<p>Assuming two California schools are ranked higher than the two NYC schools (which they are from the rankings that I've read), and that I want to live in NYC after graduating law school, would you recommend choosing one of the two CA schools over the NYC schools?</p>
<p>My concern is that NYC schools may have better career placement opportunities in NYC, while it may be more difficult to get a job in an NYC firm coming from CA, even though the CA schools are ranked better. Is my concern a valid one?</p>
<p>Yes, your concern is a valid one. If it were Boalt v. Brooklyn, go for Boalt. However, USC or UCLA v. either NYC school - the NYC will give you much more opportunities (jobs, on-campus recruiting, networking, alumni) in NYC than the CA schools will. Basic rule: unless you go to Harvard or Yale, where you attend law school will matter in terms of where you end up. This happens to a greater extent the lower you get on the food chain. A top 10 law school grad can still practice almost anywhere (although there is still a strong geographical bias in terms of recruiting & alums), while a third-tier grad is going to work in that city.</p>
<p>Flip to the back of US News, graduate edition. You'll find that (my guess) only about 5% of UCLA/USC grads go to work in the mid-Atlantic (I think NYC falls there), while the majority of Brooklyn and Fordham grads work there.</p>
<p>There is also the issue of "why" - most firms want to know why you want to work in that city. Living there is a good way to demonstrate that you are serious about staying there. If you've lived in CA all your life, it'll be hard to say with a straight face that you want to move to NYC and live there indefinitely - and most firms will think that you'll be back to the warm weather and beaches within a few years.</p>
<p>Y'all are free to disagree. I'm not saying that the OP can't get a NYC job from the CA schools - clearly, it's done all the time - but I firmly believe that it's a heck of a lot easier coming from (roughly!) similarly-ranked schools in NYC.</p>