Brooklyn vs. Cardozo- Equal $$ from each!

[hs1082]

Hello, I am in a bit of a predicament, I am accepted into both Cardozo and Brooklyn, each with a even chunk of scholarship so money is not an issue. I am planning on focusing on criminal litigation, perhaps big- law after I graduate and I do plan to stay in NYC. I have visited both and like it equally.

I am about to flip a coin....thoughts please???


Thanks

[imagurl]

Which campus did you feel more comfortable at? Would you rather spend 3 years in Brooklyn Heights or Union Square? They seem to be so similar in placement and reputation that it must be hard to make a decision. What if you tell them your situation and see if one of them will throw a little more your way to make the decision easier?

[themanwithnoname]

yeah this one is kind of a toss up. One thing to bear in mind: biglaw is tough to get from either of these schools, so do not count on that.

[GodspeedMUFC]

I had the same choice to make.  I visited both schools and it was very clear to me which one I would prefer (Brooklyn).  They are very very different places so if everything else is equal go and visit and chose which school you prefer.

[ronaldo699]

criminal litigation - bls hands down... check out the clinics etc..  the current brooklyn teaches trial advocacy every semester

[themanwithnoname]

uh, innocence project? Barry Scheck is at Cardozo?

[barrygoodlife]

Scheck is at cardozo but rumor is he teaches very few students --pretty much all 3rd year and most of 'his' lectures are by guests.(And what if he goes on leave in "your" access year?)

If that's why you're picking a school, it's like hoping you'll get Dershowitz at harvard--there's a chance, but not a good one.

Brooklyn has some clinic with the Holland/Knight firm that's aslo doing interesting stuff.

Make the phone call for more money--and revisit each school.

[cannotpick]

But we have Barry Kamins (President of NY Bar Ass'n & big name criminal defense attorney), Carolyn Pokorny (chief of narcotics- EDNY), and Gerry Shargel (defended John Gotti & other big names). I'm sure there are other noteworthy criminal professors. I'm just naming ones that friends or I have had.

I think BLS places grads as well or better than Cardozo (their ranking in inflated by their faculty scores [i.e. citation count], but they don't have the 100+ years of connections that BLS has). Nonetheless, I recommend that you visit both schools.

[Harsh Reality]

Cardozo is located in Union Square/Soho/Greenwich Village - one of the most vibrant areas in the world.   Brooklyn is located, well, in Downtown Brooklyn, sort of depressing place because it's located across from the courthouse so you have a lot of criminals walking around.  All this talk about connections to the court  is irrelevant.  After graduation, most students at BLS go into private practice so the supposed "connection" is only for a handful who can get the prestigious clerkships (usually those ranked top of the class).  If you want to go into BigLaw, law review and moot court are almost required coming from BLS, clinics won't help you for BigLaw.

[themanwithnoname]

BLS is in brooklyn heights. that's a nice neighborhood. Cardozo is not located in Soho. Buy a map.