How do you determine the reputation of a law school?

[NerdyLaw]

Of course we have the rankings, but how does anyone actually determine the real reputation of a law school? I tried doing google searchs (find people that have graduated from the schools I am interested) but it's not a very fruitful search. I'm interested on how the rest of you compared schools.

I'm particularly interested in UCONN v Rutgers. UCONN places 30 spots higher but has lower starting salaries. Is there really any reason to spend the money on UCONN?

[nathanielmark]

Do you plan to practice in the NJ/NYC area?  If so, you may want to save the cash and go to rutgers.  i know some people who have gone there and are doing extroardinarily well. 

[ttiwed]

the difference in salary between the rutgers schools (camden and newark) and uconn is probably due to the fact that many rutgers grads end up practicing in philadelphia or new york city, which is where a lot of high paying jobs are. camden and newark are only a few miles from philly and nyc respectively. uconn grads typically stay and practice in new england.

i would say uconn would have the better overall reputation and going there would help you land a job easier if you wanted to move out of the east coast after graduation.

[CJLaw]

It all depends on what you are looking for. If you want to attend a school with a national reputation that never forces you to defend your education, look at the top 15. Other than those pretigious schools on the top of the US News Rankings, reputation depends on the area. For example, in Philadelphia, Temple and Villanova are very well respected. Graduates from those schools place well in the Philly Metro area and garner nice starting salaries. Hell, the senior US Senator from PA is a Villanova grad. However, in San Francisco a Temple or Villanova degree might not get you very far because of the unfamilarity of their programs and a lack of experience with their graduates. So, if you already know where you want to practice and do not have the stats for a top Tier 1 school, look at the area schools and go from there.

[wolfman1977]

You can see a list of most firms/organizations that interview on a school's campus by going to nalp.org.  Some people say that's a rough proxy for national reputation.  I would think this is especially helpful for tier 1 schools, but maybe it's helpful for  all schools.  This can be a litle deceptive, since a lot of firms solicit resumes from students at a given school without actually interviewing on campus. 

[schoomp]

Wolfman - you don't happen to be an "Angel" fan, do you?

[wolfman1977]

Hey schoomp,

Didn't mean to ignore you on this thread- I was on vacation.  It's a sad commentary on my life that I am sitting here at 5 a.m. looking at LSD archives.  No, really, it's true, I really am  .  In my defense I work 3rd shift and when I have a day off there is nothing to do at this time but surf the net.

Wasn't "Angel" some TV show that recently got cancelled?  Sorry, your post was over my head.  I only watch sports, news, and Frasier.