New England Law Boston

2002 Graduate here. And former public defender. I agree that this school has some things and quirks that are a problem, but the graduates from this school do just as well as Suffolk. I know this because I’ve been in the legal community in the Boston area practicing criminal defense for 12 years and there is absolutely no difference. If you are not going to Harvard, Yale or even BU/​BC then the difference between Suffolk and New England is only in the price. You get what you put into it. Its as simple as that.
And if you actually didn’t go to New England, how are you reviewing it?
Look do the research. The school has its strengths and weaknesses. ( Unilocal is likely not where you will learn much I just wanted to respond to some of the comments that were flat out wrong.)

I have to laugh at the student who says they like NEL because there isn’t the same «competition» between students, who hide books at other schools. That little bit of propaganda has been circulating since I graduated in 2002. I’ve met many grads from all other area law schools, and no one has ever heard of anyone hiding a book at another school. There is quite a high level of collegiality among students at BC, BU, Suffolk and yes, even Harvard, just like there is a NEL.
The difference being, your good friends from those other schools will likely stay in Boston and may be able to help you get a job. NEL grads will mostly head to Florida, North Carolina, maybe DC and get good jobs there. So if you like Florida, be sure to stay in touch with your NEL buddies, from whom you’ve never hidden a book!.

Law School SUCKS!
Law School SUCKS!
DO NOT GO TO LAW SCHOOL! THIS OR ANY OTHER!!!
If you are still reading, then you must be a masochist like me. You like torture and want things that you dont really need. You want a JD. Well, be prepared to give up all of your hobbies, your family, friends, your significant other, your insignificant other, that cute boy you’ve been crushing on, your bank account, gain 50 ibs and have no life for several years and then work like crazy to pay off those loans.
Still reading? Ok, its bad, but it makes you stronger and smarter (in most cases, some people do lose their minds).
This is a law school. Its alright, but I dont know any better but heard some bad stories, so overall its alright.
Location — right in the middle of the theater district, 2 blocks away from Boston common and public gardens, bunch of T stops around, etc. Location is not bad, discounted parking is available at the radison ramp.
Edunamukation — overall pretty good. There are some real gems, most of the reviews are quite accurate, read
for details, but most of them have real life experience in addition to superb education. Adjuncts are mostly very nice and their classes tend to be easier then those of full time faculty. There are about 8 classes taught by judges, take those. There is one prof you should avoid. PM me and I will let you know.
Social life — its a small school, but if you join the right organizations you can get free lunch and or dinner 2 – 5 times per week. Bunch of events and free pizza.
Administration — I never had any significant problems, Fin Aid office is extremely helpful. Registrar takes its time releasing grades, so beware.
Bar — they prepare you well. 93.7% of our graduates passed the July 2010 bar, so whatever tier it is, it does its job.

I am new to NESL, but so far I have really appreciated the hands on approach that the school has extended. Since it is a small school, the professors seem to be more inclined to reach out to individual students. Each time I communicate with the school, my enthusiasm for the institution grows. As I spend more time here, I will update my review and let you know how my opinions have furthered.

New England Law actually has a very good reputation among the legal community and students both inside and outside Boston. Let’s be honest, there’s the top law schools in the country, and then there’s everyone else. You won’t get a 200k job right after graduating, but you won’t get that graduating most law schools (Suffolk and other area schools included).
It’s a great school with great professors.

High

I agree with Jeremy, this is a Tier 4 law school best known as «New England School of Flaw.» The «campus» consists of one dull, grey building surrounded by various construction projects, which are incredibly distracting even in the classrooms. Their «re-​branding» as New England Law | Boston is a joke– complete with typos on the school’s façade wrapping– and the name change does little for the school’s second-​rate reputation; It’s not fooling anyone. The education, as you can tell from the myriad of typos in the previous posts, is mediocre at best. Yes, you will pass the bar (on your third try, if you’re lucky), but don’t expect large firms to come knocking at your door.
If you want a career as an ambulance chaser or a hack public defender, then by all means, this is the place for you! In the school’s 100 year history they have little more than a handful of notable alumni– most of which aren’t even recognizable outside of Boston city limits.
Yes, it’s less expensive than Suffolk, but as the old adage goes: You get what you pay for. Which in this case, is an embarrassing reputation for producing sub-​par lawyers for sub-​par firms.

Graduating from NESL in May and needed to give the school a little love.
First of all, for any of you considering taking Jeremy’s advice and attempting to raise your LSAT scores you should know it’s next to impossible. You don’t only get to report your highest score to schools, you have to report them all. Your only saving grace is to show you worked hard and raised your score, if significantly, but that likely won’t save you when you’re up against the millions of other students who got it right the first time. Not only that, Harvard, BU, etc. want brilliant students who don’t screw up the LSATS ever. So «working hard» is not usually on their radar.
So, if you didn’t get the grandest score (for whatever reason) let me tell you a little something about NESL.
It is a small school. I’m graduating with around 400 other students, which makes up 2 day division sections, a night section, and other part timers who will be graduating this year. The first year classes, however, are large (mine was around 150).
I think it has a lot to offer, however.
The professors are very personable. Many of them have open-​door policies and are on hand all the time. As with any school, you get some shitty professors, but it’s all on taste and after first year you can start to find out which ones you like better and all those you want to avoid. They all have great backgrounds and therefore a lot to offer. I’ve talked with many of them about things e.g. work-​related issues, how to find jobs in the area, how to go about getting the career I want, etc. I especially like the part-​timers and adjuncts b/​c they’re usually lawyers in the area and have great connections. One spent a bit of time with me talking about how students from smaller schools can see about getting into the larger firms.
The clinical program is well ran and an extreme asset. I’m a little jealous of the program they have at Northeastern (They go to classes part of the year and work full-​time the other part, but I don’t know much more about it than that) b/​c I really value experience. The best part about it is that you can really make it your own and get as much experience out of it as you want.
You do not, thank god, get the competition I hear horror stories about at other schools. There’s no hiding books or ruining someone’s computer or other shit going on. There’s a little petty stuff, but the atmosphere is very collegiate and you’ll find lots of help from your fellow classmates or upperclassmen.
The library is well staffed and organized. You can find most anything you want. They’re also very knowledgeable about Westlaw and Lexis (where I spend most of my researching time) and so you can get a lot of help there.
Some of the bad stuff has been noted as well in my three years.
Truth be told, the career services staff does really suck. I’ve found more work through the clinical program and professors than I have through them. They have a bit of helpful resources (online job postings, resume and cover writing help), but they’re a bit of a nuisance to deal with. Every time I’ve sought them out for help they’ve been really aloof and kind of just ready to get me out of there (except for the head of the staff who now no longer works there, stupid move on their part). They’re a little focused on touting the few students who make it into big firms, and this can seem misleading. Just in general I’ve found them to be very unhelpful.
So, having opened the door to the big-​firm talk, the truth is that going to NESL will likely not get you into a big firm. Those firms can get Harvard and BU and they just don’t need NESL students. There are larger firms who seem to hire more from NESL and Suffolk, but you pretty much have to be tip top of your class to get those gigs.
But then you may decide big firm isn’t for you, and if that’s the case NESL will be a ton of help. Partly b/​c NESL alums who work in various settings are often totally pro-​NESL students and there’s something to be said for that. Just like big firms will hire Harvard students for the name, those lawyers will hire NESL students for the NESL name. I’ve found this to be pretty helpful. If you want to work public interest or just get your feet wet speaking in courtroom-​like settings, there is always the clinical office hiring students. It’s a great opportunity and best of all, it’s so close to campus that even busy students can usually get the experience.
To Jeremy, I’m sorry you had such a poor experience in law school. Sucks when something doesn’t turn out to be what you think it is, such as a legal career (it was a big shock to me too), but blaming the catalyst for bringing about that realization will do you no good. To anyone reading this and considering NESL I say go in w/​an open mind.
Oh, almost forgot, though it’s super expensive any way you look at it, it is the cheapest accredited school in the city. That’s always nice.

Worst. Law. School. Ever.
First off, do not go to law school, the profession is losing the luster it once had and for those thinking they will make the big bucks, you are solely mistaken. NESL has a poor reputation in Boston and after going there, I am not surprised. I was not impressed with the teaching and the career services office is horrible. They don’t work for you and misinterpret the hiring data after law school. The fact that they are an «independant» school is only hurting its image. If they would just sell out to a bigger college then the school would have a higher reputation.
Trust me, you are better off getting your MBA. If you are stuck on getting into law school — stay away from NESL at all costs. Work on getting your LSAT up and getting into a better school because that is all law firms care about.

I like it. Seriously, it’s a small school and that comes with certain limitations. However, I decided to attend because this school really seemed to care about the students. They kept sending letters from Professors offering advice and answers to any questions. They sent my essay back with a personal and relevant message. They really seemed to put more effort into personal interaction than the other schools I was choosing from did. I also like the history. It’s the only law school in the nation founded to educate women. Knowing how hard it was for women to get taken seriously in the legal world, I think that’s an awesome reason to found a law school.