I mean no disrespect to law school. It is the best way to become a lawyer, by far. Schmedlap is dead on about the importance of the alumni network as well. If someone is in the military or already has a set gig lined up, then it doesn't matter as much, but boy does it matter early on. I cannot speak overly knowledgably about working summers, except from those of my friends who are in law school tell me that if you want the big bucks those summers are very important where you intern. Nowadays, those internships are not highly paid if at all, so you can't plan on working summers to pay off student loan debt. Unfortunately, jobs in the policy world don't take into account your student loan debt in hiring. In the end, it is a cost benefit analysis, and the cost of law school is high relative to its benefit for entering a policy position, but low relative to the benefit of becoming a lawyer.

I do think that a MA program would be a good idea, and if you are on the fence, staying in Britain is not a bad idea. However, if you are certain that the US is the place for you, then it is better to make the leap now. Like I said, there are several one year, American MA programs which will have a much lower cost. Go to the best one you can. Truthfully, you can probably learn as much on your own, but hiring is almost always better coming out of a top program. Is it right? No, but that is the way it is. For a good discussion on the US application process, and all of the intricacies of applications go to The Grad Cafe.

Finally, I didn't get my MA until I was 32. I don't feel one bit behind the 8-ball, and actually my experience has made it a lot easier in some ways. Don't feel rushed. There is plenty of time.