Although a law school grade point average (GPA) is not the only indicator of a law student’s success as a lawyer, it is usually quite important, depending on the context. Grades, as reflected in a law school GPA, are frequently the only data employers have on prospective applicants, particularly after the first year of law school. Although numbers cannot predict whether a student will be a good fit for a job, they are frequently used to make the first cut. A high GPA can help a resume rise to the top of the stack, whereas a low GPA can push it to the bottom. Employers are often more interested in class rank than GPA after law school, but most will insist on seeing a transcript in any case, making low grades or fluctuating GPAs difficult to conceal.
A legal education When it comes to law students looking for jobs while still in school, their GPA is usually the most important factor. The majority of law students work in law firms over the summer, but these positions are highly competitive. Good grades are frequently required to gain entry into a desirable company.
Although landing an enviable summer job is not the be-all and end-all of a legal career, it is critical to get off to a good start. The legal profession is a fast-paced, high-stakes game. A lot depends on who you are on paper: where you went to school, how well you did in law school, and the quality of your work experience. A student with a low law school GPA will have to work harder to overcome the prejudice that may be attached to his transcript, and may find it more difficult to find work at first.
Following graduation, law schools usually publish a student’s class rank along with their GPA. Because class rank reflects overall standing, a top 25% ranking can often overcome what appears to be a low law school GPA. Low grades from a student who finished in the top quarter of his class may indicate nothing more than a particularly harsh grading scheme at the school he attended. However, the inverse is also true. A student who received relatively good grades but finished in the bottom half of the class might raise questions about the overall quality of education received.
Law school rankings, along with class rank and law school GPA data, are typically the three pieces of information that law firms use to make hiring decisions before even scheduling the first interview. For better or worse, the name and national ranking of a law school determines a significant portion of the value of a lawyer’s education. Low grades from a top-tier school can still hurt a lawyer, but not nearly as much as low grades from a law school at the bottom of the rankings list.
More determinative indicators of lawyer training and likelihood of success in the practice of law than law school GPA are, in my opinion. However, the GPA is still a significant factor in almost any law school or post-law school job. Low GPAs can always be supplemented over time with work experience, demonstrated skills, or other career-building actions, but nothing compares to the immediate attention that a high GPA usually commands.