Best schools for BIGLAW?

[bamf]

 Vandy, UCLA, GW, USC, Fordham, and Texas all offer great BigLaw opportunities that aren't has geographically limiting as people want to believe (especially at Vandy and Texas).

Fordham?  lolz

[Denny Crane]

 Vandy, UCLA, GW, USC, Fordham, and Texas all offer great BigLaw opportunities that aren't has geographically limiting as people want to believe (especially at Vandy and Texas).

Fordham?  lolz

Fordham grads are well represented in almost all top Biglaw firms in New York.

[bamf]

Oh I know, but the post I was questioning stated that Fordham was not geographically limiting ... Fordham does not have the "approaching-national" rep of Vandy or UCLA.  This is why Fordham has traditionally been in the 30s.

[james_pku]

By the way, would anyone explain why Vanderbilt students perform so well in getting into Biglaws (even better than some of the top14 law schools)?
Thanks a lot.

As noted, Biglaw largely depends on ratings/reputation, and Vandy is just outside of the T14 in rep/ratings, so it's obviously going to do pretty well.

However, I wouldn't say it does better than any T14's -- do you have an example?

Also, Vandy's placement is more regional than the T14's, although it does have a semi-national rep, just like UCLA, UT, USC, GW, etc.

vandy is said to be higher than yale in the NLJ ranking.

[Special Agent Dana Scully]

By the way, would anyone explain why Vanderbilt students perform so well in getting into Biglaws (even better than some of the top14 law schools)?
Thanks a lot.

As noted, Biglaw largely depends on ratings/reputation, and Vandy is just outside of the T14 in rep/ratings, so it's obviously going to do pretty well.

However, I wouldn't say it does better than any T14's -- do you have an example?

Also, Vandy's placement is more regional than the T14's, although it does have a semi-national rep, just like UCLA, UT, USC, GW, etc.

vandy is said to be higher than yale in the NLJ ranking.

that means nothing since a good proportion of YLS grades take clerkships and head for academia

[keelee]

Oh I know, but the post I was questioning stated that Fordham was not geographically limiting ... Fordham does not have the "approaching-national" rep of Vandy or UCLA.  This is why Fordham has traditionally been in the 30s.

I said not "as geographically limiting as people want to believe", which it isn't. No doubt the most regional of those schools, but I bet you Fordham could get you to DC or Miami with some effort and good grades.

[Lindbergh]

By the way, would anyone explain why Vanderbilt students perform so well in getting into Biglaws (even better than some of the top14 law schools)?
Thanks a lot.

As noted, Biglaw largely depends on ratings/reputation, and Vandy is just outside of the T14 in rep/ratings, so it's obviously going to do pretty well.

However, I wouldn't say it does better than any T14's -- do you have an example?

Also, Vandy's placement is more regional than the T14's, although it does have a semi-national rep, just like UCLA, UT, USC, GW, etc.

Vandy's placement is not regional at all. It probably has the best national reach of any school outside of the T14. Only 46% of their students stayed in the Southern US from the Class of 2006. They place well not only in the South, but in LA, DC, and NYC.

T14 is obviously the best for BigLaw, but Vandy, UCLA, GW, USC, Fordham, and Texas all offer great BigLaw opportunities that aren't has geographically limiting as people want to believe (especially at Vandy and Texas).

My exact words, of course, is that Vandy is "more regional" than the T14.  This is also true, of course, of UCLA, GW, USC, Texas, and particularly Fordham. 

I also say it has a semi-national rep, like some of the above schools. 

When you say that Vandy places less nationally than the T14, but less regionally than most other schools, you're simply confirming my above statements. 

National vs. regional is obviously relative to some extent.  There are 8 truly national schools, another 6 fairly national schools, another 5/6 semi-national schools with more regional strength, and then the rest, with varying degrees of regional strength and restriction.

My point is simply that it's unlikely that any non-T14 school places better in biglaw than a T14 school.

But yes, Vandy does place well in Biglaw, because it's a top 20 school, with reputation ratings close to the 11-14 schools.

[bamf]

Oh I know, but the post I was questioning stated that Fordham was not geographically limiting ... Fordham does not have the "approaching-national" rep of Vandy or UCLA.  This is why Fordham has traditionally been in the 30s.

I said not "as geographically limiting as people want to believe", which it isn't. No doubt the most regional of those schools, but I bet you Fordham could get you to DC or Miami with some effort and good grades.

you can say this of any school in T1 ... but the national status of a school is judged more on actual placement and OCI.  88% of Fordham grads stay in the Mid Atlantic.

in the same vein, something a little more useful than your guesswork:
http://leiterlawschool.typepad.com/leiter/2006/02/national_and_re.html

[keelee]

Oh I know, but the post I was questioning stated that Fordham was not geographically limiting ... Fordham does not have the "approaching-national" rep of Vandy or UCLA.  This is why Fordham has traditionally been in the 30s.

I said not "as geographically limiting as people want to believe", which it isn't. No doubt the most regional of those schools, but I bet you Fordham could get you to DC or Miami with some effort and good grades.

you can say this of any school in T1 ... but the national status of a school is judged more on actual placement and OCI.  88% of Fordham grads stay in the Mid Atlantic.

in the same vein, something a little more useful than your guesswork:
http://leiterlawschool.typepad.com/leiter/2006/02/national_and_re.html

None of that takes self-selection into account. If you go to Fordham, you go to stay in NYC.

Self-selection is a reason I feel that many schools have a lot more reach than people give them credit for.

[Lindbergh]

Oh I know, but the post I was questioning stated that Fordham was not geographically limiting ... Fordham does not have the "approaching-national" rep of Vandy or UCLA.  This is why Fordham has traditionally been in the 30s.

I said not "as geographically limiting as people want to believe", which it isn't. No doubt the most regional of those schools, but I bet you Fordham could get you to DC or Miami with some effort and good grades.

Why do people want to believe a school is less national than it really is?  Seems the reverse is more likely to be true.