barry University bought the school in 1999, kicked off all the trustees and the dean, and basically started from scratch. They achieved provisional accreditation in 2003, and full in 2006.

I went to Hofstra University, which someone said was a 4th tier, ummm try 1st tier somewhere around the 70's or 80's. Anyway thier campus consisted of two buildings. With that said, theres a reason why there are "trailers" for some of the classrooms (there's really only three of them and they look just like regular classrooms). Barry University didn't build the campus--they bought it. And just 10 years into a law school they are more concerned about teaching law then making it look good (despite the water fountains and palm trees). Just three years after full accredidation, I'm being taught by a professor who was editor in chief of Yale law review, a professor who wrote the rules of evidence for the military and was a Fulbright scholar---and i'm in my first year.

So if you want to know whether Barry is a good law school, well, it depends. If you're asking if you're going to get a good education, then yes. If you want to get a job doing corporate law, well then you're S.O.L with ANY 3rd or 4th tier school.

So really, the best advice is rather to ask yourself first; what do you want out of a law school and what do you want to do with your degree?

[AR75]

So really, the best advice is rather to ask yourself first; what do you want out of a law school and what do you want to do with your degree?

Thanks, homey. In other news, the world is round. Back to you.

[jetman82]

I am a Software Engineer at Lockheed Martin in Orlando and I'm highly considering going to law school to become a patent attorney.

I graduated from UF with a 3.16 GPA in Computer Engineering, and I am taking the LSAT in December. I have about 5 years experience as a professional software engineer, and I will have about 10 by the time I graduate from a part time law program.

I have a house and job in Orlando, meaning that I can't move, so I have 2 choices for law school: FAMU and Barry.

I have a few questions about how all of this works:

1) I know my GPA is kind of low but its an engineering degree and I have a good bit of professional experience, will that help me in the app process?

2) What type of LSAT scores should I shoot for to get into these programs? Both seem to be lower tier, and I dont think admissions standards are that great. If I choose Barry I will def be going for some scholarship money tho, b/c that is a big chunk of change. I will be busting my tail the next 3 months to pass the test, but a number to shoot for would be nice.

3) Both schools are accredited, but FAMU has a really low Bar passage rate, while Barry's is pretty nice. However, FAMU has much better facilities. Are Bar passage rates really that much of a determining factor when looking for jobs that it would be worthwhile for me to pay the extra money to go to Barry?