I'm currently in my last semester of law school, and I'm toying with the idea of pursuing a PhD in Political Science.

A bit of background: I have a bachelor's in Chinese language from a so-so (top 100) private university and am currently at a top 10 law school (closer to the bottom than the top of the pack). I am concurrently enrolled in a M.A. program in Asian Studies; my courses and research have focused on Chinese law and politics. I have a high GPA in each degree program, and although I don't currently have any academic publications, I am preparing a few papers to submit over the next few months. I have a good relationship with several professors in both my J.D. and M.A. programs, so I should be able to get good references.

I haven't taken the GRE, but with adequate preparation, I think I could do OK. (I scored in the 98th percentile on the LSAT, but then the LSAT is a very different test--it doesn't require that you actually know anything.)

Going into law school, I was already interested in an academic career. Although it's possible to get into legal academia with only a J.D. (most law professors fit this mold), there are a number of hoops that you typically have to jump through in order to make break in (i.e., graduate from a "super elite" school (Harvard, Yale, Stanford), practice for 3-5 years, do at least one federal judicial clerkship). However, law professors are increasingly taking alternate routes--many are earning PhDs in other disciplines. This latter option has been looking better and better over the past few years.

I'm not necessarily wedded to the idea of being a law professor, but I would like to work in academia. My question is this: What are the prospects like for someone of my background? Decent? (Let's assume that I don't bomb the GRE and that I can get decent letters, etc.).