Top Law Schools

Does it exist?

I'm from Florida and I'm very interested in big law and the big salary.

Can going to UF and FSU get me there? or is big law mainly a NY thing and I need to go to a T14.

Do most people go to law school where they want to practice?

Is it stupid for someone to go Boston University when they plan on moving to Ft. Lauderdale?

At what point do you not pick the higher rated school?

Hopefully someone can give me some perspective. Until then I'll be working on these "weaken" questions.

Florida biglaw is a very small field with very few entry level positions. Getting it will require stellar credentials, great interviewing skills, and a lot of luck. There's a very large chance that even if you do everything right (top school, top grades, etc.) you won't get any offers from a FL biglaw firm.

That said, the people who get it are top of their class (top 5-10% and law review) and UF / FSU / UMiami and people with strong ties to the state who go to a T14 (grades are much less important, but you would generally want at least median aside from HYS). Honestly the people at the top of UF probably have a better chance of getting FL biglaw, because firms won't so much question their dedication to the state, but at the same time if you don't get these top grades (and there's no reason to think that you will), you'll be in pretty bad shape w/r/t biglaw.

Your best option is to go to the best school you get in to, apply to FL firms and see what happens, but understand that you probably won't get a job in FL and you should also apply to a large market, such as New York or DC. If you work at a firm in one of these places, you have a much better chance of lateraling to a firm in FL.

As an attorney who practices in Fort Lauderdale, who graduated from UF Law within the last 5 years, this is my take.

As someone already said, Big Law in Florida is a small market, and very tough to get into. My friends from law school who got into Florida Big Law were all top 5%, law review type people.

louierodriguez wrote:Does it exist?

I'm from Florida and I'm very interested in big law and the big salary.

Can going to UF and FSU get me there? or is big law mainly a NY thing and I need to go to a T14.

Do most people go to law school where they want to practice?

Is it stupid for someone to go Boston University when they plan on moving to Ft. Lauderdale?

At what point do you not pick the higher rated school?

Hopefully someone can give me some perspective. Until then I'll be working on these "weaken" questions.

Most people choose a school based on a combination of job placement success, price and location. Most schools only place locally so you should be aware of that when choosing a school. Also going to school in the area you want to practice means you have a chance to get to know lawyers and to maybe clerk part time.

Yes going to Boston if you plan on moving to Florida is stupid.

badaboom61 wrote:Your best option is to go to the best school you get in to, apply to FL firms and see what happens, but understand that you probably won't get a job in FL and you should also apply to a large market, such as New York or DC. If you work at a firm in one of these places, you have a much better chance of lateraling to a firm in FL.

Just want to clarify that this is only true if the best school(s) you get into are T14. Going to UCLA to get Florida biglaw would be a fool's errand. If it's a lower T14 at sticker, then you have to evaluate how FL biglaw or bust you are, because UF or FSU at a significant discount might be better for your goals. But all you can control right now is how well you do on the LSAT, so set your sights high, kill it and then enjoy a plethora of great options.

Holland and Knight bros stylin' on the Ft. Lauderdale Sizzler's scene.

badaboom61 wrote:Florida biglaw is a very small field with very few entry level positions. Getting it will require stellar credentials, great interviewing skills, and a lot of luck. There's a very large chance that even if you do everything right (top school, top grades, etc.) you won't get any offers from a FL biglaw firm.

That said, the people who get it are top of their class (top 5-10% and law review) and UF / FSU / UMiami and people with strong ties to the state who go to a T14 (grades are much less important, but you would generally want at least median aside from HYS). Honestly the people at the top of UF probably have a better chance of getting FL biglaw, because firms won't so much question their dedication to the state, but at the same time if you don't get these top grades (and there's no reason to think that you will), you'll be in pretty bad shape w/r/t biglaw.

Your best option is to go to the best school you get in to, apply to FL firms and see what happens, but understand that you probably won't get a job in FL and you should also apply to a large market, such as New York or DC. If you work at a firm in one of these places, you have a much better chance of lateraling to a firm in FL.

so say u work in dc or new york for 2-4 years and them move to florida. Do u have to take the bar exam again? (sorry if it is a silly question)

deebanger wrote:
so say u work in dc or new york for 2-4 years and them move to florida. Do u have to take the bar exam again? (sorry if it is a silly question)

Probably yes (although there might be some exceptions if you take FL bar in first place and use that to practice in DC, I don't know exactly what the rule is there).

badaboom61 wrote:

deebanger wrote:
so say u work in dc or new york for 2-4 years and them move to florida. Do u have to take the bar exam again? (sorry if it is a silly question)

Probably yes (although there might be some exceptions if you take FL bar in first place and use that to practice in DC, I don't know exactly what the rule is there).

wait, so its possible for u to take the bar in florida and use that to work in dc/new york?

Florida doesn't have reciprocity with any other state, so if you took the bar in NY you'd have to take the exam again to practice in Florida (you have to be admitted in every state where you practice unless it's a one time thing and you can get pro hac vice status by affiliating with local counsel). If Florida had reciprocity, you could practice in NY for (usually) 5 years and then apply to be admitted by doing C&F but not taking the actual exam.

DC lets anyone who passed the bar in another jurisdiction with a 133+ on the MBE and 75+ on the MPRE be admitted without taking the DC exam (so basically no one takes the DC bar exam. The February 2013 results lists 2 people). So if you were going to practice in DC, you could take the Florida bar, get admitted, and then waive into DC.

Of course, if you're practicing in a DC firm that doesn't have any Florida offices they might wonder why you were taking the Florida bar, but that's a different issue.