Columbia's reputation

Colleges and Universities A-Z Columbia University
21

<p><a href="http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticl...=1126256708738%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticl...=1126256708738&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Even Harvard L-S, less than 1/3 got jobs at top 50</p>

<p>WHERE THE TOP 50 FIRMS HIRED FROM
Law school Associates hired in 2005 2004 J.D.s Percentage hired at top 50 firm </p>

<p>Columbia Law School 151 397 38% </p>

<p>Northwestern University School of Law 82 224 37% </p>

<p>University of Pennsylvania Law School 91 249 37% </p>

<p>University of Chicago Law School 69 191 36% </p>

<p>Stanford Law School 57 177 32% </p>

<p>Cornell Law School 59 186 32% </p>

<p>New York University School of Law 137 439 31% </p>

<p>Harvard Law School 166 551 30% </p>

<p>University of Virginia School of Law 103 359 29% </p>

<p>Duke Law School 61 237 26% </p>

<p>Yale Law School 46 183 25% </p>

<p>University of Michigan Law School 87 387 22% </p>

<p>University of California, Berkeley School of Law 72 322 22% </p>

<p>Georgetown University Law Center 149 687 22% </p>

<p>Vanderbilt Univeristy Law School 38 195 19% </p>

<p>University of Texas School of Law 88 466 19% </p>

<p>University of Illinois College of Law 39 214 18% </p>

<p>University of California at Los Angeles School of Law 48 328 15% </p>

<p>Univeristy of Notre Dame Law School 24 166 14% </p>

<p>Boston University School of Law 33 233 14%</p>

22

<p>Many people are not searching for a financial return on investment from their education but obviously that is a factor in some instances. </p>

<p>The 2000 Princeton survey seems to indicate the best return on investment occurs ... well you can read it:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.krueger.princeton.edu/04_27_2000.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.krueger.princeton.edu/04_27_2000.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p><a href="http://papers.nber.org%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://papers.nber.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>I think Ivy League athletes who would not normally be admitted in a purely academic evaluation are the best evidence of the Princeton phenomena.</p>

<p>They typically do not have the graduate school type options and are recruited for the Ivy League status. They sit in cubicles and are willing to do scut work for good salaries -- knowing they are lucky to be there.</p>

<p>Investment banks like them and fifty percent of the time they do not begin back operations but secure a banking role but they are still in a cubicle.</p>

<p>I'm sure this is already somewhere on this board but here it is again.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.krueger.princeton.edu/04_27_2000.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.krueger.princeton.edu/04_27_2000.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>http:// papers.nber.org</p>

23

<p>Also regarding the law firm statistics it is incredibly important to understand that the top fifty firms are national now and huge.</p>

<p>Twenty to twenty-five percent of students from top schools will clerk by choice and preference.</p>

<p>Ten to twenty percent will work for governmental agencies and non-profits.</p>

<p>A few will seek advanced degrees.</p>

<p>And in terms of return on investment law school is very good. Hopefully, you have gotten through under-grad without loans and looking at the long run this is a major reason why it is important to remain as unencumbered as possible in your undergraduate years.</p>

<p>Starting salaries at the top firms are in the 125,000 range at this time. Some firm offer extremely large signing bonuses and certainly offer them for attorneys who have chosen to clerk.</p>

<p>First Year $125,000.00 bonus $10,000
Second Year $135,000.00 bonus $15,000
Third year $150,000 with a bonus of $20,000
Fourth year $160,000 with a bonus of $25-40,000
Fifth year $170,000 with a bonus of $25-40,000
Sixth year $180,000 with a bonus of $25-40,000
Seventh year $185,000 with a bonus of $25-40,000</p>

<p>Also the top fifty offer summer salaries from $30,000.00 to $65,000.00 between first year and second year -and- second year and third year.</p>

<p>Again, some of the more rewarding and interesting jobs are not with the top fifty firms but there is the second reality which is that after three years with a top firm lots of people then choose to do what they want. They've got great training, built up some cash and you can look around and do more of what you want, when and where you want.</p>

<p>But those statistics alone give the impression that only a few students get the jobs they want. This is just not true.</p>

<p>Virtually all students from a top law school will make close to six figures with a firm.</p>

<p>I know there is a poster here who is so proud he/she probably makes more than my parents ... and I am not going to choose my course of action based on income at all, at all, at all.</p>

<p>But I did want to clear up the misimpression that the posting left and underscore the importance of not maxing out your undergraduate financial obligation becaue the true return on investment comes in post graduate programs.</p>