Where should I go?

[Sandrew]

Bachelor of Business Administration (Finance & Accounting), University of Michigan Ross School of Business, Class of 2002 [LSAC GPA: 3.92]
Master of Accounting, ibid., Class of 2003 [Honors]

Work Experience: 7 years in finance, specializing in derivatives valuation.

LSAT: TBD {likely 171 +/- two}

Legal Interests (Why Law School?):  Systemic risk.  Finreg.  Bank capital.  Bankruptcy/BK alternatives for TBTF financial services companies.  Derivatives regulation.  A gamekeeper, not a poacher.

Geographic Restrictions: Washington, DC or New York, NY.

[bigs5068]

There is no right answer to this question. With your numbers if you do actually get a 171 on your REAL LSAT you will be offered numerous scholarships and admission to some elite schools. Some people may say get out with minimal debt by attending a lower ranked school others will say go to the best school you can get  into. There is no right answer, but location, cost, and prestige of the school are all factors to consider.

There is a website called law school transparency that shows the actual salaries of each school and you can see how many people actually report their salaries and it is a much better way to measure your employment prospects than the horribly inadequate numbers that U.S. News and the ABA provide regarding employment.

[Sandrew]

Thank you for the response, but I should have better clarified my question.  I'm curious which law schools are best suited to my interests.  I intend to use my JD to inform a career in public service, specifically in the realm of financial regulation and the enforcement thereof.  Big Law is out of the question.  I'd like a school that affords me the opportunity to study graduate-level economics courses while I pursue my JD.  Columbia and GLUC are at the top of my list, but I'm curious to know if these or other law schools in either DC or New York have reputable programs that fit my goals.

[MeganEW]

Thank you for the response, but I should have better clarified my question.  I'm curious which law schools are best suited to my interests.  I intend to use my JD to inform a career in public service, specifically in the realm of financial regulation and the enforcement thereof.  Big Law is out of the question.  I'd like a school that affords me the opportunity to study graduate-level economics courses while I pursue my JD.  Columbia and GLUC are at the top of my list, but I'm curious to know if these or other law schools in either DC or New York have reputable programs that fit my goals.

NYU Law has a strong emphasis on public service plus a top-rate B-school.  You will probably need a 170+ LSAT score unless they find your story particularly compelling.  You should also look into their scholarship programs (http://www.law.nyu.edu/admissions/jdadmissions/scholarships/index.htm)

[bigs5068]

Honestly, if public interest is your goal then you should take scholarship money. Maybe an NYU degree will help, but you will be 100k more in debt than your co-worker who went to CUNY and paid nothing. The salaries will all be roughly the same at any government organization and seniority not merit will get you a bigger paycheck. I honestly, every law school America from Harvard to Cooley charges an exorbiant amount of money for what they provide the student. If you wanted a BIG LAW career then the ranking would matter, but if you can get 170 or even a 160 combined with a 3.92 GPA you can graduate with no debt from a lot of tier 2 schools.

[derrick.hibbard]

I would think long and hard about what you want out of law school.  Remember that you have to live where you go to school, and you will likely have to work in the area too--so make sure you like the area.  It's also good to look at the market for attorneys in the region around the school. 

[nealric]

If you have to do DC or NY, you really only have 3 schools to apply to with your numbers: Georgetown, NYU, Columbia

[bigs5068]

Thank you for the response, but I should have better clarified my question.  I'm curious which law schools are best suited to my interests.  I intend to use my JD to inform a career in public service, specifically in the realm of financial regulation and the enforcement thereof.  Big Law is out of the question.  I'd like a school that affords me the opportunity to study graduate-level economics courses while I pursue my JD.  Columbia and GLUC are at the top of my list, but I'm curious to know if these or other law schools in either DC or New York have reputable programs that fit my goals.

Georgetown and NYU are phenomenal schools without question, but if you are not at all interested in Big Law then it might be better to get out with as little debt as possible. You can do this by getting scholarship money at good D.C. schools like George Washington, Catholic, and American. In New York Fordham, Brooklyn, and Cardozo are also very solid schools that would offer you a lot of money. You can go to lawschoolnumbers.com and see how much scholarship money students were offered in the past with your numbers and it is a pretty helpful tool. You can also e-mail the individual students who post and get first-hand feedback from students about their experience.

[nealric]

Thank you for the response, but I should have better clarified my question.  I'm curious which law schools are best suited to my interests.  I intend to use my JD to inform a career in public service, specifically in the realm of financial regulation and the enforcement thereof.  Big Law is out of the question.  I'd like a school that affords me the opportunity to study graduate-level economics courses while I pursue my JD.  Columbia and GLUC are at the top of my list, but I'm curious to know if these or other law schools in either DC or New York have reputable programs that fit my goals.

Georgetown and NYU are phenomenal schools without question, but if you are not at all interested in Big Law then it might be better to get out with as little debt as possible. You can do this by getting scholarship money at good D.C. schools like George Washington, Catholic, and American. In New York Fordham, Brooklyn, and Cardozo are also very solid schools that would offer you a lot of money. You can go to lawschoolnumbers.com and see how much scholarship money students were offered in the past with your numbers and it is a pretty helpful tool. You can also e-mail the individual students who post and get first-hand feedback from students about their experience.

None of those schools, besides perhaps GW, are going to give the OP a credible shot at working in the practice areas indicated (public interest or not). GW early decision (with full ride) might be worth it. LRAP at the top schools will help take care of the cost.

[bigs5068]

You are probably right, but I was just throwing out the idea of getting a solid scholarship offer. Getting a J.D. with no debt combined with a University of Michigan degree could open some doors.  There is no right answer and I was just throwing out the idea of getting scholarship money. The OP could potentially get degree from any of the reputable schools I listed debt free. I think it is something worth considering, but that is just my 2 cents and I could be 100% wrong.