Top Law Schools

If a school is within the top 100, is it a good school? Or not necessarily? TLS says the job prospects are poor.

bluelilyleif wrote:If a school is within the top 100, is it a good school? Or not necessarily? TLS says the job prospects are poor.

I live in Seattle, I've been to Seattle U's law school on multiple occasiosn (for LSATs and just to explore)

the school itself is brand spanking new, you probably won't find nicer classrooms anywhere. It's part of the main campus so student life is great. It's just on the other side of the hill from downtown seattle and the metro system is amazing

job prospect wise it is more than good if you want to practice in the Seattle area. I know a lot of local attorneys, both big law (K&L Gates) and small private practices, and everything in between in the region, and there are tons of Seattle U attorneys all over the place

I am not from the area, but I have a very close friend going to UW who lives there. She has a job in a small/mid-sized firm and it seems that many of the associates went to Seattle. I'm visiting the school on Friday, I'm psyched!

In a word, yes, Seattle is a good school.

I still think that all-things-being-equal most people should take UW over SeattleU if given the choice. But, if you must live/work in Seattle, and you get SU but not UW, it's about as good as a school can be.

Also, like others have said, it's in a GREAT location. The bus downtown is really easy, it's kind of on the edge of a trendy area of Seattle, and the building is beautiful.

uwb09 wrote:the metro system is amazing

This is an adjective that few Seattle residents would use to describe the Metro system.

meddlingkid wrote:

uwb09 wrote:the metro system is amazing

This is an adjective that few Seattle residents would use to describe the Metro system.

whats wrong with it?

the light rail system is years behind which is annoying, but as far as bus systems go, I can travel pretty much anywhere I went anytime of day

uwb09 wrote:

meddlingkid wrote:

uwb09 wrote:the metro system is amazing

This is an adjective that few Seattle residents would use to describe the Metro system.

whats wrong with it?

the light rail system is years behind which is annoying, but as far as bus systems go, I can travel pretty much anywhere I went anytime of day

Ugh I have to use it almost every day--it's my primary mode of transportation. Service is spotty. It's never on time--once I thought I was catching a bus on time but really it was the previously scheduled bus running 20 minutes late. It's slow. Since it's on surface streets it's subject to the famous "random Seattle traffic jam on a Tuesday at 1:00 in the afternoon." It stinks. Also: http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archiv ... ies-beware

I recommend walking whenever possible. SU is maybe a mile from Downtown. Walking is more effective than Metro and good for you.

meddlingkid wrote:

uwb09 wrote:

meddlingkid wrote:

uwb09 wrote:the metro system is amazing

This is an adjective that few Seattle residents would use to describe the Metro system.

whats wrong with it?

the light rail system is years behind which is annoying, but as far as bus systems go, I can travel pretty much anywhere I went anytime of day

Ugh I have to use it almost every day--it's my primary mode of transportation. Service is spotty. It's slow. Since it's on surface streets it's subject to the famous "random Seattle traffic jam on a Tuesday at 1:00 in the afternoon." It stinks. Also: http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archiv ... ies-beware

I recommend walking whenever possible. SU is maybe a mile from Downtown. Walking is more effective than Metro and good for you.

You would not only graduate with a JD from Seattle U, but you would leave with killer calves and a sexy butt!

I know! And I just want to point out that none of this has anything to do with the quality of SU as a law school. The facilities are great and so is the neighborhood (I live about 6 blocks away from campus). I'm just saying, invest in some good walking shoes and a membership to Zipcar.

meddlingkid wrote:

uwb09 wrote:

meddlingkid wrote:

uwb09 wrote:the metro system is amazing

This is an adjective that few Seattle residents would use to describe the Metro system.

whats wrong with it?

the light rail system is years behind which is annoying, but as far as bus systems go, I can travel pretty much anywhere I went anytime of day

Ugh I have to use it almost every day--it's my primary mode of transportation. Service is spotty. It's never on time--once I thought I was catching a bus on time but really it was the previously scheduled bus running 20 minutes late. It's slow. Since it's on surface streets it's subject to the famous "random Seattle traffic jam on a Tuesday at 1:00 in the afternoon." It stinks. Also: http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archiv ... ies-beware

I recommend walking whenever possible. SU is maybe a mile from Downtown. Walking is more effective than Metro and good for you.

I live in Seattle and take Metro every day. Everything you have said is false. There is honestly no such thing as real traffic in Seattle. The 'traffic jams' you reference are a joke compared to real ones in NY and LA. The Metro is great, runs frequently and pretty close to perfectly on time and the buses are very well maintained compared to most systems. It is also relatively inexpensive.

insidethetwenty wrote:In a word, yes, Seattle is a good school.

I still think that all-things-being-equal most people should take UW over SeattleU if given the choice. But, if you must live/work in Seattle, and you get SU but not UW, it's about as good as a school can be.

Also, like others have said, it's in a GREAT location. The bus downtown is really easy, it's kind of on the edge of a trendy area of Seattle, and the building is beautiful.

Really? I didn't know that. Seattle in my first choice at a place to live (family there), and UW is my first choice school; however, if I didn't get in I was thinking it would be smarter to just go to U Iowa, or UNC, or maybe stay here and go to Hastings or Davis, because of their rank. Or, maybe to American U, or Tulane.

So if I want to practice in Seattle, would Seattle U, or a 1st Tier school as previously mentioned, be better you think?

Hmmm. I live outside of Washington DC. Talk about traffic. I went to visit the Seattle campus, I thought the city was the cleanest city I have ever seen!!

I'm just hoping a relocation there is not a bad idea, career wise.

meddlingkid wrote:

uwb09 wrote:

meddlingkid wrote:

uwb09 wrote:the metro system is amazing

This is an adjective that few Seattle residents would use to describe the Metro system.

whats wrong with it?

the light rail system is years behind which is annoying, but as far as bus systems go, I can travel pretty much anywhere I went anytime of day

Ugh I have to use it almost every day--it's my primary mode of transportation. Service is spotty. It's never on time--once I thought I was catching a bus on time but really it was the previously scheduled bus running 20 minutes late. It's slow. Since it's on surface streets it's subject to the famous "random Seattle traffic jam on a Tuesday at 1:00 in the afternoon." It stinks. Also: http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archiv ... ies-beware

I recommend walking whenever possible. SU is maybe a mile from Downtown. Walking is more effective than Metro and good for you.

hmm, I use it every single day also, i've been without a car since this past summer when my jeep got totaled. I take a bus pretty much everyday, whether it be to downtown and back to work, to bellevue to go to their library, to the u-district to attend husky football/basketball games, etc..

I haven't had many problems, downtown during rush hour buses can run a little late, but it is surface like you said so their times are subject to traffic conditions, but there are so many routes during those times that it's not so bad.

and yes, I agree that walking is the best option. If the place i'm going is within 2 miles i'll almost always walk. Seattle is a great city for walking

Xnegd wrote:

insidethetwenty wrote:In a word, yes, Seattle is a good school.

I still think that all-things-being-equal most people should take UW over SeattleU if given the choice. But, if you must live/work in Seattle, and you get SU but not UW, it's about as good as a school can be.

Also, like others have said, it's in a GREAT location. The bus downtown is really easy, it's kind of on the edge of a trendy area of Seattle, and the building is beautiful.

Really? I didn't know that. Seattle in my first choice at a place to live (family there), and UW is my first choice school; however, if I didn't get in I was thinking it would be smarter to just go to U Iowa, or UNC, or maybe stay here and go to Hastings or Davis, because of their rank. Or, maybe to American U, or Tulane.

So if I want to practice in Seattle, would Seattle U, or a 1st Tier school as previously mentioned, be better you think?

from my experience, Seattle seems to be a very networked city. People know each other, and are more willing to hire someone local who is networked than to reach out across the country to hire someone else. And since most people tend to stay here, the local network is pretty big.

but that's just one seattlites opinion

weaselology wrote: I live in Seattle and take Metro every day. Everything you have said is false. There is honestly no such thing as real traffic in Seattle. The 'traffic jams' you reference are a joke compared to real ones in NY and LA. The Metro is great, runs frequently and pretty close to perfectly on time and the buses are very well maintained compared to most systems. It is also relatively inexpensive.

True. The Seattle bus system is pretty decent.

Cap Hill is a very, very hip neighborhood. There is nothing like it in many other cities. It is awesome and full of weirdos. For the most part, very safe as well.

weaselology wrote: I live in Seattle and take Metro every day. Everything you have said is false. There is honestly no such thing as real traffic in Seattle. The 'traffic jams' you reference are a joke compared to real ones in NY and LA. The Metro is great, runs frequently and pretty close to perfectly on time and the buses are very well maintained compared to most systems. It is also relatively inexpensive.

It's not false, it's just a different experience than you are having, clearly. I'm also not comparing the traffic to any other city. What I said was, since the bus is on surface streets, it's subject to traffic jams. Traffic jams exist here. The severity of the traffic relative to other cities is irrelevant when you're trying to get somewhere on time.

Xnegd wrote:

insidethetwenty wrote:In a word, yes, Seattle is a good school.

I still think that all-things-being-equal most people should take UW over SeattleU if given the choice. But, if you must live/work in Seattle, and you get SU but not UW, it's about as good as a school can be.

Also, like others have said, it's in a GREAT location. The bus downtown is really easy, it's kind of on the edge of a trendy area of Seattle, and the building is beautiful.

Really? I didn't know that. Seattle in my first choice at a place to live (family there), and UW is my first choice school; however, if I didn't get in I was thinking it would be smarter to just go to U Iowa, or UNC, or maybe stay here and go to Hastings or Davis, because of their rank. Or, maybe to American U, or Tulane.

So if I want to practice in Seattle, would Seattle U, or a 1st Tier school as previously mentioned, be better you think?

I think it would depend on how much of a priority it was for you to end up in Seattle, and what the costs of your various options are. Personally I would take Davis or Hastings over Seattle unless Seattle was much, much cheaper, you would still have access to the Seattle marked with degrees from those schools, probably a slightly better chance at the big firms in Seattle, those schools have good name recognition up here. Plus your overall job opportunities will be much better if you are willing to consider CA if you can't find a job you want in Seattle.

When looking at the number of attorneys with Seattle U degrees at firms in Seattle, remember that the class size at SU is pretty big, about twice the size of UW I think, so there are a lot of Seattle U grads out there.

Xnegd wrote:

insidethetwenty wrote:In a word, yes, Seattle is a good school.

I still think that all-things-being-equal most people should take UW over SeattleU if given the choice. But, if you must live/work in Seattle, and you get SU but not UW, it's about as good as a school can be.

Also, like others have said, it's in a GREAT location. The bus downtown is really easy, it's kind of on the edge of a trendy area of Seattle, and the building is beautiful.

Really? I didn't know that. Seattle in my first choice at a place to live (family there), and UW is my first choice school; however, if I didn't get in I was thinking it would be smarter to just go to U Iowa, or UNC, or maybe stay here and go to Hastings or Davis, because of their rank. Or, maybe to American U, or Tulane.

So if I want to practice in Seattle, would Seattle U, or a 1st Tier school as previously mentioned, be better you think?

Most people say if you go outside of the t-14, you want to go to a more regional school. However, if you have solid connections in Seattle you may be able to go wherever the hell you want.

The Seattle biglaw market is tiny and dominated by UW, especially ITE.

uwb09 wrote:

Xnegd wrote:

insidethetwenty wrote:In a word, yes, Seattle is a good school.

I still think that all-things-being-equal most people should take UW over SeattleU if given the choice. But, if you must live/work in Seattle, and you get SU but not UW, it's about as good as a school can be.

Also, like others have said, it's in a GREAT location. The bus downtown is really easy, it's kind of on the edge of a trendy area of Seattle, and the building is beautiful.

Really? I didn't know that. Seattle in my first choice at a place to live (family there), and UW is my first choice school; however, if I didn't get in I was thinking it would be smarter to just go to U Iowa, or UNC, or maybe stay here and go to Hastings or Davis, because of their rank. Or, maybe to American U, or Tulane.

So if I want to practice in Seattle, would Seattle U, or a 1st Tier school as previously mentioned, be better you think?

from my experience, Seattle seems to be a very networked city. People know each other, and are more willing to hire someone local who is networked than to reach out across the country to hire someone else. And since most people tend to stay here, the local network is pretty big.

but that's just one seattlites opinion

I go to school in SF so take my opinion with a grain of salt. My impression is that insular markets like Seattle, Portland, and most of CA tend to be skeptical of outsiders. For CA, employers are worried that someone with no ties to the area will come to CA on a whim, work here for a couple years, realize that they will never be able to afford a 4 BR house, and bolt back for the east coast.

I assume it's similar in Seattle....the COL is pretty high there, and the city is not exactly for everyone. Firms seem to have learned from experience that local grads are the most committed to long-term employment, and that is really important from their perspective. It takes several years to train a young lawyer.

swheat wrote:

uwb09 wrote:

Xnegd wrote:

insidethetwenty wrote:In a word, yes, Seattle is a good school.

I still think that all-things-being-equal most people should take UW over SeattleU if given the choice. But, if you must live/work in Seattle, and you get SU but not UW, it's about as good as a school can be.

Also, like others have said, it's in a GREAT location. The bus downtown is really easy, it's kind of on the edge of a trendy area of Seattle, and the building is beautiful.

Really? I didn't know that. Seattle in my first choice at a place to live (family there), and UW is my first choice school; however, if I didn't get in I was thinking it would be smarter to just go to U Iowa, or UNC, or maybe stay here and go to Hastings or Davis, because of their rank. Or, maybe to American U, or Tulane.

So if I want to practice in Seattle, would Seattle U, or a 1st Tier school as previously mentioned, be better you think?

from my experience, Seattle seems to be a very networked city. People know each other, and are more willing to hire someone local who is networked than to reach out across the country to hire someone else. And since most people tend to stay here, the local network is pretty big.

but that's just one seattlites opinion

I go to school in SF so take my opinion with a grain of salt. My impression is that insular markets like Seattle, Portland, and most of CA tend to be skeptical of outsiders. For CA, employers are worried that someone with no ties to the area will come to CA on a whim, work here for a couple years, realize that they will never be able to afford a 4 BR house, and bolt back for the east coast.

I assume it's similar in Seattle....the COL is pretty high there, and the city is not exactly for everyone. Firms seem to have learned from experience that local grads are the most committed to long-term employment, and that is really important from their perspective. It takes several years to train a young lawyer.

I have a friend from the Seattle area who went to Boston U Law, and he found when he moved back to the Seattle area that Seattle U grads and certainly UW grads seemed to have a leg up on him. That was his perception anyway.

If UW is probably not going to happen, would it be better to go to L&C or Seattle U?

akili wrote:If UW is probably not going to happen, would it be better to go to L&C or Seattle U?

ooooh good question...I also applied there, and to Denver...UW doesn't have a part-time program, so I didn't apply there--I have to go part-time.

akili wrote:If UW is probably not going to happen, would it be better to go to L&C or Seattle U?

depends on where you want to spend 3 years

in a big city or in a forest