| Topic Name: |
Fourth-Tier Law Schools |
| Message Name: |
I disagree.......in |
| Date Posted: |
01/04/2000 |
| In Reply To: |
I think its misleading to compare 4th tier law school's quality to its bar passage rate. Although there is some discrepancies in top ranked schools that have a lower pass rate than the 4th tier school, you have to remember that not every law student takes the bar exam in the state they attend law school. Northwestern, Chicago, NYU, etc are all national school and many of its graduates decide to take the bar exam of other states so don't think that just because the rate is lower - that its students all "failed the bar" or whatnot..The reputation and quality of a law school DOES matter. Just check out some of the legal articles (33 Journal of Legal Studies 373) for information about how law professors view 1st tier school vis-a-vis 4th tier schools. Sure, you may graduate as an attorney, but the level of education you receive at top school will NOT compare to the level of peer interaction, intellectual stimulation, competition and resources that only a top school may provide in abundance.
Check out the placement figures for 4th tier schools. If you intend on practicing law for a long time - its just more cost beneficial (from an economic standpoint) to get the most "bang for your buck" and attend the best law school possible. 3,4,5, 6 or 10 years from now - your law school degree will follow you and people WILL make judgments about your intellectual capacity to some extent based on that law school's reputation.
However, you also have to factor in whats important to you. For some people - attending a 4th tier school is not bad at all (i.e older moms or housewives, businessmen who just want to know about the law, etc) and local connections will be beneficial. Also if you get a full scholarship to a 4th tier - you will have a little more options in terms of managing loan debt than your peers.
It really depends on what you want to do...if you want to be a professor, enter academia, be a judge, or work for the largest corporate firm out there - then you should bust your ass on the LSAT and get into a top tier school. If you only want a law degree for the sake of getting one and just don't feel like putting the time/effort to pursue a full fledged legal career - then take the 4th tier. Just be aware that there are many unemployed law school grads out there - and law school attended is 1 contributing factor to that figure.
Good luck.
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| Message: |
I disagree.......in certain respects.
Sure, the reputation of the school =does= matter but, generally, only at the outset and only for those =initially= interested in the career paths you mentioned (academia, clerkships, major corps., et al). Subsequently, other factors such as experience, accomplishments, personality, contacts, and integrity (i.e. your own personal reputation, or lack thereof) come into play. All other things being equal, I'll take the contacts any day of the week. Demonstrate to any major firm that you have hurricane-force rainmaking ability and you're as good as in, period.
I wonder how many can recall which schools the likes of Cochran, Jack Ford, Spence, or Shapiro (to name just a few) attended. How about any of the current USSC justices? For that matter, although I'm pretty sure I could recall with some effort, what about Bill and Hillary?
At a certain point, your experience and accomplishments take precedence over your choice of law schools. Attorneys with 10 years of experience trying to lateral into a major firm had better be prepared to discuss (extensively) what they've done during those years rather than taut the fact that they attended a top tier school. Although the latter would arise, it would, in most instances, not be a determinative factor.
Regarding peer interaction, I'm fairly certain you could locate some good minds at even the lowest of the low. In fact, it's quite likely that attendees at lower tier schools, as a result of the flexibility, have a higher median age. Many of the attendees have, in all likelihood, chosen other career paths and, typically, have more to offer than students who go directly to law school from an undergraduate institution. I'm not trying to be judgmental here either. The fact is that many top tier schools are ludicrously expensive and don't have a part time or evening program.
Lastly, there's the convenience, or lifestyle, factor. I know a student who decided she'd be better off attending a top tier school which happened to be located four states from where she resided. Not exactly a great move from either a personal or career perspective. She managed to graduate and pass the bar. Unfortunately, she got divorced in the process and was such a wreck she couldn't even bring herself to go through the process of interviewing. Given the fact that the cost included the loss of her family and several years of therapy, I don't think she got the "most bang for her buck" out of that school.
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