Legal Question in Real Estate Law in California

Re: Law School Decision

I've been to Camden and Miami; think about which place you would rather be sitting in a windowless library memorizing your first year, and then part time your second and third years while you work part time in a local firm so you might actually have a clue what being a lawyer is about when you get out of law school. What you do for that first year will decide the rest of your life; so memorize. But after that first year, you'll need to have something of a life and if you study outside of CA, then you might as well get admitted in that state also. I personally think you have more options in FL than in NJ, and and I think NY is probably more useful than NJ, especially if you're planning to live in CA. And don't forget that plans are made to be broken. Besides, is having someone pump your gas for you really worth always having to turn right to go left?

Re: Law School Decision

There is no school like the school of experience and hard knocks. Ironically, the lawyers who make the most money usually are not the ones who went to the big name schools. That is because they had to learn to practice law the hard way: in the trenches of the courtroom. If you go to work for a big firm, you may not see the inside of a courtroom for several years.

Re: Law School Decision

Where the hell is Camden? New Jersey? Or some small place in the ballpark where the Orioles play?

Who cares? Do you plan on passing the bar, or avoiding the law library and bluffing everyone with a fancy diploma?

Re: Law School Decision

Mr. Roach obviously has no idea about people from the East Coast! If they're ABA accredited, it probably won't make a difference in CA. I agree that if you pass the bar, it probably won't make a difference. A lot of big firms in CA, though, might frequently hire lawyers who receive degrees from their preferred schools -- which often are the partners' alma mater(s).

Re: Law School Decision

As stated by Mr. Cohen, if your looking to work for a national law firm or the like, then consider the best tiered school. There is usually no getting around that with big firms...

Check out US News and World Report for the rankings of your potential choices.

Re: Law School Decision

The two schools are virtually tied in the U.S. News & World Report ranking of laws schools. The main thing is that both are ABA approved...I don't think either school's prestige would make a major difference for you either way in terms of your career path. Of course, the most important statistic is which school best prepares you to take the bar exam in California. You may need to get those statistics from the schools themselves or the State Bar of California. If you don't pass the bar, it doesn't really matter what school you went to.