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Im a recent graduate of a state school this past spring. I graduated with just barely above a 3.0(LSAC GPA). I took the LSAT in June and got a 165. I am working at a law firm as a paralegal this year and really enjoy it. I am also a black male.

I think I have a good shot at getting into some good schools but the high debt and job prospects make me concerned about this 3 year highly risky investment.

Suggestions??

What's the next best option?

Do you want to be a lawyer?

Yeah I do want to be a lawyer. I have alway considered it and now working as a paralegal I see atleast one type of law(insurance-civil litigation) and think I would enjoy it. I would like a decent shot at big law though. As for other options, keep working as a paralegal for now i guess. I would eventually like to own a mens clothing store lol.

Since you are a URM, you can probably get into a decent school with money, despite your lower numbers. However, since you also have a job that you enjoy, I would advise you to wait. The economy is awful, and the legal economy is even worse; there is too much risk and uncertainty right now about job prospects for future and recent grads, even from the best law schools. So, if you can, just wait on the sidelines for a few more years until the economy heals and legal hiring picks up. In the meantime, you can always work to improve your LSAT.

It does sound like you want to be a lawyer, and since you're an AA male, you'll get the URM boost. If I recall correctly, URM splitter cycles are very hard to gauge. The next step would be to start searching through LSN to see what potential schools you could get into:

http://search.lawschoolnumbers.com/applications

A quick search leads me to believe that you may have a shot at some lower T14 schools. And then also have a look through Tier 1 regional schools you'd be interested (e.g., look at USC/UCLA if interested in working in SoCal, look into WUSTL if interested in working in the Midwest, etc.)

I'm sure someone with more experience with URM cycles can help you out much better than I could.

URM status with that lsat should get you into some good schools, i would say that your in with $$$ somewhere around the t30 (someone correct me if im wrong, not sure how much that gpa will hurt you). also, you could retake and if you do better maybe they would pay less attention to your gpa. if you want to be a lawyer, and work hard in law school, i think you will be fine, cause you will most likely get into a decent school

You want to be a lawyer and you are AA with a decent LSAT score. I think it could be worthwhile. See my PM.

Also, post in the URM forums for better advice.

ETA: look into Northwestern since you have some WE.