Top Law Schools

I am a 1L with a first semester GPA of 3.74, which is the top 5% at a regional Bay area law school. Currently, I have a conditional scholarship with which I would graduate with about 50K debt (including living in SF). I am open to different job prospects, but definitely favor private business law (not necessarily BigLaw). I also tend to move around a lot, so location flexibility would be a plus, even though I will likely end up in (Southern) California but may want to visit the East Coast.

1. What top law schools do I have a realistic chance of getting accepted into? (Berkeley, GULC, UCLA, USC)

2. What is the "cut-off" school in rankings that I would benefit transferring to? (Emory, UCI, Davis, Washington, Hastings, LMU, Pepperdine)

3. What schools should I apply to without necessarily having intend to attend, but merely be accepted into and use as scholarship negotiation leverage?

Looking forward to some helpful advice and happy holidays!

I'd apply early action to GULC, if you wanted to go anywhere.

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I've looked at the ABA reports, and will probably have a chance at Boalt, USC, UCLA, GULC, GWU. I don't think it would be worth to give up a full ride to go to Davis, UCI, or schools past GWU. I didn't realize how important school reputation is for law firms until recently, and unfortunately made a bad choice of accepting money over prestige...

How about my chances at Michigan, Northwestern, Cornell, Duke, NYU, Columbia if I pull my GPA up to around 3.85?

Outside of early action programs (such as GULC), you have zero chances at schools that don't have an EA program until you have second semester grades. Thus, any discussion of those schools prior to you obtaining a second set of grades is premature. With that said, you have a shot at GULC with your current 1L first semester grades.

For now, apply EA to GULC and other schools of interest that have an EA program. Just make sure that you are not bound.

If you maintain your grades, I would say that you have a very good chance at USC or one of the U.C. schools with the exception of Berkeley. I transferred to Boalt, and although I know of transfers from T3 schools in CA, those transfers claim to have been at the very top of their class. Nevertheless, if you maintain your rank or improve, I would at least try for Boalt.