Best Law Schools for Practical Training

Which law school experiences best prepare a student for a legal career? In the most recent Law School Alumni Employment and Satisfaction study, the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) added this question for 2019 law school graduates. And their answer was clear: experiential learning. The majority of respondents, 70 percent, named clinical and experiential courses as their most impactful. On the other end of the scale, just 17 percent named student affairs programs and resources. 

The emphasis on experiential learning aligns with the National Jurist’s methodology for its 2024 ranking of Law Schools with the Best Practical Training. The methodology places the heaviest weight on student participation in clinic offerings (32 percent), followed by externships (25 percent), simulation courses (20 percent), moot court / pro-bono work (10 percent), and practical training offerings (10 percent). The ranking allots extra credit to schools that require or guarantee clinic work. 

Review the National Jurist’s top ten-ranked programs for practical training below and check out the full list here.

1. Baylor University School of Law

2. University of St. Thomas School of Law (MN)

3. Northeastern University School of Law

4. Elon University School of Law

5. University of Minnesota Law School

6. Drake University Law School

7. University of Denver Sturm College of Law

8. Cornell Law School

9. Pepperdine Caruso School of Law

10. Case Western Reserve University School of Law

National Conference of Bar Examiners Releases Details on the NextGen Bar Exam

The students starting law school this year will be among the first to experience the NextGen Bar Exam, slated for release in July 2026. The National Conference of Bar Examiners just released a 42-page outline providing deeper insight into the updated exam. 

The NextGen Bar Exam’s development stemmed from calls to create an exam that more adequately tests the legal knowledge and skills necessary for legal professionals today. The current bar exam faced criticisms that it “doesn’t reflect the actual practice of law” and that it tested memorization of legal concepts rather than skills. 

Reuters provided a summary of the changes, which include:

• Removal of the current exam’s three component tests: Multistate Bar Examination, Multistate Essay Examination, and Multistate Performance Test

• Usage of an integrated format that tests both skills and knowledge

• Seven legal skill areas: client counseling and advising, client relationships and management, legal research, legal writing, and negotiations 

• Seven legal knowledge areas: business associations and relationships, civil procedure, constitutional law, contracts, criminal law and constitutional protections of accused persons, evidence, real property, and torts.

• The test will require memorization for some content, but it will also allow the use of support resources for designated subject matter areas. 

• The test will remove subject matter related to family law, estates and trusts, the uniform commercial code, and conflict of laws.

Although the NextGen Bar Exam will go live in July of 2026, states will determine which exam test-takers will receive for a specified period of time. After a period of no longer than five years, all jurisdictions will move to the NextGen exam.