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I just finished applying to schools for this fall. I have a question- how important is it to stay in the state you want to practice in? I'm clerking at a large plaintiff litigation firm in downtown Los Angeles right now and the general consensus amongst the young attorneys seems to be that you can leave the state if it's a T-14 school- but otherwise, stay in state and use those connections/networking. For me, the issue is that the best schools I've gotten into are out of the state- Miami, Loyola Chicago, Chicago Kent. That's pretty much my range. The schools in CA that I've gotten into are much lower ranked (lower as in worse). I'm waiting for San Diego (around the same ranking) but otherwise it's looking to be Santa Clara with a good scholarship.

Luckily a lot of the attorneys here have either gone to Loyola or Southwestern- which are ranked much differently than each other. so there's hope I think..... I hope..... haha

Thank you for any advice!!!

TCR is that rankings don't really matter when you're in UCSD/miami/chicago-kent territory so if california is your goal you should absolutely go to santa clara.

But what you should really do is read up on the employment statistics of those schools and retake the LSAT.

Don't go to any of those schools.

Is La Verne, Southwestern, Cal Western, or Western State on a full ride an option? If not retake and get the full ride and get a job where you are now. You can probably work for them throughout school, just dont lose your scholarship

Retake.

If not retake, then absolutely stay in the state you want to practice in. Going to Chicago-Kent with it's 50% employment rate and trying to go back to Chicago is absolutely going to be one of the worst decisions of your life. If you stay in state your connections with the legal world will most likely help you get a job because you'll still clerk and whatnot for them.

A) Use LST score reports & expected debt taking into account CoL shifts to judge schools not USNWR.

B) Dude, slap yourself. You've got, purportedly an in at a firm where they know you're going to school. You're not likely to get biglaw out of any of those places. Get your LSAT up to the point where you can get a, preferably stip-less, full ride to any of the near by schools, work at self-same firm part-time during school. Get employment through them afterwards. You're solid. 'grats bro.