There are about 200 law schools in the US and about 50,000 entering law school each year. Lawyers are perhaps more status aware than other professions and it matters quite a bit where you went to law school, at least for one's initial job. The top law schools as rated by USNWR are referred to as the T14 from Yale on down to Georgetown. If you attend at T14 law school you will have a pretty good shot at getting what is referred to as a "big law" job upon graduating if that is what you want. Starting salaries at big law firms often move in lock step with the most recent figures averaging $155K with many firms paying $190K. If you don't work in big law, if you work in public interest or a government legal job the salaries are significantly lower probably in the $50K - $85K range. And then there are those attorneys who cannot find a job requiring a law degree. For graduates of law schools like Yale, Harvard or U.Chicago most if not all students would have the opportunity to work in big law. For students attending one of the bottom 50 rates law schools only the very top students would have big law options. My daughter just went through the admissions process last fall so it is fresh in my mind. The legal profession remains a good career field but if you don't have the LSAT score and GPA and the financial means to attend a highly rated law school you may be disappointed about your career options after graduating