The Howard Law/HBCU Law Schools Thread

[HBCU.EDU]

I have been looking at Southern for Fall in 06. I have not heard anything about it that is negative so far, LSAT 145 and GPA 2.6 are the minimum for acceptance. Has anybody heard anything about it?

Hi Christylove- Where are you from by the way? Are in in LA? What school did you go to Undergrad? First of all SU Law's website needs a lot of work. I hate it and I look forward to the day they make an update on that marketing tool.  However, don’t let that sway you. I think you should definitely take some time to visit the campus. If you went to an HBCU undergrad you will probably have a better time making a transition to the school. I was surprised to find out that the SU LAW is 30% white. That really doesn't matter though. I was at SU Law last month and I enjoyed visiting the campus. I spoke to the teachers...visited the library. …and spoke to the students and I was very impressed. A lot of the students that I spoke to were about to graduate and go on to big things. Most of the students there are from the south and specifically LA. They only accept 10% of out of state students. They receive 1200 applications each year and they only accept about 130 students so make sure you have a bomb ass personal statement. 80% of the black lawyers in LA are graduates from SU. Hit me up on PM and I'll tell you more about my experience there and also send you more information.




http://www.subr.edu/map/law.htm

This is a link to the campus map. You will be able to see all of the buildings on the campus. The law school is located on SUs main campus. You can click the drop down button to see all the buildings. Also, at the very bottom of the page there is a link that says "images around the campus"...the school is located off the banks of the mississippi. Law in the bayou. I love the south and good luck.
 

[pinkgeeta]

Hi All,
I am currently in the process of deciding between UM law and NCCU law (North Carolina Central) and am looking for any advice, thoughts, or knowledge about either of the schools.  I am leaning toward NCCU for quality of life purposes, but wanted to see if anyone has information about either school.  Thanks!

[pinkgeeta]

Sorry - UM is U. of Miami. Thanks!

[Playa222]

Ok I apologize for bumping the old thread, but I was just browsing on the nalp directory and saw that top firms like Cravath and Wachtell do on campus interviews at Howard.  Do any of you think that if one were to go to Howard and place in the top 5% and be on Law Review (yeah I know thats a big if), one would have a better shot at making it into a top firm then going to a T14 and being ranked in the middle of the class.  You guys seem to be very knowledgeable so I'd appreciate any comments.

[A.]

I am not in any way bashing Howard, but I would like to point out that just because a firm interviews at a place does not mean you have even a decent shot at getting a position.  Lots of firms probably interview at Howard, go to the minority job fairs, etc. just so they can say they do so.  If you do a search at these firms' websites, you will see just how many Howard grads are there: 1 at Wachtell and 2 at Cravath.  This is out of several hundred lawyers.

[Playa222]

I am not in any way bashing Howard, but I would like to point out that just because a firm interviews at a place does not mean you have even a decent shot at getting a position.  Lots of firms probably interview at Howard, go to the minority job fairs, etc. just so they can say they do so.  If you do a search at these firms' websites, you will see just how many Howard grads are there: 1 at Wachtell and 2 at Cravath.  This is out of several hundred lawyers.

Yes, I did notice this, but I also noticed that many of these firms have a number of Blacks that is in the single digits (or close to it).  My question really is would someone have a better chance of working at a top firm if they were ranked in the middle at a T14 of the top of Howard?  I know that these firms usually have some type of cutoff that u needed to be ranked above even if you are at a T14. 

[blk_reign]

it really depends....

it isn't only about where you go to law school Playa.. what you do in law school matters as well.. the type of "package" that you create for yourself with choosing classes for example will make you more marketable..


let's not forget that Howard paved the way for Black Lawyers...the Howard name will still take you very far.. regardless of the fact that it is T4..it is well respected

whether it's Harvard or Howard.. at the end of the day you still aren't guaranteed a job once you complete your JD..

[A.]

I am not in any way bashing Howard, but I would like to point out that just because a firm interviews at a place does not mean you have even a decent shot at getting a position.  Lots of firms probably interview at Howard, go to the minority job fairs, etc. just so they can say they do so.  If you do a search at these firms' websites, you will see just how many Howard grads are there: 1 at Wachtell and 2 at Cravath.  This is out of several hundred lawyers.

Yes, I did notice this, but I also noticed that many of these firms have a number of Blacks that is in the single digits (or close to it).  My question really is would someone have a better chance of working at a top firm if they were ranked in the middle at a T14 of the top of Howard?  I know that these firms usually have some type of cutoff that u needed to be ranked above even if you are at a T14. 

I think that would depend on which T14 you're talking about.

EDIT: And just because Howard is T4 does not mean you should assume that it would be easy to be in the top 5%.  So the better question is which school would give you better job prospects taking into consideration a number of scenarios.

[Playa222]

Yeah, true you both made some very good points.  I guess if I had to choose right now I'd prob go w/ the T14 (assuming I get into one), but now that I have noticed these other aspects it does give me something else to think about...

[christylove]

I have been looking at Southern for Fall in 06. I have not heard anything about it that is negative so far, LSAT 145 and GPA 2.6 are the minimum for acceptance. Has anybody heard anything about it?

Hi Christylove- Where are you from by the way? Are in in LA? What school did you go to Undergrad? First of all SU Law's website needs a lot of work. I hate it and I look forward to the day they make an update on that marketing tool.  However, don’t let that sway you. I think you should definitely take some time to visit the campus. If you went to an HBCU undergrad you will probably have a better time making a transition to the school. I was surprised to find out that the SU LAW is 30% white. That really doesn't matter though. I was at SU Law last month and I enjoyed visiting the campus. I spoke to the teachers...visited the library. …and spoke to the students and I was very impressed. A lot of the students that I spoke to were about to graduate and go on to big things. Most of the students there are from the south and specifically LA. They only accept 10% of out of state students. They receive 1200 applications each year and they only accept about 130 students so make sure you have a bomb ass personal statement. 80% of the black lawyers in LA are graduates from SU. Hit me up on PM and I'll tell you more about my experience there and also send you more information.




http://www.subr.edu/map/law.htm

This is a link to the campus map. You will be able to see all of the buildings on the campus. The law school is located on SUs main campus. You can click the drop down button to see all the buildings. Also, at the very bottom of the page there is a link that says "images around the campus"...the school is located off the banks of the mississippi. Law in the bayou. I love the south and good luck.
 

WOW! Thank you for the info. I am originally from Cols. OH. I now live in Atlanta and I attended an online program through Colorado Technical Univ. majoring in Criminal Justice. It is a nationally accredited program. I am very interested in attending Southern, my personal statement is very intense. I am relying on it and my gpa which was 3.7. I have not recieved my LSAT score it should be back by the 27th. Thank you so much for the info. I will try to chat with HBCU later this week. Thanks again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!