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Do specialty rankings have any meaning whatsoever?

Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 8:45 am
by ScrabbleChamp
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Re: Do specialty rankings have any meaning whatsoever?

Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 8:47 am
by SaintClarence27
I didn't read your post, but no.

Re: Do specialty rankings have any meaning whatsoever?

Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 8:48 am
by mallard
I'm sure it means something.

Re: Do specialty rankings have any meaning whatsoever?

Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 9:09 am
by merichard87
It depends. If we are talking 2 T14 schools then you COULD consider the speciality rankings. But if we are talking Penn vs. Franklin Pierce for IP you definitely should not take FP over Penn because of the speciality rankings.

Re: Do specialty rankings have any meaning whatsoever?

Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 9:12 am
by TheBigMediocre
Only Tax LLMs.

1. NYU
2. GeorgeTTTown
3. Florida
4. Everybody else, consequently not worth attending either.

Re: Do specialty rankings have any meaning whatsoever?

Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 9:16 am
by Grizz
Stetson grads are having a terrible time in this economy. Bay Area Biglaw is largely out, period. Even the top UF and FSU kids are having a tough time getting those positions. Even worse, the Bay Area small firms and local govt. which used to be havens for Stetson grads (ASA, City. Atty., etc.) are at a de facto hiring freeze due to budget crises. The economic collapse only exacerbated what Florida has experienced for years - a massive glut of lawyers.

To answer your question, your specialty rankings mean something, but it's not really clear what, and it's almost assuredly not going to help you very much in securing a job.

If you are going to Stetson for free or close to it, hopefully it will pay off. If you aren't, I strongly recommend not attending. The debt will be crushing. Best of luck.

Re: Do specialty rankings have any meaning whatsoever?

Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 9:17 am
by Grizz
TheBigMediocre wrote:Only Tax LLMs.

1. NYU
2. GeorgeTTTown
3. Florida
4. Everybody else, consequently not worth attending either.
If I ever want to do tax, I can swing in-state. Noiice.

Re: Do specialty rankings have any meaning whatsoever?

Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 9:17 am
by SaintClarence27
rad law wrote:Stetson grads are having a terrible time in this economy. Bay Area Biglaw is largely out, period. Even the top UF and FSU kids are having a tough time getting those positions. Even worse, the Bay Area small firms and local govt. which used to be havens for Stetson grads (ASA, City. Atty., etc.) are at a de facto hiring freeze due to budget crises. The economic collapse only exacerbated what Florida has experienced for years - a massive glut of lawyers.

To answer your question, your specialty rankings mean something, but it's not really clear what, and it's almost assuredly not going to help you very much in securing a job.

If you are going to Stetson for free or close to it, hopefully it will pay off. If you aren't, I strongly recommend not attending. The debt will be crushing. Best of luck.
I hope he's going for free.

Re: Do specialty rankings have any meaning whatsoever?

Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 9:30 am
by ScrabbleChamp
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Re: Do specialty rankings have any meaning whatsoever?

Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 10:03 am
by Grizz
ScrabbleChamp wrote: I am attending for free. I would have received a stipend, too, if I were able to go full-time, but, alas, I cannot. But, I'm not going to law school to get a BigLaw job. I'm going part-time so I can save up enough money to open my own practice. I have a lot of family in the local area that own businesses and such and pay way too much for legal help. I really want to do paper-based law like bankruptcy, estate planning, financial planning, tax, etc. My undergrads are financial in nature and I work for a financial services firm.

Having said that, if I somehow graduate top of my class and am offered a BigLaw job with an enormous salary, I'll probably not turn it down, but I surely have no misguided belief that I'm going to graduate and have the lion's share of opportunities to choose from. Worst-case scenario, I'll keep the job I have and just get paid more because of the degree.
I'd caution going solo straight out, as it has a lot of problems.

But you've said the magic combination of factors in which Stetson is a fine idea.

1) Free
2) Can keep your old job if you hate law.

All the best, and maybe I'll see you around in three years.