How to Choose the Right Law School

1. Choose a school in the state where you would most like to live and practice in.
Most law schools gear their curriculum towards preparation for the state’s bar exam. Professors will often highlight laws that are specific to your state during the course of your education in order to help prepare you for the bar. Most schools also offer a variety of classes on state-specific subjects that are tested on the bar exam, some of which may be required courses. Don’t make the bar exam more difficult for yourself by spending 3 years learning one state’s laws only to take a bar exam in another state and attempt to learn it all on your own during the 3 month bar preparation period.

2. Find a school that offers networking opportunities in your areas of interest.
Because the legal community is small and tightly-knit, any practicing attorney will tell you that building a successful practice is more about networking than anything else. Getting your first job often depends far more on who you know than what you know. If you know you’re interested in a particular area of the law, like medical malpractice law, find a school that has a strong base of alumni in that area of the law. A good way to tell what practice areas are most popular on a campus is to look into the school’s clubs and organizations. All law schools have on-campus organizations geared toward different interests. Look up the list of student organizations on the school’s website and find out if any of the organizations are ones that you would be interested in joining. Through these organizations, you will have the opportunity to meet local attorneys in that practice area and start getting noticed.

3. Consider the cost.
Due to the current job climate, legal employment opportunities are more scarce than they have been for decades. Although many law schools boast a high average salary for their graduates, thousands of recent law graduates have found themselves unemployed or working at low-paying temporary jobs for months or even years following their graduation day. If you choose a private law school, you may find yourself struggling to pay a monthly student loan balance that’s more than most people’s mortgage payment. On the other hand, a private education could boost the prestige of your degree and help you get a starting associateship at a well-known firm. There’s no way to guarantee that you’ll end up with a job at a marble-floored law firm straight out of law school, so consider what you’re willing to pay for your legal education. Also be sure to consider the availability of private scholarships and student loan packages offered through the school. The quality of a school’s financial aid program can make the difference between a manageable educational expense and a crushing debt.


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