Top Law Schools

I have a general question about legal employment, summer associate or long-term employment.

I've heard from other people that in order to land a good job ($100K+ salary/good pay during the summer/prestigious law firm), employers look at the law school you go to. I've also heard that your GPA is also important.

So is it true that top law schools students or graduates are a priority to employers? What about grades? Shouldn't grades be the important factor at the end? What if you go to an average school but get good grades?

What else do employers look at besides law school and GPA?

Thank you in advance. =)

it depends on both. the worse your school, the better grades you need. for a lower T2, you need to be top 10% to land a really good job. for a school in the 20-50 range, you probably need to be in the top 1/3. T20 - usually top 1/2 is in really good shape. Often the bottom 1/2 is also in good shape out of T14.

of course you know the economy is terrible right now, so at this point it is hard to base future expectations on past results

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edit: never mind

for a lower T2, you need to be top 10% to land a really good job. for a school in the 20-50 range, you probably need to be in the top 1/3. T20 - usually top 1/2 is in really good shape. Often the bottom 1/2 is also in good shape out of T14.

Hahahaha... not even close. Perhaps 3 years ago...

thesealocust wrote:http://pdfserver.amlaw.com/nlj/20080414 ... trends.pdf

XOXO, HTH

*CLASS OF 2005*


THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN STOP POSTING IT JESUS CHRIST THINK OF THE CHILDREN

edit: never mind

thesealocust wrote:

edgarderby wrote:

thesealocust wrote:http://pdfserver.amlaw.com/nlj/20080414 ... trends.pdf

XOXO, HTH

*CLASS OF 2005*


THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN STOP POSTING IT JESUS CHRIST THINK OF THE CHILDREN

Sure, but it still demonstrates beautifully the relationship between school and grades.

...how? I know plenty of law review kids who struck out at OCI this year.

ITE, networking is probably the most important legal employment related factor.

edgarderby wrote:

thesealocust wrote:

edgarderby wrote:

thesealocust wrote:http://pdfserver.amlaw.com/nlj/20080414 ... trends.pdf

XOXO, HTH

*CLASS OF 2005*


THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN STOP POSTING IT JESUS CHRIST THINK OF THE CHILDREN

Sure, but it still demonstrates beautifully the relationship between school and grades.

...how? I know plenty of law review kids who struck out at OCI this year.

I heard it was 10% at ND to even have a shot this year. Is that accurate?

ITE, networking is probably the most important legal employment related factor.

I wouldn't call it the most important- at least for biglaw.

Candidate A: All Hs from Yale, has no connections
Candidate B: 2.5 from the local TTT, best friends with a hiring partner

Candidate A is almost certain to get biglaw, while candidate B is almost certain NOT to get biglaw. Or even a more realistic scenario:

Candidate A: 3.4 from Duke, no connections
Candidate B: 3.2 from GW, best friends with a hiring partner

Candidate A still is probably going to win. This is because firms have certain hiring cutoffs based on school/grades that are very difficult to significantly bend (especially ITE). That hiring partner friend still has to go to her hiring committee and justify why she wants to take a "less qualified" applicant. True, there are exceptions (cue Matthies), but they are exceedingly rare- especially in major markets. I've literally seen a chart that one firm used giving different percentile cutoffs for each school.

Desert Fox wrote:

edgarderby wrote:

thesealocust wrote:

edgarderby wrote: *CLASS OF 2005*


THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN STOP POSTING IT JESUS CHRIST THINK OF THE CHILDREN

Sure, but it still demonstrates beautifully the relationship between school and grades.

...how? I know plenty of law review kids who struck out at OCI this year.

I heard it was 10% at ND to even have a shot this year. Is that accurate?[/quote

Hard to estimate top 10% since we don't rank, but law review is higher than that, and most of them struck out...so I'd say top 5% for major markets.

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TTT-LS wrote:

edgarderby wrote:law review is higher than that, and most of them struck out...so I'd say top 5% for major markets.

Holy shit. Really? NOTE TO CLASS OF 2013 APPLICANTS.

I was worried about Eding at Nothwestern because I might have got money at somewhere like WUSTL, UIUC or ND, but I'm glad I didn't. Most LR striking out? Holy fucking shit is right.

edgarderby wrote:Hard to estimate top 10% since we don't rank, but law review is higher than that, and most of them struck out...so I'd say top 5% for major markets.

Holy balls.

oh yeah? well at my school only top 0.2% gets work in major markets.

top that tough guy

swheat wrote:oh yeah? well at my school only top 0.2% gets work in major markets.

top that tough guy

Wait, what? Elaborate please.

OperaSoprano wrote:

swheat wrote:oh yeah? well at my school only top 0.2% gets work in major markets.

top that tough guy

Wait, what? Elaborate please.

Naw I was just kidding...top 15% at Hastings is still doing quite well as far as I know.

ITT.... I just laugh.

reasonable_man wrote:ITT.... I just laugh.

you seem to laugh at a lot of unfunny things lately

swheat wrote:

reasonable_man wrote:ITT.... I just laugh.

you seem to laugh at a lot of unfunny things lately

Not really... This is pretty funny.. A thread asking about whether grades and school ranking is important? That's pretty funny as the answer should be pretty fucking obvious; no?

As for the breakdown of the thread to the conversation of ITE; if that stopped me from laughing at something else that's funny, I wouldn't really get to laugh anymore, now would I? ITE is everywhere. Not going to let it stop me from laughing at something else.

edit: never mind

thesealocust wrote:

reasonable_man wrote:ITE is everywhere. Not going to let it stop me from laughing at something else.

reasonable_man on Zen in the Modern Economic Crisis.

Follow me to enlightenment.

edgarderby wrote:Hard to estimate top 10% since we don't rank, but law review is higher than that, and most of them struck out...so I'd say top 5% for major markets.

I'm not going to law school anymore.

reasonable_man wrote:

swheat wrote:

reasonable_man wrote:ITT.... I just laugh.

you seem to laugh at a lot of unfunny things lately

Not really... This is pretty funny.. A thread asking about whether grades and school ranking is important? That's pretty funny as the answer should be pretty fucking obvious; no?

As for the breakdown of the thread to the conversation of ITE; if that stopped me from laughing at something else that's funny, I wouldn't really get to laugh anymore, now would I? ITE is everywhere. Not going to let it stop me from laughing at something else.

Oh yeah I agree dumb thread. I thought you were laughing about the shitty OCI outcomes.