The 40 Best & Worst Law Schools for Philadelphia BigLaw

[Philly BigLaw]

The 40 Best & Worst Law Schools for Philadelphia BigLaw

352 law students obtained summer associate positions in 20 large Philadelphia law firms in 2008.  Here's where they came from:

Rank   # SA's   Law School
01            75      Temple University
02            58      Villanova University
03            49      University of Pennsylvania
04            39      Rutgers University-Camden
05            17      Drexel University
06            12      George Washington University
07            09      University of Virginia
08            08      Duke University
09            07      Georgetown University
10            06      Howard University
10            06      University of Miami
12            05      University of Maryland
12            05      University of Notre Dame
12            05      University of Pittsburgh
12            05      Widener University
16            04      Boston University
16            04      Fordham University
18            03      Syracuse University
18            03      University of Wisconsin
20            02      Catholic University of America
20            02      College of William & Mary
20            02      Cornell University
20            02      Emory University
20            02      Pennsylvania State University-Dickinson
20            02      Roger Williams Univeristy
20            02      Rugers University-Newark
20            02      University of Baltimore
20            02      University of Florida
20            02      University of Michigan
20            02      Washington University in St. Louis
31            01      American University
31            01      Brooklyn Law School
31            01      Columbia University
31            01      George Mason university
31            01      Harvard University
31            01      University of Buffalo
31            01      University of Detroit
31            01      University of Texas
31            01      Vanderbilt University
31            01      Washington & Lee University


For the purposes of this list, "Philadelphia BigLaw" firms include:
Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll
Blank Rome
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney
Cozen O'Connor
DLA Piper
Drinker Biddle & Reath
Duane Morris
Fox Rothschild
Lavin O'Neil Ricci Cedrone & DiSipio
Marshak Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin
Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads
Morgan Lewis & Bockius
Pepper Hamilton
Reed Smith
Saul Ewing
Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis
Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young
White & Williams
WolfBlock
Woddcock Washburn


Source: The Legal Intelligencer, the Oldest Law Journal in the United States

[Thistle]

stop crossposting!

[Susan B. Anthony]

stop crossposting!

That, and there is almost no way someone who wants to work in Philly should choose Temple (1) over Harvard (31) - and certainly not on account of a list like this that seems to suggest that Temple's placement is better than Harvard's for Philly firms. This list doesn't account for selection bias on the part of students, which is rather important.

[Thistle]

stop crossposting!

That, and there is almost no way someone who wants to work in Philly should choose Temple (1) over Harvard (31) - and certainly not on account of a list like this that seems to suggest that Temple's placement is better than Harvard's for Philly firms. This list doesn't account for selection bias on the part of students, which is rather important.

well i didnt really care about the substance of the post, only the repetition

[Susan B. Anthony]

stop crossposting!

That, and there is almost no way someone who wants to work in Philly should choose Temple (1) over Harvard (31) - and certainly not on account of a list like this that seems to suggest that Temple's placement is better than Harvard's for Philly firms. This list doesn't account for selection bias on the part of students, which is rather important.

well i didnt really care about the substance of the post, only the repetition

well, you know, if it was actually useful I might be a little more forgiving.

[Thistle]

stop crossposting!

That, and there is almost no way someone who wants to work in Philly should choose Temple (1) over Harvard (31) - and certainly not on account of a list like this that seems to suggest that Temple's placement is better than Harvard's for Philly firms. This list doesn't account for selection bias on the part of students, which is rather important.

well i didnt really care about the substance of the post, only the repetition

well, you know, if it was actually useful I might be a little more forgiving.

yeah it was pretty worthless lol

[Private David Lewis]

This is an interesting schtick. 

[bloomlaw]

stop crossposting!

That, and there is almost no way someone who wants to work in Philly should choose Temple (1) over Harvard (31) - and certainly not on account of a list like this that seems to suggest that Temple's placement is better than Harvard's for Philly firms. This list doesn't account for selection bias on the part of students, which is rather important.

No lists mention selection bias. But I think a point of the list is that you can take a huge scholarship to Temple instead of going to Harvard if you want to practice in Philadelphia. And in the end, that lack of debt would make it a better decision. But I have two problems with this: the repetition of the same post and the misleading title- there is nothing on here abou thte worst law schools for philly.

[MauveAvenger]

Also maybe Harvard grads are more likely to work in NYC, LA, or DC than Philadelphia, which is a relatively small city in comparison. Temple grads don't translate that well to other cities like Penn, or other "national" schools can.

[Susan B. Anthony]

stop crossposting!

That, and there is almost no way someone who wants to work in Philly should choose Temple (1) over Harvard (31) - and certainly not on account of a list like this that seems to suggest that Temple's placement is better than Harvard's for Philly firms. This list doesn't account for selection bias on the part of students, which is rather important.

No lists mention selection bias. But I think a point of the list is that you can take a huge scholarship to Temple instead of going to Harvard if you want to practice in Philadelphia. And in the end, that lack of debt would make it a better decision. But I have two problems with this: the repetition of the same post and the misleading title- there is nothing on here abou thte worst law schools for philly.

It doesn't matter whether or not another list mentions selection bias - the fact is that it matters, and it is unaccounted for here, and at least as far as this post goes, not even mentioned as a consideration. The rankings are misleading.

I personally wouldn't take the chance on Temple over Harvard, but then I'm particularly risk averse and modest about my intellectual prowess - it might be a good choice for some people. Even assuming you graduate at the top of your class, though, (which simply isn't guaranteed) the opportunities you'd have, generally speaking, probably wouldn't be the same. Of course, there are other considerations, and every person should make their choice based on their particular circumstances.

Regardless, though, these rankings do very little work towards identifying which schools give you the best opportunities in Philadelphia law firms, and are misleading.