Cardozo 3L taking questions... Forum

[dgb87]

If anyone has questions about Cardozo, feel free to message on here or for a quicker response, PM me...

[Yossarian79]

If you know anything about public interest at Cardozo, what's the overall "vibe?" Is there relative institutional support and/or focus? Does the Innocence Project still have any real institutional connection to the school?

And of course, what's the attitude of folks about the job market? I know the stats, but I'm curious to gauge the level of panic or calm felt by current students.

[dgb87]

Public interest gets a ton of support at Cardozo. They have an awesome stipend program and a lot of connections in the public interest world of NYC. Similarly, yes the innocence project is also still very connected to the school. It is a year long clinic you can apply for in your second and third year, which also includes your summer internship that year.

I'm going into my 3l year so I can't comment as in detail about jobs at graduation really, though many of my older friends do have jobs...I am the only one of my friends without a legal job this summer...and that is by choice( I no longer want to be a lawyer so I'm spending my summer doing real estate which will be my career when I graduate). Most of my friends have very good jobs either at large firms paid or with federal judges.

Let me know if u have any other questions!

[dgb87]

Subject: Cardozo 3L taking questions...





This is in response to a PM I got. Hope this helps!

-What's the general attitude/ atmosphere at Cardozo? I.e. in light of the economy, being in NYC with many competitive schools.

Answer: The economy is going to be a factor at every school in this range...that being said, for my  group of friends, although the hunt wasn't as easy as it probably is at NYU or Columbia, they all secured good 2l summer jobs in fields where they want to work. Also, most attorneys that I meet in NYC always say that Cardozo produces good lawyers, so that to me signals that put school is respected in the industry. 

-How do you find your peers? Specifically, what's the age range? Is it a healthy mix of K-JD and people with experience or is it skewed towards one or the other?

Answer: My classmates vary in age. I came right from school, but there are also a good mix of ppl that worked before coming to law school. One of my favorite things about Cardozo is how laid back it is. The school does not do a numbered ranking system, (just a percentage rank) so this  takes some of the pressure off and allows you to be less competitive with your classmates. I find this really important because that way people have your back more and will study with you an share outlines etc. 

-How is Career Service? I've heard some not so fantastic things from alumni.

Answer: This is generally a correct assessment of last year. However, we got a new dean of career services in the middle of this year and she is amazing! She actually is personally responsible for getting a friend of mine a federal judge externship. (which are very difficult to get) 

-How's the employment situation? Is it the dire "top 10% or else you live in a carboard box on 3rd Avenue" or better than that? How many people know their jobs at graduation or find something within a couple months of graduating/ taking the bar?

Answer: Since I'm just going into my 3l year I can't comment that accurately on the graduation job experience. But many of the 3ls I do know have jobs.  If you want big law then yes, it's top 10%, maybe 15% or bust. But there is a whole other world of employment options in new York that still pay well and don't force you to work 90 hours a week. If you want public interest, cardozos career services is really good with that...


-Do you know how well Cardozo does with clerk ships? I've seen the ABA and LST numbers, but I'm curious to hear it from an actual Cardozo student.

Answer: I'm not sure about this as I've never been interested in clerking. I believe we do ok, but I really don't have a lot of meaningful insight on this. The only comment I will say is that we do have a lot of judicial internships which tend to be very helpful if you want to go on to clerk bc a lot of judges like to hire from past interns.

-Why did you choose Cardozo?

Answer: 2 reasons...1) I got a full ride and I wasn't positive if I wanted to be a lawyer, but if I did want to do law, I thought I wanted to do ip...and cardozo has an amazing IP program. ( all of my fav classes have been ip) 2. I fell in love with the school when I visited and it just felt right. ( I chose full ride at Cardozo over going to Cornell, and I have no regrets) 

-Would you tell someone else to choose Cardozo and why?

Answer: I would recommend Cardozo, for many of the reasons above. The administration does a lot for the students if they can, the professors are incredible, and it's in the top legal market in the world. But, choosing a school is a very tough and personal decision and ultimately you have to like the school yourself. Visit the school during the week and talk to people. I cannot stress enough how important laid back classmates are, as you don't want to be around all the stressed competitive students during finals!



Glad I can help out and answer questions! Also if you guys do decide to attend Cardozo and need help finding an apartment in the city, I am working in real estate and I give a discount to Cardozo students and Alumni...and TLS users...so feel free to contact me at dani@tmrp.com or PM me!

[nyuwithbadgrades]

If you want big law then yes, it's top 10%, maybe 15% or bust. But there is a whole other world of employment options in new York that still pay well and don't force you to work 90 hours a week.

Could you elaborate a bit on this? I have bad grades at NYU and may very well strike out with Biglaw, so I'm interested to know what types of NYC jobs entail "well-paid but not biglaw"?

[Easy-E]

Can I ask why you spent 3 years in law school and are now working in real estate? That isn't meant as a jab or anything, but it isn't really a glowing endorsement of the school, is it?

[MrAnon]

You no longer want to do law? Thats a little suspicious. What was your 1L summer job. What are your grades. Did you try OCI? Have you looked for any legal job since law school started?

[dgb87]

To the people asking about my grades and why I don't want to be a lawyer: I'm in the top 30%, and I was on a Journal during my 2L year. I'm on a full ride, and I had offers for legal jobs this summer that I turned down because I absolutely do not want to be a lawyer. It is a personal decision, I'm branching out into business, specifically real estate development (when I graduate), but I am using my summer to gain experience in the industry over all. I personally do not want the stress of a legal career, but because I'm on a full scholarship and it's not costing me anything I want to get my degree.

Last summer (1L), I worked at a legal services firm in NYC and gained a lot of experience, which allowed me to realize the legal career was not for me. That being said, I do like my school, I just think that I personally will be happier not being a lawyer.

I did not participate in OCI at all, because I did not want legal employment, and applied to NO legal jobs for the summer. (I received offers from 2 attorneys I worked with during my 1L summer who branched out to private practice).

I am working in real estate because I enjoy it, and I am good at it, and it is lucrative.

[dgb87]

If you want big law then yes, it's top 10%, maybe 15% or bust. But there is a whole other world of employment options in new York that still pay well and don't force you to work 90 hours a week.

Could you elaborate a bit on this? I have bad grades at NYU and may very well strike out with Biglaw, so I'm interested to know what types of NYC jobs entail "well-paid but not biglaw"?

Sure, my GF for example works for a mid-size real estate firm, and will make around $11,000 this summer, and will likely receive an offer at the end of the summer. Not sure what the offer will entail exactly, but it will probably be in the $70K area, based on past offers. Just one example, but there are other jobs out there, but people on this site are obsessed with Big Law...

[DrakeTempt]

May I ask why Cardozo's rankings have declined for the past three years? Any correlation with the falling number of law school applicants? A smaller pool of applicants generally means lower quality students. I imagine that the world is finally catching on about the legal job market, and that Fordham would be the lowest ranked school in NY they would attend.

[wingedwolf]

May I ask why Cardozo's rankings have declined for the past three years? Any correlation with the falling number of law school applicants? A smaller pool of applicants generally means lower quality students. I imagine that the world is finally catching on about the legal job market, and that Fordham would be the lowest ranked school in NY they would attend.

I have the same question. Has the school commented on this? Are they trying to raise their rankings to be top 50 once again? Also, how would you say Cardozo is viewed in light of Fordham (I'm obviously excluding NYU and CU) by the NYC populace?