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How hard and fast is the rule to attend a law school in the state you want to practice in?
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Hannah’s Answer
Attending school in the same state you plan to practice is helpful for networking and if there are particular state laws that you may need to know for taking the bar exam or practicing in your field (for example, common law states for family law), but I don't think it is a hard and fast rule by any means. Choose a law school based on quality and specialty in your intended field. I attended a school with a strong Environmental Law program and many students in that program had no intention of staying in state after graduation. Note - if you plan to practice somewhere specific, consider pursuing summer internships or clerkships in the city you'd like to live in after school.
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eliana’s Answer
You can take the bar in any state regardless of where you went to law school. The advantage of attending school where you want to practice is that the local firms may focus recruiting on the local law schools.
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Valerie’s Answer
In my opinion - academically, the quality of the law school is more important than the state it is in. But there are advantages to going to law school in the state or city in which you will be looking for work - since the schools usually will have relationships with local firms, companies, judges etc such that there are internship/clerking opportunities.