Law School (1 Viewer)

[St. Widge]

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.

 

[lsu31always]

Jesuit Mafia. Pfff
One day the Saders will rule the world.

 

[RJ in Lafayette]

Though I know that LSU has reduced substantially the absurdly high attrition rates of the past and gotten much more difficult to get into, I doubt that LSU is nearly as student-friendly as the private law schools, though perhaps some recent LSU law graduates can address that issue.

I will go out on a limb and say that many, if not most, lawyers think the law school rankings mentioned above are out of kilter. For years, the reputation of LSU was that it was easy to get in and hard to stay in, that it was hard as anything, and that the faculty didn't care about the students and ran the place as though the reason for the school's existence was to serve the faculty. Most older LSU graduates think they received a very good education at LSU, but absolutely hated the place and pledged never to give a cent to it--a problem that recent administrations at LSU have been trying to combat.

My suggestions:

1. Talk to current students or recent graduates of LSU and the other schools and see what they say. I do know that people at LSU are excited about the new chancellor, Jack Weiss.

2. It will not matter for practice in Lafayette whether you go to school at LSU or in New Orleans. If you want to practice in Lafayette, try to get a summer clerking job at firms where you might have an interest in working.

3. If the cost is the same, I would strongly consider Tulane, not because I think it a better school (though it might be--I don't know), but because of perception outside the state and because I perceive it (and perceptions can be wrong) as more student-friendly (I have heard over the years several people say how much they enjoyed law school at Tulane--LSU graduates never say that).

If you need additional information, send me a PM.

 

[Sardonios]

First of all, congratulations. Those are three great schools to get into, and storm or no storm, $25k from Tulane is a big deal.

When I had to make this decision a few years ago, the lawyers I talked to gave me advice similar to what JE's posted. That info was very helpful and, in my experience at least, has proven extremely accurate.

One thing I'll add: Don't be afraid to let the schools know about your other offers. Now that you've been accepted, the script is flipped and they're competing for you. I'm not telling you to start playing games with their admissions office, but letting them know the cost difference between their school and a comparable program can get you a significant bump in scholarship money, which gives you a lot more flexibility when you graduate.

If they don't increase their offer right away, many schools will give you a pretty nice bump after the first round of seat deposits. Once they know they've got a certain amount of money freed up from students who've declined their offer, schools put a good bit of that toward locking up students who paid the first seat deposit but are still mulling their options.

 

[4saintspirit]

i think the decision is diffferent based on what type of law you want to practice -- Tulane is exceptional at international law and has a stronger name outside of La. I heard the Loyala has a strong corporate law department -- and I believe LSU is the best at Patent law -- but a big new type is coming out -- Information Technology patent law and and I do not know which school even has that as a program

 

[where yat brah]

I had a number of fellow fraternity brothers (KA) at Tulane who were law students. They practice in NOLA, Monroe, LA., NYC, MS. and Houma. I see your concern about practicing in Lafayette having graduated from Tulane and not LSU as a bit naive. Are you worried that the LSU grads will be jealous of our TU degree? Are you worried about not fitting in? If your concern is that your grasp and knowledge of Louisiana law will be greater if you go to LSU, then you are severely mistaken.
My understanding of the law profession is that debate ability and knowledge/understanding of multiple viewpoints is very beneficial. Tulane will provide you with much greater diversity of viewpoints. You will become exposed to a greater array of personalities while still having the Louisiana foundation. An unmatched recipe, IMAO.

And the baseball and basketball teams are better!

 

[UGASaintsUGA]

Honestly, if you stay in state, school rankings don't matter nearly as much as your own personal class ranking. If you do well at any of the three law schools, you will have the opportunity to get almost any job you want in Lafayette.

If you are sure you want to go to Lafayette, then I think LSU is the easy choice. If you want to practice in New Orleans, Tulane and Loyola are equally good choices. If you want to practice out of state, go to Tulane.

 

[cwesleyc]

I went to a relatively expensive private law school. If you can get that scholarship to Tulane, you can probably get a full one to LSU. GO TO THE CHEAPEST SCHOOL. Your class rank is more important than which school you go to.

 

[V Chip]

Go to the school with the most stupid people in your class so that you will easily be able to outperform them and rank higher.

 

[St. Widge]

Are you worried that the LSU grads will be jealous of our TU degree? Are you worried about not fitting in? If your concern is that your grasp and knowledge of Louisiana law will be greater if you go to LSU, then you are severely mistaken.

Now that is funny. The truth is that many LSU grads tend to think that Tulane students had it easy and basically paid to get their degree without having to go through the toruture test that LSU law school was.

Now, that is mostly a myth, but the perception is out there. And no LSU Law grad would be jealous of a Tulane degree. As for your opinon on learning the law, you are more or less mistaken. Tulane is very good at teaching the common law, it's their speciality, and LSU's specialty is Civil Law. In the end, it probably doesn't make much difference, but I think there is an advantage to going to a law school that specializes in Louisiana law if you want to stay in Louisiana.

 

[SaintsFan11]

It's a great law school and you can't beat the social scene. I had a blast at LSU law.

What's so great about the social scene? I was at LSU undergrad for two years and wasn't particularly impressed. I'm not saying that I doubt you, just asking for an elaboration. My decision may very well come down to the social scene since I have a lot of respect for all three programs, especially Tulane and LSU.

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

All lawyers say this, which is why I referred to it earlier. I think it must have something to do with competition. The second you tell a lawyer you're interested in law school their face goes dour and out comes a speech on how bad it sucks to be a lawyer.

Of course it's understandable. There are too many lawyers, but what's one more?

 

[Sardonios]

All lawyers say this, which is why I referred to it earlier. I think it must have something to do with competition. The second you tell a lawyer you're interested in law school their face goes dour and out comes a speech on how bad it sucks to be a lawyer.

Of course it's understandable. There are too many lawyers, but what's one more?

I don't think it's a fear of competition so much as an acknowledgment that a significant number of law school applicants don't really understand the drawbacks of the career they're signing up for. Add to that the fact that many people graduate with too much debt to get out if they really don't enjoy the profession.

I haven't even graduated yet and I've already seen a number of my friends significantly change their career plans after getting just a minimal taste of life in a big law firm (to be fair, this could also easily apply to me, although I never intended to work in a big firm and, mainly due to age-difference, my goals were less well-defined than theirs). Firm life can be stressful and many of us didn't appreciate just how mindblowingly awful the paperwork can become (and this is as summer associates whose primary responsibilities center around deciding where to have lunch and what firm activities to participate in).

I think most of us (with some obvious and somewhat tragic exceptions) understood the general downsides to the lifestyle, e.g. the long hours, the tedium, the egos. What many of us (myself included) didn't completely understand -- and are still miles from fully appreciating -- are the small, needling aggravations of the job. One thing I didn't appreciate going in was how obnoxious it can be to constantly have people doing things for the sole purpose of making your life difficult (these are variously referred to as "Opposing Counsel" and "Third-Year Associates").

The upside is that the field is broad and full of variation. Just thinking of 4 of my good friends up here. Next year, one will be a compliance inspector for Vermont's department of agriculture, another is going JAG, a third will be working for the Orange County prosecutor's office, and the fourth is going to business school. If you would've asked all 5 of us what we thought we'd be doing at graduation back when we started 1L year, I guarantee you all 5 of us would've said something like "First year associate at a small/medium-sized firm in City X." I don't think we're at all unique.

That being said, none of us fully appreciated what we were getting into, and, while I don't think any of us has even a little regret about deciding to go to law school, we could've benefitted a lot from a clearer vision of the profession.

 

[St.Ryan]

My decision may very well come down to the social scene since I have a lot of respect for all three programs, especially Tulane and LSU.

You've already chosen Tulane then. There's no amount of words that can explain how much better life is for a 20s male in New Orleans rather than Baton Rouge.

 

[City Champ]

What exactly are you trying to imply?

i am implying that if you go to loyola, you will become a lawyer. take nothing away from LSU but they cut and to me that doesnt do much for the learning experience. i know tons of folks who went to LSU law and tons of folks that went to loyola law, and the one thing they all have in common is they are lawyers...

if it were my choice, i would choose loyola...

 

[St. Widge]

What's so great about the social scene? I was at LSU undergrad for two years and wasn't particularly impressed. I'm not saying that I doubt you, just asking for an elaboration. My decision may very well come down to the social scene since I have a lot of respect for all three programs, especially Tulane and LSU.?

It's a matter of the bunker mentality. Everyone is so afraid of failing out that people tend to stick together and do things together. That and the fact that you have no time to hang out with anyone other than people in your class. Of course, that may have changed with the "kinder and gentler" administration.

The truth is I was never a big fan of Baton Rouge. But, the law school is walking distance from all the bars on Chimes Street, including early Friday afternoon drinking at The Chimes and the law school gets good seats for the football games. But mostly it's that you are forced so close together that you end up hanging around with just about everyone in your class. you really don't have much if any time to hang out with people who aren't in law school with you. When you have the time, there is always someone hanging around looking to do something. That may also be the case at Loyola and Tulane, but I suspect that at least at Loyola more people are close to home so they don't hang out on campus as much and New Orleans is so big students might not hang out as much at Tulane either.

All lawyers say this, which is why I referred to it earlier. I think it must have something to do with competition. The second you tell a lawyer you're interested in law school their face goes dour and out comes a speech on how bad it sucks to be a lawyer.

Of course it's understandable. There are too many lawyers, but what's one more?

It's not a matter of too many lawyers, there are, but someone always invents a cause of action that keeps us all working. I just added it because you said not to.

The thing with being a lawyer is that it's really just not a fun way to make a living. It's not hard like ditch digging, etc., it's just highly stressful. It's a tough job to get away from and your mind is usually on it to one extent or another. There is just always a deadline hanging over your head and you often time have little control over when you are going to be too busy to have a life. It's not horrible, but there are lots of times when you want a break and they never really come. For every day or two you take off, you just have to work to make up for it because the deadlines don't move back with your day off.

The last thing is you start living your life in the 1/10 ths of an hour that you put on the billing sheet. It gets annoying quickly sitting in an off ticking off billing in 1/10 ths. Luckily, I'm doing stuff now that requires more block billing, but the first few years are really liking living your life in 1/10 ths of an hour.


But, you might end up thinking it's the greatest job ever. I just don't really recall talking to another lawyer who didn't wish he had the skills to do something else. Anyway, it just seems like there must be a better/more rewarding way to make a living. The problem is I've never found it. If you do, let me know.