Top Law Schools

How much does the school you attend impact job prospects? It seems to be that everyone tries to go to the highest rank school they can get into but is that really the best route?

For example, if I wanted to eventually work BigLaw in NYC, must I attend a school in New York? Doesn't that defeat the entire purpose? So I shouldn't go to Vanderbilt over Fordham, even though it's a higher ranking? I guess what I'm asking is, if I get into t14, it doesn't matter because I can get a job. Otherwise, ranking is irrelevant?

If you want to work in biglaw at all, you basically need to set your sights on the T14, full stop.

The part that seems to be causing confusion is that lower-ranked schools also have the ability to place students in biglaw, but the drop-off is pretty steep once you get past Cornell. So in a lower-ranked school, if you want to work in biglaw, you have to plan on working regionally and hope you'll be in the top third (at least) of your class. And when you go even lower in the rankings, you generally need to be in the top 10%.

That said, it's important to look at the specific job stats for the schools you're considering. Look at where they're placing graduates and what jobs they're placing them in.