t14 schools Forum

[dipole]

I am kind of new to this and I had a question about the t14 law schools. If you don't go to one of those t14 law schools, is not likely that you will be able to practice law nationally? Is it just a small portion that are able to do so from non-t14 schools? If not, at what point in the rankings does it get sort of iffy as to whether a graduate from that school can practice law nationally?

[rinkrat19]

Harvard and Yale have truly national reach. It falls off pretty quickly after that.

[Onthebrink]

I am not sure to be honest. I know that I have spoken to attorneys in charge of hiring at successful small firms and they have spoken about the national reach of smaller state schools but that is purely anecdotal.

[IAFG]

Why are you interested in "national reach"? When it comes to markets that want strong ties (like Minneapolis or Seattle) it is more about you and your background than the school, so the answer depends on your concerns and goals.

[Nelson]

All legal hiring is regional to the extent any industry's hiring is regional. Employers expect you to show some connection to the market. This means most schools can either place you in the school's home market (provided the school and your grades are decent) or send you back to a market you have ties in. The T14 also can send you to NYC if you have good grades because it's by far the biggest legal market. I doubt even HYS can reliably send you to a specific secondary market to which you have no ties.

[dipole]

Not sure if I completely understand, but are you saying that generally you develop a tie to the area around where your school is and you have the most chance of getting a job in that general area?

[rinkrat19]

Not sure if I completely understand, but are you saying that generally you develop a tie to the area around where your school is and you have the most chance of getting a job in that general area?

Ties are connections you personally have to the area. Going to law school can be a tie, but sometimes you need to have grown up there/gone to UG there/have a SO with a job there/etc.

[dipole]

Not sure if I completely understand, but are you saying that generally you develop a tie to the area around where your school is and you have the most chance of getting a job in that general area?

Ties are connections you personally have to the area. Going to law school can be a tie, but sometimes you need to have grown up there/gone to UG there/have a SO with a job there/etc.

what is SO with a job? Also, growing up there, seriously? I go to undergraduate in Atlanta, I really don't want to work here in the future lol..

[IAFG]

Not sure if I completely understand, but are you saying that generally you develop a tie to the area around where your school is and you have the most chance of getting a job in that general area?

Ties are connections you personally have to the area. Going to law school can be a tie, but sometimes you need to have grown up there/gone to UG there/have a SO with a job there/etc.

what is SO with a job? Also, growing up there, seriously? I go to undergraduate in Atlanta, I really don't want to work here in the future lol..

Significant other, e.g. fiancée or wife. Yes, firms seriously prefer you had grown up in Seattle to get a job there. In contrast, New York is quite inclusive. It depends on the city and your ties. If you don't particularly care where you work, you'll probably find yourself doing a lot of bullshitting while you scramble.

[rinkrat19]

Not sure if I completely understand, but are you saying that generally you develop a tie to the area around where your school is and you have the most chance of getting a job in that general area?

Ties are connections you personally have to the area. Going to law school can be a tie, but sometimes you need to have grown up there/gone to UG there/have a SO with a job there/etc.

what is SO with a job? Also, growing up there, seriously? I go to undergraduate in Atlanta, I really don't want to work here in the future lol..

SO=significant other

Different markets require different levels of ties. Some are more insular than others. Sometimes you just need to be able to articulate a convincing reason that you won't be leaving their market for New York the first chance you get. NY doesn't require much of anything because they just assume everyone wants to work there anyway. Boston is a tough market to crack unless you have strong ties or go to one of the Boston schools.