They are useless. No matter what anyone tells you, there are the top 14 schools which stay the same and merely rotate among themselves, and then all the rest - at least for employer purposes. This is the translation, and believe me, I speak from experience: If you can get into one of the top 14, then go, because their reputation is strong enough to to land you a job in whatever part of the country you want to work in. If you don't have the grades/LSAT then decide what part of the country you want to work in, and then go to a school there that has a strong regional representation.