The Howard Law/HBCU Law Schools Thread

[Esco]

If you are white, yellow, or green, and didn't get into a top 25 school you should consider Howard.  Why?  Because we get better employment prospects than half of the top 25. 

[Obama2]

Esco (nice name by the way lol)

Do you commute to Howard or are you relatively close to the campus? And what do you think about the East towers grad dorm vs looking for apartments somewhere else (price, convienience, impact on grades). If you had a choice (after knowing what you know now) which situation will you pick between staying in apt that is very cheap with commute of 1 1/2 hours each direction (total of 3 hours) on the metro or renting a more expensive apt closer to the school. Thanks

p.s please feel free to throw in any additional housing related advice (any other advice for that matter)

[Ninja1]

If you are white, yellow, or green, and didn't get into a top 25 school you should consider Howard.  Why?  Because we get better employment prospects than half of the top 25. 

Somewhat of a stretch.

And let's not forget the very meh bar results coming out of Howard...

[Contract2008]

If you are white, yellow, or green, and didn't get into a top 25 school you should consider Howard.  Why?  Because we get better employment prospects than half of the top 25. 

Somewhat of a stretch.

And let's not forget the very meh bar results coming out of Howard...

What's the bar passage rate for grads from Howard?

[Esco]

Contracts- I think that is a racist statement to make.  White students and non-black minorites attend howard and they get good jobs as well.  There are quality black students all across the country....Why Howard?  Maybe because the school is known for making quality contributions to the legal community.  History serves as proof...Howard Students Produce.  Check out the top 20 schools that has produced the most judges (American legal System)....see where Howard ranks in comparison to your "top-tier" schools. 

Not a stretch at all Ninja.  Do your research and you will see that Howard students get better opportunities than many of the schools in the Top 25.  White students at Howard receive the same opportunities and benefits as minority students.  I really do not understand why this is such a misconception. Bar passage rates have nothing to do with employment prospects/job opportunities; however, I will say two things:

1.Most state schools prepare their students to take the bar in that repsective state.  Howard students take the bar in a number of states (GA, VA, Cali, FLA, NC, DC, NJ), and mostly in NY. Prior to adding a Bar fee to our tuition, students would normally take the bar without taking barbri or other bar prep courses.  This has contributed to low 1st time bar passage rates. 

2. To strengthen bar passage rates, Howard has added a fee of $1500 (if not a few hundred dollars less) to 1L tuition.  This fee will be credited to students after graduation, to go toward a bar course in their respective state.  Also, Howard SBA has organized programs designed to help 3L's prepare for the bar throughout the course of the year - ie: Saturday bar prep sessions etc. 

Obama - gotta love your name as well!  I do not know much about the East towers grad dorms; however, I do know that law students stay there...some, but not many.  Also, there is a Howard trolly bus that runs from Howard Law to East Towers. I do commute to Howard; most students do.  The communte can be time consuming, especially if you do not intend to drive.  I would honestly discourage you from staying far away from school; 1 1/2 hours each direction is too far.  Law school is tiring, and a long commute will only make you more tired and less effective.  Try to find housing that is within 25-30 from campus (one way).  All of the apartments/homes around Howard Law are expensive (ie: $1500 + for a one bedroom w/o utilities).  However, I do recommend this to all incoming 1L's: If you can afford to stay close to school, you should do it.  The school stays open 24 hours, so those that live close actually use this to their advantange. I initially wanted to stay close to the school, but it did not work out. 

Hope that helps, sorry for the run-on's, spelling, and gramatical errors, but i'm tired.  Feel free to ask more questions. 

[Kirk Lazarus]

Esco (nice name by the way lol)

Do you commute to Howard or are you relatively close to the campus? And what do you think about the East towers grad dorm vs looking for apartments somewhere else (price, convienience, impact on grades). If you had a choice (after knowing what you know now) which situation will you pick between staying in apt that is very cheap with commute of 1 1/2 hours each direction (total of 3 hours) on the metro or renting a more expensive apt closer to the school. Thanks

p.s please feel free to throw in any additional housing related advice (any other advice for that matter)

I lived in the EastTowers for two years. Get your own apt closer to the law school. EastTowers ain't worth it. Don't do the commute either. Law school is intense. Stay close to the school for convenience.

[Ninja1]

If you are white, yellow, or green, and didn't get into a top 25 school you should consider Howard.  Why?  Because we get better employment prospects than half of the top 25. 

Somewhat of a stretch.

And let's not forget the very meh bar results coming out of Howard...

What's the bar passage rate for grads from Howard?

62% in NY v. State Avg. of 77% (39 takers), 76% in MD v. State Avg. of 77% (29 takers). Not a huge number of people sitting in either state, but those are the two biggest from LSAC and they account for about half of the class (68 of 140 JDs awarded).

[Ninja1]

...

Not a stretch at all Ninja.  Do your research and you will see that Howard students get better opportunities than many of the schools in the Top 25.  White students at Howard receive the same opportunities and benefits as minority students.  I really do not understand why this is such a misconception. Bar passage rates have nothing to do with employment prospects/job opportunities; however, I will say two things:

1.Most state schools prepare their students to take the bar in that repsective state.  Howard students take the bar in a number of states (GA, VA, Cali, FLA, NC, DC, NJ), and mostly in NY. Prior to adding a Bar fee to our tuition, students would normally take the bar without taking barbri or other bar prep courses.  This has contributed to low 1st time bar passage rates. 

2. To strengthen bar passage rates, Howard has added a fee of $1500 (if not a few hundred dollars less) to 1L tuition.  This fee will be credited to students after graduation, to go toward a bar course in their respective state.  Also, Howard SBA has organized programs designed to help 3L's prepare for the bar throughout the course of the year - ie: Saturday bar prep sessions etc. 
...

I've done my research. For the quick rundown, see the getting somewhat dated but still representative chart:

http://www.law.com/img/nlj/charts/composite.pdf

I'm not saying Howard has bad employment prospects, but to say it's even close to anywhere in the top 25, let alone superior to many of the T25, is patently false. The only schools Howard is comparable to are IUB, which places mainly in the legal capital of the world, Indiana, and Minnesota, which places mainly in another legal hub, Minnesota, as opposed to Howard and it's NY/DC placements. If IUB or Minnesota were placed into a big legal market, they would probably be able to double up their numbers overnight.

So yeah, Howard has pretty good prospects all things considered, but it's not a T25 school in terms of placement.

[A.]

I agree with Esco in as much as "opportunities" /= placement.  The interview list at many top firms looks like this: t14 + Howard.  Now, they might hire only 1 or 2 people from Howard, but at least there's the opportunity.  And that opportunity doesn't exist at IUB.

[Contract2008]

62% in NY v. State Avg. of 77% (39 takers), 76% in MD v. State Avg. of 77% (29 takers). Not a huge number of people sitting in either state, but those are the two biggest from LSAC and they account for about half of the class (68 of 140 JDs awarded).

What else do you expect from a Tier 3 law school?  Their employment is higher than other tier three is because the skin color of its students.  I don't know why some people try to deny the OBVIOUS truth.