Perspective Boston Law
 

Hey,
It seems like a lot of actual practicing attorneys post on this board. I have been accepted to Boston University and Boston College and am having a slightly tough time picking which school. I have visited both schools and I find that while they are both very different I like both. So my final decision seems to fall on which school will provide me with the best opportunities to practice in Boston. If any of you have any insight on this decision that may help me make mine, I would love to hear it. Anything that will help me get some sleep at night. haha.

Perspective Boston Law
 

I went to BUSL. In my experience, there's practically no difference between the two when it comes to practice opportunities in Boston.

Certain firms may have small biases towards one or the other in their summer and subsequent hiring, but not so noticeable that one schoool jumps out as better than the other. For example, I summered at a major Boston law firm. In my class were 4 BUSL 2nd years, 3 BC 2nd years, 8 Harvard 2nd years, and 1 from each from Northeastern and Suffolk. There were about another 16-18 summer associates, from places like Penn, Columbia, Chicago, etc. etc. And all of us got offers that summer.

It may matter to you that BUSL has plans to build a new facility eventually, and having seen the plans I can tell you it will be absolutely gorgeous. It may matter to you that BU is ultimately a city school while BC has more of a campus. It may matter to you that BU's faculty is regarded almost universally as "better".

I can tell you that I loved my 3 years at BUSL (well, at least as much as anyone can love 3 years of law school.)

If you want to know anything else, please feel free to PM me. Good luck.

Perspective Boston Law
 

I can tell you that within Boston at this point in time neither school will give you an advantage. They are viewed very equally.

I run across more people who seem to have actually enjoyed BC than BU, but YMMV.

Perspective Boston Law
 

Unlike BC, BU also won't routinely fuck up your bracket.

BC/BU
 

I think the comments that the schools are generally regarded as academic equals are true as far as law firm hiring departments are concerned. At this point, you will still find more mid-level and senior partners at Boston firms who went to BC than BU, which has some effect on hiring. The comment about BU's faculty being "universally regarded" as better than BC's is a bit silly. Not to disrespect either school, but no one outside academia (other than affiliates of the schools) could name more than a couple of people on either faculty, nor does anyone who has anything to do with your job prospects at law firms particularly care who your teachers were (unless they know them personally).

BC/BU
 

Missed that BU poke on a better faculty.

That's a comment that may have had merit 25 years ago, when BU consistently ranked above BC in national surveys. I don't think there is any truth remaining, though there are pockets where each has a bigger reputation (e.g., environmental and tax - despite BU's tax llm program -- at BC; bank regulation at BU).

I'd make your decision on the feel of each place - where would you rather spend 3 years?

BC/BU
 

What I was referring to was the Princeton Review ranking that placed BU's faculty as #1 for like the past 5 years, although I see that this year they are ranked #2... behind Washington and Lee, which tells you something about the validity of their ranking scheme.

Nonetheless, it's a statistic that was drummed into my head while at BUSL.

I agree with you though, that the decision comes down to which place feels better.

Thread title
 

I have no deep thoughts on BC or BU. I was accepted to both and went to neither. If I had to choose, I'd lean toward the more urban option, but that's because I like to have lots of restaurant choices.

The real reason I'm chiming in is that the title of this thread irks me. [If you can truthfully tell me that the [Seeking], [s], and [on] are implied, I'll be de-irked.

Thread title
 

Grasshopper nubova: Here RP, a seasoned old hand, provides a brief glimpse into your future, spending your entire life with people who parse headings on internet chat boards focused on subjects in which they have no interest.

Are you sure about your chosen path? For once you hop down this road, there will be no return.

When you can take the gerunds from my lips, grasshopper, you will be ready to go out in the world and explore the mysteries of the bluebook.

Thread title
 

Simply saying "don't go to law school" never works. At least the oblique approach gave me some pleasure.

Thread title
 

Would it de-irk you if I admitted that I read the thread title as "Prospective Boston Law Student", even though I see now that is clearly not what it says?

Thread title
 

I had concluded it was supposed to be "Perspective -- Boston Law." Though, that really needs a "Schools" at the end to make it distinguishable from someone asking about Boston law firms.

Thread title
 

At some point, the critique ought to progress to the first sentance. "Actual practicing attorneys" is redundant - wouldn't "practing attorneys" get you there? And the waffling is over the top, with the "it seems", "seems to fall" and so on -- come out and say it boy.

Frankly, based on this post, I'm not sure he has the raw material we require. He should go to BU.

BC/BU
 

Would it be too rude to ask WTF is the Princeton Review?

BC/BU
 

http://www.princetonreview.com

Did you have a good time at BC?

BC/BU
 

I am personally offended that you don't know.

BC/BU
 

Sorry, I guess I have heard of them, although the idea that a test prep company would be in a good position to rate law school faculties is a bit mystefying.

No I didn't go to BC. And if it helps soften the blow, I didn't intend the comment about people not knowing their faculty as some sort of "my school's got a better faculty than yours" sort of thing -- my point was that the question just doesn't matter. When I (or anyone else I know) is interviewing someone for a law firm job the reputation of the candidate's law school faculty is utterly inconsequential. The school makes a difference because I figure it has an impact on how much the candidate has been challenged; the candidate's grades make a difference; it might mean something to me if I actually happen to know one of the person's professors. But I simply don't know and don't care about some amorphous "faculty reputation," and I think you would have to search for a long time to find someone involved in hiring who does.

That doesn't mean the ratings are meaningless. If accurate, they might reflect something about what the quality of your LS experience would be like, or about how hard you will have to work to learn, etc., etc. But the original question was which school was more likely to get you a job.

BC/BU
 

'
The ratings are based on student surveys, not faculty surveys as in other rankings. As a test prep company (with a book publishing arm), they have name recognition with, and access to, lots of students. Of course, student surveys have even less bearing on the question of law firm hiring because law students don't know jack about it -- they just think they do.

Getting Closer to a decision
 

Thank you all for posting. I hadn't realised that there were so many responses because I have been traveling without internet access to look at schools in other markets. I believe I am leaning toward BC here in Boston. I am going to DC next to visit George Washington. Many have told me to attend the school in the market that I wish to practice, so in all likelyhood, I will be attending BC in the fall, but I will not make my final decision until mid-April.

Also, sorry about the thread title; I believe I meant to place "student" in there somewhere but I apparently forgot.

Getting Closer to a decision
 

You should also consider the available women at each institution.

BC has its lapsed Catholics, but, then, there are also the unlapsed ones. DC has a good ratio. Who can tell us about sex at BU?

Getting Closer to a decision
 

Can you find an issue of Boink?

Getting Closer to a decision
 

I had some. Some of it was good. Some of it was not.

Hayes-Schnoor
 

The "other" board deleted a post about some kind of dispute between former Testa MP Hayes and Bill Schnoor, one of the people who pulled the string that unravelled the sweater.

Anyone catch the substance of the thing while it was up? I missed it.

Hayes-Schnoor
 

Who is "sock for the man" now anyway? Anyone we know?

Hayes-Schnoor
 

Yeah, though I have to sorta agree with a policy of at least deleting names of the parties (particularly the sender).

It was one guy who had done work for Skyworks back in the day to the tune of 1M per year (he claimed). He is now at some firm with initials like LLBF??? Anyway, he was writing to the other guy who is at Goodwin Proctor. Lotso misspellings etc. Anyway, he was saying "hey, I heard you guys already lost Skyworks... didn't take you long to screw that relationship up at your new firm".

Then he was chastising the guy at Goodwin Proctor for publicly accusing him of not having much work to do (the horror, the horror).

Anyway, it seemed like the kind of thing I would email to one of my friends here at work as a joke. E.g., oh, by the way Sean, you are the suckiest sucky mothersucker of all time, and I hear you don't have enough work to do at your sucky new firm!

Except that a bit of it did seem like there was some hurt feelings involved. E.g., that wasn't nice of you to issue the press release saying nobody trusts me enough to do their work!

So it was sorta funny (certainly personal and not something done on a professional level), but sorta sad to read between the lines and see how much pain these poor partners are feeling as the clients from their dissolved firm find a new batch of pickpockets to bill em 1M per year.