Could someone "idiot check" my plans for law school?

[ScottRiqui]

If I want to end up doing IP law in the Dallas area and can't get into UT (crappy uGPA from 1994), how good/bad of a second choice is SMU? Also, if I decide that I'm willing to leave the state for law school, how much further up the rankings would I need to go to find a school that's objectively better than SMU for someone who wants to do IP work in Dallas?

I'd be attending under the GI Bill, so the tuition/fees at any public university would be covered 100%, and the tuition/fees at a private university would be discounted at least $18k/year, possibly up to 100% if the school participates in the Yellow Ribbon program.

[timbs4339]

What IP experience/degrees do you have?

[WhirledWorld]

SMU is the best law school in Dallas. In a less competitive field like IP, you'll probably do just fine.

[ScottRiqui]

What IP experience/degrees do you have?

B.S. in Computer Science & Engineering, M.S. in Applied Physics. I'll be coming off a twenty-year Navy career when I start law school, so no work experience that's directly related to IP.

[3ThrowAway99]

If I want to end up doing IP law in the Dallas area and can't get into UT (crappy uGPA from 1994), how good/bad of a second choice is SMU? Also, if I decide that I'm willing to leave the state for law school, how much further up the rankings would I need to go to find a school that's objectively better than SMU for someone who wants to do IP work in Dallas?

I'd be attending under the GI Bill, so the tuition/fees at any public university would be covered 100%, and the tuition/fees at a private university would be discounted at least $18k/year, possibly up to 100% if the school participates in the Yellow Ribbon program.

In your case I think SMU could be a good option, especially if you want to stay in TX. If you can't get into UT, then you probably won't get any other schools that are more worth attending (e.g. T14 level) than SMU, unless you crush the LSAT (e.g. 172+ perhaps, depending on GPA) in which case NU could make sense all other things equal. But given your situation I think SMU is a fine option.... as long as you want to do IP work and stay in TX, and have the creds in hard science to do so.

[grace123]

How exactly is IP less competitive?

If you want to practice in Dallas, then just go to SMU unless you can get in somewhere in the T14 with a really good scholarship. Just do really good on your LSAT, you will get into UT regardless of your uGPA if you do well enough.

If you get into a top 25 school like WUSTL, Minnesota, ASU, etc., I would highly doubt they place better in Dallas than SMU.

[stillwater]

ASU is a dump. dont go there. its a TTT.

[worldtraveler]

Just how bad is this GPA? You actually have pretty awesome softs, and substantive military experience is looked upon pretty highly in some cases. I think if you can get the LSAT, you would have a better chance at UT than you might think.