Imagine if law school was only 2 years instead of 3...

emli1000

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/08/23/obama-says-law-school-should-be-two-years-not-three/?_r=0

mjjohns6

I highly doubt it'll happen.

jim-1

I have many friends who are attorneys and they all agree that 2 years would be fine.

bstew2002

Law school being reduced to two years would make it a much easier decision for me to leave my current profession...

carlweimer

agree with bstew2002 -- I am 36, have an MBA and work for the government now... would make it way easier to hit pause. 3 years is maximum for reinstatement w/o losing any benefits/entitlements. Government should do a split law option, 1.5 years classroom, 1.5 years practicum for OJT.

Legal Babe

Northwestern has a 2 years JD program as well as a few other schools - Def worth looking into but keep in mind it is 3 years of course load done in 2.

emli1000

@carlweimer I definitely agree with the 1.5 years split.

nicole.hopkins

I'm seriously considering 2 accelerated JD programs—typically they start earlier in the calendar year so one still has opportunity to work after the first year. Very attractive—namely less in the way of financing cost of living and getting straight to the point of actually becoming an attorney (especially attractive for those of us who will be in our 30's).

emli1000

@"Legal Babe" yea, there's a couple of schools that do this. Since they're on a different calendar schedule I think they're in quarters instead of semesters.

emli1000

@nicole.hopkins Really? Which two schools?

bstew2002

@emli1000 Northwestern University has one: http://www.law.northwestern.edu/academics/degree-programs/jds/ajd/

There is hearsay that the administration may qualify or eliminate the curve for AJD sections in certain situations, but I don't know if that is even realistic. But it would be nice...

No idea what @nicole.hopkins other consideration is. There are some other programs out there but they are a little further down the PRESTIGIOUS rankings.

nicole.hopkins

@bstew2002 Baylor Law—#3 Trial Advocacy http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/trial-advocacy-rankings

Baylor Law grads do well in TX.

nicole.hopkins

And yes @bstew2002 Northwestern is the other one I'm considering

nicole.hopkins

And frankly, given my undergrad, I've had quite enough with "prestige" and its supposed make-or-break net effect. Good branding, poor reflection of reality.

bstew2002

Yeah, I have some friends that went to Baylor Law, @nicole.hopkins . They said 3L was the worst year because of the grinding "practice court" curriculum (as opposed to the "transformative" 1L experience). Baylor law grads are generally well-prepared to operate in a court room straight out of the box. For TX, Baylor and SMU probably do the best for employment after UT, which is clearly at the top. Might want to check with LST on that though...

What does the Baylor AJD curriculum look like for their normal 3L courses?

I'll stop hijacking this thread now.

nicole.hopkins

@bstew2002 Your assessment echoes everything I've heard! Top SMU grads can do just as well in big law hiring in DFW (facts gathered from some "inside sources") and probably Houston/SA as well. Baylor grads tend to receive better aid and can take jobs at smaller firms with fewer hours and still earn well into the 6-figures for the first job—less debt means you don't need to make as much right out of the gate. My plan (tentatively) is to apply to the accelerated program at Northwestern (deadline Jan 2016) and next April for Baylor's Summer class, see if I get into NW/if Baylor showers me with cash, and if neither of those fits the bill (literally) then it's ED to UT Nov of 2016. If none of those pan out then I'll also apply to SMU and possibly a few others.

The Baylor "accelerated" option is something they advertise in their viewbook—they operate on a quarter system, which "allows students to graduate in 27 months." So it's actually 2 calendar years + 3 months, whereas the Northwestern program is completed "in five semesters over the course of two calendar years."

My focus has shifted to almost 100% litigation in terms of career goals, and I can't help but think that doing well at Baylor and taking advantage of that preparation would be a leg up in the kind of law I want to practice. Also, Baylor has the highest bar passage rate of any law school in TX.

bstew2002

@nicole.hopkins Some good recreational reading regarding texas law school bar passage rates: http://watchdog.org/144169/ut-law-school-hookups/

Disclaimer: I actually have personal relationships with numerous people mentioned in this article and would say it is very "plausible" that they are intellectually under-/un-qualified to attend UT Law.

Welcome to TX, btw...

nicole.hopkins

@bstew2002 awesome Where do you live in TX?

bstew2002

@nicole.hopkins Austin. Taking the June LSAT at Austin Community College. Should be a riot.

emli1000

@bstew2002 yes, that's one that I've known to have the AJD program but I've also been getting a lot of emails from other random schools that offer the same program.

nicole.hopkins

@bstew2002 I'm thinking fondly of Torchy's at the moment. Anything that comes here from ATX is automatically "cool" where's anything that comes from Dallas is pretty bouge. #realfacts

bstew2002

@nicole.hopkins Dallas=pretentious credit card millionaires. I would hold out for UT Law, but I'm biased. My brother went to SMU Law and my dad went to UT Law, and they both do pretty well, though. I will probably go to the most PRESTIGIOUS school because GI Bill and Yellow Ribbon will cover the bulk of tuition and I can avoid going into debt to pay the other costs. Or I just don't go to law school and retire in 8 years.

I just moved back to the Austin area after careening around the globe for a decade (my daughter has been to three schools in three years on three different continents...). I'm still trying to catch up on all the changes. Torchy's is new. So I refuse to try it.