School affect ultimate practice area? Forum

[acijku2]

Does where you went to Law school affect your ultimate placement into a specified area within a firm? For example, if a firm's best practice area is M&A, is a Harvard grad more likely to ultimately end up in M&A than a T2 grad? Or is it based on individual interests and abilities?

[gnomgnomuch]

Does where you went to Law school affect your ultimate placement into a specified area within a firm? For example, if a firm's best practice area is M&A, is a Harvard grad more likely to ultimately end up in M&A than a T2 grad? Or is it based on individual interests and abilities?

I'm pretty sure that the school affects your ability to get a big-law job period.

[philepistemer]

If you specifically want to do m&a and you don't get put in it, it means that your firm doesn't have a great m&a group.

But to your broader point, groups that don't take a lot of people at my firm take the people they like, which could have correlation with school. At a place like Cleary I'd imagine school attended could have influence in who gets to be in the sovereign debt group. This probably varies by firm and group size though.

[acijku2]

Does where you went to Law school affect your ultimate placement into a specified area within a firm? For example, if a firm's best practice area is M&A, is a Harvard grad more likely to ultimately end up in M&A than a T2 grad? Or is it based on individual interests and abilities?

I'm pretty sure that the school affects your ability to get a big-law job period.

I'm not disputing this. I just wanted to know that once in big law does school dictate which area you ultimately end up in. Is it possible that a T2 grad would not be placed in a practice area because of where he graduated from? or is it more once your hired and show interest and ability in an area that is all that generally matters.