Is SMU law worth it? Forum

[General Tso]

If you want to work in California, go to school there.

yup. CA legal market is very tough to crack. I am a 1L at Hastings who has not yet found a job despite good grades. seems like grades don't even matter anymore...its all about connections these days

[holdencaulfield]

Currently an SMU undergrad, I've met with a few Dallas big law partners and spoken with them about opportunities in Dallas. They've talked to me about hiring and said that they will almost always interview top third or at least 25% at SMU (and UT) and only top 10% from Vandy and other more "national schools". Not necessarily because they think its a better school, but because of hiring reasons- cost of recruiting, yield, etc. One of them was a Vandy grad who said, if you want to stay in Dallas, just go to SMU.

This was true a couple of years ago. In last two years, the legal market in Dallas has been horrible (as is everywhere else). Many Biglaw firms canceled summer programs or only took a few students. I'm a 2L at SMU; every OCI since I have been here has been the same 15-20 students in the top 10% interviewing with the different biglaw firms. If you're below the top 10%, you need connections or luck to land a good paying summer gig. Further, I know at least three 3L's in the top 25% (two are on law review) who are struggling to find jobs. I know numerous other 3L's (whose class rank I don't know) who are also struggling.

I'm not trying to be a downer; SMU is a great school with incredible professors. I just want you to hear the current job prospects from a person with first hand knowledge. Also, I think the job market will come back; the kids starting this fall will likely hit the timing just right.

[sandaltan]

97% of SMU graduates are employed within 9 months of graduation. Top firms from Texas visit the campus annually. Average reported first-year private practice salary :$115,000.

and i hear the women are smoking hot, which might be more important.

and im expecting a meteoric economic turnaround.

[holdencaulfield]

97% of SMU graduates are employed within 9 months of graduation. Top firms from Texas visit the campus annually. Average reported first-year private practice salary :$115,000.

and i hear the women are smoking hot, which might be more important.

and im expecting a meteoric economic turnaround.

...not quite the case, but I like your enthusiasm.

[MrAnon]

The employment prospects are so bad for SMU grads that the school pays Texas employers to hire its students on a temporary basis in the year following graduation. The program enables them to report that 97% of their grads are employed 9 months after graduation. You can correctly guess that very few of those students stay employed once the stipend runs out.

http://abovethelaw.com/2010/05/smu-will ... graduates/

As an alternative you could save yourself the trouble of 3 years of law school and identify a private employer you want to work for now. Then pay him $3k a month to take you on.

[kalvano]

The employment prospects are so bad for SMU grads that the school pays Texas employers to hire its students on a temporary basis in the year following graduation. The program enables them to report that 97% of their grads are employed 9 months after graduation. You can correctly guess that very few of those students stay employed once the stipend runs out.

http://abovethelaw.com/2010/05/smu-will ... graduates/

As an alternative you could save yourself the trouble of 3 years of law school and identify a private employer you want to work for now. Then pay him $3k a month to take you on.

I was going to post a nice response to this, but then I browsed through your posting history and I realized this is your "thing". You run around the board and post bullshit about every school. I bet if I were to look close, I'd find unreasonable bullshit about HYS.

So here. If it's good enough for SMU, I guess it's good enough for SMU.

http://abovethelaw.com/2010/06/the-secr ... -practice/

[MrAnon]

The employment prospects are so bad for SMU grads that the school pays Texas employers to hire its students on a temporary basis in the year following graduation. The program enables them to report that 97% of their grads are employed 9 months after graduation. You can correctly guess that very few of those students stay employed once the stipend runs out.

http://abovethelaw.com/2010/05/smu-will ... graduates/

As an alternative you could save yourself the trouble of 3 years of law school and identify a private employer you want to work for now. Then pay him $3k a month to take you on.

I was going to post a nice response to this, but then I browsed through your posting history and I realized this is your "thing". You run around the board and post bullshit about every school. I bet if I were to look close, I'd find unreasonable bullshit about HYS.

So here. If it's good enough for SMU, I guess it's good enough for SMU.

http://abovethelaw.com/2010/06/the-secr ... -practice/

Attacking me and my posts aren't going to make employment prospects better. I'll let the articles speak for themselves. Thanks for posting the article about Duke. The fact that even they are instituting such a program should serve as caution to those students at lower ranked schools who are preparing to take out major loans for school.

[MrAnon]

Jake - 6 months ago
And what about the JDs and LLMs who graduated from SMU in 2008 and 2009. I am one of them. Do these unemployed graduates qualify for the $3500 grant. I was in top 7% of my class. I didn't end with any offers. Even Doc Review Jobs were at $21 per hour in Downtown Dallas.

I'll continue to write more later. Or i'm just thinking of writing a blog and pasting the link here.

I love SMU, do not get me wrong. But my Law education didn't turn out to be a marketable achievement.


http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairp ... -113723987