Bill Parcells

I graduated law school not too long ago and do not see myself continuing my career in law for a substantial period of time. Since beginning law school, I have always considered entering a graduate program for political science; however, I wanted to pay off some law school debt and get some real world experience first. With that said, I am now strongly considering taking the GRE and starting the application process. As for some general information about myself: Undergraduate: 3.9 GPA in three years from a typical, non-elite state school. Law Degree: 3.3 GPA from a top 20-25 school. One publication from my law school's law review. Any advice, suggestions, or comments would be appreciated, although I do have some specific questions for someone looking at top 25 PhD programs where I would face little, if any, debt. How much will a B.A. from a mediocre undergrad hurt my chances? Does it help that I accelerated my education? How favorably are publications looked at? I'd imagine a law degree would help, but my GPA was a little below average. Would the admissions committee look down upon this? Thanks!