Choosing the best law schools for you

Now that you have decided that law school is for you, it's time to decide what the best law schools are that suit your aspirations and circumstances. To help you with your research, here is a checklist of the factors that you need to consider:

1. What do you want to achieve with your law degree?
An important question that you need to answer when deciding what the best law schools are for you is, "How will this law degree help me to achieve my personal and career objectives?" This will provide you with a focus on what you plan to do with your law degree, once you graduate.

Whilst all law schools provide you with the basic legal skills you will need to analyze legal issues, the best ones for you will be those where the subject emphasis, the school and its reputation will help you to achieve your own objectives.

2. Full time or Part time?
Law school generally requires three years for full-time study or four years for part-time study, if this latter option is available. You need to decide if full time or part time study suits you best and bear in mind that either option involves a major time commitment, which you need to be certain you will be able to give.

When considering full time or part time study, it is also worthwhile looking at the networking opportunities that you will have during your time at law school. For example, the full time course provides for full immersion within the law school and offers excellent networking opportunities with course participants from diverse backgrounds, faculty members and prospective employers.

The network that you build during law school can be very important in the future when you are advancing within your career.

3. What are the subjects emphasized and delivery methods in the best law schools that match your needs?
Most law schools start with the core legal concepts of Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedures, Civil Procedures, Property Law, Torts and Legal Writing and Research.

After these 1L courses all law schools are very similar and two key considerations when deciding on the best law schools for you are: -

• the emphasis given to subjects that are of most interest to you; and
• the method by which these are delivered, such as opportunities for practical experience as you learn.

It is worth noting that there are not currently any ABA online accredited law schools in the US, as the American Bar Association’s general policy states that “a law school shall not grant credit for study by correspondence.” This has been relaxed slightly recently, in light of the experience of some of the best law schools experimenting with online and distance learning methods within their existing degrees.

However, it is reasonable to assume that there are unlikely to be any ABA online accredited law schools in the near future, as this method of study in isolation is likely to limit your ability to sit for the bar in many states.

4. Career Placement Services
The best law schools for you should have a full spectrum of career services available, including campus interviews with prospective employers.

5. Is the cost acceptable to you?
The financial costs involved when studying for a law degree can be very high, in many cases running into six figures, covering tuition fees, a computer, living expenses, the cost of foregone income, etc. Make sure that you can afford these before you start and that your anticipated return from graduation with a law degree justifies the costs involved.

Always attempt to quantify the return on your investment to give you a better idea of the value of your law degree.

As you would expect, there are numerous books available to help you choose from, and get into, the best law schools. Feedback from LawSchools360.com visitors has confirmed that the book that gives you the most information is The Ivey Guide to Law School Admissions which is written by Anna Ivey, who earned her law degree at the University of Chicago Law School, where she later served as dean of admissions.

Once you have decided what the best law schools are for you, you then need to match this to what is on offer. To help you with this, please click here for Selecting from the Top Law Schools.

Click here to make sure your Admission Essay
gets you into the best law schools