Is it unwise to attend a law school that does not have a program in your field of interest? Forum

[Zazzy91]

If you get into a top law school (top 25) and the school does not have a program you are interested in, should you still attend or go to a lower ranked school (even if it is much lower ranked)?

[sparkytrainer]

Specialty rankings mean nothing. Fields of interest mean nothing. Go to the best school possible for the cheapest possible. But a top 25 school that isn't a t13 and a lower ranked school are both regional. So that matters too.

[ExperssioUnius]

Generally not that important unless you are thinking admiralty law (Tulane) or gambling law (UNLV). Sometimes it is worth going a few spots down in the overall rankings if the school has a particularly strong program in the area you KNOW you want to practice (if you want to do international law, going to Georgetown over, say, Duke makes good sense).

[sparkytrainer]

Generally not that important unless you are thinking admiralty law (Tulane) or gambling law (UNLV). Sometimes it is worth going a few spots down in the overall rankings if the school has a particularly strong program in the area you KNOW you want to practice (if you want to do international law, going to Georgetown over, say, Duke makes good sense).

Everything in this post is complete and utter bullshit.

[ExperssioUnius]

If you are so sure of yourself Sparky, name a school that has a program and reputation in gambling law other than UNLV. Name a school that has a better admiralty law program than Tulane.

The degree to which you are out of touch with facts and reality ceases to amaze me each day.

[nixy]

You don't need to go to a school with a program in gambling law to go into gambling law. You don't need to go to a school with a program in admiralty law to do admiralty law. If you look up lawyers in these fields, they've gone to schools all over. That's partly because there are all kinds of "ordinary" standard law school courses that will help prepare you for working for a casino or in admiralty and you really don't need to specialize. The JD is a generalist's degree and any school will prepare you to get a job in any field.

(So no, OP, don't pay attention to specialized programs, and go to the school with the best employment prospects in the region where you want to practice. Certificates and concentrations and specializations are not necessary. If you're choosing between schools with otherwise equal employment prospects and costs, consider programs all you like. But don't pay more or give up overall employment stats to go to a school based on a specialized program.)

[northwood]

Specialty rankings mean nothing. Fields of interest mean nothing. Go to the best school possible for the cheapest possible. But a top 25 school that isn't a t13 and a lower ranked school are both regional. So that matters too.

What really matters, besides cost of attendance is how well that school places in your target field (big law, public interest, clerking, govt) in the geographic area where you want to practice .

What classes/ clinics the school has to offer are nice things to consider, but should not be the main basis as to where you will go to law school.