Recently Graduated UT Law Student taking questions Forum

[timmyd]

I think, if anything, the no ranking policy helps students. Employers know roughly how the ranking breaks down. But at the edges, students might be considered top 10 or whatever percent even if, in reality, they are a few hundreds off. As far as national placement power, others are better equipped to answer that question. I sense that UT places nationally somewhat well, but not phenomenally. People act as if a large gap exists between UT and the t14. It depends on the metric one uses. UT's clerkship rates annually compete with mid level t14 schools. Large firm employment lags behind to a degree, but its still roughly equivalent to GULC.
In sum, UT fares best in Texas and neighboring states. But its a bit unfair to call it a strictly regional school. I know many students get NYC big law every year--at least some feed into Los Angeles as well.

[Hikikomorist]

Which professors/upper-level courses have multiple-choice finals?

[OtterLaw]

How high in the class does a UT student need to be to land a BigLaw job in Texas? I'm debating between riding out the waitlist at UT or just committing to UVA. Austin makes a lot of sense for what my husband and I both want professionally but UVA seems to have a wider reach nationally and well, they accepted me and UT hasn't yet. Any current or graduated students have thoughts?

[BasilHallward]

How high in the class does a UT student need to be to land a BigLaw job in Texas? I'm debating between riding out the waitlist at UT or just committing to UVA. Austin makes a lot of sense for what my husband and I both want professionally but UVA seems to have a wider reach nationally and well, they accepted me and UT hasn't yet. Any current or graduated students have thoughts?

It depends on your financial footing. If you're talking about attending UVA at sticker price, I cannot advocate going to UVA at 200k+. If your in-state for UT and your husband has better options in Austin job-wise, then UT makes sense. But going to UT at sticker (in-state) is a personal choice. UVA will give you more options if you slip below median grades, but nothing is a guarantee at either school. How much of a premium are you willing to pay for increased chances of BigLaw/Federal Clerkship/national reach flexibility? 50K? 100K? 150k?

[OtterLaw]

How high in the class does a UT student need to be to land a BigLaw job in Texas? I'm debating between riding out the waitlist at UT or just committing to UVA. Austin makes a lot of sense for what my husband and I both want professionally but UVA seems to have a wider reach nationally and well, they accepted me and UT hasn't yet. Any current or graduated students have thoughts?

It depends on your financial footing. If you're talking about attending UVA at sticker price, I cannot advocate going to UVA at 200k+. If your in-state for UT and your husband has better options in Austin job-wise, then UT makes sense. But going to UT at sticker (in-state) is a personal choice. UVA will give you more options if you slip below median grades, but nothing is a guarantee at either school. How much of a premium are you willing to pay for increased chances of BigLaw/Federal Clerkship/national reach flexibility? 50K? 100K? 150k?

With my GI Bill at 80%, UVA will only cost about 12K a year for tuition and fees. UT is free with GI Bill and Hazlewood Act (Texas resident) so I suppose I'm not terribly concerned with the price so much as the job possibilities. My husband will have an easier time making better money in Austin while I'm in school and we both just love Austin so I was leaning that direction from day one. But with only a waitlist offer I'm hesitant to plan for UT and honestly now just wondering if UVA isn't better for me anyway. So I suppose I'm asking what my job prospects in TX look like if I'm below median at UT because I feel like below median at UVA still opens a lot of doors.

[BigZuck]

How high in the class does a UT student need to be to land a BigLaw job in Texas? I'm debating between riding out the waitlist at UT or just committing to UVA. Austin makes a lot of sense for what my husband and I both want professionally but UVA seems to have a wider reach nationally and well, they accepted me and UT hasn't yet. Any current or graduated students have thoughts?

There's no real hard and fast answer here but I'd say generally you'd want to be about top 3rd to have a solid chance at big law (though it certainly happens for some people around medianish). TX big law would almost certainly be a lot easier to get from UVA. I wouldn't plan on Austin big law at any school though- it's a really small market and it's highly competitive.

[OtterLaw]

How high in the class does a UT student need to be to land a BigLaw job in Texas? I'm debating between riding out the waitlist at UT or just committing to UVA. Austin makes a lot of sense for what my husband and I both want professionally but UVA seems to have a wider reach nationally and well, they accepted me and UT hasn't yet. Any current or graduated students have thoughts?

There's no real hard and fast answer here but I'd say generally you'd want to be about top 3rd to have a solid chance at big law (though it certainly happens for some people around medianish). TX big law would almost certainly be a lot easier to get from UVA. I wouldn't plan on Austin big law at any school though- it's a really small market and it's highly competitive.

This is the kind of stuff I need to know. Thank you. This is a tough decision and I know we've all been there.

[BVest]

Which professors/upper-level courses have multiple-choice finals?

Smith - Oil & Gas (50%)
McCown - Texas Civ Pro (100%)
Dzienkowski - PR (75%) (But also a paper)
[adjuncts] - Texas Admin Law (100%) (But also a paper)
Rider - Real Estate Transactions (50%?)
Dix - Crim Pro Investigation (50% T/F)

This is not a list of courses I advise you take because you want an easy grade though, with one exception.

[Hikikomorist]

Which professors/upper-level courses have multiple-choice finals?

Smith - Oil & Gas (50%)
McCown - Texas Civ Pro (100%)
Dzienkowski - PR (75%) (But also a paper)
[adjuncts] - Texas Admin Law (100%) (But also a paper)
Rider - Real Estate Transactions (50%?)
Dix - Crim Pro Investigation (50% T/F)

This is not a list of courses I advise you take because you want an easy grade though, with one exception.

Thank you.

[cannibal ox]

Smith, Oil & Gas was actually at 33% MC this past fall.

Sokolow's Business Associations (spring) is 100% MC and T/F.

Take PR with Dzienkowski, and take the MPRE midway through the class. No downside if you fail (except the lost $80) and it'll lay a good groundwork for studying for Dz's final, which is basically the MPRE only written better.

[Hikikomorist]

Smith, Oil & Gas was actually at 33% MC this past fall.

Sokolow's Business Associations (spring) is 100% MC and T/F.

Take PR with Dzienkowski, and take the MPRE midway through the class. No downside if you fail (except the lost $80) and it'll lay a good groundwork for studying for Dz's final, which is basically the MPRE only written better.

Really good advice. Thanks for this!

[dizzydg]

Was looking at early registration and thinking of the following classes:

Strong for evidence
DZ for prof respons.
smith for Oil and gas
Wagner Smr Science and the Law
Woolley for federal courts
Morse for financial methods
Mullenix for Mass Tort Lit
Jasper or Sharp for Adv legal writing: lit
Johanson for Wills and Estates
Not sure who would be good for Con Law II requirement either.

Any info or recs on the following classes would be much appreciated! shout out to the 1Ls who turned in their briefs today

[WokeUpInACar]

Was looking at early registration and thinking of the following classes:

Strong for evidence
DZ for prof respons.
smith for Oil and gas
Wagner Smr Science and the Law
Woolley for federal courts
Morse for financial methods
Mullenix for Mass Tort Lit
Jasper or Sharp for Adv legal writing: lit
Johanson for Wills and Estates
Not sure who would be good for Con Law II requirement either.

Any info or recs on the following classes would be much appreciated! shout out to the 1Ls who turned in their briefs today

Morse for Financial Methods is a pretty easy pass/fail class. Basically you've just gotta show up to class almost every time, take like 6 easy online quizzes, and do a few Excel exercises and you pass. And it's essentially over by this part of the semester. Relatively useful if you don't know anything about finance/accounting and want to know the basics.

Johanson for Wills and Estates... Basically just don't do it. He's a funny old man and he knows his shit, but that class had the most raw material of any law school class I've taken. It's just a shitload of work. The only people I'd recommend to take that class are those who are really strongly considering entering that area of law. He's basically the best in his field and has tons of connections, so it could be really great if you're deadset on Estate Planning or whatever.

[BigZuck]

Was looking at early registration and thinking of the following classes:

Strong for evidence
DZ for prof respons.
smith for Oil and gas
Wagner Smr Science and the Law
Woolley for federal courts
Morse for financial methods
Mullenix for Mass Tort Lit
Jasper or Sharp for Adv legal writing: lit
Johanson for Wills and Estates
Not sure who would be good for Con Law II requirement either.

Any info or recs on the following classes would be much appreciated! shout out to the 1Ls who turned in their briefs today

DZ and Morse for sursies

Advanced Criminal Defense is also a MUST TAKE. I don't care that it's on Friday or that you don't want to do criminal law or litigation, stop thinking about it and just take it.

Eta: This advice is for everyone

[ScottRiqui]

Was looking at early registration and thinking of the following classes:

Strong for evidence
DZ for prof respons.
smith for Oil and gas
Wagner Smr Science and the Law
Woolley for federal courts
Morse for financial methods
Mullenix for Mass Tort Lit
Jasper or Sharp for Adv legal writing: lit
Johanson for Wills and Estates
Not sure who would be good for Con Law II requirement either.

Any info or recs on the following classes would be much appreciated! shout out to the 1Ls who turned in their briefs today

Ditto the recommendation for DZ for Professional Responsibility. Also, try to take the MPRE the same semester you're taking the class; it doesn't matter that you won't have finished the class yet, and the prep you do for the MPRE will help with the PR final as well.

I took Strong for evidence and recommend him highly. He's an animated, interesting lecturer, and makes it clear what's going to be important. It also helps that the class is so rule-driven; make a bunch of flashcards for the rules and you'll be in good shape.

Rather than a Con Law II course, I satisfied the requirement by taking Crim Pro Investigations with Dix. It's an early class, and he's not the most exciting speaker, but he also doesn't cold-call, which is nice. The cases are interesting, and the rules are pretty straightforward. I have friends who basically just waited until the end of the semester to do all the reading as part of their exam prep, and they did well in the class.

[Hikikomorist]

Which classes/fill up especially quickly? And thanks for all the advice/info.

[BigZuck]

Which classes/fill up especially quickly? And thanks for all the advice/info.

Advanced legal writing, corporate governance, small classes with good grade distributions, small p/f classes

[WokeUpInACar]

Which classes/fill up especially quickly? And thanks for all the advice/info.

Most everything that is pass/fail, especially the advanced LRW classes, cross-listed classes with very favorable grade distributions such as Corporate Governance... Nothing that meets on Friday or early in the morning will fill up quickly.

Edit: lol so scooped

[BVest]

Was looking at early registration and thinking of the following classes:

Strong for evidence
DZ for prof respons. - Note, however, that when I took it there was a paper (only 5 pp) in addition to the final. But writing on ethics is quite dry.
smith for Oil and gas - I mean, it goes a little slow at times, but it's Ernie, so you gotta.
Wagner Smr Science and the Law
Woolley for federal courts
Morse for financial methods
Mullenix for Mass Tort Lit
Jasper or Sharp for Adv legal writing: lit
Johanson for Wills and Estates (BTW, if you're doing Barbri, you'll have enough Johanson and enough W&E; plus his exam damn near killed romanticegotist)
Not sure who would be good for Con Law II requirement either.

My recommendations from your questions are above.

Like ScottRiqui, I enjoyed Crim Pro Investigations with Dix, but it was also my lowest grade in LS. 200 T/F questions followed by 3 essays in a 3-hour exam.

I enjoyed FIT with Peroni and did well in it, but that has to be your sort of thing.

If you want to take BA, take it when Sokolow is teaching. I made the mistake of not doing that.

If you're looking to practice lit in Texas, Texas Civ Pro is a useful course.

Texas Admin Law has a good grade distribution, but it's not exactly a challenging course (or all that interesting if you're not into that stuff).

In addition to the advanced writing/research classes, the short courses and negotiation courses fill up fast.

[cannibal ox]

Smith for O&G is a good class if you're lazy. No attendance policy, (the rare) cold calls can be answered with "I have no idea," and there's an outline that goes word-for-word with what Smith teaches (except the environmental stuff that he spends 2 days on at the end of the semester).

If you don't rank Corp Gov #1, you won't get it. Super boring. Super easy. The title looks impressive during OCI unless your interviewer has taken it, in which case you can chuckle a bit because everyone knows what the deal is with Corp Gov.

Looks like Farnsworth isn't teaching his pass/fail class next year, but if it pops up, take that. Easy pass/fail and he's such an interesting/goofy guy, but very very smart and you'll inevitably find something he teaches about interesting, even if you try hard not to pay attention the entire semester.

[Hikikomorist]

Was looking at early registration and thinking of the following classes:

Strong for evidence
DZ for prof respons. - Note, however, that when I took it there was a paper (only 5 pp) in addition to the final. But writing on ethics is quite dry.
smith for Oil and gas - I mean, it goes a little slow at times, but it's Ernie, so you gotta.
Wagner Smr Science and the Law
Woolley for federal courts
Morse for financial methods
Mullenix for Mass Tort Lit
Jasper or Sharp for Adv legal writing: lit
Johanson for Wills and Estates (BTW, if you're doing Barbri, you'll have enough Johanson and enough W&E; plus his exam damn near killed romanticegotist)
Not sure who would be good for Con Law II requirement either.

My recommendations from your questions are above.

Like ScottRiqui, I enjoyed Crim Pro Investigations with Dix, but it was also my lowest grade in LS. 200 T/F questions followed by 3 essays in a 3-hour exam.

I enjoyed FIT with Peroni and did well in it, but that has to be your sort of thing.

If you want to take BA, take it when Sokolow is teaching. I made the mistake of not doing that.

If you're looking to practice lit in Texas, Texas Civ Pro is a useful course.

Texas Admin Law has a good grade distribution, but it's not exactly a challenging course (or all that interesting if you're not into that stuff).

In addition to the advanced writing/research classes, the short courses and negotiation courses fill up fast.

What's Peroni's final like? Could you elaborate on your BA experience? How heavily do you think the T/F questions were weighted on Dix's final?

[BVest]

What's Peroni's final like? Could you elaborate on your BA experience? How heavily do you think the T/F questions were weighted on Dix's final?

Here's what my notes say from Peroni's class. I don't really remember the exam except that there was one essay and the exam was 4 hours I think.

75-90% Mult Choice
-No "none of the above"
-No guessing penalty
Essay/Short Answer
-Fully Open Book/Notes/etc.
-Often from hypos in class

IIRC, Dix's MC was half the credit, so approximately 0.25% per question.

[Hikikomorist]

Any thoughts on Littwin for Bankruptcy or Graglia for Antitrust?

[BigZuck]

Any thoughts on Littwin for Bankruptcy or Graglia for Antitrust?

"Back when Graglia was in school, history was a subject that hadn't been invented yet."

-Olin "Guy" Wellborn

Also you ever looked at Littwin's evals?

[87mm]

0L here with a recent and very appealing offer from UT:

How is the curve? Is it pretty relaxed or is it one of the more brutal ones in your opinion?

Also, how is the law school culture? Overall do you think it is pretty intense or more relaxed?

I know I sound like I want to coast through, but my goal is to get the best grades possible to secure a better financial future. I am curious about that and the texas biglaw culture. Anyone know how it compares to NY/LA/Chicago?

ATM I am debating UCLA and UT. Any input from a UT grad would help a ton. Thank you!