Careers in International Law through the T14? Forum

[Florricks]

Hi everyone, I didn't think I would be posting to the American admissions forums since I'm a Canadian who was primarily interested in attending a Canadian law school and practicing in Canada for the rest of my life. So if I seem a little ignorant about certain parts of the US application process, that's the reason why.

I recently got my first LSAT score back, 177, and I'm being hassled by my very prestige oriented immigrant family members to consider applying to T14 schools in the US because of their reputations and the lack of scholarships here in Canada vs. the US. My GPA is 3.99/4.33. It used to be my childhood dream to pursue international human rights law, until I realized there are next to no jobs in the field and that the ones that do exist rely heavily on networking - but with a degree from HYS or Colombia with a Hamilton, would that become a genuine possibility? Mostly just curious. Thanks everyone!

[crazywafflez]

Not really terribly more than U of T or something would provide tbh. A lot of it is connections and people who would already be in those fields anyways (i.e. you worked for a thinktank and UN previously, or have connections to your country's govt). Maybe HYS/C give you a slight edge over U of T, maybe. If the money is a concern thoguh (international human rights law aside) apply to Mich or Penn or something, I think you'll get a great package deal.

[cavalier1138]

As mentioned, IHR jobs are very network-centric. But schools like Yale, NYU, and Berkeley have extremely strong alumni networks and clinical/fellowship programs in that area. If you're 100% set on a career in that field, I'd still recommend applying broadly, but with your numbers, Yale is a definite possibility (and if you wouldn't qualify for a scholarship there, you should get significant money at NYU).