Law School

It really depends on what you are looking for. If you want to stay in the Lafayette area, LSU is probably the right choice. It no longer has the high failure rate where they fail 1/3 of the class to cut the dead weight. They have also modernized the facilities and spend more money on classes and teachers. It's a great law school and you can't beat the social scene. I had a blast at LSU law. It will also give you the best foundation in Louisiana law. However, if you want to leave the state, an LSU degree won't do much for you. And, if you don't make Law Review it will be difficult to get a job in a New Orleans law firm unless you went to Jesuit. Many of the firms are run buy Tulane grads and/or Jesuit grads. Both have a tendency to hire what they know and that means a Tulane or Jesuit grad. The "Jesuit Mafia" is not a myth. Which isn't to say you can't get a job in New Orleans with an LSU degree. If you're law review, you can pretty much pick your firm.

If you want to go out of state then Tulane is the best option. They have an actual common law program, something LSU doesn't have (at least they didn't as of a few years ago). Tulane also has a name and connections nationally that will open some doors and get you interviews that an LSU degree will not get you.

As for Loyola, I don't really know much about them. As of a few years ago, they really ranked third among the three. I'm not sure if that has changed. What I do know is that Loyola has a great "skills" program. LSU has always been better at teaching "the law" and how to "think like a lawyer", but Loyola was always better at actually teaching you how to practice law. Tulane is more or less a good mix of the two.

It was an easy decision for me. I had a brother and a few friends who went to LSU, the cost of Tulane and Loyola were prohibitive and I needed the fear of getting cut in the first year to motivate me to work hard. Now, LSU's cost more and they don't cut as many people so those factors have evened out a bit.

In the end, you can't go wrong with LSU as long as you want to stay in the state. In fact, in places like Lafayette, I think the LSU degree would be more valuable. LSU grads tend to run the firms in that area.

Oh, and one last thing, don't go to law school.:)