If I cant get into a tier 1 or tier 2 law school, should I not bother?

[achimelech51]

Hi, I'm 20 yo and I'm about to graduate a community college with a 3.4 cumulative GPA. I'm transferring to a university in the fall, majoring in political science and history. I hope to get a higher GPA there but I'm worried I wont be able to get into a tier 1 or tier 2 school with my GPA. I haven't begun studying for the LSAT yet, so I have no idea what I'm going to make on that, but if I dont have much of a shot at a tier 1 or tier 2 school should I find something else to do? A lot of people tell me I'd make a good attorney and I'm interested in intellectual property law & technology law, but if I can't get into a top school I worry I wont have many opportunities. What do you think?

[bocley]

Hi, I'm 20 yo and I'm about to graduate a community college with a 3.4 cumulative GPA. I'm transferring to a university in the fall, majoring in political science and history. I hope to get a higher GPA there but I'm worried I wont be able to get into a tier 1 or tier 2 school with my GPA. I haven't begun studying for the LSAT yet, so I have no idea what I'm going to make on that, but if I dont have much of a shot at a tier 1 or tier 2 school should I find something else to do? A lot of people tell me I'd make a good attorney and I'm interested in intellectual property law & technology law, but if I can't get into a top school I worry I wont have many opportunities. What do you think?

[iomar]

You will have a ton of opportunities with a law degree regardless of what type of school it comes from. Many of the big firms recruit from higher ranked schools but that does not mean you cannot work there if you do not go to a top school, it just may take more work on your behalf.

That being said, I go to a Tier 1 law school and my GPA was substantially worse than yours. I did pretty well on my LSAT but nothing amazing. Just keep working hard and study hard for your LSAT and I am sure you can get into a very good school.

[ring]

Depends. If you will only be happy as an atty working for a very large law firm you need to go to a tier 1 or 2. If you would not mind working for a small or midsized law firm or the gov't it doesn't matter.

There are some law firms that demand tier one or two, they are few and far between but tend to pay the best.

[therron57]

Definately go to Law School. The Law School with the most number of Judges in Southern California is South Western Law School.
Which is not Tier 1 or 2. After your fisrt job, no one cares what school you went to, they just want results...

[dodya]

You should still go. Don't worry about that yet. Your UGPA is fairly insignificant compared to your LSAT, so just take classes and study for the LSAT. I went to a tier 4 school, did well, and got a good job at a mid-sized regional firm. The previous poster is right, if you don't go to a tier 1 school, Jones Day or Holland Knight will likely not be breaking down your door. But there are many firms out there. Plus, if you don't get into your school of choice, you can always transfer after your first year. I applied for transfer after my first year and got into a tier 2 school but decided to stay at the school I was in. Finally, even if you don't get into Jones Day or the like out of law school, if you make a name for yourself as a good attorney and get some portable business, you can always end up there.

http://www.lawschoolstuff.net

[chozai65]

Most attorney's did not go to tier 1 and tier 2 law schools. Just becaues you went to a good law school does not mean you will be a good attorney or make a lot of money. In fact, I've met some incompetant attorneys that have come from Ivy league schools, particularly Harvard Law.

Compare law schools and once you hopefully get in, take advantage of all the opportunities your school gives. You may have a better opportunity to stand out from a lower tier school.

I've written other articles about getting into law school--see my link below which also includes a LAW SCHOOL FINDER tool.