Maybe you want to help the guy that hurt his leg at work, or close on homes for people. Maybe you want to work in family law. What do you do now? If going to law school could be the answer, you’ll need to select the right law school to attend. That choice could affect you for the rest of your life. There are matters that need to be addressed though, especially if you you’re lucky enough to apply to be accepted at more than one law school. If you’re fortunate enough to apply to the top law schools, by all means, apply. You might not be as lucky, but there are still more than 200 accredited law schools that you can apply to. The following advice may be of considerable help when it comes to a decision on what school to attend.
Location Could Matter
You might have your choice of law schools in your city. It’s not unusual for some cities to have six or more of them. On the other hand, you might come from a state that has one or two. Keep this fact in mind. It’s not unusual for a law student to take the bar exam in the state where he or she went to law school. That’s because law firms, government agencies and other employers recruit locally, and not nationally. Only the really large employers recruit nationally, and they’re looking at the top 5% of all students from well-known and established law schools.
After Law School
Some law students know what they want to do before they ever get to law school. Others thinks they do, but law school opens their eyes and they change direction in the middle of school. Maybe they found something more interesting or challenging than sitting in an office from 8:00 a.m. until at least 4:30 p.m. every day. A city like Phoenix certainly has advantages over Milwaukee, especially if you’re going to practice immigration law. There are legal clinics in Phoenix who will gladly give you hands-on experience before you ever take the bar exam. It becomes a nearly a seamless transition. You might find only one in Milwaukee. A big city needing immigration lawyers might impact your practice. Phoenix doesn’t have any winters either.
The Facts of a Legal Education
There are at least 200 American Bar Association law schools that are scattered across all 50 states. During your first year, you’ll find that they’re more or less the same. You’ll take torts, contracts and property and the Socratic method of teaching will be used. You’ll find that the law is the same, no matter which school you attend. Only the quality of the students varies, and if you get away from Ivy League law schools, many of the students need to work their way through school on the four year plan as opposed to three. That’s a big reason why their grades aren’t higher. You finish law school, and just about everybody takes the bar exam. Most people have jobs lined up. Once they get into actual practice, it doesn’t matter where they went to law school. Most lawyers will be starting from scratch again. Now you see the cream rise to the top.
Debt
If you’re like many of the others, you’ve accumulated certain debt while in law school. The reality of it all is that without that debt, many law quality law students could never have gone to law school. Consider the debut that you’re likely to accrue and how you’re going to pay it back. Keep debt as low as possible. Don’t borrow more than you can pay back. In-state tuition might be something that minimizes debt.
Indeed, rankings do matter, but there are varied and valid other considerations. Maybe $65,000 per year is no problem for your family. For most families, it’s a huge problem. Maybe you have to put yourself through law school because you came from an immigrant family that has no money. One thing that’s for certain is that law schools are pretty much alike. They start and end in the same spots. After that, it’s all what you put into it. Just make sure that any law school that you end up attending is an ABA accredited law school. Then, the odds are overwhelming that you’ll be just fine.
