Chance me Forum

[En03l]

I am a military veteran. 34 y/o Hispanic male. Graduated from UNC Chapel Hill, have a 3.5 LSAC GPA and have 3 LSAT scores 139(Nov 2018) 144 (Jan 2019) 154 (Nov 2019). Schools I am applying to:

UNC
Wake Forest
University of SC
University of Tenn
SMU Dedman
Baylor
GWU
William and Mary
Texas Tech
Washington and Lee

Thanks in advance for your responses.

[cavalier1138]

Your specific ethnicity is going to have a pretty big impact here, because you're at or below the 25th percentile LSAT for all the schools on your list. Some Hispanic applicants (I believe Mexican-Americans and Puerto Ricans) have observed a boost in admissions, but others have not.

But what do you want to do with your JD? These schools vary in job placement abilities, but they also span a pretty large variety of regions.

[En03l]

Hey thanks for a thoughtful reply! My goal is to work in a federal or state job and also work in government contracts. I do not want a big law job. Hopefully this answer is helpful.

[Pennoyer v. Meh]

What about the regional differences? These schools are all broadly "Southern", but they span pretty much the entire region from the Southeast (W&L, Wake, UNC), Appalachia (UT), Deep South (USC), to Texas (SMU, Texas Tech). It's fine if you don't have any preference beyond the "South", but it is something you should be cognizant of, even if your goal is to work in government; note, also, that none of these schools is likely to put you in a good spot for federal government employment (and you'll probably need top grades even for a state government job).

[Libya]

What about the regional differences? These schools are all broadly "Southern", but they span pretty much the entire region from the Southeast (W&L, Wake, UNC), Appalachia (UT), Deep South (USC), to Texas (SMU, Texas Tech). It's fine if you don't have any preference beyond the "South", but it is something you should be cognizant of, even if your goal is to work in government; note, also, that none of these schools is likely to put you in a good spot for federal government employment (and you'll probably need top grades even for a state government job).

Top grades for a state gov job out of GW or W&M? That sounds a bit pessimistic.

OP, if I were you I’d consider one more retake. Especially since I’m unsure if there are many (if any) entry level fed gov contracts positions, and what I assume would be the normal route to those jobs (DC biglaw) would be less likely than not at any of the firms you mentioned (and extremely unlikely at most of them). Then again you mentioned you don’t want biglaw so maybe you should scratch gov contracts at the federal level off of your interest list

[Pennoyer v. Meh]

Top grades for a state gov job out of GW or W&M? That sounds a bit pessimistic.

Maybe, but also maybe not--the VA/DC AG offices seem like two of the more competitive offices because they're more high-profile, and the presence of UVA/GULC/GW means plenty of other top applicants. Also, realistically a 154 won't get in to GW or W&M (or W&L for that matter), so I'm focused more on the other states.

[En03l]

Thanks all for the advice. A few points I did not mention in OP that are important.

1. I am already an employee in the federal government, so after law school I will have already been in the GS system which helps in federal employment in addition to my veterans preference.

2. I am in the VA's vocational rehab program so whatever law school I attend (that accepts me) it will be paid for through the program.

As far as the broad net I cast over schools in Southeast region, I would prefer to stay in the Carolinas or Texas. I cast a wide net since my LSAT isn't particularly high. I know at my age and with the age I will graduate at, I have lower chances of getting a big law job. But that does not bother me, I would be happy in a small firm working in government contracts, or a going back to a federal job such as Inspector General or DOJ. Thanks again for all the helpful comments.

[En03l]

I forgot to mention, that because I am in the Voc Rehab program, I cannot afford to take the LSAT once more. My counselor has already been extremely generous in allowing me to take it one more time since Jan 19. The program is about re-employment not school. So since I have already been in the program for a year, the counselor already warned me if I do not go to school this year that we will have to consider a different career path.

[UVA2B]

Thanks all for the advice. A few points I did not mention in OP that are important.

1. I am already an employee in the federal government, so after law school I will have already been in the GS system which helps in federal employment in addition to my veterans preference.

2. I am in the VA's vocational rehab program so whatever law school I attend (that accepts me) it will be paid for through the program.

As far as the broad net I cast over schools in Southeast region, I would prefer to stay in the Carolinas or Texas. I cast a wide net since my LSAT isn't particularly high. I know at my age and with the age I will graduate at, I have lower chances of getting a big law job. But that does not bother me, I would be happy in a small firm working in government contracts, or a going back to a federal job such as Inspector General or DOJ. Thanks again for all the helpful comments.

To address your first and third point, be careful relying on current fed gov employment and veteran preference, because most federal law jobs do not give the veteran preference boost, including IG and DOJ. If you were looking to "lateral" within your current agency, it's reasonable to believe your current agency's legal department would take you over another similarly qualified candidate if they know you well and would like you in that job. But if you're trying to reach into other agencies, you'll likely have some rough times if you want to rely on veteran preference.

[En03l]

Yes, I just looked into that this morning. Thanks for the heads up about that.

[babyxmarine]

I forgot to mention, that because I am in the Voc Rehab program, I cannot afford to take the LSAT once more. My counselor has already been extremely generous in allowing me to take it one more time since Jan 19. The program is about re-employment not school. So since I have already been in the program for a year, the counselor already warned me if I do not go to school this year that we will have to consider a different career path.

hi, if you dont mind me asking

how did you get voc rehab to pay for law school? I as told that they dont finance further education past bachelors degree. I am very curious if you dont mind responding please

thank you! you can message me as well if you prefer