Does the law school where my attorney went to really matter?
Yes. Law schools in the United States are broken down in tier systems. The highest ranked law schools are in the first tier. Only the brightest student are admitted into these schools and usually are better prepared to practice law and more intelligent. Unfortunately, there are many attorneys that attend low tier law schools or even online law schools. If you have not heard of the law school your attorney attended, nobody else has either. This usually is a bad sign. For this reason, large law firms only give interviews to students who attended high caliber schools. The top three schools in Southern California are: UCLA, USC, and Loyola Law School (Los Angeles).
As a client, you should expect the highest quality of legal services. Additionally, you want an attorney that has proven himself in high stress, high competition environments. An attorney that attended a good law school and has been successful has proven himself multiple times over simply because the school itself was difficult and the first job(s) usually were very competitive. Hiring an attorney can be difficult because of the sheer number of attorneys that practice in California. The following considerations might be helpful in choosing the right attorney for you:
What law school did the attorney attend? Where did the managing partner go to school?
How competent was the attorney when you spoke to him/her on the phone?
Is the attorney affordable? Higher quality attorneys usually cost more but are worth it.
Do you like how the attorney communicates with you? Does he explain the legal situation to you in a fashion that you can understand?
How do you feel in your gut about the attorney? Since most legal documents/legal cases do take some time to complete, you will be in contact with your attorney frequently. You want to make sure that you like talking to your attorney and you feel comfortable when doing so.
If the law school that you attorney attended did not matter, then law schools would bother ranking themselves and students would not strive to get admitted. Get the attorney you deserve! For more information about any of our legal services, please call us for a free strategy session/consultation!
