Strongly suggest the nearly free option. I faced a similar situation when I applied to law school about 10 years ago and have always regretted picking the top 20-ish school, especially when I look at my debt statements. I tell people now to only consider paying top dollar for HYS, and otherwise find a solid cheap school in the region where you want to work and live. Outside of the Big Law recruiting pipeline that focuses on a handful of elite law schools, I’ve found that where I went to law school hasn’t had any bearing on my employment opportunities. If you want into that Big Law recruiting pipeline, GW probably won’t cut it anyways.