re: Is going to a ‘bad’ Law School worth doing?

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Tactical Turtleneck

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First question is what is your background and what do you want to use a law degree for? Do you plan on practicing and if so, where? Is it secondary to a field you’re already in? Who’s paying for it? Your answers will dictate whether a tier 3/4 law school is “worth” doing.

Its not about what school you go to or how smart you are.



















Its about how many billboards you put up, and how many grand dogs. can you catch a football with one hand? (Preferably with a wide receiever's glove) are you an LSU/Saints sponsor? Do you have a catchy guarantee slogan? How do you look on top of an 18 wheeler? Will you put giant flags and inflatable turkeys outside your office? This is the important stuff man.

If you want a successful career in Louisiana, rankings don't matter.

The only important thing is getting a job at Dudley Debosier. As the Official Injury Attorneys of LSU Athletics, those guys are legal royalty around here and if you get a job with them, you can write your ticket!

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Jimmy McGill want to law school in American Samoa.
He ended up rich. (for a while)

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Well let's not forget, old Slippin Jimmy eventually ended up managing a Cinnabon.

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When I got out of law school and after a 2 year stint with the Orleans Parish DA's office, the senior partner at the firm I wento sat me down and said," forget everything you learned in law school, practicing law has nothing to do with what you learned in law school." He was Loyola (NO) grad bottom 1/4...he was proud of that rank.

Used to laugh at the guys from Tulane or guys in the USA office who went to T1 schools. He made considerably more money AND he outperformed them regularly.

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Yeah, but using this story as advice is like listening to people who eat fried chicken every day and live to 105 without serious health issues.

It happens, but not often, and it's not a good predictor of outcome. There is a small percentage of people who are smart and engaging and great salesmen (and sometimes unscrupulous) who don't need the trappings of a T1 education to outperform their better-educated counterparts.

But that's a really small % and it may take more effort/luck, and it usually traps you into a lifestyle a lot of people don't want to be in. Sure, you can make good money as a PI attorney if you're a decent salesperson and a half decent attorney and things go right. But a lot of people do not want to live life as a PI attorney. They don't want to deal with unsavory clients and insurance companies and they don't want to hustle for a living.

In short, T3 or T4 is not a death sentence, but for the vast majority of people in closes out a lot of opportunities. The number of people getting into a USAO from those schools is very, very, very small. Why put yourself in the position of having to work from the back and luck out?

Arguably the worst part is that these shitty law schools usually aren't cheap and are often more expensive than good law schools.

Yeah dude. Gotta be ranked in the top 5 though.

You can pass the bar at Southern, you just have to give a shite.

Rich had a very eclectic practice. He specialized in Jones Act and Securities . He was counsel for Howard Weil back in the day. He used to say he wanted hungry guys and women who people would not see coming. He prized aggression more than anything. He detested Ivy League and Michigan types . His associates did quite well. If you worked for him especially on the Securities side you did extremely well...the Jones Act guys didn't do bad either. We had 2 Southern grads on the Jones Act side. After about 2-3 years they were clearing their cases with very favorable outcomes for their clients.

Being able to relate to people is very important as an attorney...also being able to hold your liquor.

I got news for you, law school and the Bar exam for that matter, in no way, shape, or form bear a resemblance to the actual practice of law.

Law school education needs a serious adjustment.

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but I would not do it over again

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For me it was after 25 years of doing it I sort of got out of day to day practice. I made real good money, but the toll it takes sometimes makes you question it. When your wife puts the house up for sale and says I am moving back to New Orleans with or without you , the message is loud and clear.