How much does the school matter? Forum

[cassie2012]

I live in LA and dont want to move so my top 2 choices are UCLA and USC, neither of which is top 14. And if I dont get into either, my "safety school" in Loyola Marymount University, probably not even in the top 100. I want to go into family law, and be a child advocate lawyer, I dont know how competitive that field is but I cant imagine its as competitive as some of the higher paying law areas. Will it really be that much harder to get a job not coming from a t14 school?

[warandpeace]

I live in LA and dont want to move so my top 2 choices are UCLA and USC, neither of which is top 14. And if I dont get into either, my "safety school" in Loyola Marymount University, probably not even in the top 100. I want to go into family law, and be a child advocate lawyer, I dont know how competitive that field is but I cant imagine its as competitive as some of the higher paying law areas. Will it really be that much harder to get a job not coming from a t14 school?

it doesn't matter as much for you since you want to work in the california area. ucla and usc are typically better than choosing a T14 in a different state because LA firms tend to pool a good chunk of candidates from ucla and usc. this is from my research, anyways.

so if you want to practice in california, your best bet is ucla/usc. hope this helps!

[IamKristieHi]

The law school definitely matters, but this doesn't mean going to the highest ranked law school you can get into. You should go to a school with good regional standing in the area you want to practice. Even though UCLA/USC aren't quite T14, they have a great reputation as the best schools in SoCal, so if you're sure you want to practice in the LA area, try to go to one of them. There's no reason to go to a T14 out of state (unless it's HYS) if you're going to be returning to Cali anyway.

By the way, Loyola is ranked at #54, and also has good reputation in LA

[mrtoren]

California is a hellish state to try to practice law in. Wayyy too many lawyers with a fraction of the jobs available to employ them. Honestly, regardless of whether or not you have family there, do yourself a favor and try to get out. On the bright side, you may luck out and find a job.

[Kimchi_smile]

Do T14 and higher if you want prestigious clerkship and Big Law.

[cassie2012]

The law school definitely matters, but this doesn't mean going to the highest ranked law school you can get into. You should go to a school with good regional standing in the area you want to practice. Even though UCLA/USC aren't quite T14, they have a great reputation as the best schools in SoCal, so if you're sure you want to practice in the LA area, try to go to one of them. There's no reason to go to a T14 out of state (unless it's HYS) if you're going to be returning to Cali anyway.

By the way, Loyola is ranked at #54, and also has good reputation in LA

Thanks for the replies!! I am shocked Loyola is that high! Not that 54 is really high, but I dont think I have much of a shot at USC/UCLA unless I get at least a 170, my gpa is only 3.21 so it's at least got a much better reputation than I thought!

[071816]

Do T14 and higher if you want prestigious clerkship and Big Law.

Yea he's right. Yale isn't enough to get you a prestigious clerkship and biglaw. You need to aim higher!!

[flcath]

Family law is the least pedigree-sensitive area of law, even for those looking to go into academia.

But what's the question? If you get into USC/UCLA, go there, and if you don't... don't? I'd think you'd better better off going to a place like Loyola than a T-whatever somewhere else for your career goals.

[Stringer Bell]

Based on the OP, I'm guessing you don't have an LSAT score yet. I wouldn't really worry about this until you have that and have an idea of what kind of options may be available to you.

[warandpeace]

Do T14 and higher if you want prestigious clerkship and Big Law.

Yea he's right. Yale isn't enough to get you a prestigious clerkship and biglaw. You need to aim higher!!

+1