Top Law Schools

Currently at a regional school, full ride, top 1%, large secondary market. Hoping to work in biglaw (to start). Unsure on litigation/transactional at the moment. I'm leaning toward transferring to go after NYC, but would be happy in the market I attend school in. OCI will be limited to this market.

Would you transfer to (H)CCN for the long term value of the degree regardless of market? Only transfer if definitely interested in NYC? Or don't even think about transferring, because I'm better off without debt in a lower COL area likely at a firm paying market or slightly below (with a chance to get lucky mass mailing)?

Long term goals are still unsure, I have a variety of different interests ranging from in-house to government. Pretty torn over what to do. Thanks for any input.

Generally attend school where you want to practice, but your post sounds like you're not super motivated to go after NYC and just that it'd be nice. So maybe you won't be super motivated after transferring either, or at least not much more motivated that you are now... as I'm sure you know grades still matter even if you move to a school where you want to practice of course, so you might want to think about how badly you want to go after NYC.

What range of school are you at? Top of the class at a lot of schools can get NYC biglaw pretty easily.

Tiago Splitter wrote:What range of school are you at? Top of the class at a lot of schools can get NYC biglaw pretty easily.

Not OP but have a question about this. How likely is it to get NYC biglaw through mass mailing at a pretty average "T1" that's not anywhere near NYC? Say top 5-10%.

My impression is that it's unlikely, but your post seems to indicate otherwise (unless you mean just top 1-2% types).

Part of it is because OP was putting himself in the 1-2% category which is kind of a different world. Obviously it helps if you have NYC firms coming to campus; a top 5%er at Rutgers-Newark is in great shape, while a top 5%er at Arizona State probably isn't. You should run things by a poster named Hutz_and_Goodman who I believe was in a similar spot.

For the OP specifically, top 1% anywhere usually means biglaw in the home market if not elsewhere. Tough to justify a transfer if you keep the same grades, although getting your materials together to at least consider the option and perhaps have leverage for scholarship negotiations with your current school is never a bad idea.

Really depends on the school. Top 1% at a school with 0% big law you should 100% transfer. Top 1% at a school with 20% big law theres a good argument to stay put because you can probably get big law with no debt.

Tiago Splitter wrote:What range of school are you at? Top of the class at a lot of schools can get NYC biglaw pretty easily.

T2 school. I've gotten mixed reviews on likelihood of staying and getting NYC. I know it can be done, but it's certainly a lot more difficult.

Tiago Splitter wrote: For the OP specifically, top 1% anywhere usually means biglaw in the home market if not elsewhere. Tough to justify a transfer if you keep the same grades, although getting your materials together to at least consider the option and perhaps have leverage for scholarship negotiations with your current school is never a bad idea.

I'm at least going to apply to give myself more time to decide. I'm already on a full scholarship, but if I drop a bit after this semester to 5-10% range transferring may be even more worthwhile.

Hutz_and_Goodman wrote:Really depends on the school. Top 1% at a school with 0% big law you should 100% transfer. Top 1% at a school with 20% big law theres a good argument to stay put because you can probably get big law with no debt.

Somewhere in between...I'm very confident I would get big law at least in my current market, with low confidence (but not impossible) of landing it elsewhere.

Temple ?

Regardless, transfer to Harvard both for the short & long term impact.

(Plus, this freezes your stellar first-year class rank forever. Your resume will always show that you were in the top 1% of your class at your pre-transfer law school.)

CanadianWolf wrote:Temple ?

Regardless, transfer to Harvard both for the short & long term impact.

(Plus, this freezes your stellar first-year class rank forever. Your resume will always show that you were in the top 1% of your class at your pre-transfer law school.)

Not really. After you secure your first job, you can drop the 1L school from your resume.

CanadianWolf wrote:Temple ?

Regardless, transfer to Harvard both for the short & long term impact.

(Plus, this freezes your stellar first-year class rank forever. Your resume will always show that you were in the top 1% of your class at your pre-transfer law school.)

Wrong city but comparable school rank wise.

Nebby wrote:Not really. After you secure your first job, you can drop the 1L school from your resume.

I agree it would seem to make more sense to drop it after OCI.

Anonymous User wrote:

Nebby wrote:Not really. After you secure your first job, you can drop the 1L school from your resume.

I agree it would seem to make more sense to drop it after OCI.

Not only would it make more sense, but that's the only way to do it. You don't include a school on your resume that you didn't graduate from.

I had a professor who transferred and STILL had "1 out of 300" at her 1L school on her CV.

MagicMike80 wrote:I had a professor who transferred and STILL had "1 out of 300" at her 1L school on her CV.

Academics are goobs so makes sense.