Orthodox Catholic Law Schools

[Elijah_Baley]

I’ve applied to law schools and been happily accepted to Santa Clara. Told some friends about it, though, and they got pretty quiet.

Don’t you know? They’re liberals.

This brought a thought: Are there any American and Catholic law schools in the Top 100 which are enthusiastically orthodox? If not, are there any outside the Top 100? This really isn’t a major consideration in choosing a law school — more of a curiosity. I will still take other factors — cost, ranking, location, programs — into account.

Now, make a persuasive case for a school, and I might apply on your recommendation.

 

[PA650]

I’ve applied to law schools and been happily accepted to Santa Clara. Told some friends about it, though, and they got pretty quiet.

Don’t you know? They’re liberals.

This brought a thought: Are there any American and Catholic law schools in the Top 100 which are enthusiastically orthodox? If not, are there any outside the Top 100? This really isn’t a major consideration in choosing a law school — more of a curiosity. I will still take other factors — cost, ranking, location, programs — into account.

Now, make a persuasive case for a school, and I might apply on your recommendation.

Well, a prominent law school situated around orthodox Catholic associations and parishes, such as the Shrine of Christ the King served by the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest is the University of Chicago Law School.

 

[Orleans_Attny]

I’ve applied to law schools and been happily accepted to Santa Clara. Told some friends about it, though, and they got pretty quiet.

Don’t you know? They’re liberals.

This brought a thought: Are there any American and Catholic law schools in the Top 100 which are enthusiastically orthodox? If not, are there any outside the Top 100? This really isn’t a major consideration in choosing a law school — more of a curiosity. I will still take other factors — cost, ranking, location, programs — into account.

Now, make a persuasive case for a school, and I might apply on your recommendation.

I think that Ave Maria would say they’re a Big-“C”-Catholic law school. But they certainly aren’t a top tier school. And - quite obviously - there are a number of Catholic Universities that also have law schools.

I doubt that any law school, however, would bill themselves as an orthodox Catholic education. And I think that’s because law school isn’t a theology-based degree. Looking for an Orthodox Catholic law school is a little like looking for an Orthodox Catholic Engineering School - or an Orthodox Catholic Masters in Accounting.

Having been to a top-tier law school, and having practiced for a number of years, I have some advice: First, do everything that you can to minimize your debt. You have no idea how restricting it is to graduate law school (along with 234,235,843,993,476 other students . . . this year alone) and to look for a job when you owe $100K+.

Second, accounting for recommendation #1, go to the highest ranked school that you can get into. Pedigree counts - at least for your first several years of practice.

There are only about 5 law schools that are so good you pay whatever you have to pay, and work as many jobs as you must, and borrow as much money as you can. And if you don’t get into those school, you ought look at the best public school in which you can qualify for in-state tuition.

Pax,
OA

 

[PacoG]

The essence of being a lawyer is being able to hear opposing viewpoints and argue your way in both sides. Saying that you are looking for such a law school that is going to say what you want to hear is like saying “where am I going to find a courthouse where opposing counsel is going to say the same thing I am.”

Please tell me what is the orthodox Catholic approach to torts? To property? To criminal law? To insurance law? To civil procedure? To criminal procedure? Contracts?

Not even in the Medieval inns of court (the forerunners of law schools) would you find such an animal as an orthodox Catholic legal education.

I went to a very secular law school in a very liberal university–the University of Texas at Austin–and I came out more Catholic and more conservative.

 

[Elijah_Baley]

For both of you guys, thank you much for replying. How are job prospects where you are, generally? What questions should I be asking? Are there any times you feel you have to reconcile your legal perspective to your Catholic faith, or vice versa? That, really, is the biggest worry for me as I enter the field.

I think that Ave Maria would say they’re a Big-“C”-Catholic law school. But they certainly aren’t a top tier school. And - quite obviously - there are a number of Catholic Universities that also have law schools.

Ave Maria was tempting, I admit, but I dismissed it a few months ago for the reasons you gave.

And if you don’t get into those school, you ought look at the best public school in which you can qualify for in-state tuition.

I’m an outside chance at most of the schools on the better side of No. 50 — 164 looks good enough, but my undergraduate grades were just scraping by with a 3.06 — so I’m only looking at regional schools. My first priority is if the school is where I’d want to live. Therefore, Santa Clara was a nice choice. They’ll remit the tuition by $8,000 which, if annual, would put it at about the cost of most other ABA schools I can get into.

Everything is so expensive in California that I’m not sure there’s a huge disadvantage in going to a public school out of state and getting residency there after the first year. Naturally, Wisconsin is out of the question because of residency restrictions, but Utah and Arizona State and Arizona are all very tempting for that very reason. I applied to UC Davis a while ago, but I’m less than an outside chance there.

The essence of being a lawyer is being able to hear opposing viewpoints and argue your way in both sides. Saying that you are looking for such a law school that is going to say what you want to hear is like saying “where am I going to find a courthouse where opposing counsel is going to say the same thing I am.”

That’s why I’m not terribly concerned about finding an orthodox law school. The attraction for me, I guess, is in finding a nice vibrant orthodox community for the next three years. I’ve just got involved locally, and I’d miss that community terribly.

But if I don’t find one where I go, I suppose I’ll have to start one.

I went to a very secular law school in a very liberal university–the University of Texas at Austin–and I came out more Catholic and more conservative.

Hadn’t thought about going that far east. How are job prospects in that part of the country?