Choosing a Law School for a future solo practice

shemeshka · Post by **shemeshka** » 28 Jan 2008 05:53

Hello, I'm new to this forum, but I have read lots of information here and found some answers to my questions.

However, I have a question that I was hoping you can give me some input on.

I'm planning to apply to Law School this or next year. Since I'm not ready to relocate and drive too far, there are only 3 schools in my area (San Francisco, CA) that I can consider: Golden Gate Univercity Law School, University of San Francisco Law School, and UC Hastings School of Law.

My GPA is 3.98. I have taken LSAT diagnostic test (first time in my life without even knowing the questions) and I scored 154 and I'm hoping I can study and get to somewhere between 168-170.

According to the information I found on the law school's admissions websites with this GPA and LSAT scores I have a big chance (75-100%) to be admitted to any of the 3 schools mentioned above.

The question is: which school should I give preference? In other words, If I get accepted to all 3, which one should I choose considering the following:

1) I'm not interested to finish Law School and work for a big company. I'm planing to open a solo practice right after school or work for a short period of time for a company (if this is absolutely nessesary) and then open a solo practice. That is why I am looking for a law school that offers more practical experience and is more down to Earth.

2) I would like to get as many grants as possible to have less debts after I finish school.

3) I don't care about diploma with prestigious name.

I would really appreciate if you can suggest to which school I should give my preference to. If there are any other factors I should consider when choosing the Law School that I am missing please list them for me. How do I found out which school prepares better for a solo practice?

Thank you!

Tatarin · Post by **Tatarin** » 28 Jan 2008 06:16

You could find a wider audience for your question at:
http://www.top-law-schools.com

DanielMa · Post by **DanielMa** » 28 Jan 2008 06:23

Ok, I know you said you are not looking to relocate, but I would suggest that you think about relocating and going to a better school. It would be such a waste of 3 years of your life and all the subsequent years of your law career if you went to UC Hastings instead of Boalt Hall or Stanford. It is much, much easier to spend 3 years in law school in some place away from home then to spend the rest of your life regretting not going to a better law school.

Some law schools claim to provide you with more practical education. That's bullshit. At best, they will teach you subjects from the state's bar exam. All law schools provide you with clinics and externship opportunities. They are all flexible enough to accomodate your desire to get practical education. In any event, the education in law school has very little to do with daily work of an attorney.

You may not care about a diploma with prestigious name, but your employes and your clients will. After graduating from law school, you will not be qualified to do any real work. Your only choice will be to go work for a law firm. If you go to a non-prestigious law school, your options will be limited and you will be paid 40K for doing unpleasant work for 3-4 years. If you go to a better law school, you can get 160K for doing the same unpleasant work for the same 3-4 years.

No law school prepares you for solo practice. You should go to the highest ranked law school.

Russ'n · Post by **Russ'n** » 28 Jan 2008 06:55

DanielMa wrote:If you go to a better law school, you can get 160K for doing the same unpleasant work for the same 3-4 years.

Does it ever get somewhat pleasant?

shemeshka · Post by **shemeshka** » 28 Jan 2008 07:10

DanielMa, thankis a lot for your reply. I have couple further question for you.

You are saying that no school prepares me for the solo practice. That means I have to go to work for a law firm before I can go solo. If so, why do I have to go for a high ranking school if I get same kind of education in terms of practical knowledge as in a "local" lower ranking school?
If my main goal is to work solo and if I do not care about the salary I get at the law firm while I work and earn some expiernece (this is only couple years the most, right?) then why not to go to a lower ranking school?

Finally, I am NOT willing to relocate, I have a family, business, etc.,and I cannot afford moving. My question is which school I should choose from Golden Gate School if Law, University of San Francisco, and UC Hastings?

shemeshka · Post by **shemeshka** » 28 Jan 2008 07:11

Tatarin wrote:You could find a wider audience for your question at:
http://www.top-law-schools.com

Thanks Tatarin. I'll check it out.

shemeshka · Post by **shemeshka** » 28 Jan 2008 07:12

Russ'n wrote:
DanielMa wrote:If you go to a better law school, you can get 160K for doing the same unpleasant work for the same 3-4 years.

Does it ever get somewhat pleasant?

Well, if you are working on your own, it might be pleasant, isn't it?

Alex Denisoff · Post by **Alex Denisoff** » 28 Jan 2008 15:46

shemeshka wrote:Well, if you are working on your own, it might be pleasant, isn't it?

Just out of curiosity -- what kind of law are you going to solo-practice? Are you thinking of a general practice including everything from family law to real estate transactions, or something more limited to one or two areas of law?

shemeshka · Post by **shemeshka** » 28 Jan 2008 17:40

Alex Denisoff wrote:
shemeshka wrote:Well, if you are working on your own, it might be pleasant, isn't it?

Just out of curiosity -- what kind of law are you going to solo-practice? Are you thinking of a general practice including everything from family law to real estate transactions, or something more limited to one or two areas of law?

As everyone says do not make a final desicion on which law are you going to practice. However, as of tody I would like to practice either insurance law (not sure if this is a correct name) or tax law.

Alex Denisoff · Post by **Alex Denisoff** » 28 Jan 2008 19:02

shemeshka wrote:As everyone says do not make a final desicion on which law are you going to practice. However, as of tody I would like to practice either insurance law (not sure if this is a correct name) or tax law.

I am not sure I understand what the potential niche for a solo practitioner is in either of the two areas of law... Hence, I would recommend not to focus on going solo, but rather keep the options open and try to get accepted to the best law school you can. Three (or four, if you are going part-time) years is more than enough time to choose what one wants to do after graduation; on the other hand, choosing a third tier school when one's LSAT/GPA/CV could have gotten him or her into a first-tier, seems to be almost a waste of three years of one's life.

shemeshka · Post by **shemeshka** » 28 Jan 2008 20:52

Alex Denisoff wrote:
shemeshka wrote:As everyone says do not make a final desicion on which law are you going to practice. However, as of tody I would like to practice either insurance law (not sure if this is a correct name) or tax law.

I am not sure I understand what the potential niche for a solo practitioner is in either of the two areas of law... Hence, I would recommend not to focus on going solo, but rather keep the options open and try to get accepted to the best law school you can. Three (or four, if you are going part-time) years is more than enough time to choose what one wants to do after graduation; on the other hand, choosing a third tier school when one's LSAT/GPA/CV could have gotten him or her into a first-tier, seems to be almost a waste of three years of one's life.

Thanks for your reply. My choices are either to go to one of the 3 schools mentioned above or forget about Law School.
Any advise on the schools I mentioned?
Also, which area of law you think has athe most potential niche for a solo practice?

milashka81 · Post by **milashka81** » 28 Jan 2008 22:48

Among the three schools you are mentioning, Hastings is the best choice. However, I don't understand why you are not considering an opportunity of improving your LSAT and applying to Boalt: it's not that much of a distance and absolutely worth spending efforts on! It will pay you back.
Good luck!

Alex Denisoff · Post by **Alex Denisoff** » 28 Jan 2008 22:54

shemeshka wrote:Also, which area of law you think has athe most potential niche for a solo practice?

Traditionally, I'd say that any one or more of the following will do:
- family law
- residential real estate transactions
- estate planning and administration
- personal injury law (mostly transactional side of practice)
- employment law
- immigration law (mostly transactional side of practice)
- minor criminal matters

I think a transactional practice is more suitable for a solo practitioner since it's more predictable in terms of hours required per transaction, as opposite to e.g. having a complex trial which can take 100% of the solo's time for a few weeks, thus preventing the solo from working on other matters, which a solo simply can not afford, for he or she needs more or less constant stream of new clients/matters coming in.

Having said that, a few disclaimers (we are all lawyers, aren't we?

):

(a) sure, there can be exceptions from the above list
(b) talking about exceptions: I personally know at least two solos in the patent law
field
(c) I practice patent law myself (and am not a solo), so I have a very general understanding of what a solo's life can be...

kanada · Post by **kanada** » 29 Jan 2008 05:16

shemeshka wrote:
Russ'n wrote:
DanielMa wrote:If you go to a better law school, you can get 160K for doing the same unpleasant work for the same 3-4 years.

Does it ever get somewhat pleasant?

Well, if you are working on your own, it might be pleasant, isn't it?

Я в следуюшем году начинаю. Не могу дождацца Jan 1, '09. Сплю и вижу сны, что нет у меня босса.

kanada · Post by **kanada** » 29 Jan 2008 05:17

Russ'n wrote:
DanielMa wrote:If you go to a better law school, you can get 160K for doing the same unpleasant work for the same 3-4 years.

Does it ever get somewhat pleasant?

50/50 + on pay days

kanada · Post by **kanada** » 29 Jan 2008 05:26

Alex Denisoff wrote:Traditionally, I'd say that any one or more of the following will do:
- personal injury law (mostly transactional side of practice)

Это наверна опечатка, или имелось ввиду settle cases out of court or thru ADR. Не интересное занятие.

С остальным, полностью согласен.

kanada · Post by **kanada** » 29 Jan 2008 05:34

shemeshka

В нашей работе, главное - клиенты

Нет клиентоф - паши на дядю Васю. Так что, если хотите работать сами на себя, Вы должны иметь достаточно клиентов на оплату счетов. А счетов будет ой как много

Так что начинайте искать уже.

P.S. В Law school билать "правильно" не учат. А без этого навыка практиковать очень сложно

P.S.S. Choosing a Law School for a future solo practice - а как этa?

Russ'n · Post by **Russ'n** » 29 Jan 2008 06:39

Понятно, есть кто-нибудь кто счастлив работая в law firm?

kanada · Post by **kanada** » 29 Jan 2008 06:50

Russ'n wrote:Понятно, есть кто-нибудь кто счастлив работая в law firm?

Я же Вам сказал .... я счастлив 50% времени плюс pay days. Думаю баланс не нарушен. Как только уйду на свой хлеб, буду счастлив на процентов так 80.

shemeshka · Post by **shemeshka** » 29 Jan 2008 07:14

kanada wrote:shemeshka

P.S. В Law school билать "правильно" не учат. А без этого навыка практиковать очень сложно

A chto znachit "pravilno bilat"? Eto chto imeetsya v vidu?

shemeshka · Post by **shemeshka** » 29 Jan 2008 07:18

kanada wrote:
shemeshka wrote:
Russ'n wrote:
DanielMa wrote:If you go to a better law school, you can get 160K for doing the same unpleasant work for the same 3-4 years.

Does it ever get somewhat pleasant?

Well, if you are working on your own, it might be pleasant, isn't it?

Я в следуюшем году начинаю. Не могу дождацца Jan 1, '09. Сплю и вижу сны, что нет у меня босса.

O! Imenno ob etom ya i govoru.
Dlya menya - eto samoe glavnoe uslovie. Ya uzhe paru let rabotayu na sebya (not related to Law) i ne gotova idti ne na kogo rabotat v blizhaishem budushem.
Vopros: Is it realistic to start solo practice right after law school and shortly after law school, considering the fact that I know where and how to generate clients and how to manage business in general. In other words, will I have enough Law knowledge to start working on my own or not?

shemeshka · Post by **shemeshka** » 29 Jan 2008 07:19

kanada wrote:
Russ'n wrote:Понятно, есть кто-нибудь кто счастлив работая в law firm?

Я же Вам сказал .... я счастлив 50% времени плюс pay days. Думаю баланс не нарушен. Как только уйду на свой хлеб, буду счастлив на процентов так 80.

I do not see it beeing so different from any other job you do. People are mostly unhappy when they work for a company doing any job.

shemeshka · Post by **shemeshka** » 29 Jan 2008 07:21

Alex Denisoff wrote:
shemeshka wrote:Also, which area of law you think has athe most potential niche for a solo practice?

Traditionally, I'd say that any one or more of the following will do:
- family law
- residential real estate transactions
- estate planning and administration
- personal injury law (mostly transactional side of practice)
- employment law
- immigration law (mostly transactional side of practice)
- minor criminal matters

I think a transactional practice is more suitable for a solo practitioner since it's more predictable in terms of hours required per transaction, as opposite to e.g. having a complex trial which can take 100% of the solo's time for a few weeks, thus preventing the solo from working on other matters, which a solo simply can not afford, for he or she needs more or less constant stream of new clients/matters coming in.

Having said that, a few disclaimers (we are all lawyers, aren't we? ):

(a) sure, there can be exceptions from the above list
(b) talking about exceptions: I personally know at least two solos in the patent law
field
(c) I practice patent law myself (and am not a solo), so I have a very general understanding of what a solo's life can be...

What does it really mean transactional side? Do you mean like you do a job and get paid for it right away rather than working for years on some case and waiting to be paid?

kanada · Post by **kanada** » 29 Jan 2008 07:25

shemeshka wrote: Vopros: Is it realistic to start solo practice right after law school and shortly after law school, considering the fact that I know where and how to generate clients and how to manage business in general. In other words, will I have enough Law knowledge to start working on my own or not?

Assuming that you:
have enough money saved,
have someone you know to help you out;
------------------------------
Yes, it is very possible.

Russ'n · Post by **Russ'n** » 29 Jan 2008 07:34

kanada wrote:
Russ'n wrote:Понятно, есть кто-нибудь кто счастлив работая в law firm?

Я же Вам сказал .... я счастлив 50% времени плюс pay days. Думаю баланс не нарушен. Как только уйду на свой хлеб, буду счастлив на процентов так 80.

Спасибо, просто ваш ответ относился к моему описАнию работы как pleasant. Я понимаю слово счастлив как больше чем pleasant.

P.S. Замечательно, что вы счастливы 50% + pay days