Soon to be law grad wants to move to Denver (lawyers, live) - Colorado (CO) - Page 3 - City-Data Forum

galtsgulch · 06-23-2011, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bpatterson24

As the original poster I think I should chime in now. DenverLawGal has been very helpful and insightful. She has experience in the field and lives where I'd like to be. While I realize everyone's experience is different and I may find myself faced with great difficulty in finding a job, everything Galtsgulch has offered on this thread has been useless and negative. It's very easy to get on a forum and tell everyone that they're stupid and what they're doing is a bad idea. It's much harder to go out of your way to sincerely help a stranger with some basic questions. I would have preferred to not read your posts Galtsgulch. You seem like a sad and angry person.

I am hardly sad or angry. I gave a differing viewpoint and you can choose what advice you wish to follow. Sometimes people are offended when you tell them what they do not wish to hear. My advice was to have a job in hand before moving or look closer to home and was attacked for it. Best of luck to you.

DenverLawGal · 06-23-2011, 10:01 AM

bpatterson:

Thanks for saying that. I've worked in the legal field for almost 15 yrs. now. I'm not a lawyer but almost became one. I'm older now and just couldn't see going through all that for a job I'm not too sure I would like. Instead, I moved from legal secretary to paralegal and am really loving the work.

I work with wonderful people and make good money. I have the freedom of attorneys but not the absolute responsibility, which is nice.

I'm not familiar with environmental law - but I am with the others we talked about. It might be that you have to do similar "grunt" work you are doing now to get to where you want to be. I had to work in real estate, construction defect, class action (mesothelioma), domestic (ugh), personal injury fields (ugh) and insurance defense (double ugh). But now I'm in the field I adore and it was all worth it. Took some time but I eventually got there.

I know you aren't stuck in your field either as an attorney as I know many who've made transitions to the fields they really want.

Vlajos · 06-23-2011, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bpatterson24

Hi everyone,

I realize I'm going to get a lot of different opinions on all kinds of issues concerning this post, but I'm looking for some realistic feedback.

I'm a 25 year old from the midwest about to start my last year of law school at a no-name school in downtown Chicago. I'm tired of the midwest winters and don't want to continue living half of my life indoors. I feel as though once I graduate I have a small window of time to pick up and move across the country if I so choose. I've narrowed it down to either the Bay Area or Denver.

I'm looking for advice from people that may have made similar moves under similar circumstances. What can I expect job wise (I know, I know, no one's getting hired), lifestyle, culture, etc. I just want to get a thread going and see what happens. Thanks.

Don't you think a graduate from a "no name" law school in Chicago, will have a very tough time getting a job in Denver or SF?

CAVA1990 · 06-23-2011, 10:19 AM

Is the law school you're going to accredited as required by the state of Colorado? Not all are.

DenverLawGal · 06-23-2011, 10:23 AM

This confuses me a bit. If you are to attend law school in another state, obtain a JD, then pass the Colo. bar, aren't you able to practice?

Quote:

Originally Posted by CAVA1990

Is the law school you're going to accredited as required by the state of Colorado? Not all are.

DenverLawGal · 06-23-2011, 10:28 AM

ok, never mind, I get it. You have to have a JD from an ABA accredited school in order to sit for the bar here. It seems crazy to go to a non ABA law school, doesn't it??

DenverLawGal · 06-23-2011, 10:30 AM

Vlajos: I was assuming "no name" meant not a well known name like Gonzaga or ivy league. That might have been a wrong assumption though. What do you consider "no name"?

bpatterson24 · 06-23-2011, 10:30 AM

My school is ABA accredited. I believe Colorado requires ABA accreditation to be eligible to sit for the bar. Some states, like California, don't require this. I'm free to pay my fee and sit for the Colorado state bar exam next July.

My school, however, is not Northwestern or U of Chicago. It could be considered a regional school in terms of where its graduates practice. They have great success in finding employment in this area of the country. Making a transition to Denver presents a challenge because my school does not have the name recognition that the previously mentioned schools have.

DenverLawGal · 06-23-2011, 10:42 AM

OK, thanks for the clarification.

So now I'm thinking what will help you land a job is your grades, and the type of classes you took. If you landed great grades in real estate, go for that arena. Whatever you can do to get your foot in the door. I'm not familiar with how to get into the clerking positions, but I do know that blindly approaching firms might do the trick in some instances. Feel free to privately message me the firm names you come across and I can probably help you out as to firm culture, reputation, etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bpatterson24

My school is ABA accredited. I believe Colorado requires ABA accreditation to be eligible to sit for the bar. Some states, like California, don't require this. I'm free to pay my fee and sit for the Colorado state bar exam next July.

My school, however, is not Northwestern or U of Chicago. It could be considered a regional school in terms of where its graduates practice. They have great success in finding employment in this area of the country. Making a transition to Denver presents a challenge because my school does not have the name recognition that the previously mentioned schools have.

Timmyy · 06-23-2011, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bpatterson24

My school is ABA accredited. I believe Colorado requires ABA accreditation to be eligible to sit for the bar. Some states, like California, don't require this. I'm free to pay my fee and sit for the Colorado state bar exam next July.

My school, however, is not Northwestern or U of Chicago. It could be considered a regional school in terms of where its graduates practice. They have great success in finding employment in this area of the country. Making a transition to Denver presents a challenge because my school does not have the name recognition that the previously mentioned schools have.

Well, that explains California's mess.