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Law School Rankings:
What are they?

Law school rankings generate a lot of interest and comprise a subjective assessment of the quality of the law school and a collection of objective factors taken to represent indicators of quality. They are generally based on questionnaire answers and actuarial data collected and compare many different aspects of law schools.

For example, some criteria that are used to compile the law school rankings are:

• Reputation based on the opinion and judgment of lawyers, judges and academics
• Bar passage rate
• LSAT scores and median undergrad GPA
• Faculty resources or the rating of research services.

The surveys can also prove useful in researching other aspects such as:

• Acceptance rate, median LSAT score, tuition fees and number of places available
• What the student profile is
• Employment rates following graduation.

Looking at all the different criteria used can make it difficult to draw comparisons between different law school ratings. However, there is one major ranking survey that draws the attention of students, law schools and employers alike and this tends to be used most often as a benchmark to compare law schools.

Bear in mind that many of the law schools do not agree with the methodologies used, even some of the schools that appear at the top. So, to summarize:

• Be aware of the limitations in the methodologies used.
• Use the law school ratings in conjunction with other resources, such as The Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools, 2008 to help you select the right law school for you.

The key national survey is published by US News & World Report and you can search the details for the top 10 law schools, the top 50 law schools, the top 100 law schools etc. You can also search the law school ratings by specialty, such as Environmental Law or Trial Advocacy.

Please click here for the US News & World Report law school rankings page. You can also use the information on the US News website to do a comparison of the annual law school ratings.

Remember that the rankings are only one factor in your overall decision and the best determinant of whether the law school can be considered to be a top law school for you is how it will help you to achieve your goals. For more information, please click here to go to LawSchools360: Choosing the Best Law Schools for you.

Click here for The Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools, 2008

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