[shinerbock]

I think name may matter a little less than people think, depending on what you wanna do. Of course a Yale or a UVA is gonna look great and help ensure employment, but I think it depends on what you want to do. I lucked up and was accepted at the top tier schools I applied to, but they're not the nationwide resume boosters. Thus, from talking to a good many friends who are in law school and those who have moved on, I think class position should probably be your focus. Obviously your plans post grad have a big role as well. One thing I found, being from Atlanta, is that you're probably just as likely to get that lucrative summer program with one of the local big 4(King and Spalding, Kilpatrick Stockton, Alston Bird, Troutman Sanders) by attending Georgia State(a decent school) as you are attending the much higher ranked UGA(34th nationally). I asked a couple of people about this who are attorneys in ATL firms, and they told me that students familiar with and living in the city are the surest long term bets. Thus, if you've been living downtown for the last 3 years, you're probably pretty comfortable with the urban setting, and theres a greater chance you'll be a good longterm choice for the firm. Even if it were more unequal, lets say a Ga State student v. an Emory grad, class position and involvement (law review, moot court, mock trial), may very well determine your fate. Thus, going to the lesser school (GSU) and performing excellently would probably be more advantageous than being a middle of the road student at Emory. This probably extends to most schools, save the very elite, and the lower tier. So I was advised like this: if what you want is a mega firm where you'll make 6 figures starting out, go to the best school, or the close(geographic)-good alternative (If you can't get into UVA or Georgetown, go to American or George Mason). If you're interested in your resume, or wanna pursue a career in politics or obtain a clerkship, you should go to the absolute best school you can that is reasonable for your situation(This is me, I chose UGA over the higher ranked UNC and Emory, but over lower ranked schools like Alabama and Wake Forest). For my situation, I was told that Emory grads have a very small or nonexistant leg up on UGA grads, so the extra 20k a year wasn't worth it to me. Similarly, there was no need to attend an out of state school for just a couple of positions. If interested in the political/judicial type fields, I was told that your connections may be even more important than they are when trying to land that big firm gig, so a strong and loyal alumni base is also helpful. Now, I may find this not to be true upon graduation, but I've heard this advice from just about everyone I know in the field...go to the best law school you can afford, that you feel comfortable at, and that fits your future career needs...but regardless of where you end up, you can often make up for several US News spots by absolutely busting your ass.