What to look for in a law school depends on several important factors, which I discuss in detail below. Having a successful law school experience and after helping many of my undergraduate students who were law school hopefuls, I believe the following factors will greatly assist you in selecting the best law school for your needs.
DETERMINE YOUR PASSION
There are as many different types of lawyers as there are law schools. You need to decide what kind of lawyer you want to be and find a school that cultivates those interests. There are lawyers who are in court all day and lawyers who never see a courthouse. There are lawyers who only work with treasure hunters (I know one and sometimes wish I were him!) and there are lawyers who only work with the elderly. There are environmental lawyers who protect endangered species and those who work to open wilderness areas to development. Decide what you love, because practicing law is hard no matter what you do, so you might as well love the subject matter.
Once you determine the area(s) of law you want to practice in, you need to find a school that specializes in that field. For example, you won't find many schools specializing in admiralty (maritime) law in the Midwest. A big mistake is to think that all law schools will be the same. While your first year in law school will be fairly uniform, that all changes in your second year when you are allowed to take electives. Each law school will pride itself on its specialty, which will depend on location, faculty, and alumni/donor interests.
Doing this research is fairly easy now with the internet. Simply "Google" your subject matter and "law school" in a single search and you will be well on your way. Another good search method is to seek out professionals in your area of interest and ask their opinion on the best school(s).
DETERMINE YOUR BUDGET
While it's easy for some to recommend going to the highest ranked school, that just isn't in the cards for a lot of us. Besides, these days it isn't so much how well ranked your school is, but how well ranked you are in your school. If you graduate in the top ten percent and have strong experience (e.g. summer internships or clerkships), then you will be fine. In fact, if you are able to land a summer internship at a firm you like and perform well, you've got a foot in the door for any job opening.
Sifting through the schools you've chosen by specialty by then looking at cost is fairly easy as that information is readily available on each school's website. If you are heading out of town to school, also look at cost-of-living statistics, travel to and from home, and your cost of books (which is quite expensive).
Also, ask the school's recruiter about scholarship opportunities. All law schools have a board or file with open scholarships. These are particularly helpful if you are going to a school in your home state as many scholarships are funded by alumni from certain parts of the state and used to assist students from that area. There are also numerous writing contests for law students that offer scholarship money (and resume enhancement) as prizes. Both scholarships and writing contests can help lower the financial burden of law school and too few students take advantage of the opportunities.
Finally, ask about the school's loan forgiveness program. Many schools will forgive all or a part of your student loans if you meet particular criteria. For example, a school that specializes in environmental law might have loan forgiveness for students who go to work for non-profit environmental organizations.
DETERMINE WHERE YOU WANT TO PRACTICE
If you are certain that you want to practice in Indiana, then think hard before heading off to Louisiana or Oregon, or New York, or wherever for law school. By going to law school in the state you plan to practice in, you gain several advantages.
First, schools tend to, by default, teach the law of the state they are located in. Why learn about New York state law and the New York court system, when you plan on practicing in Ohio with different state law and differently structured court system? That's just more you'll have to learn in order to pass the Ohio bar exam. New York schools will structure their curriculum where possible to help their students pass the New York bar exam. Ohio schools will do the same, and so on. In fact, you'll learn most of what you need to pass the state portion of your bar exam in your first year of law school. So going to a school in the state you plan to be admitted makes a lot of sense, if all the other factors fall in line as well.
Second, who you know doesn't quite trump what you know, but it sure doesn't hurt when looking for legal employment. By going to a school close to where you want to practice you will begin meeting your future colleagues, future employers, and the judges that will decide your future cases. There will be law school events, lectures, alumni dinners, mentorship opportunities, and local job postings scattered around the law school. Local lawyers will be doing research in the school's law library and some will be teaching classes as adjuncts. After three years of rubbing shoulders and making good impressions with these folks, you'll have created a distinct advantage over others who are entering the local job market after being away at law school for three years.
Third, your law school classmates will become your colleagues. You'll have gained strong friends (and maybe a nemesis or two) during three grueling years of legal studies. These are people you can tap for favors, law work, and friendship once you become a working stiff. These connections are more likely to be stronger and more useful, the closer you are to where you went to school.
Finally, law schools aren't just helpful in teaching you the law, they also help you get employed after you graduate. But, this help is going to be strongest in the region where the law school resides. That's where the roots and resources of the school are strongest. Plus, proximity is pretty important if that help means you have to go into the placement office weekly to check the latest crop of job postings.
Law school is a big step, legal education is a difficult three-year period, and practicing law is a challenging profession. But you don't have to abdicate control of your destiny by taking the rote recommendations of going to the highest ranked school you can. You will do better at law school, be a better lawyer, and be a happier person if you determine your passion, determine your budget, determine your location, and make a selection that is in line with those goals.