Top Law Schools

Hi, I hope everyone is doing well.

I'm an international student.
My college grade (law major) is evaluated as "Above Average" by LSAC, and my LSAT is 165. No more retake chances in this year so that would be my highest score...

I earned an LL.M. degree from a T20 law school. GPA was 3.49.

I had 4 internships, 2 in my own country and 2 in the U.S., which were all less than 6 months.

I want to practice in CA (the most ideal would be in LA) after I graduate. I think UCI will be my best shot.
However, their LSAT median is 166. I'm worried that my LSAT is too low. And my LL.M. GPA is kinda low too.

Can anyone give me some thoughts about my chances to get into UCI?
If it's low, are there any second-best options?
I also have Minnesota, Notre Dame, Fordham, Pepperdine, UC Davis, UC Hastings and Loyola (LA) on my list. But I'm open to any other choices.

Many thanks!

Do you have a greencard already? You'll effectively need biglaw to sponsor your visa. UCI is a pretty hard gamble. You've got a 25% chance of biglaw. I would not take that chance. You need to go to a T20. Really, if you want to be in Los Angeles, it'll need to be UCLA or USC if you are looking at the T20. Otherwise, the traditionally T14 should be able to get you there with good grades, but I'll let others who are more familiar with cali market give advice on that front.
None of the schools you listed, not even UCI, will guarantee you getting a visa, and it would be pretty horrendous to spend 3 years here and not get one- add to that a sizeable debt load and things start to look even worse. Moreover, tbh idk how loans work for nongreencard holders, it would maybe have to be totally private loans, which would be pretty horrid.
You need to retake the LSAT and aim for a 167+. You might be able to get into USC with your current score (maybe even UCLA), but these schools are not worth sticker, and certainly not worth it via total private loans.
I'm a huge proponent of folks going to T1 regionals for the cheap and am not a biglaw or bust guy, but in your situation, you kinda need to be. I'd easily pull the trigger on USC total COA at 100-125 or so (and possibly even go further in debt for UCLA if I need biglaw in LA was the goal). But sticker via a private loan clears the 225k mark, if not more.
Best of luck