Top Law Schools

I'll make it pretty quick:

3.85 from a school ranked 67-50
Top 10% is likely 3.65 - 3.7
Law Review a big possibility.

Would I crack the T14? If so, how far up? Is Columbia a possibility?

I guess I want to add, because of a nice scholarship I'm only paying 5k a year at my current school.

Do you want to practice where you currently attend school? And is where you currently live NOT in a big legal market?

Yes, I do want to stay here when I graduate and it is a midsize market in a big city. But there is competition here from much higher ranked schools in the state, but not T14 schools.

TTTHHHTTT wrote:I'll make it pretty quick:

3.85 from a school ranked 65-50
Top 10% is likely 3.65 - 3.7
Law Review a big possibility.

Would I crack the T14? If so, how far up? Is Columbia a possibility?

Probably would crack T14. Columbia is a possibility.

As for the money, that's a tough call. LR + 10% and little to no debt means that you will have decent options, and even if you don't get biglaw, you will be in a comfortable position financially.

If you really want biglaw or a federal clerkship, transferring is probably best (to the T14).

We had similar stats during my transfer cycle (two years ago). Approximating my experience with minor adjustments for the randomness of transfer admissions, you'd probably get into multiple NDCG, one or a few of MVPB, and maybe one of CCN. HYS is always a reach, but applying to H wouldn't be a terrible idea--you have an outside shot. I'm assuming you apply broadly, too.

Whether you should is a bigger question. If you can do it in time, I'd go on ahead and apply to those schools that you'd be willing to leave your current school for, and then make a decision when the randomness of transfer admissions sort things out. If you are already in the market that you want, I'd stay so long as the very top students at your school (I'm guessing you are probably top 5 percent and will get law review) do well in that market. If you want an outside shot at tenure track academia, transfer. If you want to maximize your chances to clerk, especially at the COA level, transfer. Realize, though, that none of these are guarantees from the T14 (far from it), and that you will have to work very hard the minute you hit your new school to set yourself up for those goals.

If you just want to start working as a lawyer, or you want to work non-fed government in your market, I wouldn't transfer. Even if you want to clerk, but you're okay with district, check to see how your school places for district clerkships in your market, how those judges operate (i.e., do they have a ton of career clerks or do they hire mostly term, and if so, do judges have an allegiance to hiring from your school along with other locals over the T14). Just anecdotally, I had amazing ties to my old school secondary market, and applied to district clerkships in that market during the clerkship cycle. I got interview calls from a number of COA judges, including some "prestigious" ones, and district calls from one major competitive market. The phone was totally dead for the secondary market district spots, despite a great targeted LOR for one of those judges. Those judges hired four or five district clerks from my old school, IIRC. Just an FYI for some markets.

It really is a tough call.

I just don't know if giving up top of the class in a good city, possible Law Review, and graduating virtually debt free (for law school anyway) is worth possibly being median at, say, Chicago without any journal credentials and having an extra 90k-150k in loans.

Bump...

Just hoping to get a few more opinions.

I'm in the same situation. I am in Chicago (DePaul/Kent/Loyola) and top 10% and Law Review but am considering transferring. I would also graduate debt free from law school. Its hard to trade all of that to start over new at a new school, especially when you want to stay in the same market. I hope I'm lucky enough to have to make a decision like that but as for now I am at least leaning at staying where I am.

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i'm mostly just bumping because i'm interested and in a somewhat similar position to the OP.

my uneducated opinion: add Y. i guess it's too late to apply to HS, but i would have said throw them in, too. the whole transfer thing is just such a crapshoot... i'm sure there will be naysayers, but i don't think anyone can say for sure that any school's app is truly a waste of money for someone like you, even Y's. i'm assuming that you would want to go to Y... maybe i should just say to apply everywhere that you would want to go to, finances allowing, and just see what happens.

Mods --I petition to have broadhead's name changed it's too similar to mine. Confusion is likely. Thanks.

If you can get into the T10, I would transfer. But that's just me.

Found out today I'm top 5% and graded on to law review.

I'm thinking I may stay here with these credentials.