Is Vandy considered a national scho? Forum

[Lynx_4eva]

I’m interested in some of the programs at Vandy and like the Nashville area. However living in TN may not be my first choice after law school.
Is Vandy considered ‘national’ school? How might I seek this out? Placements are decent for NY, but not sure about DC or New England.

[antelope]

DC's a tough market to break into in general, for big law and some fed positions. I'd call Vandy a "super-regional", as it tends to place well within it's region and it's generally well regarded. If you're fine staying in TN, it can be a good choice, depending on COA and career goals.

If New England's your first choice it could be hard (I imagine MA might be somewhere you want to be, and that market can get competitive with T14, BC and BU students aiming at it), you should look into alums who work there and see what practice areas they're in. The admissions office can help you connect with them, since they remain engaged with alumni who interview students for admission.

[crazywafflez]

I’m interested in some of the programs at Vandy and like the Nashville area. However living in TN may not be my first choice after law school.
Is Vandy considered ‘national’ school? How might I seek this out? Placements are decent for NY, but not sure about DC or New England.

Vandy is a borderline national school (and I think perhaps it is the strongest of the T20 in placement power), and I largely agree with the poster above. Vandy places all over the South- so if you like Atlanta, Nashville, Jacksonville, Jackson, Richmond, Charlotte, etc., it may be for you. It also places pretty well in NYC and Texas. I would not go to Vandy banking on biglaw in DC though.
https://law.vanderbilt.edu/2019-Employm ... pdated.pdf
About 35 of the 200 person class stays in TN. NYC seems to be the next biggest destination (27), followed by DC (22)- presumably, those folks going to DC are the top of the class. Vandy does not place into New England. I'm sure if you are from there though it can get you back. If by New England you mean Boston, and you are aiming for Boston market, I'd encourage you to go to BU/BC on a fullride (unless you already have a fullride from Vandy or something and/or from the area).

In sum, can Vandy place in DC? Sure, if you are near the top- but most folks aren't going to be and it isn't a powerhouse there like it is in Atlanta. Wouldn't plan on being the West or New England etc. with a Vandy degree either. Not impossible, but other schools offer better chances for those markets.

[cavalier1138]

Agreed with both of the above (Vandy can have national reach for top students, but it's mainly a Southern school). But I wanted to push on this:

I’m interested in some of the programs at Vandy

What does that refer to? Because specialty "programs" are usually just a selection of classes you could take at any school, and they do not actually give you a better chance at employment in their field. So if you have the numbers to go somewhere better than Vanderbilt (taking COA into account), you should not be swayed by Vanderbilt's "Certificate in Country Music Law" program.

[Lynx_4eva]

The youth clinics seem appealing and the Peabody school has programs in Education Law. Given their focus in this area I thought I’d get great practical experience to go along with a superior education.

[cavalier1138]

The youth clinics seem appealing and the Peabody school has programs in Education Law. Given their focus in this area I thought I’d get great practical experience to go along with a superior education.

Literally every school has classes in education law and clinics in at least one aspect of juvenile justice (criminal, custody, education advocacy, etc.). Again, don't make decisions based on these offerings.

[eggy8k]

Stumbled across this post while looking for info about specific firms. Current 1L at Vandy going through OCI (somewhere above median on a secondary journal fwiw). I think the above posters are right, the school is national in a sense. Our OCI was mostly national firms recruiting for southern offices/NYC or regional southern firms. I am personally trying to return to a smaller secondary Northeast market that I have strong ties to, and so far all my callbacks have been with offices in that market. Practically speaking, and speaking from my own experience, what this means to me is that Vandy can possibly get you into a market if it's a market you have significant ties to (caveat is that I don't actually have any 2L summer offers, though my current 1L summer is in the market I mentioned). You aren't restricted to the South or Tennessee by any means, but it won't be easy getting through to that first conversation with an employer that's not in the South and have an even harder time if you don't have obvious connections to wherever it is you want to end up. Feel free to send me any questions you have about the school, hope this helps.

[Lynx_4eva]

Thanks! This is the input I was seeking. I’m from the Boston area, currently going to UG in TN. I’ve visited Vandy and feel it’d be a good fit, but am concerned about not being able to ‘get back’ to Boston. I’m hearing it’s a tough market to crack for ‘outsiders’.

[eggy8k]

I’m hearing it’s a tough market to crack for ‘outsiders’.

Definitely what I have heard also. Like I said, if you have significant legal connections in the area willing to write some emails or make some calls on your behalf it's a different story. But only 6 firms were recruiting for Boston offices at our OCI. I think the decision will come down to what other options you have, but if Boston is the end goal obviously BU or BC would serve you better. However, I think preferences can change while in law school, and Vandy keeps most doors open even if you sometimes have to really shove your way in through the crack. I've loved my experience at Vandy so far (as much as anyone enjoys law school) and think I made the right decision for my professional goals. Good luck!

[nealric]

Keep in mind that all schools are regional to some extent. Even Stanford and Yale graduates tend to stick to their respective coasts. Of course a Stanford grad almost certainly could decide to work in NYC and get a job there, the recruiting pipelines and networking opportunities will tend to favor the West coast (and vise versa). When picking between different schools of similar rank, it's usually best to pick one near where you'd like to practice.

So the question is how set are you on a region? If you are absolutely set on Boston, you are better off going to BU than Vandy (assuming you get into both). If you are regionally flexible, you may be better off with Vandy.

Small caveat: while higher ranked schools still experience regional affinities, the region tends to be bigger. While the vast majority of South Texas College of Law students will stay in Houston, few Yale graduates stay in New Haven. The region for a top school may be an entire coast, while the region for a low-ranked school may just be the city its located in (and even an area within a city).