Top Law Schools

Duq I'll have 12k + (just started negotiations)
Pitt I'm at sticker

Either way I am leaving the area after graduation. My fiance will be going elsewhere for residency once he graduates med school, and that'll be when I graduate as well.
I'm fine with the issues of finding a job out of region because I have specific work experience and networking that will help me, so let's sidebar that for the moment.

So my main question is, if I'm going to take one of these degrees out of the region, which one is better? It is always better to have higher ranking, or are they both so useless that I should just take the cheaper of the two? My lawyer-uncles have both come into contact with Duquesne grads outside of the PA region doing fine. Neither of them have seen Pitt lawyers in their careers. Of course that's just them.
But I know Pitt has a lot more opportunities, I can more easily get internships and do more specialty classes. So that's great as well.

Thanks for any advice

My uncle actually saw a Duq lawyer outside of Pittsburgh once too. This must be more than coincidence. Clearly Duq is a national school, so go there duh.

So do you think the extra price tag at pitt going to be worth it if the Pitt degree isn't going to help me any more than the Duq degree outside of the area? Or maybe it will!

Honestly unless you have a specific job lined up, getting legal work outside of pittsburgh will be difficult from either of these schools. Pitt obviously has more name recognition outside of PA, most people have never even heard of Duq.

OP, what are your expectations? What type of law are you hoping to practice and in what geographic region?

I don't know right now what my *ideal* career with a law degree will be, it might end up being public interest or family law or something else. But I have a 10 year work history in customs trade regulations will help with something in the government or corporate realm. So if I'm desperate for a job I can come back into that field.

Pitt is the better choice, in my opinion, since it is known nationally while Duquesne is only well known in Western Pennsylvania.

thanks everyone for your opinions. it helps a lot! I do feel like Pitt makes more sense, especially since Duq didn't make the top 145 at all. It's hard to actually pay sticker, but I guess reality because i don't want to re-take the LSAT.

OP, while I think sticker out-of-state for Pitt is steep, it is probably preferable to Duquesne with a small scholly. FWIW, in Philly, I've seen a few Pitt grads, but absolutely no Duq grads.

You will never leave Pittsburgh with a Dusquene degree. Honestly it wont be terribly easy with Pitt degree either but it is at least possible. Its really not a good decision to go to a regional school with no plans to stay in that region while taking out 150k+ in debt so I suggest picking a region you wanna settle down in and going there but if thats not an option then I guess Pitt.

I've never been to Pittsburgh, so I don't know this - Is "Duq" pronounced like "Duke?" If so, I think you should go there so you can tell people you meet out and about you got your law degree from "Duq."

As long as you didn't sign a pre-nup, you're in a good place.

thanks again everyone. it helps so much to hear other opinions!