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Going to a top-tier (top 10-15) law school is not terribly high risk. I graduated from a school ranked around 15 and anyone who wanted a big firm job got one. T

Going to a top-tier (top 10-15) law school is not terribly high risk. I graduated from a school ranked around 15 and anyone who wanted a big firm job got one. Things were worse during recession years, but even then it doesn't take long to pay off your loans with a job that you can get pretty easily with a degree from a good law school. Maybe you end up quitting biglaw after you put in 2-3 years and pay off your loans, but during that time you've built a good network, learned from working in the business world, and have relatively cushy options like going in-house to a Fortune 500 company where you can make $200k without working crazy hours. Law schools ranked below 30 or so are a dicier proposition. My standard advice to potential law students is: go to law school if you get into HYS, if you get into a T13 school and have good scholarships, or if you really want to be a lawyer and get into a T20 school. I followed the advice of an older friend, which was to go to the second-best school you get into, on a scholarship. You'll end up with a higher GPA/class rank, and you'll have fewer loans to pay off. This only applies if your chosen school is in the top 20 or so — after that schools get more competitive and the stricter curve can actually hurt you.

antiterra 4y ago
There are all kinds of anomalies. For example: one of the top Environmental Law schools ranks at 89th overall. I've seen someone at a similarly ranked school get a solid biglaw job, then be the one to choose which Ivy/Chicago applicants make the cut for a quarter-size associate class in a downturn. I saw a 'success' story, a young NYC couple where one worked at Wachtell, the other at Latham. They were often at work outside of sleeping hours. They had two nannies that worked on two different shifts to take care of their two toddlers. I don't think they liked the situation, but they knew that if they just hung in there long enough, they'd have a huge opportunity. Plenty of people break before that comes, though.

antiterra 4y ago

There are all kinds of anomalies. For example: one of the top Environmental Law schools ranks at 89th overall. I've seen someone at a similarly ranked school get a solid biglaw job, then be the one to choose which Ivy/Chicago applicants make the cut for a quarter-size associate class in a downturn. I saw a 'success' story, a young NYC couple where one worked at Wachtell, the other at Latham. They were often at work outside of sleeping hours. They had two nannies that worked on two different shifts to take care of their two toddlers. I don't think they liked the situation, but they knew that if they just hung in there long enough, they'd have a huge opportunity. Plenty of people break before that comes, though.