Top Law Schools

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-The schools you are considering
-The total Cost of Attendance (COA) of each. COA = cost of tuition + fees + books + cost of living (COL) + accumulated interest - scholarships.
-How you will be financing your COA, i.e. loans, family, or savings
-Where you are from and where you want to work, and other places where you have significant ties (if any)
-Your general career goals
-Your LSAT/GPA numbers
-How many times you have taken the LSAT

Providing the above information will make it easier for people to give advice. You listed most of it, but knowing where you want to work / what kind of law you want to practice will help. Cornell is good for NYC biglaw, but if you want to work in LA, then one of the two Cali schools might be the better option. USC and UCLA for cheap can be good options as well, but neither is terrific for biglaw, so, again, it depends on what you want to do and where you want to do it.

Also, did UCLA offer you zero in merit aid, or have you simply not heard from them yet?

^ If he/she wanted to work in Cali long term, wouldnt he have a better shot by going to Cornell, try to get something in Cali, if not, do NYC biglaw then lateral to LA biglaw? Or is it lateralling to LA unlikely?

I would take Cornell. Unless you have significant family/significant other constraints keeping you in Los Angeles.

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