Top Law Schools

Ok so here is the situation.Last semester I got top 5%. I spoke with admissions and I've got a great chance at getting into CU Boulder. Should I do it? I need help figuring this out from an employment perspective. I want to do Intellectual property law at a decent sized firm. Also if I transfer from a tier 4 am I going to drop in class rank at the new school?
Here are the pros of staying at St. Mary’s:
- Virtual lock for law review
- Scholarship around 10 k per year
- Summer internship in China with a top Chinese law firm, also classes in China this summer
- St. Mary’s has an incredible 78% employment rate for 9 months after graduation. There was a recent article in NY times discussing how St. Mary’s employment is so strong. Bottom of this article http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... bs=article
- Not having to move again
- chance at a federal clerkship
For University of Colorado:
- Top 50 school

Thanks all for the help!

I'm not sure I understand why transferring effects your summer plans in any way. Nor do I understand why you think you have a great shot at a federal clerkship.

LR here at Colorado sets aside a lot of spots for transfers. I think we let on 3 or 4 people during that period and had about 8 true transfers.

Well, Unfortunately the internships in China are set aside for St. Mary's students only. At St. Mary's you apply for the federal clerkship and then it goes to a board of professors that recommend students that they think are both strong academically and also have the "intangibles". Ive been told by my torts prof, who is head of the board, that I would definitely be recommended. Its just hard to transfer and have to essentially start over. I just want to know from some people if they think transferring is a no brainer, or if its basically a lateral move.

If you're going to transfer, it shouldn't be to Colorado.

For what it's worth, almost everyone who transfers in transfer in to be back home like you alluded to being your reason.

Well, they have this brochure up with clerk profiles from 2011-12 and only two Art III clerks are shown. Considering all the state clerk profiles they display, I would have to think if there were more federal ones they would have included them also. So if they are placing 1-2 clerks per year, I wouldn't be so sure you have a "great chance" at a federal clerkship just because you are top 5% and faculty is going to recommend you. There are people with top 10% at T14 schools with good faculty recommenders who aren't able to obtain Art III clerkships.

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When is your internship? Usually you don't find out if you get accepted until late June/early July and then have a couple of weeks to decide. Won't you be done or almost done your summer program by then? What are they going to do, kick you out with two weeks left?

What state do you want to work in after you graduate? Do you want a firm, PI, gov, or what? Do you have strong CO connections? I think these are the most important questions to consider. If you want to practice in CO and have some CO connections, then Boulder is probably a decent idea (if you are still a CO resident, in state tuition will bring the price down). If you want to work elsewhere, then it's a bad idea.

You are probably right on there being fierce competition for the federal clerkship. So take it out of the equation and what would you do?

How much is being close to home worth to you?

Honestly, if its a lateral move I would just assume stay put. The opinions im wanting from people are whether CU being a top 50 school is worth the effort to transfer into.

Internship is from late may to late june

Sebastain12 wrote:Honestly if its a lateral move I would just assume stay put. The opinions im wanting from people are whether CU being a top 50 school is worth the effort to transfer into.

Well, I guess its a lateral move in the sense that people don't really transfer here for better opportunities alone.

But again, what kind of work you're interested in also matters. I also know very little about St Mary's.