The USNWR 2023 Best Law School Rankings includes 192 law schools fully accredited by the American Bar Association. Ranking criteria include a weighted average of 14 measures, including student selectivity, bar placement and placement; quality assessments by academic colleagues, lawyers and judges; and resources dedicated to the school`s academic program. Specialty program rankings are based on data collected by professors in each specialty who are asked to rate the programs of their peer schools on a scale of one to five. Pepperdine University`s Rick J. Caruso School of Law was ranked 46th in the country in the U.S. News & World Report`s (USNWR) 2022 Best Law School Rankings. For the second year in a row, Caruso Law reached its highest ranking in the school`s history, having been ranked 47th last year after climbing 25 places in just three years. The Palmer Center for Entrepreneurship and the Law offers an innovative and multidisciplinary scholarship program. The Palmer Center prepares students to fill the overlapping roles of lawyer and entrepreneur through a challenging, exciting, and unique addition to the law school`s traditional curriculum. So what should students from public colleges and universities who want to go to law school do? Change schools? Those who can be admitted to a pepperdine or pepperdine and can afford the annual cost of $35,000 or more to go may be well advised to do so. But most students at public colleges and universities don`t have that option.
Also, moving to another public college or university won`t help much, as many public (as well as private) schools aren`t much more successful in law school admission than CUNY. Pepperdine University School of Law is located in Malibu, California, just steps from the Pacific Ocean and offers stunning views of one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world. In short, it`s not a bad place to study – and relax. The university is affiliated with the churches of Christ and is known for its work in the global justice movement. The school doesn`t just promote pro bono work; He demands it. Students must complete 40 hours. The Faculty of Law hosts law institutes from around the world on human rights, religious freedom and global development involving students and faculty. It is one of the best alternative dispute resolution schools, which includes negotiation and arbitration. It is also one of the best law schools in the country for practical training. It ranked third in the country in the recent preLaw rankings thanks to a plethora of simulation courses. The Career Development Office strives to help students find new positions throughout their careers.
The school offers certificates in criminal law, international law, estate planning and entertainment law. Admission to law school is very competitive. Consider Pepperdine Law School. I propose this hypothesis as an example of what happens in law schools in general. What I`m about to say here about Pepperdine could be said about any law school in the country. The reputation of the law school is basically on par with Loyola/Southwestern – it`s not a prestigious law school, but at least it`s fully accredited. I`m a lawyer and I don`t seem to see as many Pepperdine graduates as other local law schools, but I don`t know why (although the small school, the distance from Los Angeles itself, the network that isn`t as strong, I`m into entertainment, etc. are likely factors). Let us now look at some national statistics. Of all those who apply to law school nationwide, about 55-60% are accepted to one or more schools.
In other words, about 40% of all law school applicants cannot leave because they are not admitted anywhere. But there is a problem with this strategy. The 7,000 applicants attended more than 250 different colleges and universities in the United States and abroad. How do I know that a GPA of 4.0 in one college represents the same level of academic achievement as a GPA of 4.0 in another college? One college may have very high academic standards while another may not. Thus, an „A” in one school is not the same as an „A” elsewhere. In addition, a student with a 4.0 GPA might have studied basket weaving, while another 4.0 student at the same college studied in a much more challenging field. For example, two CGPAs of 4.0 students in the same school may not represent comparable academic outcomes. Therefore, even with GPA, I can`t be 100% sure if I can choose the next Jura class.
A few years ago, a survey was sent to law school deans (the „presidents” of law schools). One of the questions in the survey was which majors deans recommended students to prepare effectively for law school. The four most commonly recommended majors by law school deans were (in alphabetical order) English (sometimes called literature), history, philosophy, and political science (sometimes called government). Therefore, I recommend that students who want to study law specialize in one of these areas. If it turns out that English is not the major, it should seriously be considered a minor subject, as good writing is absolutely essential to success in law.