Welcome to the latest installment of Law Admissions Q&A, a monthly feature that provides law school admissions advice to readers who send in questions and admissions profiles.
If you have a question, email us for a chance to be featured next month.
This week, I will discuss the importance of location when it comes to choosing a law school.
[Learn more about applying to law school.]
I’m in the process of deciding between several law schools (first-world problems!), and one of my considerations is geography. I’m looking to get into a Big Law firm in New York and I’m wondering if it’s better for me to attend a higher-ranked school in another city or a lower-ranked (but still a top 50) local school. Are law school alumni generally restricted to finding work in the general geographical location of their school? Thanks for your help! –OnTheFence
Dear OnTheFence:
Geography certainly matters, but it’s far from the only or even most important factor for employers to evaluate you as a potential employee.
In general, it’s best to think about this situation as a sliding scale where the rank of your school is on one side and the difficulty of finding work elsewhere in the country is on the other. Typically, the higher your school is ranked, the easier it will be for you to find employment anywhere in the country.
For example the University of Chicago Law School is ranked No. 4 in the 2019 U.S. News Best Law Schools rankings. The school’s data show that more than 60 percent of the Class of 2016 found work outside the Midwest after graduation, mostly in big law firms.
In comparison, less than 20 percent of the Class of 2016 at the University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign College of Law — tied at No. 37 in the rankings — found work outside the region. And virtually all 2016 graduates of DePaul University College of Law — tied at No. 128 — stayed in Illinois.
It’s hard to say how many alumni were actually looking for work elsewhere, but the discrepancy in the numbers suggests that the better the school, the higher the mobility.
[Consider these key data points when choosing a law school.]
However, as stated previously, other factors come into play when determining the impact of geography on your employment prospects. One obvious factor employers will examine is how well — and what – you did in law school more than the name of the institution.
Graduating at the top of your class and as a member of the school’s law review in a lower-ranked school is likely to go further than being in the bottom 10 percent in a top-14 school.
Also, a general connection to the area in which you’re seeking employment can signal to a potential employer that you’re there to stay.
Incoming junior associates generally don’t make a lot of money for firms; training, incoming class events, writing off some of the associates’ time and lower hourly rates all make a first-year associate more of an investment than an immediate moneymaker.
Consequently, employers want to make sure that the applicant isn’t applying for a job in a new city just to test the waters, only to bolt after a couple of years. While graduating from a local law school would certainly help with that, growing up in the region, having family in that city or even going to college in the area are all indications that you’re there for the long haul.
[Find the right career fit as a future lawyer.]
Finally, competitive markets might limit your access to that region coming from a lower-ranked school.
New York is one of the most competitive legal markets in the country, and with alumni from local top schools such as Columbia Law School and the New York University School of Law — not to mention Harvard University, Yale University and pretty much every other top-14 school in the country — jockeying for a limited number of positions, coming in from a lower-ranked school is challenging.
That said, alumni of the Fordham University School of Law, tied at No. 37 in the rankings, still fare well in that environment, with more than half of those working in the private sector finding positions in big law firms. This suggests that local schools still have somewhat of an edge.
Seeking work in less competitive markets that have offices of Big Law firms, such as Houston, Atlanta or Miami, helps if you graduate from a lower-ranked school.
Nevertheless, there is one geographical barrier that is almost impossible to overcome or circumvent. While in law school, you’re likely to participate in events, lectures, clinics and externships offered by, or affiliated with, law firms.
These experiences mean you’re not only gaining valuable knowledge, but also making connections with attorneys to mentor you throughout law school and beyond — an invaluable resource when looking for work. Impressing a partner in a law firm with your enthusiasm, work ethic and personality matters more than names and numbers on a resume.
Ultimately, the answer to your question is: It depends. A school’s rank is just one consideration and will only be evaluated in the context of the factors mentioned above, as well as many others.
No matter what you choose, working hard and doing your best while in law school will certainly improve your chances of finding the employment you’re most interested in.
More from U.S. News
Discover the 2019 Best Law Schools
10 Law Schools With the Highest Full-Time Employment Rates
Evaluate Law School Career Services
Think About Location When Choosing a Law School originally appeared on usnews.com
