Page 1 of 1
Some solid tips from Shawn P. O'Connor, ESQ
Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2015 1:36 pm
by Paul Campos
CEO of Status Prep, and contributor to the invaluable US News Guide to Law Schools.
http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/l ... ol-choices
It is obvious to prospective law students that they should, for the most part, go to the highest-ranked school they can get into.
3. Specialized practice area rankings: So far, the discussion has been focused on the overall rankings that U.S. News compiles. An equally important, and often overlooked, resource is the U.S. News rankings for many different specific areas of law. . .
It is often the case that a school’s practice area ranking can be much higher than its overall ranking. In that case, if you know you are going to practice that area of law and might not have the numbers to be a competitive applicant at the top schools, you can set yourself up for a successful career in that area by attending a school that has a stellar reputation in that practice area.
For example, the top two law schools for environmental law are the Northwestern School of Law at Lewis & Clark College and Vermont Law School, both of which are ranked around 100 overall. An applicant committed to practicing environmental law who might not be a viable candidate at the nation’s top schools will be a much stronger candidate at those schools.
Re: Some solid tips from Shawn P. O'Connor, ESQ
Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2015 2:58 pm
by Moneytrees
Wow. Awful.
Re: Some solid tips from Shawn P. O'Connor, ESQ
Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2015 3:02 pm
by GreenEggs
Re: Some solid tips from Shawn P. O'Connor, ESQ
Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2015 6:55 pm
by Mack.Hambleton
BRAVO
R
A
V
O
usnews needs to fold
Re: Some solid tips from Shawn P. O'Connor, ESQ
Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2015 7:07 pm
by baal hadad
I lol whenever I see northwestern school of law at Lewis n Clark
Re: Some solid tips from Shawn P. O'Connor, ESQ
Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2015 4:44 pm
by MattJames324
Does specialization by a law school really mean that little to you guys? Why is Lewis and Clark so laughable if one wants to pursue environmental law? I got accepted there and am trying to make up my mind. Advice would be appreciated.
Re: Some solid tips from Shawn P. O'Connor, ESQ
Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2015 4:47 pm
by A. Nony Mouse
The specialization rankings are rankings by professors of professors in the field, based on their research ability/output - they're academic. Those rankings have almost nothing to do with students' experience at a school and getting a job in that speciality.
Re: Some solid tips from Shawn P. O'Connor, ESQ
Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2015 5:06 pm
by CanadianWolf
Matt: Lewis & Clark does emphasize environmental law; its primary law review is their Environmental Law Journal. Vermont law school also has a primary focus on environmental law. Both of these law schools have dismal employment placement figures (32% & 29% at graduation).
Major US law firms recruit the best & the brightest without regard to material studied during one's law school years. Both schools have relatively low admissions standards.
Re: Some solid tips from Shawn P. O'Connor, ESQ
Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2015 5:45 pm
by Traynor Brah
MattJames324 wrote:Does specialization by a law school really mean that little to you guys? Why is Lewis and Clark so laughable if one wants to pursue environmental law? I got accepted there and am trying to make up my mind. Advice would be appreciated.
law school "specialization" means nothing to effectively everyone in legal hiring. Specialties and specialty rankings exist for marketing shitty schools to 0Ls. Lewis and Clark is a terrible law school (see
http://www.lstscorereports.com/schools/ ... lark/2013/). You shouldn't go there under effectively any circumstances. If you don't have a full ride, especially, for the love of jesus please do not do it.
Also there are effectively no jobs in environmental law. Most of the jobs that do exist exclusively involve defending corporate polluters, and the good guy env jobs are
extremely competitive. If you don't go to Yale it's not really something I would plan for.
Re: Some solid tips from Shawn P. O'Connor, ESQ
Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2015 5:49 pm
by CanadianWolf
MattJames has a current thread in which he shares that he is deciding between the University of British Columbia law school (an outstanding Canadian law school) and Lewis & Clark.
