Top Law Schools

Hi everyone,

Having just finished 1L, I'm top 5% of my class at CCN and am considering applying to transfer to Yale. My goal is impact litigation, so Yale's placement in rarer PI jobs and its clerkship numbers are a big draw for me. I'm not currently receiving any aid from my school (which is also in an area with a much higher CoL than New Haven), so Yale would be preferable in that regard. Although I love my current city and school, I don't have any particular ties here that would be affected by a move.

I'm considering this very late in the game, maybe too late for it to be plausible anyway. I'm also not sure that I'd actually improve my employment prospects by doing this, particularly since my current school allows me to work in my target market during the academic term for organizations that I'm interested in future employment with. What are people's thoughts?

Dante181 wrote:Hi everyone,

Having just finished 1L, I'm top 5% of my class at CCN and am considering applying to transfer to Yale. My goal is impact litigation, so Yale's placement in rarer PI jobs and its clerkship numbers are a big draw for me.

Clerking is not a good reason to transfer. You're top 5% at CCN; if you want to clerk, you're getting a clerkship unless you have a personality disorder. Transferring to YLS could actually hurt your clerkship chances a bit, particularly if your goal is to clerk immediately after graduation.

The impact litigation/PI thing is a potentially decent reason to transfer, but I think you need to think a little more about what YLS is going to do for you in this regard. Is there a particular area of PI (and particular clinics/professors) that YLS helps you with that your current school lacks? If so, and if you're prepared to immediately start making the connections you'll need at YLS to help you with that that particular area of PI, then transfer. But if you're seeing this in an 0L-ish "I'd like to impact litigation in some way" light, then I would stay where you are.

At the end of the day, you have enough time to get your materials together to apply. Nothing wrong with tossing an application out. You can always decide not to go. You should be able to secure a clerkship at either school. You should have amazing options at either school. It really depends on where you'd rather be for the next two years. Will you qualify for need-based aid at Yale? If so, you might end up saving money if you get in.

If you're already at NYU, I'm not sure going to Yale would help you significantly more with PI/impact litigation. Between NYU's LRAP, clinics (including those with ties to the ACLU, Lambda, Equal Justice Initiative, Brennan Center, NYCLU, etc.), and extracurricular opportunities available simply by virtue of being in NYC, I can't imagine Yale honestly would offer you more. Can't speak for Columbia and Chicago.

NoDayButToday wrote:If you're already at NYU, I'm not sure going to Yale would help you significantly more with PI/impact litigation. Between NYU's LRAP, clinics (including those with ties to the ACLU, Lambda, Equal Justice Initiative, Brennan Center, NYCLU, etc.), and extracurricular opportunities available simply by virtue of being in NYC, I can't imagine Yale honestly would offer you more. Can't speak for Columbia and Chicago.

Given that he has actually taken his finals- I think I can safely say he's not at Chicago.




Also I should study more...

What type of impact lit? Are you doing impact lit this summer?

Necho2 wrote:

NoDayButToday wrote:If you're already at NYU, I'm not sure going to Yale would help you significantly more with PI/impact litigation. Between NYU's LRAP, clinics (including those with ties to the ACLU, Lambda, Equal Justice Initiative, Brennan Center, NYCLU, etc.), and extracurricular opportunities available simply by virtue of being in NYC, I can't imagine Yale honestly would offer you more. Can't speak for Columbia and Chicago.

Given that he has actually taken his finals- I think I can safely say he's not at Chicago.




Also I should study more...

And given that s/he has grades, I think likely not NYU either lol - but just saying

Playing "let's out school of the 'CCN' poster" is one of TLS's weirder pastimes.

rpupkin wrote:

Dante181 wrote:Hi everyone,

Having just finished 1L, I'm top 5% of my class at CCN and am considering applying to transfer to Yale. My goal is impact litigation, so Yale's placement in rarer PI jobs and its clerkship numbers are a big draw for me.

Clerking is not a good reason to transfer. You're top 5% at CCN; if you want to clerk, you're getting a clerkship unless you have a personality disorder. Transferring to YLS could actually hurt your clerkship chances a bit, particularly if your goal is to clerk immediately after graduation.

The impact litigation/PI thing is a potentially decent reason to transfer, but I think you need to think a little more about what YLS is going to do for you in this regard. Is there a particular area of PI (and particular clinics/professors) that YLS helps you with that your current school lacks? If so, and if you're prepared to immediately start making the connections you'll need at YLS to help you with that that particular area of PI, then transfer. But if you're seeing this in an 0L-ish "I'd like to impact litigation in some way" light, then I would stay where you are.

jw but when transferring from a t-14 to hys, is it unlikely to have your 1L professors write recommendations/call for you? i know it's commonly said that when transferring, clerkship chances are lowered but assuming you have 1L professors willing to write/call on your behalf, is it still the case that clerkship chances are decreased by a "considerable" margin?

sanzgo wrote:

rpupkin wrote:

Dante181 wrote:Hi everyone,

Having just finished 1L, I'm top 5% of my class at CCN and am considering applying to transfer to Yale. My goal is impact litigation, so Yale's placement in rarer PI jobs and its clerkship numbers are a big draw for me.

Clerking is not a good reason to transfer. You're top 5% at CCN; if you want to clerk, you're getting a clerkship unless you have a personality disorder. Transferring to YLS could actually hurt your clerkship chances a bit, particularly if your goal is to clerk immediately after graduation.

The impact litigation/PI thing is a potentially decent reason to transfer, but I think you need to think a little more about what YLS is going to do for you in this regard. Is there a particular area of PI (and particular clinics/professors) that YLS helps you with that your current school lacks? If so, and if you're prepared to immediately start making the connections you'll need at YLS to help you with that that particular area of PI, then transfer. But if you're seeing this in an 0L-ish "I'd like to impact litigation in some way" light, then I would stay where you are.

jw but when transferring from a t-14 to hys, is it unlikely to have your 1L professors write recommendations/call for you? i know it's commonly said that when transferring, clerkship chances are lowered but assuming you have 1L professors willing to write/call on your behalf, is it still the case that clerkship chances are decreased by a "considerable" margin?

Why did you put "considerable" in quotes? You're not quoting me; I suggested only that transferring from CCN to YLS could "hurt your clerkship chances a bit, particularly if your goal is to clerk immediately after graduation."

And, yes, one reason transferring can hurt your chances is that your 1L professors are more likely to go out of their way to support the students who remain at the school. I'm sure your 1L professors will still write rec letters for you, but they're likely going to save their most enthusiastic recommendations (and their phone calls) for the top students who didn't transfer out.

To begin with, congratulations and great work. Either way you decide at this point should be good for you.

This is one of the few situations where I could imagine it being worth considering a transfer from CCN (no aid and wanting the boost for impact lit/clerking purposes).

I think a big question I'd be asking is what type of relationships have been developed with your professors so far? If strong, are they the type that can help in your desired areas? Yale obviously sends a lot of people into those more unicorny lit jobs than CCN, but those schools aren't devoid of resources either.

Secondarily, would you qualify for need based aid? YLS has been known to give out very significant aid packages if you do. Coupled with the decreased cost of living in new haven, that could be some major savings.

Lastly, look closely at the LRAP plans. For example, are you SOL with respect to your current loans if you transfer? I don't know much about the policies - but I'd be very surprised if Yale would cover the balance you've incurred at your current school.

Best of luck to you, I'd love to hear what you decide and how it goes!