Transfer to Texas? Advice much needed.

[cougar150]

Okay, so I attend the University of Houston Law Center and placed in the top 5% of my class in the Fall semester. I also earned the highest legal writing award and will be interning for the best federal judge in Houston this summer. 

I am working just as hard as last semester and classes are going well.  I really like the school, am very grateful to the professors here, and the quality of education I am receiving is fantastic. But...I have a few questions that I would appreciate some advice on.

First, do you think I should transfer to Texas? If so, what are my chances? How important is LSAT in deciding? I scored well below the median at Texas on the LSAT.

If I were to move to the east coast (say Washington D.C. or Atlanta), do you think a Texas degree would be worth more than a Houston degree (with law review status and all the other accolades)? I hear every year a few students give up being on law review at Houston to transfer to Texas? Is it really worth it? Are there any other schools that you think I would have a good chance of transferring to? I went to a Top-25 undergrad. Do I have a chance at any of the Ivy Leagues (keep in mind my low LSAT).

Students who finish at the top at UH have great opportunities in Houston and TX- Baker Botts, Vinson and Elkins, Bracewell & Guiliani, etc.  There is a chance that even if I went to Texas I would eventually move back to Houston.

I have a great thing going now in Houston and it probably isn't worth the trouble of transferring (especially with the contacts and support I am receiving), but I would still appreciate others' advice on the issue. Thanks.

[houstonlaw08]

Only two people left last year. There are a lot of considerations that go into the decision, and most people (and by definition most of our law review) decide against it.

Some reasons why people don't transfer:
1. Your grades don't transfer with you. You get "pass" credit, and your GPA starts at 0.00. That can work out really well, or really badly. 2L year with recruiting and journal work is very busy, and a number of people have their grades decline. This isn't a big problem for them because 30 hours at top 10% won't change much. However, you won't have that buffer.

2. Availability of journals - Judges I talked to about clerking felt that being on a law review was important, and so if that is important to you, you need to see what their transfer policies are. I know Texas invited their transfers onto their International Law journal (they didn't tell us this after being accepted for transfer - I don't know if they do this routinely).

If you stay at UH, and have top grades and LR, you will do fine in the Houston market. People also get jobs out of state, but this doesn't happen often because most UH folks are planning to stay here. I suggest you talk to your tutors about whether they considered it, or other members of the law review. Talk to faculty about it also. You will need a strong letter of recommendation to successfully transfer, and you should line that up before everyone leaves for summer.