Top Law Schools

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If you're fishing for $$$ you should definitely also apply to Penn and UCLA. Maybe Texas. Your LSAT is high enough to attract attention even among the lower T14 and probably snag some scholarship offers.

You should really consider where you want to practice when you graduate, and what you want to practice. If you want BigLaw, then your odds of that are significantly better if you go to a school like Columbia or NYU (which you have the numbers for) than a lower-ranked school with $$$. It's going to be a risk/reward tradeoff. But you can make that decision later, after you know what your acceptances and $$$ are.

I understand that what kind of law I want to do definitely affects future earning potential and plays a role in the ROI of each school I'm considering, but quite frankly I think I know too little about biglaw beyond a limited stereotype (lots of money + lots of long hours) to be able to intelligently determine whether I'm interested in/capable of going down that route. So I'm hesitant to include that in my decision making calculus.

The only parts of the country that I have ties to are located in areas with no major law schools and no major legal hiring, so I have no home court advantage. That being said, I'd be willing to go pretty much anywhere in the country, both for school and for a job.

You will get serious money at any non t14 schools. Also some nice money at bottom t14

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5823 wrote:I understand that what kind of law I want to do definitely affects future earning potential and plays a role in the ROI of each school I'm considering, but quite frankly I think I know too little about biglaw beyond a limited stereotype (lots of money + lots of long hours) to be able to intelligently determine whether I'm interested in/capable of going down that route. So I'm hesitant to include that in my decision making calculus.

Do you know enough to say whether or not you definitely want BigLaw of some sort? If you think long hours is an okay tradeoff for high pay, then what you need to do is maximize your chances of getting BigLaw by going to a school that's got good BigLaw placement, and that means T14 at least. Fortunately you have the numbers to get $$$ from lower T14.

Oh, one other: You should add Northwestern. It's possible they might offer you some $$.

vanwinkle wrote:

5823 wrote:I understand that what kind of law I want to do definitely affects future earning potential and plays a role in the ROI of each school I'm considering, but quite frankly I think I know too little about biglaw beyond a limited stereotype (lots of money + lots of long hours) to be able to intelligently determine whether I'm interested in/capable of going down that route. So I'm hesitant to include that in my decision making calculus.

Do you know enough to say whether or not you definitely want BigLaw of some sort? If you think long hours is an okay tradeoff for high pay, then what you need to do is maximize your chances of getting BigLaw by going to a school that's got good BigLaw placement, and that means T14 at least. Fortunately you have the numbers to get $$$ from lower T14.

Oh, one other: You should add Northwestern. It's possible they might offer you some $$.

Vandy places better than Cornell+GTown at Biglaw. Just thought I should let OP know.

whymeohgodno wrote:Vandy places better than Cornell+GTown at Biglaw. Just thought I should let OP know.

I think it's reasonable for OP to apply to Vandy, Texas, and UCLA, and evaluate $$$/employment options there vs. T14 when deciding where to attend. If Vandy really does place that well, then that's something to take into account.

Do you know enough to say whether or not you definitely want BigLaw of some sort? If you think long hours is an okay tradeoff for high pay, then what you need to do is maximize your chances of getting BigLaw by going to a school that's got good BigLaw placement, and that means T14 at least. Fortunately you have the numbers to get $$$ from lower T14.

I'm a bit of a prestige whore, so I'll seriously consider BigLaw once I'm in law school. My mind may change once I have a more realistic understanding of the rigors, but at the moment I'm willing to take the long hours-high pay tradeoff.

I don't have a strong interest in attending either Northwestern or Texas (or Cornell, for that matter), but I may end up throwing apps their way for the sake of having more scholarship packages to compare/use as leverage.

5823 wrote:

Do you know enough to say whether or not you definitely want BigLaw of some sort? If you think long hours is an okay tradeoff for high pay, then what you need to do is maximize your chances of getting BigLaw by going to a school that's got good BigLaw placement, and that means T14 at least. Fortunately you have the numbers to get $$$ from lower T14.

I'm a bit of a prestige whore, so I'll seriously consider BigLaw once I'm in law school. My mind may change once I have a more realistic understanding of the rigors, but at the moment I'm willing to take the long hours-high pay tradeoff.

I don't have a strong interest in attending either Northwestern or Texas (or Cornell, for that matter), but I may end up throwing apps their way for the sake of having more scholarship packages to compare/use as leverage.

Northwestern gives out big money. If you are trolling for cash it should be on your list for leveraging.