Confused with the meaning of school ranking Forum

[eternallearner]

Move to Law School FAQ section.

Thank you!

[TCScrutinizer]

All throughout college, we have been told to go to the highest ranked law school we would get into, thus giving naturally to the notions of top 20, top 14, top 10.

However, I did some quick research and realize that there are associates at top corporate law firms (annual salary of $160,000) who did not go to the top 20. Not even the top 30.

I know my following question is committing a lot of LSAT fallacy: assuming one wants to go into corporate law, why are the top schools so highly desired?

A hypothetical question: suppose you have been offered admission at the following schools: Fordham, Boston University, Vanderbilt, Washington University in St. Louis and USC. Which one would you choose?

More students from higher-ranked law schools get into top ranked corporate law firms (or in the case of HYS, federal clerkships). The idea is, therefore, that to go to a higher ranked school means to enjoy a higher percentage chance of getting lucrative offers.

As to your second question, it really depends on the region you are considering practicing in. All those you listed are good schools with degrees that are more portable than most, but they still by and large feed into the regions they are located in.