Top Law Schools

Outside of the top 14 schools and the group just below, which schools generally have a national appeal? Do USC/GW/BU/Emory/Fordham/Wash U have national appeal or do they generally only place in their own regions?

Regional minus the very top of the class.

merichard87 wrote:Regional minus the very top of the class.

Credited. Texas also has a strong rep in many places but its not quite as universal as a T-14

All those school are regional to some extent. But there is a huge variation among "regional" schools. For example WUSTL will get you almost anywhere in the mid-west, SLU would mean you were stuck in JUST ST Louis. Same with BU, which will place almost anywhere in the Northeast. The very top of the class will be basically national (maybe not anywhere, but place into any major market). UCLA is regional in that it mostly places out West, but it has name recognition in such a huge part of the country that it is hard to consider its student limited.

Above poster is right on. T15-T30 are mostly regional with the exceptions of the top of the class. Vandy has been kicking ass within the past few years though so I would say they are one of the if not the most mobile of the non-T14.

merichard87 wrote:Above poster is right on. T15-T30 are mostly regional with the exceptions of the top of the class. Vandy has been kicking ass within the past few years though so I would say they are one of the if not the most mobile of the non-T14.

Wow, really?!? Vandy? I've been avoiding it because I really don't want to spend 3 years in Tennessee but maybe it is really worth exploring. I live in DC now and want to practice probably in either DC or NY, so I'm mostly wondering if Wash U/BU/Emory would place in those cities. Is Vandy really that much more place-able?

username99 wrote:

merichard87 wrote:Above poster is right on. T15-T30 are mostly regional with the exceptions of the top of the class. Vandy has been kicking ass within the past few years though so I would say they are one of the if not the most mobile of the non-T14.

Wow, really?!? Vandy? I've been avoiding it because I really don't want to spend 3 years in Tennessee but maybe it is really worth exploring. I live in DC now and want to practice probably in either DC or NY, so I'm mostly wondering if Wash U/BU/Emory would place in those cities. Is Vandy really that much more place-able?

If those are your choices at equal cost, take vandy without hesitation.

username99 wrote:

merichard87 wrote:Above poster is right on. T15-T30 are mostly regional with the exceptions of the top of the class. Vandy has been kicking ass within the past few years though so I would say they are one of the if not the most mobile of the non-T14.

Wow, really?!? Vandy? I've been avoiding it because I really don't want to spend 3 years in Tennessee but maybe it is really worth exploring. I live in DC now and want to practice probably in either DC or NY, so I'm mostly wondering if Wash U/BU/Emory would place in those cities. Is Vandy really that much more place-able?

I don't really agree with Vandy being the best of the non-T14, but that said DC is probably where they are placing the strongest these days (outside of TN) so it might be a good fit for you.

jks289 wrote:

username99 wrote:

merichard87 wrote:Above poster is right on. T15-T30 are mostly regional with the exceptions of the top of the class. Vandy has been kicking ass within the past few years though so I would say they are one of the if not the most mobile of the non-T14.

Wow, really?!? Vandy? I've been avoiding it because I really don't want to spend 3 years in Tennessee but maybe it is really worth exploring. I live in DC now and want to practice probably in either DC or NY, so I'm mostly wondering if Wash U/BU/Emory would place in those cities. Is Vandy really that much more place-able?

I don't really agree with Vandy being the best of the non-T14, but that said DC is probably where they are placing the strongest these days (outside of TN) so it might be a good fit for you.

My top choice has been GW (I won't get into Gtown). You think Vandy would place better for DC than GW? I have a 167, 3.47 btw.

If it's DC or bust for you then I'd go to GW. However, be aware that DC biglaw is very tough to break into. I"m going to GTown and I'd like to end up in DC, but I expect I'll be bidding on NY unless I perform very well.

username99 wrote:

jks289 wrote:

username99 wrote:

merichard87 wrote:Above poster is right on. T15-T30 are mostly regional with the exceptions of the top of the class. Vandy has been kicking ass within the past few years though so I would say they are one of the if not the most mobile of the non-T14.

Wow, really?!? Vandy? I've been avoiding it because I really don't want to spend 3 years in Tennessee but maybe it is really worth exploring. I live in DC now and want to practice probably in either DC or NY, so I'm mostly wondering if Wash U/BU/Emory would place in those cities. Is Vandy really that much more place-able?

I don't really agree with Vandy being the best of the non-T14, but that said DC is probably where they are placing the strongest these days (outside of TN) so it might be a good fit for you.

My top choice has been GW (I won't get into Gtown). You think Vandy would place better for DC than GW? I have a 167, 3.47 btw.

Hmm, not sure if Vandy is better than GW for DC, but you certainly have more mobitlity from Vandy. Vandy does great in NY and DC. However, you'll probably have a tough time getting in with your numbers. With a 3.47 you'll probably need at least a 169, and probably a 170. http://vanderbilt.lawschoolnumbers.com/stats And then you'll have a good shot at GULC, which will be better for D.C. (though, not sure if GULC would be better for NYC or anywhere else).

About your original question, Vandy absolutely has the most "national" appeal outside of the t-14, and it certainly has a broader placement disbursement than about half of the t-14; no state consisistently attracts more than 15% of Vandy graduates each year--usually TN, NYC, D.C., CA, IL, and TX are the frontrunners. (Notice that I didn't say "placement potential"; that's controversial and hard to prove.)