Anonymous
Post 11/07/2025 22:37     Subject: Elite law and Big law

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I worked in for a major DC firm in San Francisco. The T14 was well represented, but so were other in-state schools like Hastings (now UCSF?), UC Davis, UCLA, and USC. Once you were hired, no cared where you went to law school. They only cared about the quality of your work and, of course, whether you billed 2000+ hours annually. I can't speak for NYC firms though. But I recall that Munger Tolles in LA was known for focusing on the tippy top T14 schools and/or people who had prestigious circuit clerkships. (I would not have wanted to work there.)


Munger Tolles, Susman Godfrey, Cravath, and Wachtell are at a different level altogether. I graduated in the top half of my class at HLS and had no chance at any of these firms.



Is that for real? I knew firms of that ilk were selective, but that's nuts.


This is stupid and those firms are not at the top.


Not 100% accurate but it is close. You don't think Wachtell is at the top?


Wachtell is. Should have noted that but those others are not even close. It’s Wachtell and Kirkland and a big gap to everyone else.


Cravath is at least close.


Eh. Definitely disagree about Kirkland. I don’t know anyone who actively wants to work there, especially at the more senior levels knowing their reputation. I didn’t receive a callback interview from cravath after 1L based on grades (I had around a 3.4 or 3.5 after 1L), but a partner made me an offer during 3L after I took his class. I politely declined and went to the V10 I had summered at and already accepted an offer to. (Not any of the ones listed here already as “most” prestigious.) it’s just a matter of perspective/personal choice.
Anonymous
Post 11/07/2025 22:10     Subject: Elite law and Big law

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I worked in for a major DC firm in San Francisco. The T14 was well represented, but so were other in-state schools like Hastings (now UCSF?), UC Davis, UCLA, and USC. Once you were hired, no cared where you went to law school. They only cared about the quality of your work and, of course, whether you billed 2000+ hours annually. I can't speak for NYC firms though. But I recall that Munger Tolles in LA was known for focusing on the tippy top T14 schools and/or people who had prestigious circuit clerkships. (I would not have wanted to work there.)


Munger Tolles, Susman Godfrey, Cravath, and Wachtell are at a different level altogether. I graduated in the top half of my class at HLS and had no chance at any of these firms.



Is that for real? I knew firms of that ilk were selective, but that's nuts.


This is stupid and those firms are not at the top.


Not 100% accurate but it is close. You don't think Wachtell is at the top?


Wachtell is. Should have noted that but those others are not even close. It’s Wachtell and Kirkland and a big gap to everyone else.


Cravath is at least close.
Anonymous
Post 11/07/2025 22:03     Subject: Elite law and Big law

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I worked in for a major DC firm in San Francisco. The T14 was well represented, but so were other in-state schools like Hastings (now UCSF?), UC Davis, UCLA, and USC. Once you were hired, no cared where you went to law school. They only cared about the quality of your work and, of course, whether you billed 2000+ hours annually. I can't speak for NYC firms though. But I recall that Munger Tolles in LA was known for focusing on the tippy top T14 schools and/or people who had prestigious circuit clerkships. (I would not have wanted to work there.)


Munger Tolles, Susman Godfrey, Cravath, and Wachtell are at a different level altogether. I graduated in the top half of my class at HLS and had no chance at any of these firms.



Is that for real? I knew firms of that ilk were selective, but that's nuts.


This is stupid and those firms are not at the top.


Not 100% accurate but it is close. You don't think Wachtell is at the top?


Wachtell is. Should have noted that but those others are not even close. It’s Wachtell and Kirkland and a big gap to everyone else.
Anonymous
Post 11/07/2025 22:01     Subject: Re:Elite law and Big law

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I didn’t go to Fordham Law myself but I always appreciated their alums. Usually smart, hardworking and blessed with common sense. I often host 3Ls at Per Se to check out the next crop for talent. Worth the meal.


You were doing great until the last sentence...


Exactly. Laughable


Next time you are there I will send over a nice bottle of wine. But I won’t have to will I.
Anonymous
Post 11/07/2025 22:00     Subject: Elite law and Big law

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Georgetown used to be T14.

Also don't forget about Notre Dame, we have a SCOTUS from ND.

Fordham grads probably do a lot of contract review at the big law. Not the same as Columbia grads. Completely different tracks.


Georgetown sort of defines where the T-14 ends.

The reason law schools have a T-14 instead of a T-10 or T-20 is because Georgetown typically ranks around 14.


At the top, GW outperforms GT. Has for 20 years.
Anonymous
Post 11/07/2025 22:00     Subject: Elite law and Big law

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I worked in for a major DC firm in San Francisco. The T14 was well represented, but so were other in-state schools like Hastings (now UCSF?), UC Davis, UCLA, and USC. Once you were hired, no cared where you went to law school. They only cared about the quality of your work and, of course, whether you billed 2000+ hours annually. I can't speak for NYC firms though. But I recall that Munger Tolles in LA was known for focusing on the tippy top T14 schools and/or people who had prestigious circuit clerkships. (I would not have wanted to work there.)


Munger Tolles, Susman Godfrey, Cravath, and Wachtell are at a different level altogether. I graduated in the top half of my class at HLS and had no chance at any of these firms.



Is that for real? I knew firms of that ilk were selective, but that's nuts.


This is stupid and those firms are not at the top.


Not 100% accurate but it is close. You don't think Wachtell is at the top?
Anonymous
Post 11/07/2025 21:58     Subject: Elite law and Big law

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I worked in for a major DC firm in San Francisco. The T14 was well represented, but so were other in-state schools like Hastings (now UCSF?), UC Davis, UCLA, and USC. Once you were hired, no cared where you went to law school. They only cared about the quality of your work and, of course, whether you billed 2000+ hours annually. I can't speak for NYC firms though. But I recall that Munger Tolles in LA was known for focusing on the tippy top T14 schools and/or people who had prestigious circuit clerkships. (I would not have wanted to work there.)


Munger Tolles, Susman Godfrey, Cravath, and Wachtell are at a different level altogether. I graduated in the top half of my class at HLS and had no chance at any of these firms.



Is that for real? I knew firms of that ilk were selective, but that's nuts.


This is stupid and those firms are not at the top.
Anonymous
Post 11/06/2025 12:52     Subject: Elite law and Big law

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I worked in for a major DC firm in San Francisco. The T14 was well represented, but so were other in-state schools like Hastings (now UCSF?), UC Davis, UCLA, and USC. Once you were hired, no cared where you went to law school. They only cared about the quality of your work and, of course, whether you billed 2000+ hours annually. I can't speak for NYC firms though. But I recall that Munger Tolles in LA was known for focusing on the tippy top T14 schools and/or people who had prestigious circuit clerkships. (I would not have wanted to work there.)


Munger Tolles, Susman Godfrey, Cravath, and Wachtell are at a different level altogether. I graduated in the top half of my class at HLS and had no chance at any of these firms.



Is that for real? I knew firms of that ilk were selective, but that's nuts.
Anonymous
Post 11/06/2025 12:10     Subject: Elite law and Big law

Columbia is a BigLaw factory.
Anonymous
Post 11/06/2025 08:12     Subject: Elite law and Big law

Anonymous wrote:Elite law firm hiring study from 2008. I doubt it's changed much as the top law schools have remained pretty consistent over time:

https://www.leiterrankings.com/jobs/2008job_biglaw.shtml
Lol. Do you remember what happened in 2008?
Anonymous
Post 11/06/2025 07:10     Subject: Elite law and Big law

Anonymous wrote:How accurate is this asssessment?

For law teaching and Supreme Court clerkships, Harvard, Yale, Chicago and Stanford dominate.

The T14 dominate big law. In NYC, the major feeders are Harvard, Columbia, NYU, Cornell and Penn. Stanford, Chicago, Northwestern, Berkeley, Michigan, Virginia do well but are more dispersed across the country (Yale is less represented in big law as most are interested in clerkships or academia). One school that is outside T14 but well represented in NYC is Fordham.


Sure - but have you seen this?

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1298636.page

Trump is targeting legacy. He is pure evil.!
Anonymous
Post 11/05/2025 21:53     Subject: Elite law and Big law

Elite law firm hiring study from 2008. I doubt it's changed much as the top law schools have remained pretty consistent over time:

https://www.leiterrankings.com/jobs/2008job_biglaw.shtml
Anonymous
Post 11/05/2025 20:09     Subject: Elite law and Big law

Anonymous wrote:I worked in for a major DC firm in San Francisco. The T14 was well represented, but so were other in-state schools like Hastings (now UCSF?), UC Davis, UCLA, and USC. Once you were hired, no cared where you went to law school. They only cared about the quality of your work and, of course, whether you billed 2000+ hours annually. I can't speak for NYC firms though. But I recall that Munger Tolles in LA was known for focusing on the tippy top T14 schools and/or people who had prestigious circuit clerkships. (I would not have wanted to work there.)


Munger Tolles, Susman Godfrey, Cravath, and Wachtell are at a different level altogether. I graduated in the top half of my class at HLS and had no chance at any of these firms.
Anonymous
Post 11/05/2025 15:46     Subject: Elite law and Big law

I don't find DC as "Ivy-fixated" as Boston or New York. DC isn't an old money town, there's no Ivy or Ivy-like school in the region. There is a lot of educational gatekeeping but it's more about the credential than the pedigree.
Anonymous
Post 11/05/2025 15:05     Subject: Elite law and Big law

I always thought dcum as ivy law moms. Maybe there are more Fordham moms…