Top Law Schools

Hello everyone,

I (as many others I am sure) would like to eventually work in NYC after graduating from school. One option I have been considering is Washington and Lee with a 40k/year scholarship. Does anyone attending W&L have any knowledge on how feasible it is to land a NYC job? Is W&L strictly a regional school?

Will be visiting soon, just want to learn as much as possible beforehand. Thanks in advance for any help!

Don't go to W&L expecting to get NY BigLaw. Between 2007-2010 11 percent of graduates ended up in NYC. Zero firms from OCI were from NY. While it's not impossible to go NY BigLaw from W&L it is very unlikely. E-mail Brett Twitty and ask to be put in contact with W&L alumni in the NYC area.
What are your other options?

So far, William and Mary (no money offered yet) and Cardozo (40k/year) are the only ones I am considering. I am still waiting to hear from Upenn (long shot), Fordham, BU, BC, and I was wait listed at Georgetown but am not counting on being pulled off it.

cardozo will give you a better chance at NY big law then W&L however it seems that its not impossible for W&L...fwiw im pretty sure ill be attending W&L with the 40 k over a full ride at dozo but im not really set on Ny as you are

The other point worth noting is that if you can score a solid job in the local market you could always lateral to NY a few years down the line (feasible, but not easy)

I'm an 0L and have no input but I had to pop in and say hi to a fellow Devils fan!

rinkrat19 wrote:I'm an 0L and have no input but I had to pop in and say hi to a fellow Devils fan!

Penguins kick ass!

Wat r ur other options. Dont go solely off ranking-geography is worth much more than 1 pt on usnews' ranking system.

dingbat wrote:

rinkrat19 wrote:I'm an 0L and have no input but I had to pop in and say hi to a fellow Devils fan!

Penguins kick ass!

3 cups in past 17 years don't lie. Though I can never hate the Pens, even as a Devils fan. Between the Flyers and Rangers, I have enough hatred to go around..

We have ourselves a game this afternoon. Go Devs!

Im a 2L at W&L. We do very well in NYC. Though most of our grads go south, we put more people in NYC than anywhere else in the north. You will find that we have a very good alumni network. It may be hard to swing big law though.... but then again everyone in the country is having a hard time swinging big law.

NJDevilsfan wrote:We have ourselves a game this afternoon. Go Devs!

I'm not gonna gloat

we put more people in NYC than anywhere else in the north

Is that saying something?

Going to a school outside of the T14 in the hopes of landing a corporate law job in NYC is really just dreaming. Yeah some people make the dream happen but largely these schools are like single A in the minors. Very rarely in the larger scheme does it happen. I'd say the T14 is like triple A, and the T6 is like being invited to spring training with the big club.

The larger point is that if you are playing in the low minors, more often than not, you lack the stuff to make it to the big leagues.

MrAnon wrote:The larger point is that if you are playing in the low minors, more often than not, you lack the stuff to make it to the big leagues.

Wow. Just wow.

RodneyBoonfield wrote:

MrAnon wrote:The larger point is that if you are playing in the low minors, more often than not, you lack the stuff to make it to the big leagues.

Wow. Just wow.

There is so much I could say about this, but, um, I lack the stuff

RodneyBoonfield wrote:

MrAnon wrote:The larger point is that if you are playing in the low minors, more often than not, you lack the stuff to make it to the big leagues.

Wow. Just wow.

What's so wow about this? Do greater than 50% of grads outside of the T14 get biglaw? They lack what the big leagues are looking for. Please don't tell me every T30 grad could do biglaw no problem. Yes it is true many turned down better schools for the scholarship, but the majority are just at the best school they could get into. So some law grads who could not even get into GULC are now going to make it in the world of corporate law? The majority cannot.

MrAnon wrote:

RodneyBoonfield wrote:

MrAnon wrote:The larger point is that if you are playing in the low minors, more often than not, you lack the stuff to make it to the big leagues.

Wow. Just wow.

What's so wow about this? Do greater than 50% of grads outside of the T14 get biglaw? They lack what the big leagues are looking for. Please don't tell me every T30 grad could do biglaw no problem. Yes it is true many turned down better schools for the scholarship, but the majority are just at the best school they could get into. So some law grads who could not even get into GULC are now going to make it in the world of corporate law? The majority cannot.

You must not be having a very good experience at law school. I hope that it improves!

I am not necessarily looking for the top job...just a job were I will be rewarded for working hard. That is why I am seriously considering Washington and Lee and their generous scholarship offer. I think that with little to no debt, I can find a job that turns into the dream job. I just know that I want to be around New York.

Ps...you win this time Pens fans.

a local NYC employer would be confused as to why you chose W&L. Most likely they will not have heard of the school and never met a graduate from it.

Ask yourself questions like this:

Would you attend Texas with the goal of working in Seattle?
Would you attend Wisconsin with the goal of working in Birmingham?
Would you attend Montana with the goal of working in Chicago?

There is something out of place you might say about each. While each school is subjectively good, there are better options if you want to be in the certain geographic area for a job. But the school is giving me money you say. The answer is that a lot of schools will give you money. If W&L will give you money then St. Johns will give you money. And St. John's is where you want to be.