working internationally after attending a lower ranked schoo

[crapcrap]

Hi Dave, Powerscore staff,

I have been admitted to several schools in the 30-70 range and I am deliberating between Tulane and Case Western, both of which would cost me very little. I am very excited about starting at one of these schools this fall but lately I have become very anxious because a lot of people are telling me my goals are "unicorn-y."

I want to travel to Europe after graduating law school. Until now I was not so worried about my ability to get jobs abroad, even after studying at a lower-ranked school, for several reasons: I will soon be a dual national (so employers won't have to worry about getting me a visa), I speak the language in my target country fluently, and I have an undergraduate and graduate degree from a well-regarded public university there (I also have some network as I lived there for 10 years and my spouse is from there). Furthermore although they aren't top schools, Tulane and Case Western both tout their international opportunities and have dual degrees and study abroad and externing opportunities in my target countries.

However, I am getting very nervous because several people (mainly strangers on the internet, but hey) have pointed out that it is almost impossible to get international jobs if you don't attend a T20. I suppose my admissions question is whether I should reapply next year. This is highly inconvenient for me because my spouse already quit his job because we planned on moving for law school, and I am nontraditional with a family and do not want to put this off for another year. But I also am starting to panic and think that I am putting myself and my family on a dangerous path.

I'm sorry for such a long question but I was wondering if you have any insight into this. Do you have any knowledge as to whether what I'm hearing about needing to attend a T20 is true? Am I totally crazy to think that I can get a job abroad at one of the schools I mentioned, even with my background? Or do you think I should retake and reapply, even at the cost to my family?

Thanks in advance.

[Zach Foreman]

Hi, cc
Since this is a very particular question and would vary by field, country and company (and class rank, activities in law school), I think the best thing would be for you to do a little research. Find 4-5 companies that you would like to work for, and the employment you want and see if you can get the info on where they went to law school. You could even contact someone in the company specifically. I really don't think that there are general rules here, but rather case by case.
I'm guessing that the internet commentators are mainly talking about working abroad for an American company. This is indeed very competitive and would likely be limited to top law schools. Have you considered contacting your undergrad/grad alumni networks? Or perhaps a classmate who is working in the law field in Europe?
Finally, I would recommend contacting Tulane and Case Western and ask about recent placements of graduates in Europe (especially if they feature international opportunities as part of their advertising). Perhaps they could put you in touch with someone currently working in your target country. Unfortunately, I think you need to do some more investigating, but my initial sense is that you shouldn't worry too much about it.
Zach

[Dave Killoran]

Hi Dave, Powerscore staff,

I have been admitted to several schools in the 30-70 range and I am deliberating between Tulane and Case Western, both of which would cost me very little. I am very excited about starting at one of these schools this fall but lately I have become very anxious because a lot of people are telling me my goals are "unicorn-y."

I want to travel to Europe after graduating law school. Until now I was not so worried about my ability to get jobs abroad, even after studying at a lower-ranked school, for several reasons: I will soon be a dual national (so employers won't have to worry about getting me a visa), I speak the language in my target country fluently, and I have an undergraduate and graduate degree from a well-regarded public university there (I also have some network as I lived there for 10 years and my spouse is from there). Furthermore although they aren't top schools, Tulane and Case Western both tout their international opportunities and have dual degrees and study abroad and externing opportunities in my target countries.

However, I am getting very nervous because several people (mainly strangers on the internet, but hey) have pointed out that it is almost impossible to get international jobs if you don't attend a T20. I suppose my admissions question is whether I should reapply next year. This is highly inconvenient for me because my spouse already quit his job because we planned on moving for law school, and I am nontraditional with a family and do not want to put this off for another year. But I also am starting to panic and think that I am putting myself and my family on a dangerous path.

I'm sorry for such a long question but I was wondering if you have any insight into this. Do you have any knowledge as to whether what I'm hearing about needing to attend a T20 is true? Am I totally crazy to think that I can get a job abroad at one of the schools I mentioned, even with my background? Or do you think I should retake and reapply, even at the cost to my family?

Thanks in advance.

Hi C,

Thanks for the message! The circumstances with your situation are so specialized that no one can really say for sure what the chances are with any accuracy. However, that said, you have a number of distinguishing factors here that work in your favor, including: dual nationality, went to uni there, spouse from there, network connections, and so on. This is quite different than the "typical" person looking for international work, who often wants to go from the US to a country abroad and start somewhat from scratch. A big question is whether you seek to wok solely for a US-based firm, or whether you have insights/connections to possible jobs originating on the international side, such as working for a multinational business headquartered in that country. This is really key because Us firms tend to be very rankings oriented but in other countries it's less hierarchical (aside from the world-renowned school like Harvard).

Thanks!