<p>Does law school OoS make any sense? Is it best to study in the state you plan to practice in?</p>
<p>You can go to any ABA approved law school in any state and then take the bar exam to be admitted in another subject. To take the exam in the other state, you may be subject to some residency requirements such as you may need to have the intent to either live or practice there.</p>
<p>No, you don't have to go to school in the state you practice in. The more famous law schools (Harvard, Yale, Columbia, BU, etc.) are national in scope. For example, I went to BU and am licensed to practice in MA, NY and PA.</p>
<p>State law schools do tend to be more "locally focused."</p>
<p>You might want to consider a local law school if you know you want to practice in that state AND you aren't going to one of the top law schools that everybody wants to recruit from. That way you'll be able to get summer jobs and maybe part time work during the school year at local firms which can lead to full time employment afterwards. And you'll make connections just with the other students and faculty which will be valuable for networking after.</p>
<p>Other than the situation Muffy suggests, the only situation I know of where you really should try to go to school in state is if you want to practice in Wisconsin--graduates of the state's law schools don't have to take the bar exam! That could save you a few thousand dollars in bar prep materials, and a whole lot of studying and worry.</p>
<p>If you notice the numbers, most kids that attend top tier law schools take the NY bar, etc. It's not necessary.</p>
<p>There are a few states such as California that have law schools that are accredited by the state bar, and not by the ABA. If you attend one of those schools, you may not be eligible to sit for the bar in other states.</p>
<p>Aside from those schools, and aside from the top tier of schools, your job prospects are likely to be better if you attend a law school that's physically close to where you want to practice. Many lawyers have something of an affinity for graduates of their own alma mater when making hiring decisions, but more importantly, smaller firms (which are more apt to hire graduates of schools outside the top tier) are more likely to interview on-campus at local schools, and less inclined by fly in potential candidates for interviews.</p>