Employment outlook for UDC Law Graduates in D.C. Forum

[20160810]

why the anonymous post?

1.) You're correct in asserting the OP was not a proper use of the anon feature, hence my outing of him/her.

2.) As a reminder though, posts like this are just clutter. Please just report the post and move on.

[Anonymous User]

Are there any UDC alums that can share what kind of work they currently do? I've been given some alumni contacts by the admissions dept and I can't say I'm very impressed, but I'd love to hear from alums who are actually doing public interest legal work...Thanks!

[warumnicht]

What if you go to UDC and then, provided that you do well your first year, transfer to one of the better schools? Then you would only have to pay two years' worth of crazy tuition yet still reap the benefits of the school name, OCI programs, etc. Also, if you do really, really well your 1L year, one of those schools might even give you a scholarship. (And if you discover that you're not doing well at UDC, chances are that you wouldn't be doing well at a better school had you decided to go there instead of UD, so your job prospects would not be great either way; you'd just have to pay less for UDC.)

[Doritos]

What if you go to UDC and then, provided that you do well your first year, transfer to one of the better schools? Then you would only have to pay two years' worth of crazy tuition yet still reap the benefits of the school name, OCI programs, etc. Also, if you do really, really well your 1L year, one of those schools might even give you a scholarship. (And if you discover that you're not doing well at UDC, chances are that you wouldn't be doing well at a better school had you decided to go there instead of UD, so your job prospects would not be great either way; you'd just have to pay less for UDC.)

everybody wants to do well and transfer at UDC, there is no guarantee you will be one of the fortunate few

[warumnicht]

What if you go to UDC and then, provided that you do well your first year, transfer to one of the better schools? Then you would only have to pay two years' worth of crazy tuition yet still reap the benefits of the school name, OCI programs, etc. Also, if you do really, really well your 1L year, one of those schools might even give you a scholarship. (And if you discover that you're not doing well at UDC, chances are that you wouldn't be doing well at a better school had you decided to go there instead of UD, so your job prospects would not be great either way; you'd just have to pay less for UDC.)

everybody wants to do well and transfer at UDC, there is no guarantee you will be one of the fortunate few

Obviously. Just like everyone wants to do well at a T1 and transfer to HYS. I'm not saying it will happen. I'm just throwing it out there as a possibility that OP might consider, since it wasn't addressed in this thread yet, and it does have bearing on OP's law school costs and employment prospects.

[2LLLL]

My wife recently transferred to UDC after a great deal of soul-searching.

UDC should be attractive to those interested in public interest careers not just because of the school's mission - but it's cost. The low tuition enables graduates to start work in the traditionally lower-paying public interest field without the debt that often prevent top-tier graduates from accepting public interest work. UDC graduates don't have too much of a problem finding legal work, they just must find them in areas that others can't afford to work in. It's a strategy designed to give UDC students a niche in the public interest sector, and it may pay dividends in the future.

On the other hand, UDC only very recently became fully accredited so it's graduates have not had the opportunity to have substantial impacts on the broader legal community. Those interested in a career focused on public interest should not be deterred by this because this outlook should change for a few reasons. First, the professors, clinics, and location in the American legal community are top quality. Professors include judges, Nobel Prize winners, and others with a passion for social justice. Second, whereas the federal government may attract many graduates of top tier law programs, there is the often neglected local DC government, and suburban communities with a high demand for public interest law work. Third, the school is growing from its current size of a few hundred students to nearly 800 when its new facility is completed. As graduates begin to make a bigger impact in the local D.C legal community (which they will dominate as the District's only public law school), look for UDC to make a gradual mark on the larger legal community.

Bottom line, UDC's not a bad deal, but have a clear plan for your legal future after you graduate. Know that your competitive advantage as a graduate will be your ability to perform the same work for less than your top tier peers, and understand that UDC doesn't have much of a reputation yet. You may not get as much pay to begin with, but the lower cost means you have more flexibility to choose your career path than those with a massive debt burden to pay off.

It's a bit of an investment of faith (one that many of us cannot afford to make), but UDC's not a bad idea if you know you want to be a public interest lawyer.

^^^^ UDC OCS

[BruceWayne]

What if you go to UDC and then, provided that you do well your first year, transfer to one of the better schools? Then you would only have to pay two years' worth of crazy tuition yet still reap the benefits of the school name, OCI programs, etc. Also, if you do really, really well your 1L year, one of those schools might even give you a scholarship. (And if you discover that you're not doing well at UDC, chances are that you wouldn't be doing well at a better school had you decided to go there instead of UD, so your job prospects would not be great either way; you'd just have to pay less for UDC.)

everybody wants to do well and transfer at UDC, there is no guarantee you will be one of the fortunate few

Why do people say this as if it's a novel comment?

[Doritos]

What if you go to UDC and then, provided that you do well your first year, transfer to one of the better schools? Then you would only have to pay two years' worth of crazy tuition yet still reap the benefits of the school name, OCI programs, etc. Also, if you do really, really well your 1L year, one of those schools might even give you a scholarship. (And if you discover that you're not doing well at UDC, chances are that you wouldn't be doing well at a better school had you decided to go there instead of UD, so your job prospects would not be great either way; you'd just have to pay less for UDC.)

everybody wants to do well and transfer at UDC, there is no guarantee you will be one of the fortunate few

Why do people say this as if it's a novel comment?

Because a lot of people do not know it so to them it is a novel comment.

[Anonymous User]

I know UDC grads who operate their own private practices, who work for non-profit agencies and who work for small law firms. They're employed, and happily so.

If you want a school where you can hang your hat on its reputation, go to Harvard. If you want a school where you can hang your hat on your own hard work, reputation and success ... all while serving the public good, then by all means, go here.

by all means, on the whimsical beliefs of one anonymous user of the internet, throw your entire legal future down the drain. but no, hard work will let you climb out from chasing ambulances to working on legit corporate work, or PE/VC, or legit non-profits, right? right? right?

oh wait, no. you are still going to be chasing ambulances cause shitlaw is shit. but if you feel compelled to go, remember you've been warned!

[gwuorbust]

I know UDC grads who operate their own private practices, who work for non-profit agencies and who work for small law firms. They're employed, and happily so.

If you want a school where you can hang your hat on its reputation, go to Harvard. If you want a school where you can hang your hat on your own hard work, reputation and success ... all while serving the public good, then by all means, go here.

by all means, on the whimsical beliefs of one anonymous user of the internet, throw your entire legal future down the drain. but no, hard work will let you climb out from chasing ambulances to working on legit corporate work, or PE/VC, or legit non-profits, right? right? right?

oh wait, no. you are still going to be chasing ambulances cause shitlaw is shit. but if you feel compelled to go, remember you've been warned!

sorry, didn't mean to post Anonymously. I'm not try to spread misinformation.

[DC7935]

UDC's clinical programs give you the chance to build some great connections in Washington. I have worked with some UDC Law grads who enjoyed their time at the school while graduating with little debt. The school prepares you to work in the courtroom as a trial attorney so many grads own their own firms. Though if you work hard you can work in any area of the law you want. For example this guy is a UDC Law grad and is one of the most respected attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.

--LinkRemoved--

[worldtraveler]

Can you get into CUNY? If you want a cheap public interest school, pick that one.

[General Tso]

who keeps digging this thread up...just let it die already

[Anonymous User]

Hello!

So, I am a 1L at UDC. I was drawn to the program because of its clinics and the capacity to place students like me within positions where I could help disenfranchised communities. Now, I have not been a student here very long, but I have already began networking and am sure that I will receive an unpaid internship with a Judge for Summer 2012.

To get where you want to be, you MUST hustle, there is no other way.

A great plus for UDC Law is that every professor that we have is a graduate of a Tier 1 Law School aiding us in becoming better lawyers. We've met lawyers in very high places, but UDC often shows that these people have worked their asses off to get where they want to be. Many of us don't understand that by attending UDC, at a minimal cost, and serving your community in public interest for a few years, you become more attractive to the "Big Firms," just a bit later in your career.

It isn't as if you may never work for a big firm, it just may take a bit longer. But if it's really what you want to do, you must get good grades, take advantage of every opportunity available and hustle your ass off. It's all worth it though. I don't think any of us can really diss UDC, especially when it was the only law school that would accept most of us.

I put myself into that category, even though I already have a graduate degree from UPenn and a great undergrad/grad GPA, with a 160+ LSAT score. I attend UDC because of its legacy and the mission of the school. In my life, community is the most important thing.

[LawIdiot86]

Hello!
I don't think any of us can really diss UDC, especially when it was the only law school that would accept most of us.

I put myself into that category, even though I already have a graduate degree from UPenn and a great undergrad/grad GPA, with a 160+ LSAT score. I attend UDC because of its legacy and the mission of the school. In my life, community is the most important thing.

What?!

[mrosmith]

You did not go to UDC on purpose. Maybe you made a mistake and thought it was a different school?

[Anonymous User]

who keeps digging this thread up...just let it die already

[jeeptiger09]

who keeps digging this thread up...just let it die already

[sebastian0622]

There's something fishy about a Couple postS in this thread. I can't quite put my finger On it.

[RVP11]

Hello!

So, I am a 1L at UDC. I was drawn to the program because of its clinics and the capacity to place students like me within positions where I could help disenfranchised communities. Now, I have not been a student here very long, but I have already began networking and am sure that I will receive an unpaid internship with a Judge for Summer 2012.

To get where you want to be, you MUST hustle, there is no other way.

A great plus for UDC Law is that every professor that we have is a graduate of a Tier 1 Law School aiding us in becoming better lawyers. We've met lawyers in very high places, but UDC often shows that these people have worked their asses off to get where they want to be. Many of us don't understand that by attending UDC, at a minimal cost, and serving your community in public interest for a few years, you become more attractive to the "Big Firms," just a bit later in your career.

It isn't as if you may never work for a big firm, it just may take a bit longer. But if it's really what you want to do, you must get good grades, take advantage of every opportunity available and hustle your ass off. It's all worth it though. I don't think any of us can really diss UDC, especially when it was the only law school that would accept most of us.

I put myself into that category, even though I already have a graduate degree from UPenn and a great undergrad/grad GPA, with a 160+ LSAT score. I attend UDC because of its legacy and the mission of the school. In my life, community is the most important thing.

Weird, but obvious, flame. No real person could ever be this wrong.

[Eco]

^ I met some UDC folks when I was at the Softball tournament last Saturday.

Anyways, I don't think they're delusional or anything. They know they're in a school where employment prospects generally are comprised of low-paying jobs. But they pay $8,000 for semester. It's nothing. Nobody goes to UDC expecting big law.

[Julio_El_Chavo]

There's something fishy about a Couple postS in this thread. I can't quite put my finger On it.

TITCR

[charliep]

[quote="Anonymous User"]So here is the deal about UDC law school, and this is coming from a graduate of the school (2008), and now a DC-barred attorney. UDC is NOT the school you want to go to if you want a big-firm job!!! While I was in law school, I once had a group lunch with a Supreme Court Justice (yes the highest court in the land) and he started talking about schools in the DC area, and he specifically stopped to provide VERY negative comments about UDC …THAT my friends is the kind of reputation you have to overcome so I hope you get my drift!

out of curiosity, what did the justice have to say about the other D.C. schools?

[Anonymous User]

http://www.duanemorris.com/attorneys/jo ... rance.html

He is one of the top immigration attorneys in DC and his UDC Law degree has served him well. Also, a number of UDC Law grads have been selected to the DOJ Attorney General's Honors Program in recent years. I work in DC and lawyers know UDC Law grads are courtroom ready after graduation because of the clinical program. Not to mention a lot of grads have the opportunity to go solo early because of the low debt. There are many UDC Law grads out there making serious money! Though they are usually not at Jones Day, they are the attorneys that own their firms working in criminal law, medical malpractic, disability law, etc...

[Anonymous User]

http://www.sandlerlawllc.com/attorney.htm (Top criminal defense attorney in Maryland and a member of the Million Dollar Advocate Forum) Yep, she is a millionaire and does not work in big law.