When Karen J. Summerville worked in hiring for law firms in Seattle, graduates from local law schools often had an advantage, she says.
Summerville and her colleagues were more familiar with local schools and the type of students they produced. Plus, if job candidates had no ties to Seattle, employers wondered if they’d like living in the area and how long they’d stay on the job, she says.
“We wanted to know that someone wouldn’t leave after the first winter when they didn’t get enough sunshine,” says Summerville, who graduated from the law school at the University of Washington.
Law school admissions experts say where students go to school can influence where they’ll have job opportunities, especially if they’re eyeing regional schools. In addition to weighing how much law schools cost and other factors that can determine which school to attend, prospective students should think about a school’s geographic location in relation to where they want to work, experts say.
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“Students should seriously consider going to law school in a state where they plan to practice law,” says Rosanna Catalano, associate dean of the placement office and director of the business law certificate program at the Florida State University College of Law. “For those entire three years in law school they will be creating networks and contacts that will benefit them going forward. And most likely most of their classmates will remain in the state as well.”
For example, according to Florida State, about 6,800 of its alumni — out of 8,772 — have remained in Florida.
Asking where graduates end up can be key for prospective law students when trying to figure out if a school can help them find work in their desired region.
“If a student wants to be in New York and goes to a regional law school in California, let’s say, I would suspect that the number of alumni in California versus New York is going to be quite different,” says Tara Sarathy, who works in the District of Columbia at Neville Career Consulting, which provides career guidance for attorneys. Sarathy previously worked as a career counselor and academic adviser at Georgetown University Law Center.
For students attending law school in the region they would like to work, networking can start on campus. Because Florida State is located in the state capital, Catalano says, the legal community is vibrant. Lawyers and judges may come to speak at school events or teach classes as adjunct faculty members, making it easier for students to get a top-notch reference for jobs.
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Students studying locally also don’t have to rely on just summer internships to connect with future employers. At Florida State, Catalano says, students can pursue hands-on learning opportunities during the school year — a bonus for those who want to work in the region.
Law students who go to highly competitive schools, however, are often not as limited to one region when it’s time to find jobs, says Summerville, who founded and manages Legal Career Management, which helps attorneys figure out and achieve their career goals.
Graduates from the law school at the University of Texas–Austin, ranked No. 15 in the U.S. News rankings, often leave the state to work, says the school’s dean, Ward Farnsworth. “From a school that has a strong enough reputation, a student can go anywhere and the location matters a lot less,” he says. “A student deciding about law school has to decide how important it is to them to have options far away from the school they’re attending.”
Prospective students who are unsure of where they want to practice law should attend a school that has name recognition, experts say.
“Pick one that’s recognized, as recognized as it can be, and then get very good grades,” says Summerville. If students are set on working away from their law school’s region, high grades can make them competitive job candidates in other areas, she says.
[Learn about 10 law schools where students are eager to enroll.]
Students can also take steps that will help them secure a job even if it’s far from their law school, says Catalano.
“Join local bar associations,” she says. “Almost all of them will accept student members. It’s a wonderful pipeline for them.” Students should try to join a bar association in the region where they want to work and offer to do remote volunteer work, she says.
They can also do summer internships in that region and connect with alumni who are already there, she says.
While students can move and find job opportunities, if they don’t come from schools with national acclaim, they may have a tough job search.
“By choosing a school, you’re kind of choosing the region where your degree will have the greatest value,” Summerville says.
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