OP -- While I appreciate that you own a condo here you don't want to give up, unless you have a spouse here who can't lose a job or children in school or care for elderly parents, etc., I think you need to reexamine the premise of your question. You are about to potentially spend something like $240K on a 3 year law school eduction (depending on aid), plus the opportunity cost of not working full time.

You must have a good undergrad record and some confidence in your ability to do well on the LSAT as these are both very competitive schools. Why in the world would you limit yourself? Are you sure that you have no shot at HLS, YLS, Penn, Columbia, etc.? The only other law school in the DC area remotely close to either of those would be GW -- and note I use the term "remotely." . Anyone with a serious chance at UVA or GTwon should not be applying to any other law schools in the area except as a safety. You can always sell rent or sell your condo if you lived out of the area unless your've figured out already that such a move would substantially decrease your financial aid award -- in that case I can maybe see your point. This also depends on just what you want to do with your law degree. GTown vs UVA if you do well you willl have plenty of employment opportunities, but not the same as if you do equally well (after maybe the top 5 -10 students) at higher ranked schools.

I had this same quandry years ago. I had been living and working in DC, so I really wanted to stay. But, the total cost was a lot less in VA, even with out of state tuition.

I ended up going to UVA law, graduated and moved on with life. The schools are very different b/c GT Law is much larger and people are coming and going. At UVA law, it is a much smaller and contained community. There is both good and bad in that. It is easier to get to know others and the

school, but it can be a little too contained after your first year.

Honestly, I think it would have been better for me to go to GT and maintain the work connections I had and improve them. I did work in Charlottesville during the school year. That was pretty unusual. I worked at the local prosecutor's office. In DC, it would be very common for law students to work during the year. Financially, it was cheaper to attend UVA Law (not cheap at all, but cheaper than GT). So, it was a reasonable call to choose UVA. And I thought the teaching was good at UVA. No complaints on the quality of education. Charlottesville is a great place, but sometimes the law school felt too small-minded. And yes, it is has some more conservative/libertarian professors. That draws more "federalist" leaning students. Not all. But, probably a less progressive student body than you would find at GT.

From the contacts/continuing to work perspective, I probably should have gone to GT. But, both are/were good options. I am proud that I got into UVA and graduated from there. However, if $$ wasn't an issue, (and I were making the decision again), I probably would choose GT.