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brotherdarkness wrote:I'll give you my anecdotal experience and then ask some follow-up questions to flesh this out.

I spent my 1L year at a school that feeds the Chicago market. I have a lot of family in Chicago, but 1L was the first time I'd lived in the region. I'm from California and transferred to Berkeley. Before I left Chicago, I met with a few Chicago firms. At Berkeley's OCI, I met with more Chicago firms. In total, I interviewed with about 5 Chicago firms and was rebuffed from them all. One interviewer flat out said that, had I truly wanted to live and work in Chicago (he said this in a tone that made it very clear he thought I was lying when I said I wanted to be there), I should not have left my 1L school or transferred to NU or UChi. So, in my experience, leaving a market can be fatal.

Now, had I been a resident of Chicago before law school or had more substantive ties, things might have been different. As such, it's important to know of your ties to New Jersey. Are you from the area, or is law school your first time living in the market?

Additionally, I transferred to a school in my home state which is thousands of miles from the Chicago market. You can transfer up and still remain in the region. I don't know if New Jersey firms would see you as a flight risk if, rather than transfer to a school on the other side of the country, you aim for schools like Columbia, NYU, or even Penn. Which schools are you considering? If you say you're thinking of coming out to California, for example, I'd advise against doing so if New Jersey is your target market.

brotherdarkness wrote:I was hoping you wouldn't say GULC. It's just far enough away for me to be hesitant suggesting that you go for it, but just close enough for me to be uncomfortable saying that it's a bad idea.

Let's suppose you are admitted to GULC and your school is unwilling to re-negotiate your scholarship. Would you be comfortable bidding both New Jersey and New York as a means of protecting your ass? Is it New Jersey biglaw or bust, or New Jersey biglaw or any biglaw?

How does your current school do with the New Jersey firms you're interested in?

brotherdarkness wrote:In that case, I would apply to other schools with the goal of staying at your school with a hefty scholarship.