Was offered 150k at Northwestern and 75k at Chicago. So Northwestern is about 120k cheaper before interest and loan origination fees. The wild card is that my wife has a job here in NY and who knows if/when she can find a job in Chicago (social work).
didn't you mention that you'd rather live in Chicago than NYC? If so, move now. I have a hard time imagining that if your wife is a licensed social worker she'd have difficulty such that it would justify the added loans your thinking of undertaking. Further, as an initial placement out of law school, Chicago firms will look more (though certainly not exclusively) to NU and Chicago vs. Columbia if you have no other ties (work experience or undergrad) to the area.
CLS is fantastic (I'm a proud alum and have seen first hand that it can open doors even in much smaller markets), but NU and Chicago are fantastic top-notch schools with great alumni networks as well (including in NYC) and that's a nice amount of money they're offering.
Ultimately you and your wife need to diacusss, but just some thoughts about your (awesome) options.