Top Law Schools

Scallywaggums wrote:My 3 needs:

1) I'm alright with being someone's bitch initially, but I want to be thinking critically and creatively within a year.
2) 9-5 would be nice, 8-6 with lunch break would be acceptable. No weekend work.
3) I live modestly, but I'd like to be able to save for my kids & retire happily... ~$60,000 to start? More is obviously enticing.


My qualifications:
---3.55 GPA from a T50 private
---taking LSAT in October, latest practice tests suggest 168-172 (with outliers both ways, 166-175)
---Graduated '08 with relatively good employment softs.

***I am getting NO financial help***

So, I could (assuming LSAT 169-171)
---Hit T11-20 with no scholarship, increase my employment prospects and pray I get repayment help
---Or any degree of lower rank and higher scholarship.

2 Questions
1) Is my employment vision realistically attainable???
2) Could I get away with a full ride - or close to it - from a good T3, say Albany? [I'm confident I could make top third of class]
Or is it simply too risky? [My risk aversion is more toward an unsatisfactory job than unsatisfactory debt, such that I would rather have extremely good odds of landing a job that fit my needs with debt than graduate debt-free stuck in shitlaw]

*** Please no posts to that unemployed dude from Northwestern, or baseless suggestions that U Albany breeds burger flippers outside of its top 25% http://www.jdjournal.com/2009/06/15/alb ... -08-grads/

If it matters, I live in NY and wouldn't want to go to school more than a 10 hour drive away.
Thanks in advance for any input.

lostjake wrote:
No. There is no such job, seriously. If you work for the government you won't be thinking by yourself. If you work for shit law your pay will be low and you hours high. If you want to have 60k, 9-5, and be thinking your job will be menial.

A'nold wrote:W/in 5 years look to start your own firm.

If you work for the government you won't be thinking by yourself.

nealric wrote:

If you work for the government you won't be thinking by yourself.

That's not true. At least at the DOJ, even young lawyers have a high degree of autonomy. But the DOJ isn't exactly a super-easy gig to get.

As far as top 1/3: 100% of new law school attendees are confident they will be in the top 1/3. Two-thirds of them are incorrect.

lostjake wrote:Whats your UG degree in? You sound more like a coaster, which there is nothing wrong with. Whatever your undergrad degree is in you can always try sales!

Scallywaggums wrote:If it makes a difference, I'm willing to go to school in/work in Ontario or Quebec.

dextermorgan wrote: Actually if you are married to a professor, you will be working in wherever she happens to be able to land a TT job.

thesealocust wrote:You sir want to be a career law clerk for a laid back judge. It's a small niche, but it fits every criteria you listed to the T.

thesealocust wrote:You sir want to be a career law clerk for a laid back judge. It's a small niche, but it fits every criteria you listed to the T.

would top 1/3 at Albany be realistic, or should I shoot for T11-14 and incur debt and quite possibly not get top 1/3?

top 1/3 reply: I'm not making that claim for a reach school, I'm making the claim for a TTT school. Without getting into details about why I am confident about this and possibly coming off as snobby, let's just assume that it's accurate for the sake of discussion.

PKSebben wrote:LOL@ working 40 hours.

lostjake wrote:http://www.elsblog.org/.shared/image.ht ... imodal.jpg

The above is 2006ish info, which is before the bottom fell out of the economy. The starting salary is around 45K for the first mode, and ITE the second mode is much smaller. Also consider this, you want a job starting at 60k, but really this is equal to you getting a job now and working for three years and being at 60k, plus you won't be in the hole for whatever law school is going to cost you. If you go to U Albany you probably won't get a job which requires a JD. Also if you only want to work 40 hours a week you shouldn't go into law. If you really want to think at your job and set your own hours your should try to save every penny and start some kind of buisness.

pjo wrote:

thesealocust wrote:You sir want to be a career law clerk for a laid back judge. It's a small niche, but it fits every criteria you listed to the T.

I think thats a fairly viable option. OP, another thing to consider is that you'll probably want to concentrate on finding work in a secondary market. The hours on avergae are less than those of lawyers working in primary markets (chicago, NY, DC etc.). Aside from that, theres always in house work. Everyone on here will tell you you can't get in house work right out of law school but I know a few ppl who have done it. Also might want to look into some smaller firms or boutique firms. Once again everyones going to tell you you can't get this out of law school but I personally know a few who have got this positions striaght out, and they weren't on Law Review or anything. The jobs are out there, you just have to network. I finally read Matthies post on LSD and I truly believe in everything he said about networking as key to finding the job you want (I've experienced a lot of this first hand).

nealric wrote:

would top 1/3 at Albany be realistic, or should I shoot for T11-14 and incur debt and quite possibly not get top 1/3?

top 1/3 reply: I'm not making that claim for a reach school, I'm making the claim for a TTT school. Without getting into details about why I am confident about this and possibly coming off as snobby, let's just assume that it's accurate for the sake of discussion.

Top 1/3 at albany won't get you DOJ. Top 1/3 at T14 would make it more likely- but far from a lock.

I realize you are making a claim about a TTT. Again, you have no idea what your class rank will be.

Any idea what top 1/3 at Albany could land, NY gov-wise?
Again, we're assuming I will be top 1/3 for the sake of discussion