Another law school thread

For the same reasons that shitty undergrads can charge alot and still get students...
(and in general public is going to be cheaper than private, more gov funding)

LSU is a state school. It is also brutal, it is like law school bootcamp. They try to fail you out because there are so many students that want to go. LSU admission is based strictly on a formula that is based upon your GPA and your LSAT score. LSU is a good school to attend if you want to practice somewhere in the state aside from NOLA. It is also a bar passage machine, with the emphasis being on getting you through the bar. Now, going to LSU will not "hurt" you if you want to practice in NOLA, but it won't do you as much good as Loyola. Loyola, while you refer to it as a "3rd Tier" law school, is a Jesuit institution and very highly regraded in NOLA. It is a difficult school, but not as brutal as LSU. Tulane is where you want to go generally if you want to leave the state but got to school in NOLA. There is an old saying about Tulane "Pay your fees, get your B's!"Southern is your choice if you need a fallback. I have known people that went to all of them.

I went to Tulane undergrad and Loyola for law school. Generally, I have disdain for LSU as I am not a native of Louisiana and people down here are fucking yahoos when it comes to LSU. I would never go there and I hope my children don't want to either.

Keep in mind that the legal community is cliquey, and there are all kinds of strange society things that go on in NOLA. Most of my firm is Loyola grads, although we have some LSU and Southern as well.

Mike

People don't give a crap about school ranking in Louisiana. LSU is a good school, where you will get a good education. You can get a job anywhere in the state with an LSU JD. However, If I were a hiring attorney, my choice would be Loyola, Tulane, LSU, Southern....if all other factors were equal. Louisiana, and especially New Orleans, is a cliquey place.

I have survived on 35k as a lawyer, but it is not easy. It is nearly impossible with a family.

LSU is tough, I mean really tough. But, you make it and you will pass the bar. In Law School, no matter where you go, it is that first year that determines your fate. Law Review and Moot Court are decided in the first year. So many people want to be lawyers, that only the cream of the crop are offered the truly great jobs. Wanting to go out on your own is a different thing though.

Mike

[quote=MBreinin;2291232]"LSU is a state school. It is also brutal, it is like law school bootcamp. They try to fail you out because there are so many students that want to go." I guess this is why we have hearsay rules in evidence law.. I assume you have the numbers to back up this claim? Surely you didn't just hear it from someone at LSU or worse, someone who dropped out from LSU?

[quote=chenc;2291357] if nothing else, i can corroborate that louisiana public universities do indeed kick people out for no reason other than to maintain standards and i'm not saying this as a person who got thrown out of a louisiana public university. i'm saying this as someone that went to one (UNO) and was told this by TWO faculty members, independent of each other to be honest all of mbreinin's advice so far seems very accurate

[quote=chenc;2291357]
I have known alot of LSU lawschool grads, as well as those that failed out. It is common knowledge that they do not tolerate slackers at LSU law school, period.

I was also told by a Loyola professor that Loyola feels 70% of people are average, and that he was instructed to give out C's to 70% of the class to reflect this.

Mike

[quote=MBreinin;2291689] Does this mean 15% of the ppl in any given class get a C- or worse? Did a quick search and found out just <20% ppl who took Feb. 09 LA bar failed.

[quote=chenc;2291828]
I don't know, but I was given two D's in Law School...and three times achieved the highest test score in the class. It is a strange place. I know I deserved one of those D's, the second was a professor who learned she hated me in the second semester. The first semester I received an A in her class.

Mike

Is this really the case? I almost went to Tulane, but chose Houston instead. Are you saying that, although it is ranked lower, Loyola provides a better education than Tulane?

No, but it is harder. I went to Tulane undergrad and I know the Tulane system. Tulane's focus is on its grads having a good GPA, which is a good focus. Loyola and LSU focus on busting their student's balls. Both are harder schools.

Mike

It's impossible to know because no one goes through 1L at two different schools. And no matter how "hard" or "easy" the school is, there's always the class rank.