Top Law Schools

I've been accepted to both school and have visited both. I am split between BLS, which is higher ranked and located next to courthouses with a concentration in the public sector or Howard Law, which is lower ranked, located in DC with govt externship opportunities, and has a supportive environment. My main contention is that I don't know exactly what type of law I want to practice, or where I want to live long term. HELP!

Also, neither is providing me with financial aid, so conversations of affordability are not entirely pertinent.

ztudent2022 wrote:Also, neither is providing me with financial aid, so conversations of affordability are not entirely pertinent.

I mean, that kind of makes affordability the most pertinent thing. What's your total cost of attendance, and how are you financing it?

And on a related note, I understand you don't know exactly what practice area interests you, but why do you want to go to law school? What sort of job, in general, do you envision having after graduation? How much do you expect to earn?

cavalier1138 wrote:

ztudent2022 wrote:Also, neither is providing me with financial aid, so conversations of affordability are not entirely pertinent.

I mean, that kind of makes affordability the most pertinent thing. What's your total cost of attendance, and how are you financing it?

And on a related note, I understand you don't know exactly what practice area interests you, but why do you want to go to law school? What sort of job, in general, do you envision having after graduation? How much do you expect to earn?

Ya fair enough. BLS would be $20,000/$25,000 more expensive (per year). I want to go to law school under understand the intersection of law/policy and grassroots advocacy and organizing. So generally I'm motivated by public interest related areas, but I also understand that I'd don't know what that entails/

Ok, so you're looking at roughly $250-$300k in debt from these schools. How are you planning on paying that back?

And why do you need a JD to get involved in organizing?

ztudent2022 wrote:the intersection of law/policy and grassroots advocacy and organizing.

Sounds like a PhD in sociology or political science would be more appropriate, depending on what exactly you mean by this.

The Lsat Airbender wrote:

ztudent2022 wrote:the intersection of law/policy and grassroots advocacy and organizing.

Sounds like a PhD in sociology or political science would be more appropriate, depending on what exactly you mean by this.

I don't think a Ph.D. is necessary - Ph.D.s are research-oriented and are geared toward folks who want to stay in academia. It sounds like OP is more interested in actually working in policy and grassroots advocacy and organizing. So why not simply go do it? Seems far better to directly go and join a campaign, or apply for jobs on the Hill or in the executive branch. If OP's worried about credentials, a Master's in Public Policy/Administration from a reputable school would do nicely.

good luck

OP, you need to think really hard about how much you need the law degree.

LRAP and PSLF can make it so you end up paying down the loans (getting the loans forgiven more likely) with relatively little financial hardship over 10 years.

I am however unsure how many doors Brooklyn/Howard JDs will open. There are certain areas of public interest where JDs are required or advantaged but a lot of those positions (quite a few of the public interest government jobs included) are very prestigious (despite shit pay) and you will be competing with kids from T14 for those positions.

You really need to think long and hard about what you are trying to do. Maybe do some public interest work now and explore?

Howard is literally a big law Academy for African Americans. They are ranked 20th in country for the percentage of a graduating class that attain big law position. The number is close to 35 percent for a class that is usually around 150. You will see at least 1 or 2 summer associates at Craveth and the most elite firms every summer from Howard. If you are interested in big law go to Howard. If you are interested in public interest work then go to Brooklyn. I know people who graduated from each school and there are extremely different.

Section18 wrote:The number is close to 35 percent for a class that is usually around 150.

No, the number is 30%, and that's a new peak. Prior years saw roughly 15-20% of the class landing biglaw, which is about what you'd expect from a strong regional school. Those outcomes are not remotely comparable to schools which are actually "biglaw academies" (e.g. the T13).

It's great that you like your alma mater (or current school; it's not clear). That doesn't mean it's a good choice for someone to take out over $200k in debt on a <1/3 chance they'll get a job that can pay that debt off.

Is OP a URM? Howard is a historically black law school and has among the largest percentage of black law students. Howard had disproportionately good big law placement for schools from its tier because law firms specifically go there to hire black law students. The odds of those 2 previously mentioned Cravath associates not being URM are astronomical. If OP isn’t a URM, Howard’s big law placement is irrelevant and they’d get a similar chance at Brooklyn (i.e. a very low chance).