Hi there
Deciding which university to go to can be quite a challenging decision, here are some things that you may like to take into account:
Since one of your major reasons for wanting to stay in London is diversity, I think attending some open days with universities will be quite useful. When I went to open days in year 13, I found that majority universities had a really diverse culture. You may see from many student union websites that there are a range of societies. In terms of the locations that you mentioned, I am from the local region near Birmingham, and I think it is quite a diverse area as well. My cousin from Manchester also noted that there were ranges of people from different backgrounds. Although they will not be as diverse or populated as London, they are still quite good areas to live in.
In terms of future career opportunities, there will be opportunities that you can gain outside of London, however, I do agree with you that most prestigious firms will be located in London. Furthermore, most firms are likely to offer open days, work experiences, vacation schemes and training contracts in London too. As a law student, I have found that the law industry is really competitive, therefore securing those opportunities may be quite useful and contribute greatly towards gaining a successful future career. That is not to say that there will not be opportunities elsewhere, just a bit less.
High prices in London can be quite an issue, and because how populated the area is, competition for law firm opportunities will also be quite fierce in London, which is something you have to overcome. As a student at Kent, I often choose to apply for opportunities in London, and commute down when I receive any open days, or interviews. Although the cost of travelling can be high, I think this is much less compared to the cost of renting in London, which is something you may like to think about.
Personally, I did not take the LNAT exam. However, if you are certain you do not want to take it, and studying for it may drastically affect your other grades, it may be in your best interest to apply to other universities. There are universities that do not require the LNAT exam. If you choose the LNAT route, not only is important that you received a high score on LNAT, it's important that you receive high a level grades for applications, it would really depend on how you think your academics will go.
I hope this helps

Chloe
University of Kent student Rep