Loyola New Orleans

[BigEasy]

Anyone have any advice or comments about the law school?  I know its T3 but the campus is really nice and I like the atmosphere of the university.  However, realistically, will this school hinder my chances of finding work in the northeast? Should I transfer after 1L to schools in the T20/30 range if I am near the top of my class?  My initial plan is I am interested in intellectual property law or sports entertainment law.  I was also looking into Georgetown's National Security program for a possible transfer.

Some of my destinations for transferring are : Georgetown, Fordham, Boston College, Notre Dame, George Washington, Rutgers Newark, St, John's. Super Reach destinations: UPenn, Columbia, Gtown, Duke

[BigEasy]

I should add that I am from Jersey and do not really desire staying in the south and I know my school places well in New Orleans and is good for International law and public interest law.

[kirkcameronsgf]

If you're already thinking about transferring, maybe you should consider holding out one more year and retaking the LSAT?

I like NO (obviously), but I don't know much about Loyola.   Sorry.

[roygbiv]

I'm from NOLA and went to Loyola undergrad (going out-of-state for LS) so consequently know quite a few of the LS graduates.

1. Don't go to any school thinking you will be able to transfer out. It's quite the crapshoot to be betting on.

<BIG GAP>

2. The vast majority of Loyola grads stay in New Orleans. There is very little reach even to the other parts of the state, much less the rest of the country. LSU grads generally dominate the rest of the state. That having been said, the graduates are very loyal so like to higher other Loyola alumni. Only the top of the class get "big" law in NOLA but you probably won't be unemployed however you may end up in a 10-person firm or working in government which is something to consider given that it is a private school.
3. The school is relatively laid back and the atmosphere is great, especially compared to Tulane so that is a big plus.

HTH

I should add that I am from Jersey and do not really desire staying in the south and I know my school places well in New Orleans and is good for International law and public interest law.

[botbot]

Anyone have any advice or comments about the law school?  I know its T3 but the campus is really nice and I like the atmosphere of the university.  However, realistically, will this school hinder my chances of finding work in the northeast? Should I transfer after 1L to schools in the T20/30 range if I am near the top of my class?  My initial plan is I am interested in intellectual property law or sports entertainment law.  I was also looking into Georgetown's National Security program for a possible transfer.

Some of my destinations for transferring are : Georgetown, Fordham, Boston College, Notre Dame, George Washington, Rutgers Newark, St, John's. Super Reach destinations: UPenn, Columbia, Gtown, Duke

Getting out of NOLA is tough with a Loyola degree.  Getting to the Northest, you would basically have to take a position in TINYLAW (which would make it hard to dig out of that private school debt.)

The campus looks great though...

[hey not you hey]

3L here.  I went to Loyola and transferred after my first year.  It's possible, but it wasn't exactly easy and I wouldn't bank on being able to transfer. Loyola is a good school with a lot to offer, but unless you want to stay in New Orleans or Louisiana or possibly Houston, I would advise against going to school there.  It simply isn't known outside of the south.  That's not to say it's a bad school by any means, it's just very regional.

[BigEasy]

If I am at the top of my class I wont be able to transfer out?? Even to another Jesuit school? I am not even sold on transferring I would love to just go to school down there.  I do not believe it is impossible to get a job in the northeast just because of where i went to school. I also have a contact at a top ten large firm in nyc that i could possibly do summer associates work. Never know. But I am def not staying in New Orleans and def not taking a year off to take the LSATS over just so i could go to a marginally higher ranked school like Rutgers or something.

[roygbiv]

Yes, of course if you do well you will be able to transfer out even to very, very good schools. The point is that it is not something you can/should bank on happening. Everyone in school is pretty smart and they all want to be at the top of the class.

And yes, you will be able to get a job in the northeast but you will have to do all the legwork yourself and even if you are #1 in your class you still cannot except to get a top NYC job, for example. Just go and check out the Wachtell, Sullivan, or Cravath websites and see how many Loyola grads there are. Go and check out which firms are recruiting at OCI. Ask Career Services to give you a breakdown of which state grads go. I would place a lot of money that the VAST majority are in-state.

The fact of the matter is that it is a local school and almost exclusively its grads locally. If you aren't comfortable with that, you honestly should reconsider unless you have very strong, solid connections (e.g., you know the hiring partner) wherever you'd like to be. There are lots of schools in the northeast and lots of people that want to work there. Unless you know someone, you have a VERY uphill climb ahead of you.

Go talk to career services and have them give you some statistics before it's too late. Have them give you some names of alums in NYC and talk to them about the realities of taking your Loyola degree to the northeast.

If I am at the top of my class I wont be able to transfer out?? Even to another Jesuit school? I am not even sold on transferring I would love to just go to school down there.  I do not believe it is impossible to get a job in the northeast just because of where i went to school. I also have a contact at a top ten large firm in nyc that i could possibly do summer associates work. Never know. But I am def not staying in New Orleans and def not taking a year off to take the LSATS over just so i could go to a marginally higher ranked school like Rutgers or something.

[BigEasy]

Thanks for the advice. Everyone is in for an uphill battle and I am not looking for handouts.  And I know law school is filled with bright people and we are all similar but I am confident I will do well. I am extremely competitve academically.  I chose Loyola because I went to a Jesuit university undergrad and I like the way the Jesuit education is, and the connections to other schools.  I could be in a worse situation, I had a low LSAT score but a high GPA (3.65/ 148). So I am thankful I am not at Cooley or something.  But I will take the advice and immediately consult with career services there has got to be something they can do for people like me ( I should not be the only one either) and also I heard they have a very good career services.  This may be because of the placement in New Orleans.  I am not necessarily looking to do big corporate law in nyc either.  I am leaning towards intellectual property but also am becoming a little interested in international law which Loyola has some good programs with.  Sorry for the length I am just in a very uncertain stage of my life and the decision is that I am going to Loyola this fall.  From there I am unsure. 

[roygbiv]

Yes, they are very good (I was admitted there and like I said have several friends that are alums) however make sure to ask them for specific stats (e.g. placement by state and by type of practice, list of firms at OCI, names of alums in specific areas) and don't let them sell you a flowery story on how all of their grads get jobs. That is true, but just make sure that they break it out for you so you know the full story.

And FWIW, I didn't see any other connections to Jesuit universities except that we played Spring Hill's teams and the current President came from Georgetown. I did really like my undergrad experience so I'm not trying to down the school at all, I'm just trying to make sure that you take a realistic look at the school and go there understanding exactly what you're getting in to.

Thanks for the advice. Everyone is in for an uphill battle and I am not looking for handouts.  And I know law school is filled with bright people and we are all similar but I am confident I will do well. I am extremely competitve academically.  I chose Loyola because I went to a Jesuit university undergrad and I like the way the Jesuit education is, and the connections to other schools.  I could be in a worse situation, I had a low LSAT score but a high GPA (3.65/ 148). So I am thankful I am not at Cooley or something.  But I will take the advice and immediately consult with career services there has got to be something they can do for people like me ( I should not be the only one either) and also I heard they have a very good career services.  This may be because of the placement in New Orleans.  I am not necessarily looking to do big corporate law in nyc either.  I am leaning towards intellectual property but also am becoming a little interested in international law which Loyola has some good programs with.  Sorry for the length I am just in a very uncertain stage of my life and the decision is that I am going to Loyola this fall.  From there I am unsure.