Chicago area law schools

[becca87]

My Dad and I are taking a trip to Chicago in a few weeks to visit some of the law schools...any suggestions on which ones give a worthwhile tour, or general tips on Chicago area schools?

[Laura Roslin]

As the man said, UofC and NU are the top tier. On the other end of the spectrum, I don't think John Marshall has the greatest reputation. 

In between you have the three Tier 2s - IIT, DePaul, and Loyola - which are pretty close together in terms of reputation.  They are so close - especially DePaul and Loyola - that I think if you're in range for them, you should visit all three and decide based on other factors. 

Do you know what range of schools you'll be applying to?  If you have T14 numbers, I'd focus your visit on UofC/NU - especially NU.  It's a gorgeous school, and you can do some touristy stuff on Michigan Avenue while you're there.    UofC is also excellent, but it's in a less exciting neighborhood.    You can also take a day trip to South Bend to see Notre Dame if you'll have a car.   (It's not impossible to get there on public transit, but I wouldn't want to deal with it on a vacation.) 

You could also focus on the trio of regional T2s mentioned above.  Loyola is not too far from NU, so you could see them both in one day if you wanted.  Loyola and DePaul are also both along the Red Line (subway), so you could see them both fairly easily. 

I'll leave further advice on the law schools to the experts, but if you have Chicago questions, feel free to PM me.  Have a good trip!

[Mori]

Its damn hot here right now...hopefully it cools down by the time you get here.

I 2nd what Laura says. The loyola law school is in a great location right off Michigan Ave, and ITT-Chicago Kent is on the end of State street, in the Loop. Depaul is a little bit on the Northside in a really nice yuppyish area - lots of bars and activities in the area. UofC is an island in the ghetto southside of Chitwn, and Nortwestern is in expensive north side Chicago/Evanston. John Marshall is also downtown/loop, and I wouldn't recommend anyone going there.

If you came here, i would start at UofC, then make your way North to Kent, then to John Marshall (if you must), then to Loyola, Depaul then end your day off in beautiful Evanston at NW.

[Laura Roslin]

Just to revise slightly what Mori said - several of the law schools are separate from their undergrad campuses (DePaul, NU, and Loyola, to be specific.) Here are the locations of all the Chicago law schools:

-Loyola Law is in the Gold Coast, at Pearson and Wabash (near the Chicago/State Red Line stop)
-Northwestern Law is in Streeterville - at Chicago Ave. and the lake - about 1/2 mile east of Loyola
-DePaul Law is in the Loop, near Jackson and State
-IIT is in the 500 block of West Adams, near Union Station (sort of by the Sears Tower, but across the river.) 
-UofC is way south in Hyde Park - 6000 South, I believe?  (Chicago is laid out on a grid, and with a few exceptions, 800 address numbers=1 mile.  Adams is 200 South and Chicago Ave. is 800 North, to give you some idea of how far away HP is from the other schools.)
-John Marshall is also near State and Jackson.  It's really close to DePaul - they're practically across the street from each other. 

Almost all of the schools are along or near State Street, which happens to be the street the Red Line runs under when it's downtown.  You can put together a decent itinerary hitting all these schools except UChicago using public transit and your feet.  (You can do UChicago on public transit too, but if you're new to the city I'd cab it.)  That would be way too many schools to visit in one day.  You'd probably want to narrow it down a bit, or at least spread it over a few days.   

Have a good trip!

[Mori]

Thanks Laura, that actually helped me too I didn't realize Depaul was downtown too.



edit: I am such an idiot...Depaul Law: it's across the street from the library where the starbucks/barnes&nobles is. I totally forgot. I used to frequent that bookstore and when i would go downstairs seeing all the legal matter and depaul memorabilia...

[UnoriginalAndrew]

Its damn hot here right now...hopefully it cools down by the time you get here.

I 2nd what Laura says. The loyola law school is in a great location right off Michigan Ave, and ITT-Chicago Kent is on the end of State street, in the Loop. Depaul is a little bit on the Northside in a really nice yuppyish area - lots of bars and activities in the area. UofC is an island in the ghetto southside of Chitwn, and Nortwestern is in expensive north side Chicago/Evanston. John Marshall is also downtown/loop, and I wouldn't recommend anyone going there.

If you came here, i would start at UofC, then make your way North to Kent, then to John Marshall (if you must), then to Loyola, Depaul then end your day off in beautiful Evanston at NW.

As has been mentioned by Laura, N-Law is downtown.  However, you should go to Evanston anyways to check out some restaurants.    I recommend Bat 17, on Benson Ave near the Davis St. stop, for some cold beer and a giant sandwich.  If Jon's behind the bar, say you want a Maker's the way Andrew liked 'em      

[Countryboy]

I'd also definitely check out the entire neighborhood around the University of Chicago. The law school is a little off the main campus, which is stunning in my opinion. There are some really neat restaurants, housing, bars, etc. around the school. And it's true that the neighborhood there is pretty safe. And a lot of the South Side is getting better, although my South Side blood may skew that view.