T35 to Chicago or UM Poll Forum

[hbaker712]

Background: I am married with a toddler and have another child expected in early August. My family will not be moving with me if I transfer, rather I will have to commute to the extent possible (Mich. is closer, but I can drive home from either school in a few hours). I do intend to attempt to commute every weekend, though I know that will not be possible all the time. I currently have a 4.0, but am still waiting on my class rank to come back. That said, it's a reasonable assumption that I will be in the top 1-2%. Currently have a meager scholarship, so debt isn't a massive concern.

Goals: BigLaw and/or academia in the Midwest (this does not include practicing in Chicago).

I'm happy to answer any questions or clarify any details.

[NoDayButToday]

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[hbaker712]

Thank you for the very well thought out reply, NoDayButToday. To be honest, if it weren't for the kid conundrum I would very likely go ahead and transfer. That said, you're the first person I've seen who has been able to speak about his or her actual experiences in what for all intents and purposes is a commuter marriage.

In terms of the kids, we are lucky enough to be in a situation where my wife would not have to worry about childcare anymore than now. The primary hangup for me is whether I can run off to school leaving my toddler and a 1-month old behind for relatively substantial chunks of time. As you say, that's a conversation my wife and I have to continue to have.

Thanks again.

[ndirish2010]

Given your family situation, I would stay. Your chances at Midwest biglaw are high either way, and your chances are academia are low either way, so the low-risk route is definitely to stay. The only risk of staying is that your grades might slip, whereas you are basically a lock to get into Chicago ED. But I think your marriage/kids outweigh that risk.

[jphiggo]

If you can square this 2-year sacrifice with your family, I say transfer to UChi. Doing so aligns very well with your stated goals. Also, as I'm sure you're aware, the legal profession can, at times, be elitist. Where you go to school might be the key that opens doors that would otherwise be closed to you.

[barkschool]

Harvard?

[hbaker712]

Harvard?

Harvard makes the commute virtually impossible. With two kids at home, I can't make that kind of sacrifice.

[Companion Cube]

If H is off the table then I'd ED Chicago. You'll get in for sure and you'll have a decision much earlier in the summer than normal, which sounds like it would be helpful to you. Because of the quarter system you'll also have an extra month to get settled before classes start.

[Hutz_and_Goodman]

I think Chicago is the clear right choice, except that you will have 2 children and your family can't move with you. I think it is crazy to stay at a T35 with your grades given the "meager" scholarship, but I also think it would be very tough to be living apart from husband/wife and I can't even imagine with children. I voted Chicago but I hope that somehow your husband/wife can move with you.

[Nebby]

Let me get this straight? You want midwest BigLaw but don't want to work in Chicago?

[hbaker712]

Let me get this straight? You want midwest BigLaw but don't want to work in Chicago?

Correct. I have no desire to live in Chicago for any extended period of time. The area I intend to practice in has large, national firms I would be interested in.

Thanks to all who have voted and/or commented thus far. I'm leaning heavily toward Chicago, but am obviously still wrestling with potentially only seeing my kids on the weekends and during breaks.

[A. Nony Mouse]

I feel like if the biglaw options you're looking at are in your current law school's market, it's not clear that changing schools will open a whole lot more doors that you want to open (that is, they would help you get biglaw in Chicago or NYC, but if you don't want those, you sound pretty well situated where you are). Academia is tough wherever you go, but to the extent you should let interest in academia guide you, Chicago is likely to be a better option than Michigan.

(If your current law school is in the market where you want to work, might employers wonder why you transferred to Chicago?)

[Tiago Splitter]

I know you want to stay anon but it would help a lot to know your current school and desired market. As it stands I think staying is your best bet, but regardless apply for transfers and negotiate scholarship money from your current school if at all possible.

EDIT: I think I know your school. If you are looking to work nearby I think you should stay.

[hbaker712]

I feel like if the biglaw options you're looking at are in your current law school's market, it's not clear that changing schools will open a whole lot more doors that you want to open (that is, they would help you get biglaw in Chicago or NYC, but if you don't want those, you sound pretty well situated where you are). Academia is tough wherever you go, but to the extent you should let interest in academia guide you, Chicago is likely to be a better option than Michigan.

(If your current law school is in the market where you want to work, might employers wonder why you transferred to Chicago?)

I appreciate the insight.

I should have mentioned, my wife and I have talked about potentially moving to the DC area in the future (the indeterminate future). Though, this is far from a certain move. To that end, I think Chicago is going to carry far more weight than would my current school.

Tiago Splitter: I guess there really is no point in hiding behind anonymity, considering I forgot to post anonymously in the first place and my post history has my school in it. I'm at Ohio State.

[Tiago Splitter]

I have to believe that someone in the top 2% at Ohio State is in great shape for the kind of biglaw you are looking at (i.e. midwest non-Chicago biglaw). I also think your ability to get to DC or elsewhere down the road will have a lot more to do with the path your career takes than it will with the name of your school. But most of all I don't see the kind of meaningful benefits to transferring that make it worth leaving your wife and young kids.

What kind of work do you want to do?

[Hutz_and_Goodman]

I had a reading comp failure. Given your goals staying put is good option. You will be very competitive for big law within the state (Cleveland, Columbus etc) and the region. To get academia you would need to transfer to Chicago, graduate top 10 people in your class and then do a federal circuit court of appeals clerkship with a prominent judge (ex Kozinski, Posner). If I were you I would plan to stay put but apply to UM and other schools so you can negotiate $ from your school. If you search on this site people have previously gotten a lot of $ by threatening to transfer to a T14.

[Paul Campos]

If you go to Chicago the following things will happen:

(1) You will incur at least $150K more in COA than if you stayed at OSU. This is assuming you get a full scholarship for your last two years at OSU, which you almost certainly will if you play your cards right (Your big law prospects are worth something to the school, so if you convince them you'll walk without a full they'll give you one, since if you leave they get neither your tuition nor your BL prospects). If you go, you'll pay $120K in tuition, plus at least an extra $30K in COL -- not only is Chicago way more expensive than Columbus, unlike the typical transfer you'll be paying COL for two years at both your old school and your new school.

(2) You will end up with substantially the same big law job you would have gotten if you had stayed at OSU. This is especially true since you don't want to work in Chicago. Top of the class at OSU will get pretty much any Midwest big law job there is unless you're a really bad interviewer, in which case you would struggle at Chicago OCI for the same reason.

(3) You are going to put your family life under great stress. Are you really contemplating leaving your wife totally on her own for almost all of the next two years with a newborn-then-infant plus a toddler? While you pay an extra $150K for doing so? And for what? A pipe dream about academia somewhere down the road? Chicago to Columbus is a five-hour plus drive each way in decent weather (hah), and flying is both expensive and probably not a whole lot less time consuming when you consider all the logistics.

As another poster pointed out, a couple of years after you graduate it's going to make almost no difference where you went to law school in terms of career prospects. If you finish top of your class at OSU while only paying one year's worth of tuition you'll have won the law school game. If you go to Chicago at sticker you certainly won't have, and that's without even taking into account your unusual personal situation. Don't do this.

[Nebby]

I'm going to go with don't transfer, since it appears you can accomplish your goals from where you're at.

[RaceJudicata]

ED Chicago. No way to know what your grades will be next semester, and based on last transfer cycle, spring grades didnt seem to matter much for Chicago ED.

Bad (or even marginally worse grades) may blow any biglaw shot in Columbus/Cleveland.

In the end, its a decision for you and your family... on paper Chicago makes the most sense, but leaving family and kids is not a choice i'd like to make. Good luck!