by Joseph Hazelbaker

Created on: January 20, 2009

What to look for in a law school depends on several important factors, which I discuss in detail below. Having a successful law school experience and after helping many of my undergraduate students who were law school hopefuls, I believe the following factors will greatly assist you in selecting the best law school for your needs.

DETERMINE YOUR PASSION

There are as many different types of lawyers as there are law schools. You need to decide what kind of lawyer you want to be and find a school that cultivates those interests. There are lawyers who are in court all day and lawyers who never see a courthouse. There are lawyers who only work with treasure hunters (I know one and sometimes wish I were him!) and there are lawyers who only work with the elderly. There are environmental lawyers who protect endangered species and those who work to open wilderness areas to development. Decide what you love, because practicing law is hard no matter what you do, so you might as well love the subject matter.

Once you determine the area(s) of law you want to practice in, you need to find a school that specializes in that field. For example, you won't find many schools specializing in admiralty (maritime) law in the Midwest. A big mistake is to think that all law schools will be the same. While your first year in law school will be fairly uniform, that all changes in your second year when you are allowed to take electives. Each law school will pride itself on its specialty, which will depend on location, faculty, and alumni/donor interests.

Doing this research is fairly easy now with the internet. Simply "Google" your subject matter and "law school" in a single search and you will be well on your way. Another good search method is to seek out professionals in your area of interest and ask their opinion on the best school(s).

DETERMINE YOUR BUDGET

While it's easy for some to recommend going to the highest ranked school, that just isn't in the cards for a lot of us. Besides, these days it isn't so much how well ranked your school is, but how well ranked you are in your school. If you graduate in the top ten percent and have strong experience (e.g. summer internships or clerkships), then you will be fine. In fact, if you are able to land a summer internship at a firm you like and perform well, you've got a foot in the door for any job opening.

Sifting through the schools you've chosen by specialty by then looking at cost is fairly easy as that information is readily available on each

• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next Page >>