Overall brand name vs. specialty brand name

Graduate School Law School
1

<p>If someone is dead set on one area of legal practice, under what circumstances one should attend a lower-ranked school overall over a high-ranked school that is weaker in their chosen area of practice, but otherwise still realistic to attend, how much can a school's strength in a specialty offset the lesser overall brand name?</p>

<p>One in a position to make such a choice would likely get significant aid at the lower-ranked schools, full-rides even.</p>

<p>Like, say, if someone wanted to attend Tulane because one is interested in maritime law, Wisconsin for real estate law or Houston for energy law...</p>

2

<p>Never. Individual specialty rankings were invented by law schools so everyone could advertise that they were number 1 in something. I’ve seen no evidence at all that employers either know or care about the specialty rankings. </p>

3

<p>^ Does that also hold for patent law? I’ve heard that there are indeed some schools that are particularly respected for patent law, such as GW (which might be helped by physical proximity to the USPTO.)</p>

4

<p>I had the impression some boutique firms (in, say, patent law or tax law) preferred to hire based on the specialty brand name rather than based on the overall brand name…</p>

5

<p>law is like government in that prestige matters – a LOT.</p>

<p>The T14 easily beats any other law school, except in very provincial markets. (If you want to work in Texas, get a scholarship and attend UT.)</p>

6

<p>P.S. If a school like GW gives you a full ride and GULC wants you to pay sticker, it is a much different calculus.</p>

7

<p>Demosthenes49 is correct. Few lawyers know or care what “specialty” rankings are. Overall prestige and ranking of the law school is what matters.</p>

8

<p>What matters is your ability to do the work. Straight out of law school, firms know you cannot do the work yet - they’re looking for some evidence with good predictive value, to determine whether it is worth the time and effort to take on and train a new associate.</p>

<p>Do you have your license and bar admission? (For Patents: do you have your PTO registration?)
Can you write? Were you on law review (which reflects both your grades to get on, and your writing experience while on)? They will want to see writing samples, preferably related to what the firm’s specialty is.
Do you have experience serving clients? Did you do any clinics in school?
Do you have any experience running a business, getting and keeping paying clients/customers?
What courses did you take in law school, and what grades did you get? (An indication of your ability to learn.)</p>

<p>It may be possible that a firm will be influenced by a school’s prestige to take one new graduate over another, if all else is equal (which will basically never be the case). If it comes down to such a fine distinction between applicants, they will lean towards the one with the degree(s) from the school(s) whose name(s) their clients will recognize.</p>

<p>It may be possible that the name of your school might get you called in for an interview. You still need to win the job on your own merits in the interviews, though.</p>

<p>No one cares about law school specialty rankings. For the most part, no one cares about rankings at all. People know that certain schools have high standards and tend to admit and graduate very capable people. But they also know plenty of very capable lawyers who went to schools you’ve never heard of.</p>

<p>You will never be paid for your degree. You will be paid for your work.</p>