Top Law Schools

I'm a 1L here in Louisville at the Brandeis School of Law. I've lived in Kentucky for six years, and have lived previously in Oregon, Vermont, Ohio, and Indiana. I applied to about a dozen law schools last year, was accepted or wait listed at most of them, and am generally pleased with my decision to stay here in Louisville. Ask away.

- alex

Blog: http://uofllawschool.blogspot.com/

Sheesh, no questions at all? I know we're #98, but someone must be interested, right?

How are the facilities there?

For the fifth oldest law school in the nation in continuous operation, most of the facilities are on the new side. Library is newer, and because many students don't live on campus it's rarely full. Classrooms are spacious, good wifi access, and very nice seats. The student areas in the basement are pretty crappy. We have a pingpong table, some vending machines, and that's about it. There is a shiny new fountain out front, but it doesn't do a whole lot for me. I would give the overall facilities a B, although I haven't visited many other law schools. Also, keep in mind that the tuition here is very affordable, especially if you're in-state. My total expenses including scholarship are about $7k/yr.

Which bar do you prefer: The Granville or The Tavern?

This may be heretical, but I've never been to either. I would submit, however, that Louisville may be one of the best drinking cities in the nation, both because of generous liquor licensing laws and relatively cheap prices. There are literally hundreds of bars within five miles of campus, some of which offer craft brews at $3 or so a pint, and domestics for $2 or less. My favorite bars, in random order: Nachbar; Cumberland Brews; O'Shea's; Backdoor; Frankfort Avenue Beer Depot.

bizjunkie4 wrote:This may be heretical, but I've never been to either. I would submit, however, that Louisville may be one of the best drinking cities in the nation, both because of generous liquor licensing laws and relatively cheap prices. There are literally hundreds of bars within five miles of campus, some of which offer craft brews at $3 or so a pint, and domestics for $2 or less. My favorite bars, in random order: Nachbar; Cumberland Brews; O'Shea's; Backdoor; Frankfort Avenue Beer Depot.

Ahhh, you're a good beer/hipstery bar kind of guy. My old standby was the Old Hickory in Germantown - they had $2 well bourbon and let you violate the smoking ban.

But it burned down last year

How is U of L scholarship-wise? My numbers are way above the medians, but I'm a Louisville native and some kind of sexy scholarship would be pretty boss. I have trouble finding very enticing info at sites like LSN, but I don't know if that's because Louisville doesn't offer many scholarships or because sites like LSN tend to trend towards people who apply at higher-ranked schools.

Sphagetti Factory!! OM NOM NOM NOM

No, but in all seriousness, how's the legal market in both Louisville and Lexington/Frank? How does U of L compare to UK graduates?

tinsleyc1 wrote:How is U of L scholarship-wise? My numbers are way above the medians, but I'm a Louisville native and some kind of sexy scholarship would be pretty boss. I have trouble finding very enticing info at sites like LSN, but I don't know if that's because Louisville doesn't offer many scholarships or because sites like LSN tend to trend towards people who apply at higher-ranked schools.

My friend was 3.5/173 and got a full scholly there. On the other hand, I was 3.4/171 and they only offered me 5k/year Make of that what you will.

What are their main academic strengths? What areas of focus are there for 2nd and 3rd year students?

Sorry for the delays in responding to above questions. I would say that Louisville is fairly average with scholarships, but it's important, at least in my opinion, to view this in the context of very affordable tuition, especially if you are in-state. Full rides are rare, but quarter or half tuition is not uncommon, especially if you have strong numbers. Strengths for the school overall include oral advocacy and public service, but as a 1L, I honestly have my head buried in core subjects this year so the school's Web site or an upper-level student might be able to provide a better answer. There are clinical externships available for upper level students. Some of them are discussed here: --LinkRemoved--

For jobs, Louisville is unquestionably the biggest legal market in the state/region. For top students, this means a starting salary around $100k, in one of the most affordable medium-sized cities in America. I would take this any day over $140k in NYC or D.C. with a two-hour commute, an unfriendly atmosphere, and houses that start at $350k. That said, the job market anywhere is rough right now, so nothing is guaranteed. Glad I will be graduating in 2012, not this year.

Thanks for your post.

1. How is living downtown? Would this be a mistake? It seems pretty affordable. About how far is it the main part of it from the law school?

2. Louisville (the city itself) seems awesome. Pros/cons?

3. What do you like/dislike about the law school?

Hey, thank you for the post on Louisville. I should be hearing anytime after the 11th of January.

LSAT=149
GPA=3.7 (Allegheny College)
Great recs and personal statement
Alumni rec from Louisville area

What are my chances?

ochrymb wrote:Hey, thank you for the post on Louisville. I should be hearing anytime after the 11th of January.

LSAT=149
GPA=3.7 (Allegheny College)
Great recs and personal statement
Alumni rec from Louisville area

What are my chances?

Unfortunately, I'd say virtually no chance. Their LSAT median is 157. Even with a 4.0 that LSAT would not get you in. But all you have to lose is an application fee, so why not give it a shot?

EDIT - Unless URM, are you?

Yeah, really tough, but i fear this is the truth. I just can't crack the LSAT. Even worse, I am not an URM. I am already applied and don't care about the application fee. I guess only time will tell.

What does the 1L at Louisville think? Any chance? There are sucess stories...


Ochrymb

1. How is living downtown? Would this be a mistake? It seems pretty affordable. About how far is it the main part of it from the law school?

2. Louisville (the city itself) seems awesome. Pros/cons?

3. What do you like/dislike about the law school?

I'm not a law student, so I can't answer #3, but I am a Louisville native. I can't say that living downtown is necessarily any better or worse than living anywhere else, but in general Louisville's residential areas are very livable. I would avoid the West End. Downtown is relatively close to the law school, but then again, everywhere is fairly close to everywhere in Louisville. The city is awesome. It has a bit for everyone. There's the highlands for the hippies and hipsters, and there are unique bar scenes all over (and bars don't close until 4 AM). Overall, there's a great deal of liberal/progressive flavor to the city, but it's in Kentucky, so there's some old money southern charm to it as well. Also, like I mentioned, wherever you want to go in Louisville is probably no more than 20-25 minutes (if that) from wherever you are. You've also got the Derby and Thunder Over Louisville, among other things. If you're looking for a pleasant place to live, you could do a lot worse.

Hey there, Alex. Decided to repost my previous question just in case you missed it.

As most applicants are, I am quite nervous as we near acceptances (and rejections).

Here are my dismal numbers:
149 LSAT
3.7 GPA (Allegheny College)
3 strong letters of recommendation
Very solid personal statement
Alumni recommendation

Chances?

Have I seen you on campus?

I have a 3.67 from the University of Tennessee, and I have a 157 LSAT. I sent my application on the 4th of January. What do you think my chances are? Also, is it relatively affordable to live in the city? Thanks.

Volnatic, I think you are all but a lock for an admit at UL, and you should be able to get some $$$ as well, although not a huge amount. Go to lawschoolnumbers and you'll see your chances based on previous classes. There is an upward trend in both GPA and LSAT at Louisville, but not so much that you'll have to worry.

Will address other posts later today or tomorrow as time allows.

ochrymb wrote:Hey there, Alex. Decided to repost my previous question just in case you missed it.

As most applicants are, I am quite nervous as we near acceptances (and rejections).

Here are my dismal numbers:
149 LSAT
3.7 GPA (Allegheny College)
3 strong letters of recommendation
Very solid personal statement
Alumni recommendation

Chances?

One more thought: you might try part-time. The application standards are a bit more lenient, and there might be a little last-minute horse trading in the summer months to fill empty slots. Also, you shouldn't think for a minute that a low LSAT score means you won't make a good lawyer. Finally, are you sure you can't crack it? Have you taken a professional course? Done one-on-one tutoring? Taken nine zillion practice tests? It's easy to be dejected by low scores, but if you're truly committed, maybe buckle down one more time. One of the most interesting things about law school itself, in my opinion, is that smart people don't always do well. You must be smart AND work like a donkey AND be able to cope with stress AND be efficient about studying. It's a marathon, not a sprint.

biggamejames wrote:Ahhh, you're a good beer/hipstery bar kind of guy. My old standby was the Old Hickory in Germantown - they had $2 well bourbon and let you violate the smoking ban.

But it burned down last year

...maybe?

tinsleyc1 wrote:

1. How is living downtown? Would this be a mistake? It seems pretty affordable. About how far is it the main part of it from the law school?

2. Louisville (the city itself) seems awesome. Pros/cons?

3. What do you like/dislike about the law school?

I'm not a law student, so I can't answer #3, but I am a Louisville native. I can't say that living downtown is necessarily any better or worse than living anywhere else, but in general Louisville's residential areas are very livable. I would avoid the West End. Downtown is relatively close to the law school, but then again, everywhere is fairly close to everywhere in Louisville. The city is awesome. It has a bit for everyone. There's the highlands for the hippies and hipsters, and there are unique bar scenes all over (and bars don't close until 4 AM). Overall, there's a great deal of liberal/progressive flavor to the city, but it's in Kentucky, so there's some old money southern charm to it as well. Also, like I mentioned, wherever you want to go in Louisville is probably no more than 20-25 minutes (if that) from wherever you are. You've also got the Derby and Thunder Over Louisville, among other things. If you're looking for a pleasant place to live, you could do a lot worse.

I think the second poster gives solid advice on #1 and #2. I've lived in the Highlands for several years now, and find it to be one of the best artsy/progressive neighborhoods in the country for the price. It compares favorably with Coventry near Cleveland, Broad Ripple near Indianapolis, parts of Austin, Texas, and perhaps even Burnside/Hawthorne in SE Portland. For #3, I would say my strongest "like" about the law school is the faculty. They are extremely accessible, come from some of the top schools in the nation (Harvard, Yale, NYU, others), and in general are compassionate yet challenging at the same time. I'm not sure what TLS is trying to say on its U of L profile about the "lacking" academic environment here. I am used to being the top student in class, one of the smartest people on tests, etc., and my first semester in law school (finished in top one-third of class) was FREAKING HARD. As for dislikes, I think there is not a huge amount of camaraderie among students, partly because we are scattered across the city. But at the same time, I am 33 years old with two kids. I'm not here to party and hang out, so I haven't been chasing a good time.