Does it matter where you get your law degree from?

Asked by: Dr. Carlee Homenick MD  |  Last update: March 22, 2025
Score: 4.7/5 (13 votes)

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.

How important is where you get your law degree?

However, if you don't graduate from a top-ranked law school, it can be hard to get clerkships and job openings in a different part of the country from where you study. Many 'Goldilocks' law schools, which offer a high-quality education without being dishearteningly selective, primarily serve their home region.

Does it matter where your law degree comes from?

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 location of law school matter?

The location of a law school can impact everything from your day-to-day routine to your long-term career trajectory. Though the location is not the only consideration to weigh in your decision-making process, below are additional factors detailing how the location of a law school should impact your decision to attend.

Does it matter what college you go to to get into law school?

If you want to attend law school, the prestige of your undergraduate program matters very little as compared to the importance of GPA and LSAT scores. Similarly, if you want to attend medical school, the prestige of your undergraduate institution is relatively unimportant, while your GPA and MCAT scores are critical.

Does It Matter Where Your Attorney Went to Law School?

43 related questions found

Do law firms care where you went to law school?

Legal employers couldn't care less where you earned your undergraduate degree. The only thing that counts is where you earned your law degree. Biglaw firms are the world's biggest school snobs, but they're only snobs about your law school.…

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.

Do law schools care where you went to school?

Top Law Schools are unlikely to admit people who attended less impressive undergraduate schools, especially if there were opportunities you did not pursue (such as independent academic research, challenging courses, and intellectual pursuits outside of the classroom.)

Does it matter in what state I go to law school?

In short, you shouldn't choose your law school on the basis of a mistaken belief that attending an in-state school will give you a leg up on the bar exam. But there might be other reasons why attending a law school that is located in the region where you plan to practice law might make sense in your individual case.

Where do most lawyers go to school?

15 top law schools
  1. Yale University. ...
  2. Stanford University. ...
  3. Harvard University. ...
  4. Columbia University. ...
  5. University of Chicago. ...
  6. New York University. ...
  7. University of Pennsylvania. ...
  8. University of Virginia.

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.

What is the hardest subject in a law degree?

Some of the hardest classes in law school, according to current and former students, are:
  • Constitutional Law.
  • Civil Procedure.
  • Contracts.
  • Federal Courts.
  • Federal Income Tax.
  • Administrative Law.
  • Partnership Tax.

What is the most popular degree for law school?

Political science is a very popular pre-law major because politics is heavily interrelated with legislation. The study of political behavior, government systems, and how the judicial system works are all very useful in law school.

How hard is the bar exam?

The bar exam is hard. In fact, it may be one of the most difficult challenges you ever embark on. You must memorize numerous laws and consume a lot of knowledge to answer questions correctly. For many, it feels like trying to hold sand in your hands, knowing that you'll inevitably lose much of it.

Is it rare to get an A in law school?

Note that because the first year of law school is graded on a curve, very few students receive A's. So, it is a bit of a different story than undergrad, where professors are not limited in how many A's they can give. The key to getting all A's in law school is not to be the smartest. Nor is it to study 24 hours a day.

How do you know law school is right for you?

Shadowing attorneys and legal internships are the best gauge of whether law school is right for you. After seeing what typical weeks in the office are like for an attorney, you'll be able to gauge if law school is a good path for yourself.

What is the hardest state to become a lawyer?

California is widely considered to have the hardest bar exam, due to its low pass rate and the difficulty of the content and constraints of the exam.

What 4 states do not require law school?

Before you can practice law, you will need to choose a state that will allow you to take the bar exam without completing law school. Currently, Washington, Vermont, California and Virginia are the only four states that allow this process.

What GPA do law schools like?

The average GPA for law school is between 3.91. However, like LSAT scores, it's important to understand that the specific average GPA can differ depending on the law school and its level of competitiveness. Top-ranking law schools often expect higher average GPAs, typically ranging from 3.8 to 4.0 or even higher.

Do employers care what law school you went to?

Choosing which law school to attend is probably the most important decision you will make regarding your legal career. And this matters a lot. As a recent law school grad looking for your first job, it is commonly accepted that the school on your resume carries a lot more weight.

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.

Will law school pay off?

Graduating from a top law school pays significant dividends, often earning you enough money to quickly repay student loans. At the lowest tier, students don't enjoy nearly the same return on that investment, or ROI.

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.

Is 3.1 GPA too low for law school?

So generally, if you're trying to get into the top schools, a GPA below 3.6 will be considered low. But to answer the question what GPA do you need to get into law school, any law school, then the answer is at least a 2.5. That is realistically the lowest GPA you can have to get into law school.

How hard is the LSAT?

This process is not only time-consuming but can be very expensive as well. So yes, the LSAT is hard, and it is designed that way. It's not so much a test that requires a student to remember random facts, but instead, it is a test that showcases a student's thought process.