I’ve had several jobs since law school and Michigan is the main reason I’ve been able to transition, so the ROI continues, at least for me. I also got into Penn, Northwestern and Columbia Law and am not sure my career path would have improved had I chosen any of the others, especially since the musical chairs of rankings changes over time.
These experiences are interesting. I wen to a law school at a large university and other alumni from other schools within the university have been very helpful; I’ve gotten clients from other alumni contacts, and I get asked every now and then where I went to school.
I also always considered Duke Law a top-tier school, certainly around the same level as anything else in the top 10. (I did not go to Duke for either degree, but I certainly respect the place.)
I probably should clarify this statement a bit. The general counsel of my company was also a graduate of Duke Law School, so it might seem a bit odd for me to say this, but I would say it was all appearances, rather than actual preference. When I was hired, I did interview with GC, but I was already given a tentative offer by the time I met with him, and he read my resume while I was sitting there in front of him, so I saw the moment where it dawned on him that I was also a Duke grad. We talked about Duke but my distinct impression was that he didn’t particularly have a good experience at Duke. I have since been successful at my company and have had several promotions into management, but I really think it’s perception rather than any actual leg up from the GC. My direct reports, both up and down, assume that I am some preferred employee because I went to the same school as the GC. They assume that I got hired and promoted because I went to the GC’s law school, and it all feeds on itself. So it is clear that I have benefited from the fact that I went to Duke in my position, but it’s mostly because of other people’s misperception of a Duke network effect. Honestly, I don’t think the GC even remembers today that I went to Duke Law.