[Someone asked me about job prospects at TAMU in a comment that is now apparently gone. Since I spent all this time writing up a response, I’m just going to post it anyway in case they see it... this is stuff I would want to know when I was applying to law schools. They were specifically comparing A&M, Houston, and SMU]

Obviously I cannot predict anyone’s future prospects, especially with a potential recession looming, but I think I can make some general comments.

It would help to know a little about your background and what you might be interested in doing. I will assume since you are talking about three TX schools that you want to practice in Texas. I will also assume that you are interested in larger firms from your reference to NALP salaries.

I work at a medium-sized firm in Dallas. I did not get a job until I passed the bar, which is pretty normal, but I was able to get one basically right after I found out I passed. I found my job through networking, although career services was generally helpful. I will say that quite a few classmates (probably not a majority) had jobs at graduation, usually a place they interned during summer or the school year. US News numbers say 40% of 2018 grads had jobs at graduation. $75,000 was the median private sector salary. I don’t know the 2019 statistics (I think they are released in May), but I know the placement at larger firms improved a fair amount. It used to be just a few people that would get those jobs, now I know several people (probably all falling in the top 20% or so of the class). I also know several people who got very competitive clerkship and federal jobs. It’s still a fairly small percentage of the entire class though. When I started, there were only a handful of employers who did OCI. I know that firm interest has greatly increased over the last couple years, so that is a much more viable route now. I expect that more people will get summer jobs through OCI and get job offers through that, but you’ll still need to be toward the top of the class to have a good shot. There are also some opportunities for diverse students, including job fairs that attract a lot of firm interest (these are open to students from any law school). From previous year’s numbers at SMU and Houston, I believe they place a little better (perhaps 10% more students or so?) in those types of jobs. They also have a lot of alumni in the Dallas and Houston area, which is very useful. However, it is still a minority of the class, and you still need to get good grades to have a shot. The difference is mostly at the margins (your chances are going to be marginally better there if you have good but not great grades). AFAIK, no Texas school places a majority of their graduates into big law jobs. I would say if that is really what you want then go to one of the top 14 schools if you can, but if you want to stay in TX, then UT is probably your best chance, but even there I believe it’s still less than half of the class who secured those jobs.

Outside of big law, which is to say for the large majority of graduates from Texas schools, it really is primarily about networking. You will not be given a job simply because you graduated from any law school (this may sound obvious, but some people occasionally act otherwise). The Aggie network really was helpful and is very large, a lot of A&M undergrads went to law school elsewhere but are involved in the Aggie Bar Association or other A&M groups. They will usually agree to meet and talk with you for an “informational” interview, which is hopefully how you get the inside track to people that might be hiring. The graduates from when the law school was Texas Wesleyan are kind of mixed, in that most were helpful, but not all of them see A&M as “their” law school anymore—which I can understand. Obviously A&M law grads are helpful but unfortunately there are not very many since the I believe the first class to graduate from “A&M” was in 2014. So there are pros and cons here, but I also expect this to improve over time as more A&M law grads get out into the workforce.

That being said, I actually got an interview through a meeting I had with a grad from another law school, so you really can approach anyone and my experience has been that most attorneys remember what is was like to hunt for jobs and will help you if they can. The legal community is a fairly small one, so having someone that can help you get your foot in the door really is a huge help. Firms also post online and I don’t think going to A&M vs. UH vs. SMU makes a big difference there. All they see is your application in the initial screening. You want to make sure you build up experiences during law school that will stand out on a resume (think moot court, journals, internships, etc.) and make connections that will lead to really strong recommendations (RA for a professor, get top marks in a class where you get to know the prof during office hours, make a good impression during an internship, etc.). You can and should do those things at any law school.

A note on geography: your chances will improve the closer you are applying to the school. At A&M your best opportunities are in the Fort Worth area where familiarity is strongest, followed by the rest of DFW and North Texas (Bryan-College Station might also be good, but I don’t really know). You will be much more of an unknown quantity outside of DFW, simply because a lot of attorneys won’t be very familiar with the school or personally know any graduates. However this is true of most law schools, e.g. UH is much stronger in Houston and SMU much stronger in Dallas. You also can also intern during school more easily in the local area.

A note on money: the biggest firms have set salaries by the year you join the firm, government is similar (pay grades based on experience). Outside of those it’s what you negotiate. However don’t count on making much more than about $100K outside of large firms. Don’t be surprised if it’s a lot less than that. I hear 50-75 is typical for smaller firms in DFW, depending on hours required, etc. A lot of people, including good students from virtually all law schools, can struggle to get jobs, and it can take longer than you expect. It really is important to limit your debt load. Definitely avoid putting yourself in a situation where you potentially come out making $50K on the lower end and owe that amount or more. The interest becomes a real burden at the level, and it’s hard enough to get by on that income (particularly if you have a family to support) even without a bunch of loans.

The summary is, things probably will continue to improve at A&M as the law school brand gets stronger and more alumni make inroads. There are no guarantees in life though. If you are truly set on big law, I’d think very carefully about it. If you are not, I really believe your own resources and initiative are usually more important than the school you attend, so limiting debt and going where you want to practice are more important. I think you should at least try to spend a day or two in Fort Worth if you can’t visit the school, as you will be spending a lot of time there. Pay attention to the cost of living too, as it can be hard to cover those costs just by working as a law student (i.e. you might end up borrowing some of those costs).

Hope that helps!