Shutting down my internet startup and going to law school did not extinguish my interest in entrepreneurship and innovation.  

It was tempting to decide where to go to law school based on the legal community's dogma.  For example, my LSAT tutor recommended picking the best-ranked school, evaluating prestige factors, and scrutinizing Law School Transparency.  This approach probably makes sense for many students.  

For my own decision, I wanted to find a way to incorporate hard-won experiences, insights, and skills from my professional life into my studies.  I spent several years thinking about the future in a disciplined way in the technology industry before applying to law school.  As a technologist, I strove to predict what direction technology, the economy, and society was headed.  I tried to use some of the same analytical skills to pick a law school.  

Ultimately, I evaluated law schools for Innovative DNA, and chose to go to Pepperdine based on three factors: (1) its innovation track record and entrepreneurial alumni, (2) my "boots on the ground" impression of the school, and (3) its practical orientation and diverse offerings.  

Innovative Track Record, Entrepreneurial Alumni:

• Most institutions' founders set their cultures.  George Pepperdine founded Pepperdine, and he himself was an entrepreneur.
• Many (most?) schools are bureaucratic and afraid to take any risks.  But as one example of smart risk-taking, Pepperdine acted with foresight by moving Campus from West LA to Malibu.  (ed: the law school also launched an online master of laws program in 2017)
• There are quite a few School of Law alumni who've succeeded in entrepreneurship and innovation: (1) Chipotle founder Monty Moran, (2) Rick Caruso, developer of several outdoor malls such as The Grove, (3) Geoff Palmer, prolific Downtown LA developer, and (4) DocStoc founder and West LA "superconnector" Jason Nazar, to name a few. 

• Before visiting, my mentor, a successful video game entrepreneur, told me he thought Pepperdine might be a great place to meet people who are interested in business and entrepreneurship.  This observation focused my evaluation on that aspect of the school and his assessment proved accurate. 
  
• One of the top legal blogs, TaxProf, is edited by a Pepperdine professor.  (ed: Professor Caron, creator of TaxProf, is now Pepperdine Law's Dean.  Great choice!).
• At an admitted students' reception, I met Robert Anderson, who immediately struck me as knowledgable about computers and empirical legal studies.  I left that reception with the impression that studying the law would indeed provide lead to interesting opportunities, even if I could only see them through a glass darkly.
• At the same reception, I met upperclassmen at Pepperdine who'd worked at tech companies like RealtyMogl (an equity crowdfunding platform) and PeerStreet (a crowdfunding platform, founded by Michael Burry, who was featured in "The Big Short"). 
• I visited a great school, UC Irvine.  They had an impressive professorial bench.  However, I couldn't discover much about the about the risks their graduates took and ventures they'd started.  On the other hand, as previously noted, Pepperdine demonstrated a great track record there.
• The location is one-of-a-kind.  Here is an aerial tour of the School of Law, which is situated atop a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  

• Palmer Center for Entrepreneurship - a concentration in the law school which features an entrepreneurship practicum.
• Straus Dispute Resolution - #1 Rated, Internationally Acclaimed.  I heard anecdotally an international student that Pepperdine is known abroad as the best program for this course of study.
• Greater Campus- includes MBA, Public Policy, and Education/Psychology programs, and interestingly, a divinity school.  This mix probably enables cross-pollination of ideas and inspires creativity.
• The Law School's Washington, DC, program provides students an outlet to gain valuable work experience in the nation's capital while concurrently taking classes at the Pepperdine campus on Pennsylvania Avenue, which is just a few blocks west of the White House.  [ed: added in 2018]