Top Law Schools

Hey all,

I'd appreciate people sharing their thoughts on this - I'm still collecting some info but I'd like to decide before April 15 so I'm in the process of gathering opinions.

Schools: (debt includes interest)
- USC total debt $53k
- UCLA total debt $68.6k
- UT Austin total debt $80.6k
- Duke total debt $147k
- Berkeley sticker price - total debt $182k

Relevant info:
-3.8 GPA from Stanford, 167 LSAT (first and only try); I have 4 years of generally awesome WE and an MA as well.
-Husband will cover COL (thus the above debt is only tuition and fees) although expense of the area will play a role in the decision.
-Husband has significant ties to LA that would assist with his employment, etc (although not really near either school - LA is so big!). His family also lives there, and could potentially provide childcare (which isn't necessary now but could be in the next few years). LA is VERY expensive though and the commute would suck for one of us so the quality of life issue is a negative for USC and UCLA.
-Husband and I love love Austin but have no ties to TX (and I recognize that I can't bank on finding a job in Austin upon graduation). Raleigh could potentially be cool too - we've done research but haven't visited yet. Both are inexpensive and would allow us to buy property, which would be a plus.
-Biggest issue: I'd really like to settle long term in the area in which I go to law school so as to avoid uprooting my husband again. So - go to school in LA, stay in LA, etc.
-I don't particularly want to spend a career in big law due to the lifestyle issues, but I don't want to close any doors in my selection of law school either. A year or two to get a big name on my résumé would be a possibility.
-I haven't tried to negotiate with UT, Duke or Berkeley so UT may be willing to match UCLA... I doubt Duke will come down though. Berkeley may match Duke if they're feeling friendly.
-Finally, I've attended USC, UCLA and UT open house days, and came away somewhat unimpressed with UT which was a big disappointment. Maybe I just interacted with the wrong people?

What are your thoughts? I recognize that retaking may seem like a good option for me but my husband and I moved last year to be with my mother to assist with some health problems and we need to move this summer. We're not interested in another temporary, year-long arrangement so it's unlikely I'll choose to retake and reapply but I appreciate any input you may have!

I didn't vote in the poll.

You want to settle long-term in the area in which you attend law school. That really simplifies things.

If you want to live in Northern California, go to Berkeley.

If you want to live in North Carolina, go to Duke.

If you want to live in LA, go to USC or UCLA (or Berkeley if Boalt gives you some scholarship money).

If you don't like those options, retake.

Oh, and as you've figured out, don't go to UT planning to work in Austin. You gotta be ready to live/work in Houston or Dallas.

You are correct! The problem is that we're flexible - these are all awesome areas and I've moved around enough to know that we could build an awesome life anywhere (esp since I've already weeded out cold climates). This might be too complex a discussion for a web forum but I figured any input might be helpful in helping me gradually limp towards this decision.

Thought about retaking? If you don't want to live somewhere for 3 years and then leave again, Duke is likely out. Also, I think you have to be ok with LA if you choose Berkeley (someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I figure that not all Berkeley kids can get SF and some have to take LA). I would cross off the other 3 if you really want biglaw. If you are cool not getting it, then USC for $53 (I'll assume $53,000) is a pretty good deal.

If you like LA then USC is the play here. I suppose if you strongly prefer UCLA for whatever reason, then the extra 15k is justifiable. Maybe it's reasonable to say that you should choose the school that you like better out of the two, although 15k is a non-negligible disparity and any more than that and I'd say to choose USC over UCLA. Of course, the suggestion here assumes you like LA and want to work there long-term. It seems like choosing LA would help your husband with his job, so that's a bonus.

I wouldn't choose Duke. You're not completely anti-biglaw it appears but if you're only into the idea of doing it for a year or two, then don't take on $147k debt. The cool thing about either LA school is that if your grades are high enough and you obtain biglaw, then staying a year would be alright for you due to the relatively small amount of loans you'd have. I wouldn't choose Berkeley either for the same reason. But Berkeley does have the SF area in its favor if you suddenly became biglaw-focused. Despite that, I'd personally still take USC as their biglaw numbers are respectable and it's the most affordable school you're picking from.

I'd rule UT out because you said you didn't like it, it's sufficiently more expensive than the LA schools, and from what I've heard it's tough to get something without ties in Texas.

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What's your career goal? I know you don't want biglaw, but what do you want? Are you looking at Public Interest, being in a in-house lawyer, or working at a smaller firm or working for yourself? Or do you have some other goal? It's hard to give advice when we don't know what your endgame is career-wise. Each of those would require a different set of advice/level of school, etc...

If you're unsure about that, retaking for a higher score is your best bet. You have basically everything you need: a great GPA and WE. Not closing any doors would basically mean you want to go to the best law school you can, but you can't take on the huge debt numbers listed here for Duke and B because you'd need biglaw to handle that. I think 5-7 LSAT points would do wonders for your options.

It's nice that you're considering your husband and I get it, but think about YOU a little more and that will give you some clarification.

I'm finding it hard to vote against UCLA or USC in this situation. Berkeley's a tad bit expensive for someone who isn't sure of whether or not they want big law, expecially when UCLA and USC are much cheaper. As much as I like UTexas, it isn't worth uprooting your family to move towards, especially if you only want Austin (I seriously don't know what people on TLS have against Dallas or Houston, but so be it).

Interesting what you said about the ASD for Texas. I actually liked most of the people I met, but I did feel a few of the people I talked with were dull as hell. I kinda wish they gave us more time to meet people rather than bury us with panels, but it is what it is.

Duke actually does well in CA, but I wouldn't take it over Cal in your case.