Top Law Schools

Background Need-To-Know-Info:

Undergraduate: DePaul University (Maj. Philosophy, Min. Psychology)
GPA: 2.98
December 2013 LSAT: 155, 63rd percentile
Retaking LSAT in June 2014

Now, this is where I need some peace of mind.

I am 22 and live in the suburbs of Chicago with my parents. My dad owns 4 commercial real estate properties downtown and 2 residential properties. All of the properties have tenants. My dad pays lawyers to handle the business/legal end of his work.

What I see in my future is 1) I go to law school. 2) I "take-over" my dad's business and do the work he pays others (lawyers) to do myself.

MY QUESTION IS: Is it necessary that I go to a Tier-1 law school? Now, I see that my LSAT score and GPA won't get me into, say, Northwestern or University of Chicago. I was researching today and thought maybe I could go to Chicago-Kent Law School and work towards specializing in Business Law, Corporate Law, Commercial Real Estate Law, etc. -- something along those lines that will allow me to take my dad's business to the next level. Going to a prestigious law school might increase my chances of working for a big company. But the reason I want to go to law school is not to work for a company, but to advance my dad's business.

My dad is first generation American, born and raised in India. He didn't go to college and worked as a janitor and then got himself into the taxicab business, ultimately buying a few Medallions that led to bigger purchases (commercial real estate). Obviously I have no experience in any of this which is why I was hoping someone could provide me with some insight?

Thanks - Rahul

You won't be able to take over anything for your dad out of school. You'll need to actually learn how to be a lawyer once you graduate.

Hi - I locked your other thread because it's basically a duplicate of this one, and duplicate threads aren't allowed. I kept this one because it provides more detail. If you have any questions about policies feel free to PM me.

I understand what you're saying: getting a job after law school will give me the experience that will be necessary to handle the related work of my dad's business.

But on my question regarding the ranking of the law school.. that means it will matter because it will affect the job I get post-grad.

I don't get it.. is it hard for people to make connections and find jobs during their time in law school? Don't they offer internships/networking opportunities that can help you find employment? Why are so many people left with nothing on their plate except a degree after graduating?

Roughly 40,000 students graduate from law school every year. There are roughly 23,000 entry level legal jobs available each year. Two things make up 95% of finding a job: school and grades. Networking is all well and good, but it's of limited usefulness.

Post removed.

At 22, I think you should learn your father's business inside and out before you make a decision to go to law school just to reduce the legal costs. You're putting the cart before the horse here.

You don't need to go to law school to takeover your dad's current real estate.

Balthy wrote:At 22, I think you should learn your father's business inside and out before you make a decision to go to law school just to reduce the legal costs. You're putting the cart before the horse here.

This.

How much does your dad spend on legal fees per year? Is it high enough to justify taking out 150K in loans? Paying a lot of money for law school to save a few thousand dollars in business expenses would be like cutting off your hand to treat a splinter.