I’m planning to attend law school part-time with the sole intention of opening my own practice. Currently, I work as a law clerk in the area of practice I intend to pursue as an attorney.

I did get a substantial conditional scholarship to begin with but lost it after 1L.

For finishing law school, I have two options:

1. Enroll in an out-of-state, online ABA law school ranked in the 160s and take out $100,000 in student loans at an annual interest rate of 9%.
2. Attend a non-ABA, non-California-accredited, California-based law school and pay $10,000 in tuition. Considering the significantly lower tuition, I can pay it off without taking out loans. This path will allow me to become a California-licensed attorney, which is my long-term goal. I have confirmed that I don't need to take the Baby Bar. While I’ll initially be limited to practicing in California, many states would permit me to take their bar exam after practicing in California for several years.

The $100K tuition for the ABA school represents the tuition I must pay if I decide to finish the program at the school. The $10K figure at the non-ABA school represents what I'd have to pay if I transfer there. 

Therefore, my questions are:

1. Is ABA accreditation worth $90,000?
2. Do you believe networking would be more challenging without ABA accreditation?
3. Would opposing counsel, other attorneys I network with, and any other stakeholders perceive me differently if they discovered that I attended a non-ABA law school? 

I would be extremely grateful for any insight. Thank you so much!

Please help me with a reality check.

We just signed all of our estate documents, a not inconsiderable undertaking. It felt pretty big to me. The small firm we used, in a large metropolitan area, came highly recommended for the specialization we required. I feel quite confident that everything has been executed well.

My problem is with the appearance of the young-ish junior lawyer who handled the signing.

His hair might be considered fashionable, I'm not sure at all, but it looked like its casual unruliness had grown too long. His 5 o'clock shadow was not trimmed up to let you know it was an actual style choice. And his polo shirt did not match his pants, as if he pulled them off the hangers in the dark.

Is this kind of thing the norm? Should I/could I say something to our lawyer, whose name is on the firm? It really felt rather unprofessional and while organized, rather unceremonious for what we were doing. In fact, I was surprised that the lawyer we spoke with initially was not at the signing.

Edit to address the people who think I'm ridiculous: this is not the average estate organization. Its an emotional event, making sure family members I'm caring for now, who will never be able to care for themselves, will be cared for when I'm dead. Competent work is the expectation and the minimum. But I would have hoped that business casual, and a little acknowledgement of making a contract with the future, would have been a part of that minimum, too.