I am basing my advice on the fact that attend John Marshall law school.
Go to Depaul or Loyola. Almost no one transfers out successfully from JMLS. Additionally, JMLS requires professors to give grade of D or F to "no fewer than 10% and no more than 20% of the class" while Depaul, most reasonably, require professors to adhere to a curve that requires a grade of "C or below" to 15%-20% of the class.
JMLS fails out more students every year than all the other law schools in the state combined by a wide margin.
While I realize you are probably thinking "this won't happen to me", that's what everyone says. I've seen students with exemplary LSAT and UGPA's fail out, so the point is that it CAN happen to you.
Given the choice to do it all over again, I'd have waited another cycle for a shot to go anywhere else.
Steer clear of JMLS. One of my former fellow students gave up admission to Kent because JMLS offered him scholarship money. I haven't seen him since finals and can confirm that he was booted. If he wants to return, he can wait a full academic calendar year and petition for readmission or wait two academic calendar years and apply elsewhere. I spoke with him a few days ago and, for now, he's decided to get a master's degree instead and forget about law school altogether.
JMLS has the WORST grading curve for 1L's, which is funny because it becomes virtually impossible to get below a C 2L and beyond in any class unless you swear at your professors and/or sexually molest their children.
I would advise ANYONE considering attending JMLS that has already gained acceptance elsewhere to avoid the school like the plague.
While I'm sure I sound bitter, I doubt you will find any contrary opinions in light of the information available here:
http://www.jmls.edu/students/student_handbook.pdfand the data available on LSAC.org.
Prior year data regarding academic attrition for JMLS was 42 students.
Kent: 10
Depaul: 11
Loyola: 1
U of C: 0
U of I: 1
NIU: 2
Northwestern: 0
SIU: 2
Fun with numbers!
All law schools in Illinois, not including JMLS, academically dismissed a grand total of 27 students. JMLS, by themselves, dismissed 42! I'm no math whiz, but that speaks to an institutional issue and not to the quality of student.
Put another way, you are 42 times more likely to face academic dismissal from JMLS than you are from Loyola and almost 4 times as likely than at Depaul.
This is not a commentary as to the quality of education or student, but rather a bit of damning evidence as to a fundamental institutionalized rate of failure due entirely to a ridiculous, meaningless, arbitrary requirement that for every class at JMLS, no fewer than 10% and no more than 20% of all students must receive a D or an F. No other school so harshly attempts to demoralize and dismiss students.
There are other reasons to elect to go to the other schools you have been accepted at, but none more obvious than this.
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