Question about law schools?

bluebayou
Thu, 21 Dec 2017 02:30:08 +0000

Generally, firms tend to favor instate over an out of state. i.e. NY Law Firm favoring a Columbia over a Stanford.

Bad example since NY firms don’t care about locality. The top firms in NYC just want top grades from top schools, and Stanford (and Boalt) grads can get as many jobs in NY as they want.

OTOH, many other markets to prefer some sort of ties to the community. Attending a local law school can help a bit, but doesn’t necessarily beat having family or other connections in the 'hood.

For example, the Pacific Northwest can be a tough nut to crack, but a New Yorker attending U-Dub is gonna have a much more difficult time landing a Seattle job over someone born and raised in Seattle but attending law school at Stanford.

Ditto the Bay Area. Attending Boalt is a plus, but a native from NorCal attending say, Columbia or Northwestern can readily get back to the Bay Area to work.

Of course, attending the T14 gives one a transportable degree should plans change.

fwiw, attending UT-Austin can be a big plus for those desiring to practice in Texas.