Law School Myth: You Don’t Need A Big Name Degree To Land A Big Firm Job

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One of the many things future law students have to fret over is what rank their law school is in the infamous U.S. News and World Report College Rankings. The rank of your law school often determines whether you can land judicial clerkships or big firm jobs after graduating.

If you’re one of the thousands of law students who didn’t get into a top school and are worried your legal career has no chance of seeing time at a big firm, I’m here to tell you shouldn’t worry.

A law school myth

You don’t need a degree from a big name school to land a job with a big name firm. Sure, having the sheep skin from Harvard or Yale will give your more opportunities to get your foot in the door, but with a little creativity and some hard work, you can land a big firm job with a degree from any law school.

Think local

Instead of applying to big national firms, focus on applying to the bigger firms in your geographic area. Hiring partners will cast a favorable eye on you because you have some ties to the area by attending law school there.You might not start out at $150,000, but you’ll definitely be making good money.

If you really want to practice at a big firm in LA or New York, but can’t get into a top ranked school, go to law school in those geographic areas. While the big firms do take grads from nationally prestigious schools, they also hire associates from lower ranked schools in the area. Show your commitment to staying in the area by getting your drivers licence from there. Change your area code to a more local one. Become a resident of the state.

Of course, you’ll have to be the top of your class if you want to land an interview with the local big firms. So, focus on doing the best you can.

It’s about who you know

It’s all about networking. Make as many contacts as you can with people at big firms. Your contacts can help you get in through the backdoor at larger firms. Attend social meetings for lawyers, do moot court and talk to the guest judges, just start contacting.

Specialize

Another thing you can do to land a big firm job on a low ranked degree is specialize in less common areas of law. When a high demand arises for a particular kind of associate, but there aren’t many associates to fill the spot, big name firms will start looking to lower ranked schools.

Talk to attorneys in your area to find out which area of law has a high demand that isn’t being filled. Market yourself as an attorney specializing in that area and you’ll find yourself at a big firm.

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16 Comments

1. Angela on 14.07.2007 at 21:46 (Reply)

   Not that I’m in law school but I know that here in Boston we have a bunch of law schools. The big name would be Harvard, of course, but if you look at the state legislature roll, for example, more than half of the senators and reps went to the much smaller Suffolk Law School, including the most powerful man in the state - Sal DiMasi, our speaker of the house.

2. Mike on 15.07.2007 at 01:15 (Reply)

   Are you planning on going after a job with big law?

3. Ann K. Levine, Esq. on 15.07.2007 at 07:47 (Reply)

   This is absolutely true - Being at the top of my class at the University of Miami School of Law, I got jobs at big firms in big cities where the rest of the summer associate class went to U. Texas, Duke, etc. But at a big firm in Houston, there was also a person or two from South Texas School of Law. I got myself to regional job fairs and it always paid off.
   If you haven’t seen this link on the subject, I highly recommend it.
   http://lawfirmaddict2007.blogspot.com/

4. Brett McKay on 15.07.2007 at 19:32 (Reply)

   Mike-
   The answer to that question depends on which day you ask me. I’m not really sure. Hopefully, next summer I can get an internship with a large firm to see if I like it.

5. Lise on 15.07.2007 at 19:32 (Reply)

   I have a little bit of experience in this field because I work for a market research firm that works with colleges and universities.

   @Ann: I actually worked on a marketing project for South Texas College of Law, and I can say that their graduates have no problems being hired in Houston, despite the school’s 4th tier status. Outside of Texas is another story, however… that said, as Brett mentioned, there’s value in specializing, and if there’s one thing STCL is known for, it’s advocacy.

   It is important to keep in mind what the U.S. News & World Report measures. The ranking taps into things like LSAT scores, bar passage rates, and peer ratings, but it necessarily doesn’t tap into things like course flexibility, teacher experience, and diversity, which can be strengths of smaller, lower-ranked law schools.

6. Brett McKay on 15.07.2007 at 19:34 (Reply)

   Ann-
   Thanks for sharing your experience! Also thanks for the link. It’s too bad that this myth is still being perpetuated. I hope you can help dispel it with your law school coaching business.

7. Brett McKay on 15.07.2007 at 19:35 (Reply)

   Angela-
   I’ve noticed that as well in OK. Many of our reps didn’t go to OU, but instead went to some of the small law schools in OK.

8. Brett McKay on 16.07.2007 at 05:40 (Reply)

   Lise-
   Good point on what the rankings actually rank. It’s too bad they don’t look at those intangibles that can a make a difference.

9. CALI's Pre-Law Blog on 16.07.2007 at 10:43 (Reply)

   Hi Guys,

   I think you left off the easiest way to land a big firm job: be in the top 10-15% of your class.

   Austin

10. CALI's Pre-Law Blog on 16.07.2007 at 11:12 (Reply)

    Follow up on my comment. I shouldn’t say the easiest and I just noticed that there is a blurb about grades that I missed.

    To me it seems like it’s some inexact combination of the following:

    1) Grades

    2) Who you know

    3) School reputation

    With each category having the ability to make up for the others. That is, a person can go to the worst school in the US but if they have a close connection working at a firm, say a parent, she’s going to land the job. Or one can have terrible grades and not know anyone at a firm, but if he attended Harvard he is still going to get a big firm job if desired.

    Is it a myth that a student at a decent to bad school has absolutely zero chance at a big firm job? Of course.

    But simply because it is possible to get a big firm job at a decent or worse school (and I certainly agree that it is possible) doesn’t mean is is likely or easy to do, or that one should just expect to do so.

    Like Ann says, there are plenty of opportunities outside of big firms for new grads. And a person can always work her way up into a big firm job if that person is good at what she does.

    But to say “you shouldn’t worry about it?” I wonder if that’s perpetuating a myth in the opposite direction…one that big firm jobs are being handed out to all law school grads immediately upon graduation?

    Austin

11. Brett McKay on 16.07.2007 at 17:22 (Reply)

    Austin-
    I think you make a good point about me perhaps perpetuating the myth in the opposite direction. “Don’t worry about it” was definitely being too optimistic. How about “don’t lose hope”? I think many talented students at lower ranking schools just give up the big firm dream because they assume their school’s rank has killed any chance. Knowing there’s a chance will hopefully encourage these types of students who have the goal to work in big law.

12. Kenlie on 16.07.2007 at 20:52 (Reply)

    In May, I graduated from one of the top law schools in the country, and I can tell you that there are people in my class who did not have jobs upon graduation. The number is very small, but the point is…we all have to work hard to get good jobs. And whether one attended my school or a school like UCLA or South Texas, we all learn the same basic things.
    That being said, clerkships and job offers from big firms have been plentiful. And I did not do a lot of extra work I probably would have done at a school like Georgetown or UCLA (i.e. law journal or moot court.) But when I begin work at my firm in NYC this fall, I will work with a few associates from those schools.
    Austin, I think Brett is right. None of us should worry too much because society will ALWAYS need lawyers. hehe

13. Cee Elle on 16.07.2007 at 22:25 (Reply)

    I graduated in the top 15% of my law school, a lower tier law school. I was an Editor on the Law Review. I got book awards. Still, the fact I did not go to a top tier law school meant doors were closed to me at big firms (especially in certain areas of law - corporate and business litigation, securities).

    A friend of mine went to a local school, ABA accredited but a low tier school just like mine. The firm she worked with as a paralegal would not hire her as an attorney - they only hired from top tier schools and the partners wouldn’t have it.

    After I’d been practicing a while in litigation, jobs were easier to get. But the elite big firms, well, it’s never going to happen no matter how much I network away.

    I would agree you don’t need a top tier law school degree to be a successful attorney. But certain firms still won’t even look at you if you are from a lower tier school. It’s still an extremely snobby profession in certain ranks.

14. CALI's Pre Law Blog on 17.07.2007 at 09:57 (Reply)

    Brett,

    I think that makes more sense. I agree with you that it is possible. Maybe even likely if you happen to do exceptionally well grade-wise.

    But I kind of felt like “you shouldn’t worry” to me said to students “you’ll get a big firm job if you want it straight out of law school no matter where you go to school.”

    Which just is simply not true and, I believe, sets some future law students up to be disappointed.

    Kenlie,

    I agree that we’ll always need lawyers. A person with a JD shouldn’t worry too much about finding A job and having the ability to earn over the course of his/her life.

    But the post was not just on finding any old job. As I understood it, it was about big firm jobs right out of law school. No?

    To all,

    I’m not sure where this person gets his stats or how reliable they are, but these make sense to me just based on what I see and hear as a student at an upper 2nd tier school in a big city.

    This is the % of each school’s graduates who took jobs at top 100 firms in 2006.

    http://lawfirmaddict.blogspot.com/2006/09/vault-100-placement.html

    Now granted, there are big firms outside of the top 100. But that curve is an amazingly top heavy.

    This, if accurate, shows that 5% or less of a grads at any school outside of the top 40 or so do not take jobs at a top 100 firm. I don’t think that’s by choice of the students, do you?

    I believe Cee Elle’s view is the more realistic one.

    Austin

15. tom on 20.07.2007 at 13:38 (Reply)

    I am from one of the top tier schools, and I can attest to the fact that grades are still important here. Also, I agree, students should really not get their hopes up about top 100 firms outside the top dozen or so law schools…but there are plenty of other good firms out there that pay market rates, anyway.

    Still, if you are going to a lower-tiered school, be realistic about your chances. Top 10% means you need to beat 90% of your fellow classmates, all of whom want that same top 10% status, (mostly) all of whom work exceptionally hard for it. The odds are against you.

    I also would add that students need to take a long hard look at the amount of debt they are incurring for the degree. In many cases, it may not be worth it in the long run.

16. G on 08.08.2007 at 22:10 (Reply)

    I’m in one of the tougher positions. I went to a 4th Tier law school and managed to graduate in the bottom half of my class too. I don’t know what happened but that’s done. I kissed any prospect of BIGLAW bye, bye after the first semester. At this point, I would be happy with any job. It’s rough. I should have stayed in-state and took advantage of my few offers. I don’t know how things will play out. It’s still early.

    There’s people with better grades and better branded degrees still looking like me. I knew it would be like this but it’s different when you’re actually going through it. There just doesn’t seem to be enough jobs for all of us. The BIGLAW firms are screening us out. The MID/SMALL firms are seeking experienced laterals or aren’t looking to grow just yet. I don’t wish this on anyone. It’s already nerve-wracking to wait for bar results.

    I think there’s a large number of law grads that could care less about BIGLAW jobs. We would be happy with just getting our foot in the door and gaining experience. I wish it were so easy to snag the alternatives as some people suggest. Oh, just clerk. Just work in small firms. It’s not that easy. The market in general is tight. I love the law but I’m not ruling out the business sector.

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