Are you considering going to law school? Once you’ve passed the LSAT, the next step is picking which law school to attend. With so many law schools across the country, choosing the right one can be challenging to say the very least.
Fortunately, there are simple yet effective ways you can successfully choose the right law school for you and your legal needs and these include:
1. Check Rankings
How your law school school ranks isn’t the be and end all. Ideally try to choose a law school that does rank relatively high. Although law school is what you make it, ultimately it can be a lot harder to get your “foot in the door” of major legal firms if you didn’t attend a respected and high ranking law school. A quick online research will reveal the top ranking law schools in the country and there are also state specific law school rankings available online as well.
2. Look at Affordability
While rank does matter, law schools fees are just as (if not more so) important. Law school can be incredibly expensive, and in order to avoid student loans haunting you for years aim to choose a law school where tuition is reasonable. While graduating debt free is virtually impossible these days, it’s still important that you graduate with a manageable debt amount that you can pay off within a realistic time frame. You may also want to apply to as many law school grants and scholarships as you can, as this should also help take some of the financial burden of paying for law school off your shoulders.
3. Explore Each School’s Track Record for Getting Graduates Hired
Definitely think twice before signing up to a law school that doesn’t have a good track record for getting recent grads hired into desirable entry level legal professions. Check the alumni section of each law school’s website you consider to get an idea of what grads are up to. You may also want to look through career networking sites such as LinkedIn to get an even more honest picture. Although law schools can’t guarantee that you’ll get a decent job offer after graduation, it is generally a good idea to attend a law school that has good practices and programs in place to ensure that graduates have the very best chance possible at getting hired shortly after graduation.
4. Check the Quality of Professors
Check the quality of professors for each law school you consider. High quality law professors typically have a combination of many years of legal practice and teaching allowing them to bring both experience and a skill for teaching to the table. Look at the bios for the professors at law schools to see how much experience they have, as this should indicate the quality of hiring at each school. Top quality law professors won’t just assure that you get the very best legal experience possible, but may also serve as valuable connections once you graduate and as excellent references during the hiring process.
5. Look at What Clinical Experience is Offered
Clinical experience allows you to get hands on legal experience while still at law school. This allows you to develop essential skills and of course appears very impressive on your resume. Look at the clinical programs that are offered at each law school you explore to see if they offer substantial programs that relate to the type of law you hope to practice. Ideally attend a law school that offers clinical experience that directly correlates to your law specialization as this should benefit your legal ambitions the most.
Use our tips to help you choose the absolute best law school for you. Good luck!
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