Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FWIW, The current USNWR rankings are
Georgetown 14 (tied with others)
GW and Mason tied at 31 (with several others, including W&M)
Catholic 71 (tied)
American 104

I went to AU law when it was ranked in the top 50 and liked it, have had good jobs since graduation. But it was outrageously expensive then and seems to be so now. I can’t fathom what it has done to fall so far in the rankings.

If I had it to do all over again and wanted to be in this area, I would live in VA and go to Mason law school. Well ranked and a lot less expensive.

Yeah, what's going on at AU Law?

Likely nothing is "going on at AU Law," the rankings have never meant much beyond top 15 or so and they have shifted like crazy for many, many schools in recent history, and usually for no obvious reason. I attended Tulane when it was just inside the first tier at 40 and now it's 78. Nothing "going on" (although there were some issues when Katrina hit, that was over 20 years ago).

LOL. The "first tier" stops way short of no. 40.

Not when I went to law school it didn't. It referred to the top 50, not the top 14 like now.

When did you go to law school? Fifty years ago?

No, not 50 years ago.

When did you go to law school? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Never. You’re one of the mommies, right? Obsessing over things like this because you want your kid to go to law school? Yep. That’s what I thought.

DP
I went to law school 30 years (been practicing ever since) and I would not recommend my kid go to law school if they couldn't go to a pretty good one and top 50 ain't it.
Top 10 maybe top 20,but not top 50

I agree. I went to law school 25 years ago (at T10), and I would have the same advice for my kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FWIW, The current USNWR rankings are
Georgetown 14 (tied with others)
GW and Mason tied at 31 (with several others, including W&M)
Catholic 71 (tied)
American 104

I went to AU law when it was ranked in the top 50 and liked it, have had good jobs since graduation. But it was outrageously expensive then and seems to be so now. I can’t fathom what it has done to fall so far in the rankings.

If I had it to do all over again and wanted to be in this area, I would live in VA and go to Mason law school. Well ranked and a lot less expensive.

Yeah, what's going on at AU Law?

Likely nothing is "going on at AU Law," the rankings have never meant much beyond top 15 or so and they have shifted like crazy for many, many schools in recent history, and usually for no obvious reason. I attended Tulane when it was just inside the first tier at 40 and now it's 78. Nothing "going on" (although there were some issues when Katrina hit, that was over 20 years ago).

LOL. The "first tier" stops way short of no. 40.

Not when I went to law school it didn't. It referred to the top 50, not the top 14 like now.

When did you go to law school? Fifty years ago?

No, not 50 years ago.

When did you go to law school? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Never. You’re one of the mommies, right? Obsessing over things like this because you want your kid to go to law school? Yep. That’s what I thought.

I am a law school graduate.

Sure, Jan.

Why on earth is that so hard to believe? This board—like this town—is full of lawyers.

If you disagree with what I’m saying, fine, prove me wrong. Simply writing me off as a non-lawyer when it isn’t true is hardly a lawyerly approach to an argument.

“law school grad” = didn’t pass the bar, right? That’s you.

You said I didn't go to law school. That's the question I answered. Now you're saying I didn't pass the bar, so I'll answer that one too. Yes, I passed the bar. The DC bar to be exact.

Weirdo.

Most big law lawyers took NY bar. Nobody really takes DC bar. You just waive into it later.

Bullshit. More than 2200 sat for the most recent DC bar exam. Of the 51 state bars and DC, only 5 (NY, CA, IL, FL and TX) had more people sit for their exams. All five are much larger jurisdictions.

Maybe life has changed in the quarter century since I took the bar but zero of the first year class in the DC office of the firm that I joined out of law school took the DC bar. We were pretty evenly split between NY, MD, VA and home state other than NY/MD/VA. Then we waived into DC.

How big was the first year class in your DC office? Was it big law? And how do you know the number is zero? Were you stalking your colleagues?

I joined a DC-based Biglaw firm before you. I took the the DC bar. So did many of my fellow first years. Yes, many others elected to waive in. But I couldn't give you an exact breakdown because I didn't stalk my colleagues.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FWIW, The current USNWR rankings are
Georgetown 14 (tied with others)
GW and Mason tied at 31 (with several others, including W&M)
Catholic 71 (tied)
American 104

I went to AU law when it was ranked in the top 50 and liked it, have had good jobs since graduation. But it was outrageously expensive then and seems to be so now. I can’t fathom what it has done to fall so far in the rankings.

If I had it to do all over again and wanted to be in this area, I would live in VA and go to Mason law school. Well ranked and a lot less expensive.

Yeah, what's going on at AU Law?

Likely nothing is "going on at AU Law," the rankings have never meant much beyond top 15 or so and they have shifted like crazy for many, many schools in recent history, and usually for no obvious reason. I attended Tulane when it was just inside the first tier at 40 and now it's 78. Nothing "going on" (although there were some issues when Katrina hit, that was over 20 years ago).

LOL. The "first tier" stops way short of no. 40.

Not when I went to law school it didn't. It referred to the top 50, not the top 14 like now.

When did you go to law school? Fifty years ago?

No, not 50 years ago.

When did you go to law school? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Never. You’re one of the mommies, right? Obsessing over things like this because you want your kid to go to law school? Yep. That’s what I thought.

I am a law school graduate.

Sure, Jan.

Why on earth is that so hard to believe? This board—like this town—is full of lawyers.

If you disagree with what I’m saying, fine, prove me wrong. Simply writing me off as a non-lawyer when it isn’t true is hardly a lawyerly approach to an argument.

“law school grad” = didn’t pass the bar, right? That’s you.

You said I didn't go to law school. That's the question I answered. Now you're saying I didn't pass the bar, so I'll answer that one too. Yes, I passed the bar. The DC bar to be exact.

Weirdo.

Most big law lawyers took NY bar. Nobody really takes DC bar. You just waive into it later.

Bullshit. More than 2200 sat for the most recent DC bar exam. Of the 51 state bars and DC, only 5 (NY, CA, IL, FL and TX) had more people sit for their exams. All five are much larger jurisdictions.

Maybe life has changed in the quarter century since I took the bar but zero of the first year class in the DC office of the firm that I joined out of law school took the DC bar. We were pretty evenly split between NY, MD, VA and home state other than NY/MD/VA. Then we waived into DC.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FWIW, The current USNWR rankings are
Georgetown 14 (tied with others)
GW and Mason tied at 31 (with several others, including W&M)
Catholic 71 (tied)
American 104

I went to AU law when it was ranked in the top 50 and liked it, have had good jobs since graduation. But it was outrageously expensive then and seems to be so now. I can’t fathom what it has done to fall so far in the rankings.

If I had it to do all over again and wanted to be in this area, I would live in VA and go to Mason law school. Well ranked and a lot less expensive.

Yeah, what's going on at AU Law?

Likely nothing is "going on at AU Law," the rankings have never meant much beyond top 15 or so and they have shifted like crazy for many, many schools in recent history, and usually for no obvious reason. I attended Tulane when it was just inside the first tier at 40 and now it's 78. Nothing "going on" (although there were some issues when Katrina hit, that was over 20 years ago).

LOL. The "first tier" stops way short of no. 40.

Not when I went to law school it didn't. It referred to the top 50, not the top 14 like now.

When did you go to law school? Fifty years ago?

No, not 50 years ago.

When did you go to law school? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Never. You’re one of the mommies, right? Obsessing over things like this because you want your kid to go to law school? Yep. That’s what I thought.

I am a law school graduate.

Sure, Jan.

Why on earth is that so hard to believe? This board—like this town—is full of lawyers.

If you disagree with what I’m saying, fine, prove me wrong. Simply writing me off as a non-lawyer when it isn’t true is hardly a lawyerly approach to an argument.

“law school grad” = didn’t pass the bar, right? That’s you.

You said I didn't go to law school. That's the question I answered. Now you're saying I didn't pass the bar, so I'll answer that one too. Yes, I passed the bar. The DC bar to be exact.

Weirdo.

Most big law lawyers took NY bar. Nobody really takes DC bar. You just waive into it later.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Above the Law Rankings are heavily weighted by outcomes—e.g. employment after graduation—and GMU is not ranked in the top 50. It wasn’t ranked in the top 50 last year either.

Georgetown, GWU, William & Mary and Howard are all ranked both years.

https://abovethelaw.com/2025/06/2025-top-50-law-school-rankings/

No one cites Above the Law for law school rankings. No one. It’s USNWR, and top 14, that everyone talks about, where Scalia is ranked 31z https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/george-mason-university-03159

Right. GMU is ranked 31st but still does a relatively shitty job of getting its grads top jobs. That's why I cited ATL. For that metric only.

If you had bothered to google “Scalia job placement “ before shooting off your mouth, AI could have instructed you thusly:

Antonin Scalia Law School (George Mason University) boasts strong employment outcomes, with 97.5% of the Class of 2023 employed, primarily in private practice ($149,784 median salary) and the public sector ($74,672 median salary). The school excels in judicial clerkships, securing 102 for 2025-2028 terms, and leverages a strong DC-area network and focus on law


Employment and Salary Highlights
High Employment Rate: 99.4% of the Class of 2023 were employed or in graduate studies shortly after graduation, according to the NALP report.

Employment Sectors (Class of 2023): 49.1% entered the private sector, while 50.9% entered the public sector, including government and public interest.
Salaries: The median salary for the private sector was $149,784, while the median for the public sector was $74,672.
Location: Most graduates are employed in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.


Key Opportunities and Clerkships
Clerkships: Strong performance in placing graduates in federal and state courts, with 72 federal clerkships (including 31 U.S. Courts of Appeals) secured for the 2025-2028 terms.
Law & Economics Focus: The school's emphasis on the intersection of law and economics provides unique networking opportunities through the Law & Economics Center.

Networking and Recruitment: Active Fall and Spring recruiting programs are available, with opportunities to connect with top law firms and government agencies, note users on Reddit.

Career Services: The Career and Academic Services Office provides resources for job placement, including counseling and on-campus interviews.

Networking: The school connects students with employers through various, often intimate, settings.

For more detailed data, you can view the official 2023 NALP report and employment statistics on the Scalia Law School website.

I love how someone claims to be such an expert and then cites AI. If you are a lawyer, shame on you. But you probably are not.

Anyways, there was something telling in your AI summary. The median salary for the private sector for Scalia grads was just $149,784. That's really really low for first year lawyers, and waaaay below big law salaries. This tells me Scalia grads are not doing so well in the job market.

Also I have worked in big law. We did not hire at Scalia. I have also taught at Scalia. The quality of the students was highly variable. The top 2-3 students in each class were quite good, the bottom few were really ... not good. The big group in the middle were just ok. The only ones comparable to my colleages in biglaw and my classmates at at T14 law school were the 2-3 at the top.

This board is full of biglaw attorneys and frankly, you sound young and full of yourself.
Sure we don't recruit a ton from GMU but look at the partners at almost every law firm and you will see a farily broad sampling of law schools. The first year associates are frequently from big name law schools but our laterals frequently went to places like GMU. It's unlikely to happen to anyu particular GMU student but it's not limited to 2 or 3 per class.

+1. Especially when they cite to ATL as being authoritative, then, when questioned, resort to trashing moms on here, without realizing who their audience might be. I certainly wouldn’t hire them. - former Biglaw hiring partner.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FWIW, The current USNWR rankings are
Georgetown 14 (tied with others)
GW and Mason tied at 31 (with several others, including W&M)
Catholic 71 (tied)
American 104

I went to AU law when it was ranked in the top 50 and liked it, have had good jobs since graduation. But it was outrageously expensive then and seems to be so now. I can’t fathom what it has done to fall so far in the rankings.

If I had it to do all over again and wanted to be in this area, I would live in VA and go to Mason law school. Well ranked and a lot less expensive.

Yeah, what's going on at AU Law?

Likely nothing is "going on at AU Law," the rankings have never meant much beyond top 15 or so and they have shifted like crazy for many, many schools in recent history, and usually for no obvious reason. I attended Tulane when it was just inside the first tier at 40 and now it's 78. Nothing "going on" (although there were some issues when Katrina hit, that was over 20 years ago).

LOL. The "first tier" stops way short of no. 40.

Not when I went to law school it didn't. It referred to the top 50, not the top 14 like now.

When did you go to law school? Fifty years ago?

No, not 50 years ago.

When did you go to law school? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Never. You’re one of the mommies, right? Obsessing over things like this because you want your kid to go to law school? Yep. That’s what I thought.

I am a law school graduate.

Sure, Jan.

Why on earth is that so hard to believe? This board—like this town—is full of lawyers.

If you disagree with what I’m saying, fine, prove me wrong. Simply writing me off as a non-lawyer when it isn’t true is hardly a lawyerly approach to an argument.

“law school grad” = didn’t pass the bar, right? That’s you.

You said I didn't go to law school. That's the question I answered. Now you're saying I didn't pass the bar, so I'll answer that one too. Yes, I passed the bar. The DC bar to be exact.

Weirdo.

Most big law lawyers took NY bar. Nobody really takes DC bar. You just waive into it later.

Bullshit. More than 2200 sat for the most recent DC bar exam. Of the 51 state bars and DC, only 5 (NY, CA, IL, FL and TX) had more people sit for their exams. All five are much larger jurisdictions.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Above the Law Rankings are heavily weighted by outcomes—e.g. employment after graduation—and GMU is not ranked in the top 50. It wasn’t ranked in the top 50 last year either.

Georgetown, GWU, William & Mary and Howard are all ranked both years.

https://abovethelaw.com/2025/06/2025-top-50-law-school-rankings/

No one cites Above the Law for law school rankings. No one. It’s USNWR, and top 14, that everyone talks about, where Scalia is ranked 31z https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/george-mason-university-03159

Right. GMU is ranked 31st but still does a relatively shitty job of getting its grads top jobs. That's why I cited ATL. For that metric only.

If you had bothered to google “Scalia job placement “ before shooting off your mouth, AI could have instructed you thusly:

Antonin Scalia Law School (George Mason University) boasts strong employment outcomes, with 97.5% of the Class of 2023 employed, primarily in private practice ($149,784 median salary) and the public sector ($74,672 median salary). The school excels in judicial clerkships, securing 102 for 2025-2028 terms, and leverages a strong DC-area network and focus on law


Employment and Salary Highlights
High Employment Rate: 99.4% of the Class of 2023 were employed or in graduate studies shortly after graduation, according to the NALP report.

Employment Sectors (Class of 2023): 49.1% entered the private sector, while 50.9% entered the public sector, including government and public interest.
Salaries: The median salary for the private sector was $149,784, while the median for the public sector was $74,672.
Location: Most graduates are employed in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.


Key Opportunities and Clerkships
Clerkships: Strong performance in placing graduates in federal and state courts, with 72 federal clerkships (including 31 U.S. Courts of Appeals) secured for the 2025-2028 terms.
Law & Economics Focus: The school's emphasis on the intersection of law and economics provides unique networking opportunities through the Law & Economics Center.

Networking and Recruitment: Active Fall and Spring recruiting programs are available, with opportunities to connect with top law firms and government agencies, note users on Reddit.

Career Services: The Career and Academic Services Office provides resources for job placement, including counseling and on-campus interviews.

Networking: The school connects students with employers through various, often intimate, settings.

For more detailed data, you can view the official 2023 NALP report and employment statistics on the Scalia Law School website.

I love how someone claims to be such an expert and then cites AI. If you are a lawyer, shame on you. But you probably are not.

Anyways, there was something telling in your AI summary. The median salary for the private sector for Scalia grads was just $149,784. That's really really low for first year lawyers, and waaaay below big law salaries. This tells me Scalia grads are not doing so well in the job market.

Also I have worked in big law. We did not hire at Scalia. I have also taught at Scalia. The quality of the students was highly variable. The top 2-3 students in each class were quite good, the bottom few were really ... not good. The big group in the middle were just ok. The only ones comparable to my colleages in biglaw and my classmates at at T14 law school were the 2-3 at the top.

This board is full of biglaw attorneys and frankly, you sound young and full of yourself.
Sure we don't recruit a ton from GMU but look at the partners at almost every law firm and you will see a farily broad sampling of law schools. The first year associates are frequently from big name law schools but our laterals frequently went to places like GMU. It's unlikely to happen to anyu particular GMU student but it's not limited to 2 or 3 per class.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Above the Law Rankings are heavily weighted by outcomes—e.g. employment after graduation—and GMU is not ranked in the top 50. It wasn’t ranked in the top 50 last year either.

Georgetown, GWU, William & Mary and Howard are all ranked both years.

https://abovethelaw.com/2025/06/2025-top-50-law-school-rankings/

No one cites Above the Law for law school rankings. No one. It’s USNWR, and top 14, that everyone talks about, where Scalia is ranked 31z https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/george-mason-university-03159

Right. GMU is ranked 31st but still does a relatively shitty job of getting its grads top jobs. That's why I cited ATL. For that metric only.

If you had bothered to google “Scalia job placement “ before shooting off your mouth, AI could have instructed you thusly:

Antonin Scalia Law School (George Mason University) boasts strong employment outcomes, with 97.5% of the Class of 2023 employed, primarily in private practice ($149,784 median salary) and the public sector ($74,672 median salary). The school excels in judicial clerkships, securing 102 for 2025-2028 terms, and leverages a strong DC-area network and focus on law


Employment and Salary Highlights
High Employment Rate: 99.4% of the Class of 2023 were employed or in graduate studies shortly after graduation, according to the NALP report.

Employment Sectors (Class of 2023): 49.1% entered the private sector, while 50.9% entered the public sector, including government and public interest.
Salaries: The median salary for the private sector was $149,784, while the median for the public sector was $74,672.
Location: Most graduates are employed in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.


Key Opportunities and Clerkships
Clerkships: Strong performance in placing graduates in federal and state courts, with 72 federal clerkships (including 31 U.S. Courts of Appeals) secured for the 2025-2028 terms.
Law & Economics Focus: The school's emphasis on the intersection of law and economics provides unique networking opportunities through the Law & Economics Center.

Networking and Recruitment: Active Fall and Spring recruiting programs are available, with opportunities to connect with top law firms and government agencies, note users on Reddit.

Career Services: The Career and Academic Services Office provides resources for job placement, including counseling and on-campus interviews.

Networking: The school connects students with employers through various, often intimate, settings.

For more detailed data, you can view the official 2023 NALP report and employment statistics on the Scalia Law School website.

I love how someone claims to be such an expert and then cites AI. If you are a lawyer, shame on you. But you probably are not.

Anyways, there was something telling in your AI summary. The median salary for the private sector for Scalia grads was just $149,784. That's really really low for first year lawyers, and waaaay below big law salaries. This tells me Scalia grads are not doing so well in the job market.

Also I have worked in big law. We did not hire at Scalia. I have also taught at Scalia. The quality of the students was highly variable. The top 2-3 students in each class were quite good, the bottom few were really ... not good. The big group in the middle were just ok. The only ones comparable to my colleages in biglaw and my classmates at at T14 law school were the 2-3 at the top.

ASS Law outperforms its rank. It places much better than many regional schools in the DC area, particularly in antitrust. Its combined big law and federal clerkship employment rate is 21.2% compared to AUWCL's 17% and Catholic's 11.9%. And I have no skin in the game here. I went to a T14 elsewhere and work in big law. But an unusually large number of my colleagues went to GMU.

American and Catholic are not the schools I'd want to be compared to though. At my biglaw firm, we recruited from Georgetown and GW. We did have one lawyer from Catholic (and she was great). But that was the outlier, there was not a recruiting stream from there. She was also a lateral. You are much much better off going to a national firm, not a regional one, if you want better odds in the marketplace. Regional schools tend to send to small local firms or local govt. Or some open up as solos, which I can't fathom doing right out of school. Or they don't get legal jobs at all.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FWIW, The current USNWR rankings are
Georgetown 14 (tied with others)
GW and Mason tied at 31 (with several others, including W&M)
Catholic 71 (tied)
American 104

I went to AU law when it was ranked in the top 50 and liked it, have had good jobs since graduation. But it was outrageously expensive then and seems to be so now. I can’t fathom what it has done to fall so far in the rankings.

If I had it to do all over again and wanted to be in this area, I would live in VA and go to Mason law school. Well ranked and a lot less expensive.

Yeah, what's going on at AU Law?

Likely nothing is "going on at AU Law," the rankings have never meant much beyond top 15 or so and they have shifted like crazy for many, many schools in recent history, and usually for no obvious reason. I attended Tulane when it was just inside the first tier at 40 and now it's 78. Nothing "going on" (although there were some issues when Katrina hit, that was over 20 years ago).

LOL. The "first tier" stops way short of no. 40.

Not when I went to law school it didn't. It referred to the top 50, not the top 14 like now.

When did you go to law school? Fifty years ago?

No, not 50 years ago.

When did you go to law school? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Never. You’re one of the mommies, right? Obsessing over things like this because you want your kid to go to law school? Yep. That’s what I thought.

DP
I went to law school 30 years (been practicing ever since) and I would not recommend my kid go to law school if they couldn't go to a pretty good one and top 50 ain't it.
Top 10 maybe top 20,but not top 50

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FWIW, The current USNWR rankings are
Georgetown 14 (tied with others)
GW and Mason tied at 31 (with several others, including W&M)
Catholic 71 (tied)
American 104

I went to AU law when it was ranked in the top 50 and liked it, have had good jobs since graduation. But it was outrageously expensive then and seems to be so now. I can’t fathom what it has done to fall so far in the rankings.

If I had it to do all over again and wanted to be in this area, I would live in VA and go to Mason law school. Well ranked and a lot less expensive.

Yeah, what's going on at AU Law?

Likely nothing is "going on at AU Law," the rankings have never meant much beyond top 15 or so and they have shifted like crazy for many, many schools in recent history, and usually for no obvious reason. I attended Tulane when it was just inside the first tier at 40 and now it's 78. Nothing "going on" (although there were some issues when Katrina hit, that was over 20 years ago).

LOL. The "first tier" stops way short of no. 40.

Not when I went to law school it didn't. It referred to the top 50, not the top 14 like now.

When did you go to law school? Fifty years ago?

No, not 50 years ago.

When did you go to law school? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Never. You’re one of the mommies, right? Obsessing over things like this because you want your kid to go to law school? Yep. That’s what I thought.

I am a law school graduate.

Sure, Jan.

Why on earth is that so hard to believe? This board—like this town—is full of lawyers.

If you disagree with what I’m saying, fine, prove me wrong. Simply writing me off as a non-lawyer when it isn’t true is hardly a lawyerly approach to an argument.

“law school grad” = didn’t pass the bar, right? That’s you.

You said I didn't go to law school. That's the question I answered. Now you're saying I didn't pass the bar, so I'll answer that one too. Yes, I passed the bar. The DC bar to be exact.

Weirdo.

Most big law lawyers took NY bar. Nobody really takes DC bar. You just waive into it later.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Above the Law Rankings are heavily weighted by outcomes—e.g. employment after graduation—and GMU is not ranked in the top 50. It wasn’t ranked in the top 50 last year either.

Georgetown, GWU, William & Mary and Howard are all ranked both years.

https://abovethelaw.com/2025/06/2025-top-50-law-school-rankings/

No one cites Above the Law for law school rankings. No one. It’s USNWR, and top 14, that everyone talks about, where Scalia is ranked 31z https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/george-mason-university-03159

Right. GMU is ranked 31st but still does a relatively shitty job of getting its grads top jobs. That's why I cited ATL. For that metric only.

If you had bothered to google “Scalia job placement “ before shooting off your mouth, AI could have instructed you thusly:

Antonin Scalia Law School (George Mason University) boasts strong employment outcomes, with 97.5% of the Class of 2023 employed, primarily in private practice ($149,784 median salary) and the public sector ($74,672 median salary). The school excels in judicial clerkships, securing 102 for 2025-2028 terms, and leverages a strong DC-area network and focus on law


Employment and Salary Highlights
High Employment Rate: 99.4% of the Class of 2023 were employed or in graduate studies shortly after graduation, according to the NALP report.

Employment Sectors (Class of 2023): 49.1% entered the private sector, while 50.9% entered the public sector, including government and public interest.
Salaries: The median salary for the private sector was $149,784, while the median for the public sector was $74,672.
Location: Most graduates are employed in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.


Key Opportunities and Clerkships
Clerkships: Strong performance in placing graduates in federal and state courts, with 72 federal clerkships (including 31 U.S. Courts of Appeals) secured for the 2025-2028 terms.
Law & Economics Focus: The school's emphasis on the intersection of law and economics provides unique networking opportunities through the Law & Economics Center.

Networking and Recruitment: Active Fall and Spring recruiting programs are available, with opportunities to connect with top law firms and government agencies, note users on Reddit.

Career Services: The Career and Academic Services Office provides resources for job placement, including counseling and on-campus interviews.

Networking: The school connects students with employers through various, often intimate, settings.

For more detailed data, you can view the official 2023 NALP report and employment statistics on the Scalia Law School website.

I love how someone claims to be such an expert and then cites AI. If you are a lawyer, shame on you. But you probably are not.

Anyways, there was something telling in your AI summary. The median salary for the private sector for Scalia grads was just $149,784. That's really really low for first year lawyers, and waaaay below big law salaries. This tells me Scalia grads are not doing so well in the job market.

Also I have worked in big law. We did not hire at Scalia. I have also taught at Scalia. The quality of the students was highly variable. The top 2-3 students in each class were quite good, the bottom few were really ... not good. The big group in the middle were just ok. The only ones comparable to my colleages in biglaw and my classmates at at T14 law school were the 2-3 at the top.

ASS Law outperforms its rank. It places much better than many regional schools in the DC area, particularly in antitrust. Its combined big law and federal clerkship employment rate is 21.2% compared to AUWCL's 17% and Catholic's 11.9%. And I have no skin in the game here. I went to a T14 elsewhere and work in big law. But an unusually large number of my colleagues went to GMU.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Above the Law Rankings are heavily weighted by outcomes—e.g. employment after graduation—and GMU is not ranked in the top 50. It wasn’t ranked in the top 50 last year either.

Georgetown, GWU, William & Mary and Howard are all ranked both years.

https://abovethelaw.com/2025/06/2025-top-50-law-school-rankings/

No one cites Above the Law for law school rankings. No one. It’s USNWR, and top 14, that everyone talks about, where Scalia is ranked 31z https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/george-mason-university-03159

No one “cites” it? lol, ok.

It’s a legit reference created by people actually working in law. This T14 “that everyone talks about” is when “everyone” = the mommies on dcum who are desperate strivers looking into all of this for a kid who probably doesn’t want to go to law school or who will end up bottom 10% on the lsat lol. DP

Sorry, not a DC “mommy” here but a real lawyer from T3 law firm, clerk and Big Law with kid also going to T3 law school. Above the Law is gossip trash.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FWIW, The current USNWR rankings are
Georgetown 14 (tied with others)
GW and Mason tied at 31 (with several others, including W&M)
Catholic 71 (tied)
American 104

I went to AU law when it was ranked in the top 50 and liked it, have had good jobs since graduation. But it was outrageously expensive then and seems to be so now. I can’t fathom what it has done to fall so far in the rankings.

If I had it to do all over again and wanted to be in this area, I would live in VA and go to Mason law school. Well ranked and a lot less expensive.

Yeah, what's going on at AU Law?

Likely nothing is "going on at AU Law," the rankings have never meant much beyond top 15 or so and they have shifted like crazy for many, many schools in recent history, and usually for no obvious reason. I attended Tulane when it was just inside the first tier at 40 and now it's 78. Nothing "going on" (although there were some issues when Katrina hit, that was over 20 years ago).

LOL. The "first tier" stops way short of no. 40.

Not when I went to law school it didn't. It referred to the top 50, not the top 14 like now.

When did you go to law school? Fifty years ago?

No, not 50 years ago.

When did you go to law school? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Never. You’re one of the mommies, right? Obsessing over things like this because you want your kid to go to law school? Yep. That’s what I thought.

I am a law school graduate.

Sure, Jan.

Why on earth is that so hard to believe? This board—like this town—is full of lawyers.

If you disagree with what I’m saying, fine, prove me wrong. Simply writing me off as a non-lawyer when it isn’t true is hardly a lawyerly approach to an argument.

“law school grad” = didn’t pass the bar, right? That’s you.

You said I didn't go to law school. That's the question I answered. Now you're saying I didn't pass the bar, so I'll answer that one too. Yes, I passed the bar. The DC bar to be exact.

Weirdo.

Most big law lawyers took NY bar. Nobody really takes DC bar. You just waive into it later.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Above the Law Rankings are heavily weighted by outcomes—e.g. employment after graduation—and GMU is not ranked in the top 50. It wasn’t ranked in the top 50 last year either.

Georgetown, GWU, William & Mary and Howard are all ranked both years.

https://abovethelaw.com/2025/06/2025-top-50-law-school-rankings/

No one cites Above the Law for law school rankings. No one. It’s USNWR, and top 14, that everyone talks about, where Scalia is ranked 31z https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/george-mason-university-03159

Right. GMU is ranked 31st but still does a relatively shitty job of getting its grads top jobs. That's why I cited ATL. For that metric only.

If you had bothered to google “Scalia job placement “ before shooting off your mouth, AI could have instructed you thusly:

Antonin Scalia Law School (George Mason University) boasts strong employment outcomes, with 97.5% of the Class of 2023 employed, primarily in private practice ($149,784 median salary) and the public sector ($74,672 median salary). The school excels in judicial clerkships, securing 102 for 2025-2028 terms, and leverages a strong DC-area network and focus on law


Employment and Salary Highlights
High Employment Rate: 99.4% of the Class of 2023 were employed or in graduate studies shortly after graduation, according to the NALP report.

Employment Sectors (Class of 2023): 49.1% entered the private sector, while 50.9% entered the public sector, including government and public interest.
Salaries: The median salary for the private sector was $149,784, while the median for the public sector was $74,672.
Location: Most graduates are employed in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.


Key Opportunities and Clerkships
Clerkships: Strong performance in placing graduates in federal and state courts, with 72 federal clerkships (including 31 U.S. Courts of Appeals) secured for the 2025-2028 terms.
Law & Economics Focus: The school's emphasis on the intersection of law and economics provides unique networking opportunities through the Law & Economics Center.

Networking and Recruitment: Active Fall and Spring recruiting programs are available, with opportunities to connect with top law firms and government agencies, note users on Reddit.

Career Services: The Career and Academic Services Office provides resources for job placement, including counseling and on-campus interviews.

Networking: The school connects students with employers through various, often intimate, settings.

For more detailed data, you can view the official 2023 NALP report and employment statistics on the Scalia Law School website.

I love how someone claims to be such an expert and then cites AI. If you are a lawyer, shame on you. But you probably are not.

Anyways, there was something telling in your AI summary. The median salary for the private sector for Scalia grads was just $149,784. That's really really low for first year lawyers, and waaaay below big law salaries. This tells me Scalia grads are not doing so well in the job market.

Also I have worked in big law. We did not hire at Scalia. I have also taught at Scalia. The quality of the students was highly variable. The top 2-3 students in each class were quite good, the bottom few were really ... not good. The big group in the middle were just ok. The only ones comparable to my colleages in biglaw and my classmates at at T14 law school were the 2-3 at the top.

This board is full of biglaw attorneys and frankly, you sound young and full of yourself.
Sure we don't recruit a ton from GMU but look at the partners at almost every law firm and you will see a farily broad sampling of law schools. The first year associates are frequently from big name law schools but our laterals frequently went to places like GMU. It's unlikely to happen to anyu particular GMU student but it's not limited to 2 or 3 per class.

+1. Especially when they cite to ATL as being authoritative, then, when questioned, resort to trashing moms on here, without realizing who their audience might be. I certainly wouldn’t hire them. - former Biglaw hiring partner.