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What kind of grades do you need in law school these days?
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Anonymous
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I have a cousin who is at UMD law with grades in the B/B+ range, maybe middle of her class. She's doing a study program at another university this summer (but no internship), and she will have well over $100,000 in student loans, including undergrad. She also spends money liberally (She gets the loan each semester, so I think she figures she should just spend it, even though she gets a little help from her father and probably doesn't need the full loan amount).
I think a 50k job, if that, is in her future, but she's living it up as though she's headed for big law. Am I overreacting by being stressed about this? Everyone else in my family seems to think I'm a big Debbie Downer about the whole thing. Lots of lawyers on here, I know, so I wanted to get some feedback. |
Anonymous
| Why does this stress you out? She is not your child, MYOB. |
Anonymous
| She will not get into biglaw. Also likely won't make it to DC. |
Anonymous
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OP here - I know it's not really my business, but I am concerned for her, because I know she's not going to have help paying off this loan. I just want her to be smart about this.
PP, meaning - you think she could get a job in Baltimore or someplace else that is less competitive? |
Anonymous
| You're probably right, but like PP I am confused about why this would be a source of stress for you. I'm sure you care deeply for your cousin's future financial well-being, but it sounds more like you're jealous or resentful at seeing her live it up. You didn't use the word "spoiled" but I'm sure you think she is. Your family is no doubt aware that your "helpful" comments are rooted more in your own emotions than an actual desire to give useful feedback, and that's why they don't want to hear it from you anymore. It's time to drop it and focus on your own career and plans. |
Anonymous
This. She may get a job that pays her 100K IF she's lucky. I'm sure she knows that though, so let her worry about it. It's not your problem. |
Anonymous
| Eh, who knows where she will end up. People have connections, etc. Don't count her out. And there is a market for UMD in B-more, I think. |
Anonymous
| Connections might get you the job, but only you can keep it. I've seen it. That said, are you cosigning the loan, OP? If not, butt out. |
Anonymous
| She's managing to get Bs at a decent law school so I'm sure she can figure out how to pay her bills somehow. Certainly not something for you to be losing sleep over. |
Anonymous
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Huh. OP here. Even though everyone is telling me to MYOB, these posts are actually making me feel better - sounds like things aren't as bad as I thought.
After reading some of the other law school-related posts on here, I was sure everyone would say she had no chance for any kind of job in this market. Maybe all the Ivy law school / big law posts on DCUM have warped my view. Very good to know! |
Anonymous
| Her grades are fine. Her choice of law school is not great. I would put her much closer to 50K than 100K. |
Anonymous
This. Unless you are coming out of a top ten law school, whether or not you make it to BigLaw is almost entirely driven by your first year grades. The lower your school is ranked, the harder it is and the harsher the grade cut offs are. Most BigLaw firms have a list of schools from which they recruit and strict grade cutoffs for them. If you go to a school from which they do not recruit, you have to have a pretty amazing GPA, and even that won't get you in everywhere. I have seen a very top firm refuse to interview someone who was #1 in his class because they were not from one of the "chosen" law schools. When I protested that anyone who was #1 in his class is someone we ought to be talking to, I was told that if the person was so smart, he would have transferred to a better law school. That was BEFORE the recession. |
Anonymous
OK - I'm always one to say that someone shouldn't go to law school for six figures in debt, that it is a bad 'investment' now, etc - and I'm certainly not the only one saying it at this point, it is pretty well-documented in the NYTimes, WSJ, etc. But seriously - read your own post. Its is SCHADENFRAUDE and it is pretty ugly. You sound really, really happy about this. Nothing you are doing here is in any way helpful to your cousin, who is already deeply in debt- you are sitting behind your computer, hoping to get responses so that you can gloat at her predicament. Seriously, think about that - your attitude is really ugly. |
Anonymous
| I think she could make $70k-$90k working on doc review, if she can get it. |
Anonymous
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I interview law students all the time. As long as their grades are over a B, I don't sit and work out their GPA. I'm much more interested in their writing samples and whether they've taken the time to submit a quality sample or one that has any relationship to what we do in my division or whether it's just some first year legal writing assignment/memorandum about "Whether the plaintiff has a cause of action under the statute for..." I also want to hear a reason why they want to work here other than "I'm really interested in X type of law" (and then obviously no idea what X type of law practice is).
Brand name schools are great, but students at state universities often receive a better education. I went to a brand name school and work with people from both types of schools. I would not put a price limit on any education. Law review and a classy name will get you in the door, but you need interview skills and the ability to network. |