<p>The point I keep trying to make is that it is not very easy to get those $60K jobs coming out of law school today! It is simply NOT the same as it was when many of us graduated. The small firms are hiring lawyers from the top of the classes at regional and local law schools. Corporations are hiring 5-7 year lawyers for the most junior positions. The largest corporations will hire new graduates, but more and more Fortune 200 companies only hire experienced lawyers.<br>
And, yes, as a General Counsel I did check educational backgrounds of the outside counsel I hired. I did not rule out anyone based on that- I have hired many a Texas Tech, OU etc grad. In fact, one of the top litigators in the country and winner of many awards (commercial litigation) went to Lamar in Beaumont and UTexas law school. Also as a General Counsel I tried to stay away from “big law” whenever I could because they rip you off. One of the law firms that was such a huge disappointment to my current company (we fired them) has partners now charging almost $1000 an hour. They weren’t worth a fraction of that. On the other hand, I have a $230 an hour guy in Detroit that I would put up against anyone in the country. He didn’t go to a top 20 school, either. If he were coming out of law school today he probably wouldn’t get a job, though.</p>