- Quickdraw McLaw
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The US News and World Report 2015 Best Law School Rankings came out today and UNLV’s William S. Boyd School of Law was ranked down 15 places in a 4-way tie at number 83. Last year Boyd had its highest rating ever with an 8-way tie for 68th. What happened/didn’t happen over the last year to affect the rating? Did the new dean have an impact? Is it the tuition (US News says in-state is now $26,437, while out-of-state is $37,189 per year)? What do you think?
Since we haven’t focused on Boyd in a while–what else is going on over there at our beloved local law school?
US News rankings are a joke. But then again, so is UNLV Law.
Your stupidity is unbecoming. UNLV Law provides a substantive legal education on par with any other institution in the country. What law school did you go to?
I needed a good laugh this morning. Thanks 8:20.
I went to Boyd, loved it, and had no trouble getting offers in Vegas and elsewhere. Decided to stay and happy that I did.
I'm planning on entering law school next fall. Boyd's offering me a full ride. What are some of the pros and cons. I already know some, but I figure practitioners and grads could give me more insight.
A few things:
1.Please do not underestimate the benefits of graduating without debt. Unless you're going to a T14 school, job prospects are exceedingly bleak everywhere. So graduating debt-free means that even if you have a lot of difficulty getting a job, you're not tied down to mountain of debt that you can't repay and can't discharge in bankruptcy. The difference between a school ranked #30 in USNWR and #83 is exactly nothing. Either way, it is an uphill battle to find an actual legal job, let alone one that will pay your debts when you graduate. So if you're not comparing to a T14 school (and really even if you are), lack of debt should be a BIG, BIG, BIG factor in where you want to go.
2. As is where you want to practice. Do you want to practice in Nevada? Go to Boyd. Want to practice somewhere else? Find the best law school in that city/region and go there. Unless you're looking at Harvard or Stanford, going anywhere but where you plan to practice is a waste of time. (Not sure where you want to practice or what you want to do with your law degree? Wait a year and figure it out before you start law school. Otherwise you are wasting your tuition money and your time. Your first year and summer are crucial to your job prospects. In this job market, you generally can't wait until your third year to decide where/what you want to do. Because if you wait that long, those jobs are already taken by people who've been prepping since their first year.)
3. What are the terms of your scholarship at Boyd? Not saying that Boyd does this, but a lot of schools offer "full-ride" scholarships that are contingent on maintaining a GPA in the top, say, 25% of the class. But they give out more first-year scholarships than they have people who will make that GPA cut-off. So basically they give out scholarships that they know students won't be able to keep in their second year, and those students get stuck paying full sticker price.
4.That said, newly minted lawyer is right that if Boyd is giving you money, other schools will give you money too. Law schools are desperate right now because applications have dropped. Shop around. If you have other schools you'd rather go to, call them and say, "Boyd gave me X, what will you give me?" (But if you want to stay in Nevada, really go to Boyd. It's a very good regional school.)
5. Be realistic. Newly Minted Lawyer says that the "top ten-fifteen ranked graduates" can write their own ticket, and I don't really disagree. But the problem with law school is that every new student thinks that they are a special, special snowflake who will graduate in the top ten. Most of them are wrong. You may be the exception, but you may not. Take a good hard look at your LSAT and GPA compared to the school average, and make a clear-eyed assessment of your actual chances.
6. Research. Are you familiar with Paul Campos? Do you read the law school scam blogs? You should be. I love my job and I don't regret going to law school. But that was a different time and it's hard out there for a pimp right now. USNWR is worthless. Most law schools lie about debt averages and job prospects. There are far, far more law graduates than there are legal jobs. 90% of legal jobs for new graduates do not pay enough to justify $150,000+ in debt. I'm not saying you shouldn't go to law school, but you do need to make an informed and realistic decision.
As an experienced attorney who is in charge of hiring (and worse, giving bad news to applicants), the above remarks are right on, and I urge anyone thinking of going to law school to seriously consider them. I have told my own kids (who are not as special as they think they are) not to go to law school right now.
Boyd is good. I went there, back before they got greedy and decided to jack up the tuition. (In-state at $26k? Are you fucking kidding me?) But the options you get there are not what you would get at a regionally or nationally prestigious school. If you can get a full ride at Boyd, you should seriously consider what better schools can offer you. The top ten-fifteen ranked graduates at Boyd can pretty much write their own ticket, same as they could anywhere else. The key factor is what the prospects are for the ones that rate between then and, say, the 25th percentile.
Basically, you need to weigh the possibilities: lower debt, but fewer job prospects at Boyd? Or not as much financial aid, but far better prospects at a marquee school if you aren't the very highest in the class?
If you get a full ride at Boyd, are looking to stay in Nevada, and do not receive a significant scholarship offer from a much better school, then I am guessing Boyd would likely be a substantial +EV decision for you.
If you get a full ride at Boyd it's worth going period. Boyd is not just for those wanting to stay in Nevada or not receiving scholarships from much better schools. Would love to know what those schools are…Washington & Lee, Boston College, SMU, University of Alabama??? Please. All the schools after T14 are equal. No doubt that if you want a certain market that good advice is to go to the top feeder school located there. Phoenix/Scottsdale = U of A or ASU; Vegas and Nevada = UNLV; Salt Lake City = BYU; Los Angeles = UCLA/USC, etc.
Take the full ride. You will save $200,000.
Bump
I agree with 10:31. Unless you are admitted to a school in the T14 (or this year, the T13) or are extended substantial scholarship offers (for the full three years) from a school much better than Boyd, you should go to UNLV. The ego boost of graduating from a school like Arizona will be substantially outweighed by the ego boost of being able to afford a nicer house, car, etc. much earlier.
LOL. Ego boost due to graduating from a school like Arizona?! Definitely not a brand anyone would hang their hat on but thanks for obviously promoting your own school.
One advantage to a Boyd degree that some of my clients have mentioned more than once is that it shows some commitment as well as familiarity to Southern Nevada. Boyd has been open long enough now that it just at the beginning stages of having some of what recruiters call a "home team" advantage. More established examples of this are USF in San Francisco, USD in San Diego, Loyola in LA and Santa Clara in Silicon Valley. All are 2nd tier schools (Santa Clara is 3rd tier) but local employers will usually give them an interview where they would normally not talk to someone who went to a non local school that wasn't 1st tier. So if you're committed to Nevada, Boyd isn't a bad choice. Remember, ultimately it won't matter where you went to law school, but how well you make it rain. But work hard, Boyd doesn’t rank most of it’s grads.
Also be aware that the full ride is likely a bait and switch tactic. Make sure you read the terms carefully because it is usually dependent on you maintaining a certain grade point which can be very difficult when the curve is applied. Part of your analysis should be whether Boyd is a viable option financially if you have to pay out of pocket (loans) for 2L and 3L years.
Terms are top 50% of class.
At Boyd, you'd have to be a card-carrying window licker to not achieve and maintain that ranking.
I graduated a few years ago and it was a top-third requirement. After my first year I was literally within one or two spots of that cut-off. It was terrifying.
Other than that, I agree with the above posts. If you want to stay in Nevada and you aren't aiming for a job where T14 matters (Circuit Court clerk, for example), take the full ride at Boyd. I pay my mortgage with the money my classmates spend on their student loans.
Unless it's changed in the past couple of years, Boyd only ranks the top 1/3 of its class. So, I'd make sure it's clear that the top 50% of the class will be ranked as it relates to your scholarship.
Aside from that, I cosign the comments above re: Boyd if you're staying in Nevada.
It is top 50%. Here's my proof. http://i.imgur.com/VKBSqNg.jpg
I can confirm that as well. Top 50%. The top students at Boyd do in fact get jobs on par with T14. I graduated Top 5% in 2011 and got premium judicial clerkship as well as Big Law. Definitely tougher close to the median but if you qualified for a close to full tuition scholarship then you will do exceptionally well at Boyd. All the resources are there for you to succeed.
I've heard that the current editor-in-chief of the Nevada Law Journal is pretty hot.
You apparently have very low standards.
http://www.law.unlv.edu/newsletters/email_BoydBriefs_2013_09_26.html
future BK hottie?
I guess if older guys are your thing, Jeff Stempel might do it for you, but I wouldn't exactly call him a hottie. And he doesn't do BK anyway.
I think perhaps 1:49 was talking about the student profile under Jeff Stempel's
Considering the pool in this legal community, I would say she is hot, yes.
This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang, but a series of inappropriate blog comments by anonymous posters.
Was "bang" an intentional euphemism?
Is anyone going to run against Wolfson?
Is that poster [not referring to the hottie] seriously going to refer to University of Arizona or Arizona State as an ego boost over Boyd? They are all exactly the same schools that own their individual markets. I have full ride offers to both schools and I would choose Boyd in an instant — unless my goal was to initially practice in Arizona.
Thanks to the two anonymous posters for their insightful and on-the-money breakdown of the proper model for choosing law schools.
P.S. The admissions team is very helpful and you should simply email and/or call them regarding the conditions on the scholarship. They typically give out scholarships to over 50% of their class with the same stipulation — less than 25% receive full tuition. Plus the market shifted this year and most schools are Top 2/3 or good academic standing. If they here from enough of you they will change it!
You must be trollin… you hatin…
I think the difference is that U of A and ASU control their home turf, as Jordan Ross put it, but UNLV does not. All else being equal, I'd go to U of A or ASU.
Makes sense except that how much control is there really if two substantive law schools — U of A or ASU — are feeding candidates into the same market. Sounds like a recipe for disaster. Arizona doesn't need both of those schools and Tucson is not a large enough market. Which school do you think is better? ASU was in the tank before Dean White, now at Miami, took it to a position of repute above U of A. Historically, Arizona Law was the better school.
I guess I didn't interpret his comments that way. UNLV actually does control its home turf now — certainly for the top 50% of its class. Arizona State controls Phoenix/Scottsdale and U of A actually doesn't really control a significant size city other than Tucson. In fact, the trend in rankings indicate that all rural schools, whether state or private, are at a significant disadvantage to those schools that sit in and provide networking and externship access to their students during the year.
Clarification – I should have said that if I had offers to those schools I would choose Boyd in an instant.
"UNLV actually does control its home turf now."
Absolutely false. The city where my law school is "controlled" by my law school which is over 100 years old. All the people in firms making hiring decisions went to my law school. That's how it is in most of the U.S. Not here. When I came out for interviews last year, I listened to comment after comment disparaging Boyd. Some of the mid sized firms I interviewed with had ZERO Boyd grads or only a couple. Seriously, you are a moron if you believe UNLV "controls" Vegas. This has to be the absolute easiest city to get a job in if you didn't go to the local law school.
I love Jordan, but he is absolutely wrong about this:
"One advantage to a Boyd degree that some of my clients have mentioned more than once is that it shows some commitment as well as familiarity to Southern Nevada. "
I went to school in a far distant land, and only decided to come to Vegas as a 3L. I had ZERO problem finding a job here even though I had ZERO ties to the area. In other older, established, less transient cities, this is true, but not in Vegas. In fact, in some of my interviews the partners openly trashed Boyd. And because Boyd is so young, most of the people who make hiring decisions – well, almost all of them – went somewhere else. If there ever was a market that felt no loyalty to its local law school, it's Las Vegas to Boyd Law. You certainly don't have to go to Boyd to practice in Las Vegas. If you go somewhere else, you won't be at any disadvantage.
Yeah, on the flip side, I'm a Boyd grad and long-time Nevadan, with roots that go back several generations. All that "commitment" to Southern Nevada meant exactly dick when applying for a job.
Sorry to hear that you had a bad experience. Did you honestly commit yourself to the study of law and perform at a level deserving of a job? Are you in the legal profession now? What should Boyd do differently with a student like yourself to ensure successful placement?
Yeah, it's not the fact that Boyd and the other law schools blow smoke up your ass to get you to pay their overpriced tuition and then pump out six times as many lawyers as there are positions, it's the failure to honestly commit oneself to the study of law and performing at a level deserving of a job that is the reason you may not have found a job.
The State of Nevada actually produces an undersupply of lawyers relative to the # of available legal positions. Boyd's tuition is very competitive in the law school realm and the last time I checked every grad school degree at every institution of higher learning was overpriced (from counseling and business to medicine and law).
Any reputable law firm — and I'm speaking as a senior associate involved in the hiring process at a well know Big Law firm — uses the following calculus when hiring: (1) Ivy League Schools, (2) Best Local Feeder School, and then (3) Fill in the Gap w/ strong performing T14s.
If no one wants to come to Vegas, then (3) becomes the low-tier regional schools like USD, U of A, ASU, and U New Mexico.
I don't think T14 means what you think it means…
Try reading more carefully…(3) becomes low-tier regional schools IN PLACE of T14s if no one from T14s want to come to Las Vegas.
oh don't worry, I read what you wrote carefully. I just think you aren't effectively articulating what you mean by T14. For instance, you put Ivy League Schools first, but then bring up the rear with "strong performing T14s," but you don't really explain the difference between a Cornell or Penn grad vs. a Chicago or Boalt Hall grad, or why the former would be given top billing, but the latter gets the third spot. Pretty much your post doesn't make much sense as written.
I'll make this simple for you since I don't have the good fortune of using puppets. You might recall them from your childhood days: "Where again did Daddy touch you?"
T14 includes a set of schools ranging from 1 to 14 that have remained unchanged, other than order, for decades. The ivy league schools are Yale, Harvard, Columbia, and Penn. Some may choose to throw in Stanford despite it not being an ivy. All other schools make up the remainder of the T14 in whatever order you choose. Boalt is not a nationally portable law degree. Neither is Chicago. Nor is Virginia, Michigan, or Georgetown. You guys love your super regionals despite not getting into any of them.
Cool story bro.
I appreciate your attempt at clarification. It helps a little. Again, I'll ask what's the story with Cornell? You don't list it as any Ivy–it is.
I now understand the basis of your original post. It's based on this ridiculous notion that every school outside of Yale, Harvard Columbia, Penn, and Stanford is a "super regional." Chicago and NYU put their grads in better spots than Penn on a regular basis. The rest of the T14 are comparable to Penn in terms of career placement. I hope your firm doesn't take your approach and favor grads from a particular athletic conference. Doesn't speak well about those in charge.
People in the legal community of Vegas aren't the brightest: dirtbags without brains.
Sounds like somebody didn't make the cut at his Alverson Taylor OCI. Sorry little guy. I'm sure you'll find a great job on craigslist. Watch for the ones that say, "Looking for a law clerk OR attorney…" That one will be right up your alley.
O'Melveny & Myers has worked out quite fine for me…and I didn't even need to attend Stanford like that other elitist on here. Georgetown grad. You might recognize my semen from your wife's mouth. Vegas is the shit hole we visit when we do want leave our mess for someone else to pick up.
Nothing like hanging a "shingle" out and seeing if a prostitute wants to press charges agains the Las Vegas Police Department. Get a life guys. Even the entertainment employees hired in Vegas are from Los Angeles.
Vegas = Wannabe Scottsdale = Wannabe Los Angeles
Arizona Law grad in Scottsdale checking in. #1: We own Vegas. #2: Don't compare Scottsdale with the filth of Vegas.
Got a love degenerates who flock to Las Vegas to work in law. I went to a T3 and not one of my classmates would ever consider working in your city. My peers went to HLS and the only ones who considered, and may actually have, come out to Vegas were low performers who had not job prospects in legitimate cities.
Look at idiots like the first poster: "Rankings are a joke…so is UNLV law." That poster didn't even answer the respondent's question about what law school he went to…why? Because he knows where he went isn't crap from a rankings stand point.
Go back to playing poker on the strip between personal injury client meetings.
You definitely didn't have to tell us you went to a T3 – your grammar and spelling did that for you. Also, if you think the people who went to HLS are your peers, you are an even bigger dumb ass than your spelling reveals.
Gotta love the jagoffs who think that where a law grad starts is the end-all, be-all of a law career. Have fun in the rat race during your 5th through 8th years as an associate in Biglaw. I hope you continue to think that all of us in Vegas are degenerate ambulance chasers. It'll make it that much more depressing when the partner you thought loved you gives you your walking papers and you realize that your T3 law degree is no longer marketable because employers would sooner use a T3 diploma as a placemat than hire someone who hasn't done anything since getting that diploma.
I've been in your shoes. I graduated T4, worked in Biglaw in New York, thought it was awesome, but then I decided to come home. Not only do I get to see me family more now, but I actually do the work that my colleagues back in New York were dying to get. And as a bonus, we regularly clean up against the white shoe firms that have your exact mentality.
I even notice that your low performing classmates seem to do well here too. I don't think they regret their choice. I hope you don't eventually regret yours.
The spelling was fine. Maybe you need a dictionary you idiot?
Oh, and by the way, T3 means Yale, Harvard, and Stanford. I went to Stanford you idiot.
It's amazing you don't know the difference between T3 and TTT…probably because you went to a TTT.
Actually my employer loves my Stanford Law degree and as we say in Big Law:
"Those that can, do. Those that can't, gripe about not being able to get into HYS."
As a Stanford alumnus, I pray that you are just trolling and aren't actually a Stanford alum. If you truly are, I am sadden by what may be the state of my alma mater.
First poster (9:18 AM) here.
"Go back to playing poker on the strip between personal injury client meetings."
Had to laugh at this because I have actually done that. Maybe I'll play hooky and hit up one of the 11 AM tournaments this morning.
If your classmates are as big an egotistical douche as you 7:09 I'm glad your classmates didn't come to Vegas, they'd be harshing my mellow! Congratulations on becoming a "peer" with HYS. I am sure they think of you in the same way. I am also sure everyone in your reputable, non-degenerate, non-poker town is impressed.
"Hey do you know Eaton Beever? He's a partner at one of the most reputable firms in downtown Des Moines. Really, an impressive attorney. Respected and feared by all. Yeah, he graduated from a Third Tier Toilet and could have gone out to Las Vegas, but he was too good for that, so now he practices in the big leagues in Des Moines with graduates from Harvard Yale & Stanford"
"WOW!"
I'm sure your clients love the fact that you are a degenerate gambler. Next you are going to tell all of us you actually make money doing it. Funny how I never met a day trader who ever lost money yet 90% do….hmmm.
Seriously are most of you just skimming these posts? Even I picked up on the fact that this guy went to a top three school. I highly doubt he practices in Des Moines. Perhaps the sensitivity comes from the fact that you went to a Third Tier Toilet and guys like you are getting pushed out of the market by us Arizona and ASU grads?
I used to fuck hookers after particularly stressful meetings. Utah Law grad, finished bottom 25%, medium-sized firm, and a salary north of $200K.
Yeah. Thanks for validating my point about Las Vegas.
At least we're honest and transparent here. Arizona State undergrad and law graduate. We, not U of A, own this town and definitely know how to party. I got divorced here, found my trophy wife here, and enjoy the hedonistic atmosphere. Maybe you didn't get the memo that lawyers drink ALOT no matter what part of the country they work in.
My colleagues in New York do coke. Their pay stubs would indicate they do just fine.
7:09 AM,
Congrats on your professional success. Sorry about the small penis.
Are you referring to the poster or yourself?
Whenever I listen to people talk about T1, T14, Biglaw this and partner that, it makes me laugh. I couldn't find a job out of the law school. I went to a mediocre school and the job market was terrible when I got my ticket. It was sink or swim. I hung out my own shingle. 4 years out I make double what a big law associate makes doing PI and whatever else I want to work on. My student loans are paid off. My house is almost paid off. I go home at 5:30 and relax. Why be a cog in a wheel, when you can run the machine.
Yeah, but you're not a "peer" of HYS graduates, so suck it!
Stanford is not a peer…it is HYS. Enjoy my sloppy seconds.
Agreed. The whole T3, T14 and "top-tier" bullshit grates my nerves. Law schools are all the same relative to faculty and curriculum. Classes are hit or miss. Yes there are some nationally portable brands but they are very few. It's about choosing a geography you want to be in, going to the best possible school in that area, and doing the best you can. Anonymous 9:23 should be applauded for succeeding with his own shingle but he would probably also agree that isn't the norm. I was fortunate to get a small law firm job that allows a 9 to 5 schedule with likely not the same $$$ that anonymous says he makes ("double" a big law associate so I imagine he means well over $300k) but I'm happy.
LOL. I have to agree with the poster. Plenty of egos in Vegas but no substantive education or lawyering skills to back it up. Not to mention the fact that "4 years out" most Big Law attorneys are no longer associates. Would love to see your paycheck stub 9:23 AM. NO way you were making double – especially after taking into account your gambling debt.
I also went to Boyd. Went out on my own about 2 years ago. I can't say I'm making double what most Big Law attorneys make, but I can't complain about bringing in $250k without the stress of billing 2000+ hours per year.
This is disappointing to me as a BYU Law alumnus. Myself and many other Mormons are in Nevada because we truly hope to create a different perception. It's true that there is a sleaze factor here that permeates every profession including our own. It is also true that a certain type of male attorney is attracted to the "degenerate" lifestyle as you stated. Fortunately, we are not all like that. I still feel like a minority in this town but times are changing but apparently not fast enough if attorneys are playing poker between client meetings. Not sure the ABA would approve of that.
Eat a dick you judgmental cunt. Since when does the ABA care about what I do between client meetings? By the way, you didn't need to tell us where you went to law school – it was obvious by the rest of your comment.
It was obvious by my statement that I'm Mormon? Who's the judgmental one?
The ABA absolutely cares what you do outside of your client meetings, particularly as it relates to its ethical code. Your behavior as it relates to gambling puts you in a very difficult position relative to your objectivity both in terms of the needs of your clients and the potential of your case. Your monetary troubles likely cloud your judgment. One analogy might be why financial institutions don't higher individuals who are bankrupt. An analogy closer to home might be why the ABA frowns on prosecutors frequenting casinos, brothels, or other organizations of ill-repute.
Please also note that their are women who participate in this blog and your sexist and gauche commentary is not appreciated. How you ever earned a law degree is confounding. I'm quite sure if you were to be transparent in terms of name, position, and indiscretions that the AMA would quite readily disbar you.
"Myself and many other Mormons are in Nevada because we truly hope to create a different perception."
I am Mormon and I'm here for the Benjamins. Don't judge all of us by the douchey, socially awkward BYU alum.
And please note that 9:03 never mentioned the word "Mormon".
No need to when the degenerate, unscrupulous, and biased attorneys more than fill the room. Salt Lake City has far more opportunities for the "Benjamins." I'm here to make a difference, not to play poker.
You're an attorney. Did you ever hear of inference? I know very well what 9:03 intended or there was no way he could have determined what school I went to:
"By the way, you didn't need to tell us where you went to law school – it was obvious by the rest of your comment."
If you are want to be a professional hairsplitter than at least be good at at. We all know that you are indeed 9:03 as well, but nice attempt at redemption.
9:33 – I wish you could actually see what you are writing, but I know that is impossible because you will never remove those rose-tinted glasses. It is obvious that you are so deep in your own little bubble that you have no clue what you are saying. So playing poker means I have "monetary troubles"? Can you please cite something in support of your "analogy" that the ABA frowns on prosecutors frequenting casinos? Also, I am a little confused as to how the American Medical Association would have the authority to disbar me. In fact, I'm pretty sure the American Bar Association couldn't even do that. At this point, it is fairly obvious that you aren't even an attorney. I will give you credit for keeping the tone of a BYU Law grad, but I don't think you actually are one.
Come on, the OP is totally trolling, use a little common sense.
Not trolling at all. Excuse me for mistyping "ABA" — you certainly knew what I intended. I did graduate from BYU Law. If you are stupid enough to think that there is no conflict of interest when a prosecutor socializes amongst a degenerate audience that is frequently at the intersection of criminal law and social control…then I don't know what to tell you.
Yes. I firmly believe that your addiction to poker — because that's what it is — puts financial pressure on your professional objectivity.
Congrats on staining the profession.
This guy may be trolling but he shows way more class than Anonymous 9:55 AM (aka 9:03 AM). Great to know that attorneys locally and around the country might be looking at this blog only to see "Eat a dick you judgmental cunt." His defensiveness suggests he has a gambling problem. I like libations as much as the next, so I will refrain from casting further stones.
Enough of the sexist statements. You can count me as one less female attorney who will seek meaningful discourse in this forum.
And nobody knows stains like a douchestain from BYU.
– fellow Mormon attorney, certified non-douche.
Mormonism might as well be Scientology. They're all haters and douche bags.
So where is the ABA cite about prosecutors? How can the ABA disbar me for anything? Classic bubble-talk: anyone who does something that is against your religious beliefs is clearly an addict. Keep drinking that Kool-Aid. Are you saying that when I go out with my large transactional clients who are in town for convention or meetings (and want to hit the tables after dinner), I am "socializing amongst a degenerate audience that is frequently at the intersection of criminal law and social control"? I feel like a douche just re-typing that! It is obvious that if you even are an attorney, you must be a prosecutor, which explains the additional layer of clueless judgmental douchebaggery.
Equally disappointing as a current 2L at Boyd who works extremely hard to find such a lack of professionalism on this site. I greatly respect all of the schools you went to and would never disrespect another school the way all of you do. There are a large of number of us at Boyd who could have gone to highly ranked schools and, instead, either stayed in or came to Las Vegas because we believe in the school, the city, and the people who live and work here. Many of you may not realize that UNLV Law is mandated by the State of Nevada to take a certain percentage of residents and that the average graduate exam scores here (LSAT, GMAT, etc.) lag behind almost all other states in this country. That means, as an in-state school, that UNLV Law has to take in a certain amount of students who may not have the competency to succeed in this profession. At best, that is the bottom 25%. If the school didn't do this many opportunities wouldn't be available to both the majority and minority population in this state. Those of us who are here, working hard, and holding both respect and admiration for all of you in this profession should care enough about us and our school to support it. If the low end of our distribution can't perform or demonstrate strength in research, writing, analysis, and advocacy then don't hire them. But the rest of us are representative of talent equal to that of any other school. Work with us, mentor us, and help to make us better as opposed to demeaning the quality of faculty, curriculum, and student we actually have here. I hope all of you can understand where I'm coming from and hope very much to learn from and collaborate with you in the future. I love Vegas. I love the State of Nevada. I look up to the lawyers in both this city and throughout the state. My classmates feel the same way.
Thank you all for your participation on this post. In the spirit of the State Bar's new emphasis on civility, this post is being closed to further comments.