Can I get into law school?

165 is pretty good. Write a good personal statement and cover letter, it will help greatly.

According to http://officialguide.lsac.org/UGPASearch/Search3.aspx?SidString=, a 2.2/165 would give you a very strong shot, and 2.2/160 is still doable. Seriously though, the legal job market isn't what it used to be. There are too many graduates chasing too few jobs, and there are a lot of disappointed, underemployed new J.D.s out there with huge debt loads. The law school's http://www.law.louisville.edu/careers/employment-report reports a high rate of employment after graduation, but it's concerning in other ways. To begin with, law schools are notorious for fudging employment numbers, even going as far as to hire unemployed graduates to work in the library (for a minimal wage, of course). The reported median private-sector salary is only $55k, and this is likely overstated, since only 65% of private-sector respondents reported a salary (and non-reporters tend to have lower salaries). "Business and Industry" accounts for almost 15% of graduates, and this could very well indicate graduates who were unable to secure legal employment. Finally, it's not clear how many graduates left Kentucky after graduation because they wanted to and how many were unable to secure employment nearby. In your situation, I would make sure that you know what you're getting into. Be confident that you'll be able to secure local employment with median grades (because you can't rely on excelling at law school) at a salary that will let you pay your debt (if any) and support your family.

You'd get in, but I wouldn't go to Louisville. Unless you're at the top of your class (i.e. top 2) you're going to have a hard time getting out of Louisville. I'd listen to the prez. It's reputation doesn't carry anywhere, ,the job market is tight, and it's going to be tough sledding to get any sort of job that can outweigh the debt. If you do well on the LSAT, you can get into a respectable school. With that in mind, if you're serious about law school, be serious enough to relocate for it.

Here's some http://www.iveyfiles.com/2007/09/feast-or-famine.htmlon the top tier v. rest of the pack.

we'd be willing to relocate for a good job, just not for the actual schooling part. My wife already has a decent job as a high school physics teacher and she's made it abundantly clear that she will not go anywhere for the schooling part. However, if a decent 45-50k a year job became available I'm sure we'd move.

Then I'd suggest moving somewhere you can go to a top 25 school and work in the area. If you're willing to move in 3 years, or whenever your wife is willing to pack her bags, wait until then to go to school, and study like mad for the LSAT until then. Unless you know you want to stay in the area, a UoL law degree just isn't worth much in other areas. Look at their employment http://www.law.louisville.edu/careers/employment-report, 60% employed at graduation, with grads averaging $55k in the private sector and $39k in the public sector (and keep in mind that those numbers are probably weighted in favor of the top of the class, who are more likely to report their numbers). Compare with http://law.nd.edu/prospective_students/career_information/employment_report.html I don't mean to piss on your parade, and UofL would be fine if you want to stay in the area, but that's the option you're looking at if you go there.

It wasn't much of a parade, and actually if the truth is moving to a better school means a better job, then so be it. It's good to know this stuff.

As a sweeping generalization, yes, a better school is a boon when you're job hunting. I had a pretty good undergrad GPA and stomped the LSAT pretty hard and got into a number of top-tier schools. I didn't go to the best-ranked school I got into, but I went to a national school that threw money at me. I'm happy with my choice, and a month into my 2nd year, the job hunt in distant job markets is going well. Generally, the caliber of the school matters exponentially more the further away you get from campus. Going to law school at the University of Kansas will probably land you something in Kansas, but if you're trying to land a well-paying job on the coasts, you're likely screwed. Locally, the handicap of going to a mediocre school is counterbalanced by the glut of alums in the area willing to help you. The connection between a highly ranked school and a top-rate legal education, however, is probably somewhat dubious. There, you'll probably see more variation within groups than between groups.

Remember to do the math too. Do not for a second just assume that as a lawyer you will be making enough money to comfortably pay back your loans. I go to a decent tier 1 school and didn't take out the max loans and am currently in a panic to find a job paying over 60k. I will probably be able to secure a job in the 80k to 100k range (god willing...), but crunch the hard number and determine just how much money you will need to make to pay back your loans and support your family. My monthly loan repayment will be about $1,700 a month. That's double my current rent.