Top Law Schools

I have in-state tuition at GSU, so money-wise GSU is a no brainer. Immediate family and friends are also here.
However, Miami is drawing me with the weather and alluring prospects of a more mobile degree. 42% of the students are out of state and, I also spoke with a 1L there who confirmed that obtaining employment outside of Florida is not an unreasonable expectation. Miami was also ranked in the top 20 law schools for super lawyers: can anyone comment on that?

And to stave off sarcastic comments: I expect to work in Atlanta or Miami for at least five years after law school and would be happy to live in either place. I expect to graduate and get a job that pays $30 or $40 a yr (of course hoping for more). I understand that I may not even obtain employment in the legal field. I graduated from UGA and do not want to go back there for law school. Whatever the rankings say, it is more convenient for me to live in a big city.

Basically I want the option to live and work outside of the southeast in the next 10-15 even 20 years. I have networking opportunities in DC and Philly. I know that law degrees are not super mobile in general, but I want to know which school has a better reputation.

I'm not sure if it is due to self-selection or because they can't get hired anywhere else, but people that go to Miami overwhelmingly decide to stay in Miami. It may be possible to leave, but there hasn't really been much of a precedent of it happening. http://www.lstscorereports.com/?school= ... b=location

What is the total COA of both choices?

I don't know anything about super lawyers other than it was used in the new National Jurist ranking system and was considered ridiculous. I haven't seen it mentioned around this site either. I would say it is just about worthless as a metric.

I don't know too much about GSU, but it does have a very low unemployed/underemployed score compared to other schools. http://www.lstscorereports.com/?school= ... =employers

Miami has shitty jerb prospects. GSU is somewhat better. Neither is portable. What is total CoA at each.

Protip: assuming you actually get a job, you're not gonna want to leave your clients, network, local goodwill, etc. to move to some rando place in 10 years

Those schools are both terrible enough that you should be looking at lowering your costs as much as possible to prepare you for the very real reality that you may not be able to get a legal job from either one.

LOL @ Miami being portable. It is not.

Miami is way cooler than Atlanta. But I wouldn't pay more to go there during law school. As a student, you will be pretty much broke and busy.

Also, do not listen to anything 1Ls have to say about legal employment. They do not know shit until they have 300 rejection letters piled up on their desk and no interviews at OCI.

I know someone at Miami trying to return to the north east with decent but not spectacular grades. Really not going well.
Also, by contacts do you mean a hiring partner that will hire you upon graduation? I have "contacts" who are attorneys, but I very much do not have contacts that could or would get me a job.

@empyreanrrv: i haven't calculated coa exactly, but tuition at gsu is almost $30k cheaper/year than at miami, and col in atlanta is slightly lower than miami. thanks for the employment statistics too!

@rad lulz: the prospect of being stuck living in any city for the rest of my working life sounds terrible! should i just not become a lawyer then? lol

@JCougar: thanks for the encouraging words. and yes, i am prepared to graduate with a shitty, non-legal job.
you sound like the guy who writes this awesome blog: http://thirdtierreality.blogspot.com/ Is your pessimistic attitude a product of an experience similar to his?
based on your logic i'd say: compared to miami gsu fronts less about how shitty it is. gsu is cheaper. gsu wins. is this correct?

@ImNoScar: how is the friend's job search going inside of miami? contacts, yes, are hiring partners.

The legal economy is shit. Not being a lawyer wouldn't be a terrible idea