Top Law Schools

I just finished 1L at a top 25 on a full scholarship & ended up (I'm guessing) about top 20-25% of the class (no class ranks released yet). Barring any unexpected illness or injury, I will graduate completely debt free. After graduation I would like to clerk for a year or two & then join a "larger" law firm in either Denver or Seattle (very strong ties/connections to both).

NU was originally my dream school, so transferring has always been in the back of my mind. Also, I recognize that T14 schools can open doors further down the road that my school may not. However, at this point I'm really not sure the transfer is worth it, especially given the $100K+ in loans & the amount of time those loans will take to pay off (especially in a secondary market).

Thoughts/Opinions appreciated.

Anonymous User wrote:I just finished 1L at a top 25 on a full scholarship & ended up (I'm guessing) about top 20-25% of the class (no class ranks released yet). Barring any unexpected illness or injury, I will graduate completely debt free. After graduation I would like to clerk for a year or two & then join a "larger" law firm in either Denver or Seattle (very strong ties/connections to both).

NU was originally my dream school, so transferring has always been in the back of my mind. Also, I recognize that T14 schools can open doors further down the road that my school may not. However, at this point I'm really not sure the transfer is worth it, especially given the $100K+ in loans & the amount of time those loans will take to pay off (especially in a secondary market).

Thoughts/Opinions appreciated.

Do you go to school in Washington now and are you working in Denver or Seattle this summer? That is the best way to make sure you get a job in those markets. And if you're trying to get a Federal Clerkship you'll probably need to get into the top 10% of a T25, whatever that is. If you are already at the University of Washington, I would stay since I think that would be more beneficial for Seattle if you can raise your grades. If not, NU would be better, but I am not sure it is worth $100k. Depends how risk averse you are

Are you currently at Iowa or Minnesota ?

Agree that top 20% to top 25% at a top 25 law school is unlikely to yield a federal clerkship.

Also, I doubt that taking on $150,000 of debt at Northwestern will help much in Seattle or Denver.