Do employers care what law school you went to?
Asked by: Wilfrid Huels | Last update: January 25, 2026Score: 4.4/5 (18 votes)
Does It Matter Where You Go to Law School? Law school rankings do matter to employers. Typically, the higher your school is ranked, the greater your chances of securing a post-graduation career—especially when it comes to prestigious large law firms.
Does it really matter where you went to law school?
Your career trajectory and financial stability will primarily be shaped by three factors: your law school's ranking, your ranking in law school, and your total debt. School rankings matter because they matter to employers.
Do employers care about what school you went to?
There's a reason you're required to put the name of the college you attended on your resume and job application. Despite what you may read to the contrary, most employers do care about where you went to school for your degree. Fortunately for many, that's not all they're concerned with, though.
Do law schools care what school you went to?
In one word, NO. Law schools care about many things: your GPA, your LSAT, the story you tell, the obstacles you've overcome.
Do employers care about law school GPA?
Usually not the GPA (law school grading scales can be weird), but the big firms will care about your class rank, especially if you didn't go to a super top school. They don't care so much if you went to Stanford or Harvard, but if you go to a school like mine, they will often only talk to the top 5% or 10%.
Do Employers Care About Which College You Went To?
Is 3.7 a bad GPA for law school?
Among the 191 ranked law schools that submitted grade data to U.S. News in an annual survey, the average median GPA of entering law school students in 2021 was 3.55. But at the 20 highest-ranked law schools, the average median GPA is much higher – 3.86.
Do employers care what law school you go to?
Does It Matter Where You Go to Law School? Law school rankings do matter to employers. Typically, the higher your school is ranked, the greater your chances of securing a post-graduation career—especially when it comes to prestigious large law firms.
Is 174 a good LSAT?
So, a great score on the LSAT is a 172, but more than 100,000 people take the LSAT every year and only 1% score 172 or higher. For the top 50 law schools, the median LSAT score is between 164 and 174. A good LSAT score for top tier(defined by T14 schools for this article) law schools is between 171 and 174.
Can you get into Harvard law with a 3.5 GPA?
The most recent Harvard Law entering class had a median GPA of 3.92; the lowest GPA accepted was 3.82. As such, Harvard does not consider a 3.0 GPA competitive, so it's very unlikely you will get into it if you have this GPA.
What school do most lawyers go to?
- Yale University. ...
- Stanford University. ...
- Harvard University. ...
- Columbia University. ...
- University of Chicago. ...
- New York University. ...
- University of Pennsylvania. ...
- University of Virginia.
Do employers check where you went to school?
For example, certain jobs might require specific educational backgrounds and degrees to qualify for employment. In these cases, employers may need to verify the accuracy of school attendance and degrees that candidates present, often as part of a background check.
Should I tell my employer I'm going back to school?
Keep your manager informed
You'll need support from your manager, so make sure that you have a conversation with them about your plan. Begin by explaining why you're going back to school, and be open and honest, and show how the company and your team will benefit when you earn your degree.
Do employers care about school ranking?
Rankings don't impact on an individuals employability or determine it, they impact on an individuals potential for employment in some cases, not all. Rankings can impact on an employers perspective of a student and where they studied. Rankings are important for assessing the quality of universities.
What year in law school is the hardest?
Law school is an academic challenge; most students agree the first year (“1L” year) is the most difficult. In part, this is because law school is taught using methods entirely different than the lecture method used in most college classrooms.
Is law school even worth it anymore?
The Bottom Line. Becoming a successful lawyer is one of the most lucrative career paths, if you graduate from a top-tier university. However, it's not a cheap path, and Ivy League law grads often graduate with six digits of loans.
Is going to a top 14 law school worth it?
Graduates of T14 law schools have excellent employment prospects, often securing positions at top law firms, corporations, and government agencies. The strong job placement rates at T14 schools are a significant factor in their rankings and reputation.
What is the hardest law school in the USA?
1. Yale University. With an acceptance rate of just 6.9%, it's no wonder that Yale is the hardest law school to get into. Only around 1 in 15 of their highly qualified applicants makes it through.
Do law schools care what college you went to?
Attending a well-known or prestigious college may provide a slight edge, but it will not compensate for significantly weaker academic or test performance. That being said, the benefit of a prestigious undergrad education is the network it can provide you, which can help in law school applications.
What is the lowest GPA Harvard Law will accept?
A high GPA is 3.99 and the median is 3.92. There's no lowest GPA but you probably won't get into Harvard with a 2.5 GPA. Your GPA still needs to be somewhat competitive with the median GPA. That said, you can get into Harvard Law School even if your GPA is 3.82 or lower.
What was Obama's LSAT score?
The easiest to predict, by far, is Barack Obama's score, mostly because we have some data. Based on admissions records, we can deduce — somewhat reliably — that Barry-O scored between the 94th and 98th percentile on his LSAT. Using today's grading system, that would place him somewhere around a 170.
How rare is a 180 LSAT?
How Hard Is It To Get A Perfect Score On The LSAT? According to LSAC, only 119 test-takers out of nearly 60,000 achieved this in 2022. So when you ask, “How many people get a 180 on the LSAT?” the answer highlights the rarity and difficulty of this achievement.
What did Elle Woods get on her LSAT?
Elle Woods, a fictional character portrayed by Reese Witherspoon in the movie Legally Blonde, is known for her remarkable LSAT score—179 out of 180. Portrayed as a stereotypical "valley girl," she embarks on a journey to Harvard Law School in the movie that has since become a cult favorite.
Do law firms care what college you went to?
NO ONE CARES! Just because you went to a good school does not mean you are going to fit into the law firm, do the work, stay around, contribute more than you take, and be fun to work with. Work ethic, commitment, and other factors are far more important than other things that you may think are important.
What law school has the highest employment rate?
April 24 (Reuters) - The University of Virginia School of Law sent the highest percentage of graduates into full-time law jobs in 2023, marking the second consecutive year that the school snagged the top spot.
Do employers look at law school GPA?
Grades are important to many law firms when making hiring decisions. However, the weight that they carry in these decisions most often depends on the particular firm involved and whether you are (A) a junior attorney or law student, (B) a mid-level to senior associate, or (C) a partner.