Top Law Schools

Hi there,

I'm interested in BigLaw, but I'm also interested in other areas of law and would appreciate some flexibility in my future career. With this in mind, I'm interested in a full ride no stipulation scholarship to Brooklyn or Cardozo (I want to practice in NY market). What are my chances at a no stip full ride?

Stats:

LSAT: 167 (retaking in Oct., believe I can increase score as my PT range topped out at 173)
GPA: 3.58
Ivy undergrad
3 years work experience (management-level) and other decent softs

Thanks for your input...

Do not apply to these schools with those stats. If you really love NY BigLaw, the worst school you should apply to is Fordham

You won't get no stips from Brooklyn, it simply isn't done. The Cardozo stip isn't that bad though. I had very similar #s and got close to full from both. But also what the other guy said, you won't get biglaw from these schools.

You might as well just go to a T25 that will give you money (read NDLS, UIUC, WUSTL (maybe)) if you don't want to pay the ridiculous Fordham tuition. At least you will be able to find employment somewhere with decent grades and probably have the same shot at NY, though you will have to mass mail. The same cannot be said for Cardozo and Brooklyn.

You can't have it both ways. With your numbers you have to choose between whether you want a shot at biglaw or whether you want a full ride because you are not getting both.

Any idea what type of numbers you need to get no stips at Dozo, then? I acknowledge that it's unlikely I will get BigLaw out of Cardozo, but am also interested in pursuing other areas of law, in which case a free legal education may come in handy...

It doesn't look impossible to do biglaw from Cardozo.

Because of OP's name, I looked up Skadden's NY office and it seems like they have a handful of Cardozo grads without ivy/prestigious UGs. The most recent of which was a 2008 Cardozo JD grad. I'm sure it's extremely difficult but not impossible. TLS is, more often than not, overly pessimistic about everything imo.

http://www.skadden.com/index.cfm?conten ... bioID=7598

A couple earlier grads:
http://www.skadden.com/index.cfm?conten ... bioID=2857
http://www.skadden.com/index.cfm?conten ... bioID=3570

NY firm partners:
http://www.skadden.com/index.cfm?contentID=45&bioID=516
http://www.skadden.com/index.cfm?contentID=45&bioID=113

blehGPAgoodLSAT wrote:It doesn't look impossible to do biglaw from Cardozo.

Because of OP's name, I looked up Skadden's NY office and it seems like they have a handful of Cardozo grads without ivy/prestigious UGs. The most recent of which was a 2008 Cardozo JD grad. I'm sure it's extremely difficult but not impossible. TLS is, more often than not, overly pessimistic about everything imo.

http://www.skadden.com/index.cfm?conten ... bioID=7598

A couple earlier grads:
http://www.skadden.com/index.cfm?conten ... bioID=2857
http://www.skadden.com/index.cfm?conten ... bioID=3570

NY firm partners:
http://www.skadden.com/index.cfm?contentID=45&bioID=516
http://www.skadden.com/index.cfm?contentID=45&bioID=113

There are going to be some students from practically any T1 school with a lot of options. Maybe to counter your Skadden search, you should go about looking to see how many BLS/Cardozo grads are either not working in the legal market or have horrible jobs. "[Y]ou won't get biglaw from these schools" refers to the fact that the vast majority of people from these schools are not going to be getting biglaw; I don't think it was meant as a blanket statement.

Long story short: Nobody doubts that the #1 Student/EIC of LR at Cardozo or Brooklyn is in a decent spot. Doesn't make going a better choice, because chances are, you're going to be one of the hundreds who aren't that student.

blehGPAgoodLSAT wrote:It doesn't look impossible to do biglaw from Cardozo.

Because of OP's name, I looked up Skadden's NY office and it seems like they have a handful of Cardozo grads without ivy/prestigious UGs. The most recent of which was a 2008 Cardozo JD grad. I'm sure it's extremely difficult but not impossible. TLS is, more often than not, overly pessimistic about everything imo.

lolololololol

Looks like all this time school doesn't matter and we've been lied to, look - you can get Skadden from Cal Western, or Cravath from New England Law School

Heck, NYLS has 3 partners and 5 associates at Skadden whereas Cardozo has 2 partners and 4 associates... Looks like TCR is to go to NYLS if you want Skadden.

Bottom line is that 'Bozo and Brooklyn are terrible schools b/c of their location in the world's most competitive legal market. Besides NY schools Columbia, Cornell, NYU & Fordham, their students are competing with Top 14'ers from all over the country.

Once you remove realistic shot of Biglaw out of the equation, a JD from a TTT (esp an NYC area TTT) is essentially a worthless piece of toilet paper. Banks, consulting firms, and other non-legal employers are not going to be impressed by a 'Bozo or Brooklyn degree- hell, do you know how many wheelbarrow loads of resumes they already get from desperate TTT'ers looking for ANY job? Most career advisors actually recommend leaving a non Top 14 JD off one's resume altogether when applying for nonlegal work. Employers in this economy want cookie cutter resumes chock full of relevant, real-world experience, not also-ran washouts from TTT schools like 'Bozo.

Your likely "career" outcome from either school is sending hundreds of resumes to ads on craigslist and lawjobs.com and perhaps eventually score a job in insurance defense/plaintiff personal injury/landlord tenant/__(insert shitlaw practice area of you choice here).___ In all likelihood, said job will pay south of 50 K and involve long hours, poor to non-existent health benefits, and no opportunity for advancement or landing a job in a more respected practice area.

Based on the above, either re-take and make damn sure you get into a T 14 or else move on and do something else. Don't for a minute think there's any "intangible" value or collateral benefit to having a TTT JD. There isn't.

areyouinsane wrote:Bottom line is that 'Bozo and Brooklyn are terrible schools b/c of their location in the world's most competitive legal market.

Actually I think the legal market they reside in is one of the most respectable things about these schools.

I have the same lsat and a higher gpa and did not get full from either of these schools , brooklyn has redic stips, and dozo was fair like previously noted, i also got 10k from fordham

i also got 10k from fordham

Even Fordham isn't worth it in this economy w/out a full or almost full ride. Sure, it's head and shoulders above laughingstock, diploma- mill embarrassments like 'Bozo and Brooklyn, but still you have to do pretty damn well at Fordham to score proper NYC biglaw. You're still nothing but a "tall midget" for Biglaw hiring purposes, as compared to elite Top 14 grads.

I've seen firsthand how many Fordhamites are grinding away in dead-end doc review temp jobs for the same crappy shitpay as mouth breathing TTT losers like me.

areyouinsane wrote:Bottom line is that 'Bozo and Brooklyn are terrible schools b/c of their location in the world's most competitive legal market.

Yea...Not DC, NYC is the most competitive.

Just a hint..."areyouinsane" is a total troll who is a bitter retard

What's with all the hate? A full-ride to one of those schools is a good deal.

You're unlikely (<10%) to get Biglaw, but did you really want that shit anyway? I had never fucking heard of Biglaw before applying to law school, and now not getting it would seem like a disaster.

You won't have debt, so not landing BL isn't actually a disaster, and if you keep your head clear then it won't be a psychological disaster either. Full rides are never a bad deal; they are only capable of looking bad when compared to another offer (e.g., sticker at CCN).

bigkahuna2020 wrote:

areyouinsane wrote:Bottom line is that 'Bozo and Brooklyn are terrible schools b/c of their location in the world's most competitive legal market.

Yea...Not DC, NYC is the most competitive.

Just a hint..."areyouinsane" is a total troll who is a bitter retard

Bitter, yes. A retard, no. Many of his points are correct, though I agree that NYC is not the most competitive market right now.

ndirish2010 wrote:

bigkahuna2020 wrote:

areyouinsane wrote:Bottom line is that 'Bozo and Brooklyn are terrible schools b/c of their location in the world's most competitive legal market.

Yea...Not DC, NYC is the most competitive.

Just a hint..."areyouinsane" is a total troll who is a bitter retard

Bitter, yes. A retard, no. Many of his points are correct, though I agree that NYC is not the most competitive market right now.

4:30am?

Jesus, dude, I thought you had a firm gig?