Calling all lawyers (and other sundry old people)

[Barrister]

All good points- but no doubt I would be in a better position being in the top third @ Yale(though actually Yale doesn't rank its students). I would have an inside track at getting a Circuit clerkship, for instance. If I wanted to go into academia, Yale would provide a huge advantage.  At UF, maybe 2-3 people get a Circuit clerkship a year, which is something that I am interested in, whereas a fairly high number of Yale people get those jobs. There's probably a 20 law professors in the country with a UF law degree, while there's literally hundreds, I bet, of Yale grads teaching. Yale is the cream of the cream, especially because it's a relatively small law school, compared to a school like Harvard, which has the one of the biggest law schools at the country. But I would say your example would be accurate at a school like Georgetown- I don't think I would be better off being in the top third @ Georgetown than top 5% at UF, especially once debt is considered.

Fair points.  Yale, perhaps, is its own special case.

[Berkut]

I am surprised by how much weight what school you went to carries. Does it still matter long after you are out of school?

In most professional jobs, a prestigous school matters a lot when you graduate, but if you are good at what you do, ten years later what school you went to doesn't matter, because your record carries a lot more weight.

In other words, if you really are an awesome lawyer, what does it matter?

[The Minsky Moment]

I am surprised by how much weight what school you went to carries. Does it still matter long after you are out of school?

It matters quite a bit for your first job.  The very large firms hire droves at a time, even now, and school is a very convenient sorting mechanism.  The smaller firms can't interview everywhere and so prioritize.

As time goes on, it matters less, but it always helps.

Bottom line is that st. j is right and if count is seriously considering a firm job,  columbia is the place to go. 

[The Minsky Moment]

But MInsky - you might be in a big white shoe law firm, but do you practice corporate law?  II thought you were more of a litigator for some reason.

Commercial litigation - contract, securities, RE, IP lit, some white collar.  And even one big constitutional case - big firms do sometimes handle speech and commerce clause cases from time to time.
I did do some transactional capital markets work years ago, which was not as fun.  The tax guys seem to have interesting work though.

[Capetan Mihali]

Nice to see you again Count.     I'm a first-year law student at Harvard now.  I did not do particularly well first semester, and I still don't know exactly what I want to do with a law degree, so I can't be of much help advice-wise. 

But I do strongly suggest not deferring since you've already gotten in.  You'll might get cold feet, working as a paralegal when you've already gotten into law school seems sort of categorically confusing, and there may be the feeling of being "behind" the 21-year-olds who went straight through from undergrad.

And I don't think foreign travel is foreclosed to you forever.  Columbia probably has some kind of funding for non-profit summer work overseas your 1L summer.  I know one person in my section is going to India to do some kind of internship with their constitutional court, IIRC. And there maybe even some kind of "study abroad" program if you're desperate to get out of the country. (Harvard has a way you can do your last year in Paris or at UC-Berkeley...). 

Hell, I'm getting funding to travel to exotic Knoxville, TN this summer to work at the public defender's office there!   

[Caliga]

Knoxville is a very nice city.

[Capetan Mihali]

Also, I get the sense the ACLU is extremely competitive and kind of the crown jewel for progressive-minded law students.

[DGuller]

WTF?  Is Languish turning into a forum for lawyers?

[Capetan Mihali]

Knoxville is a very nice city.

I'm excited.   Driving from Philadelphia to Georgia a couple of years ago, the Great Smoky area was truly gorgeous. 

Never been to Knoxville proper but the cost of living compares favorably to Cambridge.    Just need to find a summer sublet and order my season pass for Dollywood and I'm all set. 

[Admiral Yi]

Capetano will be: the young Robert Downey Jr. in True Believer.  Kind of.

[Caliga]

I'm excited.   Driving from Philadelphia to Georgia a couple of years ago, the Great Smoky area was truly gorgeous. 

Never been to Knoxville proper but the cost of living compares favorably to Cambridge.    Just need to find a summer sublet and order my season pass for Dollywood and I'm all set. 

Maybe we can meet up.  I can get to Knoxville in four hours or so, and I usually pass through it on my way to Atlanta (sometimes I take the Louisville-Nashville-Chattanooga route instead).

Dollywood is expensive and the traffic in that area is , just FYI.  For Smokies fun, I like the Oconaluftee village and Harrah's Cherokee Casino in NC better.  Exploring the National Park is fun, too.  Climbing Clingman's Dome on a (rare) clear day: also recommended.

[Malthus]

WTF?  Is Languish turning into a forum for lawyers?

It's more like more and more ordinary Languishistas are becomming lawyers.

Not a surprise, really, as 'obnoxiousness' and 'a love of argument for its own sake' are sorta the defining characteristics of a Languishista ... 

[Capetan Mihali]

]Maybe we can meet up.  I can get to Knoxville in four hours or so, and I usually pass through it on my way to Atlanta (sometimes I take the Louisville-Nashville-Chattanooga route instead).

  That would be fun.  I actually applied at the Louisville-Jefferson County public defender's office (which is apparently one of the best in the country and has brought six cases before the Supreme Court), but they only wanted 2Ls who could get limited-practice licenses...

[Capetan Mihali]

Capetano will be: the young Robert Downey Jr. in True Believer.  Kind of.

I'll have to watch that.  I love James Woods.

[Barrister]

WTF?  Is Languish turning into a forum for lawyers?

Turning... into?