What is each law school best known for? (like their fields, job output, etc)

[kureayeux]

I want to work in prosecution or in BigLaw. Since applications are expensive, I want to know which schools to prioritize~ Thank you

[BlockedQuebecois]

29 minutes ago, kureayeux said:

I want to work in prosecution[…] I want to know which schools to prioritize

The least expensive ones. 

30 minutes ago, kureayeux said:

I want to work in […] BigLaw. […] I want to know which schools to prioritize

The most expensive ones. 

[Eathwens]

The ones with a law program, probably. 

[canuckfanatic]

Have you already narrowed your choices based on likelihood of admission?

2 minutes ago, BlockedQuebecois said:

The most expensive ones. 

With the notable outliers being UBC, McGill, and Windsor Dual

[StoneMason]

Assuming you are referring to Big Law in Toronto, you can't go wrong with UofT or Osgoode.

[MyWifesBoyfriend]

20 hours ago, kureayeux said:

Since applications are expensive

In the grand scheme of things, they really aren't.  I remember I was agonizing over this very issue not too long ago. I ended up getting into my top choices, but I would have liked to have tried my chances with some U.S. schools. You're presumably going to be spending north of $100k on your law degree, so why not shell out ~$500 extra to fish in a few more ponds and see if you can get any interesting offers with enticing scholarships?

This is of course, assuming your stats are very good (3.8/165+). Otherwise, conventional wisdom holds that you should apply as broadly as possible. 

Edited July 24, 2024 by MyWifesBoyfriend

[Yogurt Baron]

2 hours ago, MyWifesBoyfriend said:

You're presumably going to be spending north of $100k on your law degree, so why not shell out ~$500 extra to fish in a few more ponds and see if you can get any interesting offers with enticing scholarships?

Yeah, I was going to weigh in, and then I decided against it, and then I saw this, and now here I am.

Some people are actually poor. A $500 investment in your future career is a great idea, if you have $500, if you can come up with $500. When I first applied to law school, I was less than a year removed from homelessness and I still didn't have "eat food every day" money - I didn't have that until I was nearly 40, and it still feels like a luxury.

If somebody is in the zone that a lot of people are in - where $500 seems like a lot of money to spend on something, that they would rather put in a TFSA, but where they have a roof over their head and eat food every day - my advice is the same as MWB's: don't undersell yourself. If you have $500 or can reasonably get $500, and if there are multiple schools to which you might seem admissible, don't hold yourself back (note: don't waste money you don't have on applications to places where you're not admissible! That's stupid! Ask me how I know!). If $500 seems like a lot of money to spend, spend it. But if $500 seems like an unimaginable amount of money to have, if you are applying to law school just so you can be one of these people who is relatively cavalier about five hundred dollars, then yes, of course, curate where you're applying to.

[BlockedQuebecois]

To be fair, for people who are actually poor law school applications are unlikely to be expensive given the availability of fee waivers. 

I raise that not to denigrate @Yogurt Baron’s point, but to make people aware of fee waivers in the event they qualify for them. 

[Yogurt Baron]

1 hour ago, BlockedQuebecois said:

To be fair, for people who are actually poor law school applications are unlikely to be expensive given the availability of fee waivers. 

I raise that not to denigrate @Yogurt Baron’s point, but to make people aware of fee waivers in the event they qualify for them. 

Thanks for this. When I was applying, which is now the decade before last, American schools were more generous with fee waivers than Canadian schools; I can't speak to how that's shifted, but I certainly hope it has. It's something applicants should look into if they're in need.

[SNAILS]

Conventional wisdom also holds that you should choose the law school in the city you wish to LIVE in. 

I would suggest you apply to all law schools with the exception of those you do not want to go to. You might find yourself accepted to a school you had not considered a top choice, but find out that is your only offer, and then end up loving that school.