It’s Back. U.S. News Posts Updated 2023-2024 Best Law School Rankings

The U.S. News and World Report has posted the final 2023-2024 Best Law School rankings. And there has been significant change since last year due to the new methodology. Notably, even since the preview released in April, Harvard has dropped one spot and NYU has ticked up one spot to form a three-way tie at the fifth rank with Duke University. 

Changes to the T14 from the 2022-2023 rankings include: 

• Yale shares the top spot with Stanford, which moved up from the second spot in 2022.

• UPenn climbed in the rankings from 6th in 2022 to 4th this year.

• Harvard dropped from the 3rd spot in last year’s ranking to tie for the 5th spot in 2023 with Duke. Duke moved up five positions from the 10th rank last year.

• Columbia dropped from the 4th rank in 2022 to tie for 8th with UVA this year. 

• Northwestern jumped up two positions moving from 12th in 2022 to tie for 10th alongside UC Berkeley and University of Michigan. 

Outside of the T14, highlights include: 

• USC Gould and the University of Minnesota moved up from the 19th and 22nd ranks last year, respectively, to tie for 16th with Vanderbilt, University of Texas, and University of Minnesota in 2023. 

• Washington University in St. Louis dropped from the 16th rank last year to tie for 20th with the University of Georgia. Georgia moved up from the 27th rank in 2022. 

• Ohio State and Wake Forest jumped from the 40th and 41st ranks, respectively, last year, to enter the top 25. They are both part of a five-way tie for 22nd along with Brigham Young, University of Florida, and University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Brigham Young moved up to the 22nd rank from 29th last year. 

• Boston University fell out of the top 25, moving from the 20th rank in 2022 to 29th this year.

Rank School Name

1 Stanford University (tie)

1 Yale University (tie)

3 University of Chicago

4 University of Pennsylvania (Carey) (tie)

5 Duke University (tie)

5 Harvard University (tie)

5 New York University (tie)

8 Columbia University (tie)

8 University of Virginia (tie)

10 Northwestern University (Pritzker) (tie)

10 University of California, Berkeley (tie)

10 University of Michigan—Ann Arbor (tie)

13 Cornell University

14 University of California—Los Angeles

15 Georgetown University

16 University of Minnesota (tie)

16 University of Southern California (Gould)

16 University of Texas--Austin

16 Vanderbilt University

20 University of Georgia

20 Washington University in St. Louis

22 Brigham Young University (Clark)

22 Ohio State University (Moritz)

22 University of Florida (Levin)

22 University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill

22 Wake Forest University

Law School Early Decision: What You Need to Know

Due to the rolling admissions at most law schools, prospective law students should submit their application materials as early as possible in the admissions cycle. But, if early is good, is early decision even better? Well… it’s complicated.

Submitting an early decision application is an appealing choice. Generally, the applicant pool is smaller. Classes are still open and waiting to be filled. Admissions officers provide expedited decisions, which can relieve a lot of stress. And, it provides the applicant a chance to demonstrate commitment and enthusiasm for the program, which can be highly beneficial. However, despite these positives, there are some complexities to consider. 

Early decision applications are (almost always) binding. If you are admitted to a law school early decision, you agree to withdraw all other applications and enroll. There is no leeway. It doesn’t matter if you were also accepted to the dream school that you thought you’d never get into or if your financing falls through and you find yourself in need of merit-based scholarship money. And, for the most part, if an applicant applies early-decision they forego the possibility of receiving any scholarships.  This is because they have already agreed to attend if admitted.  The school doesn’t have to woo them with money. 

We’ve summarized the pros and cons to applying early decision below:  

Pros

• Applying early decision will place you in a smaller “yield protection” applicant pool than applying regular decision. This can advantage you if you’re seeking to gain access to a “reach” school, as you have clearly demonstrated a commitment to the program and will definitely attend if admitted. Schools are always interested in protecting their yield. Do note that some schools grant automatic scholarships to all students admitted early decision, which increases the competitiveness of their early decision round (Northwestern and Berkley). 

• If you have a slightly lower than a school’s average GPA or LSAT score, applying early decision may help you to gain admittance to a school you may not have otherwise. 

• You will receive an expedited response—an accept, reject, or move to the regular decision pool. If you are moved into the regular decision pool, your preference for the program, shown through your initial early decision application, may benefit you as schools are looking for applicants who will accept their admission offers. 

Cons

• Early decision deadlines come… early. So you will need to finalize all of your application materials, which includes recommendations and test scores, earlier. For most early decision deadlines, you’ll need to complete the LSAT/GRE by October (confirm the deadlines on the school admissions page). 

• By committing to the law school, you are giving up your ability to negotiate for scholarships. In fact, we recommend that you do not apply early decision if financial assistance is an important factor for you. This is unless you are applying to one of the programs (Northwestern Pritzker or Berkeley) that award assistance to all early decision admittances, and you are comfortable with that financial award. 

• You may not be able to defer your matriculation to the school, if admitted via early decision. If the option to defer is important to you, confirm with the admissions office their policy on early decision deferrals prior to submitting your application. 

• You cannot change your mind. Your admissions decision is binding (you are contractually obligated to withdraw your other applications) and you must matriculate at the school if you receive an early decision acceptance…even if you find out that you’ve been accepted to a more appealing program. 

The bottom line is that applying early decision requires a great deal of commitment on your part. While it can bolster your chances for admission in some cases, you want to be 100 percent sure that you would attend a particular program regardless of financial aid. 

U.S. Continues to Dominate QS Global Ranking of Law Schools

QS just released its 2023 Law & Legal Studies rankings. For the second year in a row U.S.-based programs took seven of the top ten spots in the global rankings. There was no movement between 2022 and 2023 within the top ten. 

Harvard with a near perfect score, 99.8, continued its reign at the top, followed by Oxford (98) and Cambridge (97.1). The score is calculated using the following factors: Academic reputation (50 percent), Employer reputation (30 percent), Research citations per paper (5 percent), and the H-index (15 percent), which is a metric that measures the productivity and impact of an academic department. 

2023 Rank School Total Score

1 Harvard University   99.8

2 University of Oxford     98

3 University of Cambridge 97.1

4 Yale University 93.8

5 Stanford University     93.4

6 New York University       91.6

7 London School of Economics 89.9

8 Columbia University   89.7

9 University of California, Berkeley 88.9

10 University of Chicago   87.9

Outside of the top 10, a number of elite U.S. programs ranked within the top 50. They include: Georgetown University (ranked 21), UCLA (22), University of Pennsylvania (27), Duke University (29), and Cornell University and University of Michigan (tied at 34). University of Virginia fell out of the top 50 this year, to the 51st rank.

U.S. News and World Report Takes Down Law School and Medical School Rankings Previews

The U.S. News and World Report just removed the Best Law School and Best Medical School previews, which were posted earlier this month. In place of the previews, which showed the Top 14 Law Schools and Top 15 Medical Schools: Research, U.S. News posted this announcement, which explains that the organization has received a number of data update requests from law and medical schools:

As U.S. News previously announced, we are dealing with an unprecedented number of inquiries during our embargo period for the 2023-2024 Best Graduate Schools, including requests from law and medical schools to update data submitted after the collection period.

While we address these inquiries, we have removed the preview content for the 2023-2024 Best Medical Schools: Research and 2023-2024 Best Law Schools rankings published here on April 11. As previously noted, the rankings are not final until they are published in their entirety on USNews.com.

The previews’ removal falls after two announced delays in the publication of the full rankings for law and medical schools. The organization has not yet provided an expected publication date for the rankings, although it published other graduate school rankings, including business schools, today. 

U.S. News and World Report Postpones Law and Medical School Rankings Indefinitely

The U.S. News and World Report just announced that the release of the “Best Law School” and “Best Medical School” rankings will be postponed indefinitely. The news comes shortly after the organization delayed the publication of all graduate rankings by a week, from April 18th to April 25th, to account for additional data review and validation. U.S. News still plans to publish all other graduate program rankings, including business schools, on April 25th. 

The withdrawal of many law and medical schools from the rankings earlier this year spurred U.S. News to depend more heavily on publicly available data than in the past. After publishing a preview of the top 14 ranked law schools and top 15 ranked medical research programs earlier this month, the organization allowed school officials the opportunity to review the data under an embargo period. This standard practice led to an “unprecedented” number of questions and calls for additional review, which has apparently led to the delay. 

In a letter written to the U.S. News and shared with Reuters, Harvard Law Assistant Dean Marva de Marothy wrote, "Although we no longer participate in the U.S. News rankings, we expect the magazine to use accurate, publicly available numbers if it intends to continue to make representations about our law school.” 

U.S. News Will Delay Publication of Rankings After Unprecedented Number of Data Inquiries by Law Schools

U.S. News and World Report’s annual ranking of law schools will be delayed a week. In an email to law deans, published in part by Above the Law, U.S. News explained that during the law school data review period—a standard part of the pre-publication process—the organization received “an unprecedented number of inquiries from schools.” In order to fully address the inquiries, U.S. News added an additional week to the review period. Participating law deans are expected to receive access to the updated data on Wednesday, April 19th, and the final publication has been moved to April 25th. 

Following Months of Controversy, U.S. News Unveils Preview of 2024 Best Law School Rankings

The U.S. News just published a preview of its 2024 Best Law School Rankings. And there weren’t many surprises. Stanford Law moved up from the second rank to tie Yale University for the top spot. Columbia Law dropped from the fourth rank to the eighth, Georgetown Law fell out of the top-14, and UCLA moved up from the 15th rank to take Georgetown’s place. 

There were some notable updates to U.S. News’ methodology, however, which the news organization said were based upon the input of over 100 law deans and legal experts. Some of the named changes include: an increase in the weight given to the bar pass rate and the addition of the “ultimate bar pass pass rate” (the bar pass rate of a graduating class two years post-grad); an increase in the weight given to employment ten months post-graduation; changes to the credit assigned for students entering into fellowships or graduate school post-graduation; and a significant reduction in the weight given to reputation surveys, LSAT/GRE scores, and median GPA scores. 

Briefly addressing the controversy, U.S. News explained that it ranked all schools using publicly available data, and removed some of the metrics that were not available (e.g. expenditures, at-graduation employment rate, and JD graduate indebtedness). 

The U.S. News plans to publish the full methodology, including measures and weights, alongside the complete rankings, on April 18. 

Rank School Name

1 Stanford University (tie)

1 Yale University (tie)

3 University of Chicago

4 Harvard University (tie)

4 University of Pennsylvania (Carey) (tie)

6 Duke University (tie)

6 New York University (tie)

8 Columbia University (tie)

8 University of Virginia (tie)

10 Northwestern University (Pritzker) (tie)

10 University of California, Berkeley (tie)

10 University of Michigan—Ann Arbor (tie)

13 Cornell University

14 University of California—Los Angeles

New Jersey Bar Association Advocates to Remove Mental Health Questions from Bar Applicant Questionnaire

New Jersey is the latest state to seek to abolish the mental health questions asked on the “character and fitness questionnaire” required of all Bar applicants. Late last month, the New Jersey State Bar officially requested that the NJ Supreme Court remove item 12B from the bar applicant questionnaire: Do you currently have any condition or impairment (including but not limited to substance abuse, alcohol abuse, or a mental, emotional, or nervous disorder or condition) that in any way affects your ability to practice law in a competent, ethical, and professional manner and in compliance with the Rules of Professional Conduct, the Rules of Court, and applicable case law? 

Jeralyn Lawrence, New Jersey State Bar Association President, speaking to the New Jersey Law Journal, explained the reasoning behind her advocacy for the change. “We are a profession in crisis. The pace of our practice is not sustainable. We need to remove barriers in place for people to get help, and 12b, we believe, is a barrier to the bar. We’re advocating strongly that the court remove that question so that it’s not a detriment to people getting help,” she said. 

Virginia and New York removed its mental health questions from the bar admission application in 2019 and 2020 following similar advocacy efforts by law students and interested groups. And, in January, Ohio abandoned questions related to diagnosis and only asks about mental health as it relates to disciplinary actions or guardianship/conservatorship. 

According to the ABA: 

• Fourteen states do not request a candidate’s mental health status in evaluating their fitness for the Bar: Arizona, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Washington, and Wisconsin. 

• Four states—Indiana, Idaho, New Hampshire, and Texas—ask about mental health only in the context of disciplinary action. 

• One state—Ohio—asks about mental health only in the context of disciplinary action and court appointed guardianship/conservatorship. 

• Two states—California and Connecticut—ask about mental health only in the context of court appointed guardianship/conservatorship. 

• Ten states—Louisiana, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming), and Washington D.C.—have adopted the three mental health questions drafted by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) that are shown below: 

1. Diagnosis:  Do you currently have any condition or impairment (including, but not limited to, substance abuse, alcohol abuse, or a mental, emotional, or nervous disorder or condition) that in any way affects your ability to practice law in a competent, ethical, and professional manner? Note: “Currently” means recent enough that the condition or impairment could reasonably affect your ability to function as a lawyer. 

2. Treatment: Are the limitations caused by your condition or impairment reduced or ameliorated because you receive ongoing treatment or because you participate in a monitoring or support program? 

3. Defense/Disciplinary Action: Within the past five years, have you asserted any condition or impairment as a defense, in mitigation, or as an explanation for your conduct in the course of any inquiry, any investigation, or any administrative or judicial proceeding by an educational institution, government agency, professional organization, or licensing authority; or in 10 years, connection with an employment disciplinary or termination procedure?

• Eleven states that do not follow the NCBE test—Alabama, Arkansas (disciplinary action only), Colorado, Delaware, Indiana (disciplinary action only), Kentucky, Nevada, New Hampshire (disciplinary action only), Oregon, Rhode Island, and Texas (disciplinary action only)—ask at least one of the NCBE questions. 

• Fifteen other states ask questions of their own drafting.

The Chairman and CEO of U.S. News & World Report Accuses Elite Law and Medical Schools of Evading Accountability

The U.S. News & World Report has publicly defended its rankings, hitting back at the elite law and medical schools that have staged public boycotts. Eric Gertler, Executive Chairman and CEO of U.S. News & World Report, penned a Wall Street Journal op-ed, which was ffollowed a day later by a full-page ad in the Boston Globe timed to coincide with a conference hosted by Harvard and Yale Law Schools on “best practices in data.” 

While US News & World Report’s previous response to the boycott focused on responding to criticisms of the methodology and seeking collaboration, more recently, they have taken a defensive stance. Gertler’s op-ed not only defended the rankings, but also leveled sharp accusations towards the withdrawing schools. He accused them of evading accountability and not wanting to rely on an independent third party that they cannot control. Gertler then went on to tie the schools’ decision to withdraw from the rankings to the Supreme Court’s current review of the use of affirmative action in school admissions decisions. He proposes that elite schools are currently de-emphasizing GPA and standardized test scores in admissions, in advance of the decision, to provide themselves more leeway in the future. 

“There is added urgency as the Supreme Court considers a pair of cases on affirmative action that could change admission norms. Some law deans are already exploring ways to sidestep any restrictive ruling by reducing their emphasis on test scores and grades—criteria used in our rankings,” Gertler wrote.

In defending the rankings, which Gertler admits cannot accommodate every nuance in educational excellence, he points to the ranking’s ability to provide “accurate, comprehensive information that empowers students to compare institutions and identify the factors that matter most to them.” And, he concludes, the elite schools that have withdrawn have ended their participation in a critical national discourse about what constitutes excellence in education. 

Amidst US News Rankings Boycott, Law School Representatives Work to Provide Data Transparency

Last week, Harvard Law School and Yale Law School co-hosted a conference to discuss “best practices for law school data.” This is in response to the current U.S. News rankings boycott, which has prompted law schools to consider alternative ways to provide data transparency to prospective students and the public. The event included representatives from more than 100 law schools, 30 graduate-level educational institutions, and the Department of Education. 

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, in a keynote address, expressed support for the boycott, noting that rankings systems can create perverse incentives for institutions. “Rankings discourage institutions with the largest endowments and greatest capacity to enroll and graduate more underserved students from doing so because it may hurt their selectivity,” he said. “Instead, the most life-changing higher education opportunities go to young people who already have every socioeconomic advantage.”

Secretary Cardona encouraged those in higher education to “set the agenda” rather than allowing U.S. News to do it for them. However, the intricacies of making data available to prospective students wishing to evaluate graduate options, proves complicated. Currently the ABA site does not allow for easy comparison between schools and other existing data sources, including Law School Transparency, XploreJD, and the Law School Admission Council, lack a desirable user experience for reviewing and comparing data. 

Christopher Avery, a Harvard Kennedy School Professor with experience studying college ranking systems, noted that while transparency is critical, it is important to give careful consideration to what will be used as a replacement for the U.S. News ranking. He recommended against jumping from “one bad system” to “another system that may be bad in a wide variety of other ways.” 

U.S. Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal also expressed a need to move with thoughtful consideration. He encouraged conference attendees to “not lose sight of why the rankings are important.” And, in an interview afterwards, Kvaal expressed an interest in working with the U.S. News to make the ratings more equitable. He noted that the Education Department has reached out to the organization with suggestions for improvement.

Bar Pass Rates Dip for First-time Takers in 2022

Over three-quarters, 78 percent, of law graduates who took the bar exam for the first time in 2022 received a passing score according to new data released by the American Bar Association. This is a slight decline in the first-time pass rate recorded in 2021 (80 percent) and 2020 (84 percent), although covid-necessitated modifications to the exam in those years make direct comparison difficult. 

The “ultimate bar pass rate,” or the percentage of law school graduates who pass the bar within two years, has increased this year. For the class of 2020, 91.9 percent passed the licensing exam within two years, up slightly from 91.3 percent in 2019 and 90.1 percent in 2018. 

While many of the most prestigious law programs boasted their highest pass rates, the percentage who passed did decrease for most schools when compared to 2021. 

Opportunities Expand for Students Seeking In-House Roles Immediately Post-Graduation

In the not-so-distant past, advisors encouraged law students interested in pursuing a career in an in-house legal department to gain at least five years of law firm experience first. But, as of late, this trend has started to shift; law schools are now proactively preparing students for in-house roles directly out of school and companies are demonstrating a greater willingness to hire less experienced lawyers. While working at a firm is still the most typical leadoff to an in-house career path—a 2022 survey of in-house professionals found that just 17 percent of the 2,000 plus respondents went directly in-house, while 78 percent had outside firm experience —for students who know that they’re seeking an in-house role, the possibilities are expanding.

A recent LegalDive article highlighted a few of the experiential learning programs currently being facilitated at law schools. We’ve provided a brief summary below: 

• Baylor University School of Law’s In-House Counsel Externship Program: Includes both a classroom component, which covers legal issues faced by in-house counsel and practical skills, as well as an externship with a supervising lawyer in a local corporate legal department. 

• Santa Clara University School of Law’s Tech Edge J.D.: Provides legal externships at tech companies or law firms, along with classroom instruction. Alumni who work in-house speak to students about their career paths, and answer questions about their roles.

• Columbia Law School’s Reuben Mark Initiative for Organizational Character and Leadership (a joint initiative between the law school and Columbia Business School): Includes a set of courses designed to teach law students leadership and collaboration skills, and features guest speakers who will discuss the large influence corporate lawyers have over the organization’s operations.

• Duke University School of Law’s Law & Entrepreneurship Program: Provides students with legal and business knowledge needed to support the business, institutional, and strategic role that entrepreneurial advisors must play, and also gives perspective on how to start and grow a company. The program also supports a Start-up Ventures Clinic where students can represent founders and entrepreneurial companies. 

• UC Hastings College of Law’s Paragon Legal DEI Career Connect Program: Still in the early stages, but places recent UC Hastings law school graduates at participating companies to gain experience in the in-house legal role.  

Jack Terschluse, a 2019 law graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, quit his job at a law firm after just two years to work for Balto, a tech start-up. “I think in a startup, the opportunities for promotions and different leadership experiences are greater earlier on than they might be at a bigger company because there’s not this big bench of people who’ve been waiting their turn to ascend to that leadership position,” Terschluse said in an interview with LegalDive. Similarly, Phelan Simpkins, intellectual property counsel at State Farm, and 2021 law graduate of the University of Missouri, was able to achieve his goal of an in-house position directly out of law school. He pointed out, also to LegalDive, that recent law graduates shouldn’t underestimate their ability to have an immediate impact in an in-house role. “Having somebody who is coming out of law school who’s had the theoretical training, but not necessarily the practical aspect of it, you’re getting a fresh perspective on an issue of law or how the company manages certain issues, which can be refreshing,” he said.

Law Schools Incorporate Student Development Programs to Drive Student Wellbeing and Career Readiness

Earlier this month Bloomberg Law released the results from its second annual Law Student Preparedness Survey. And the results on student wellbeing were… not great. The survey, administered in December 2022, showed that over half of the 1,000 students reported that their wellbeing worsened slightly (32 percent) or significantly (26 percent) during the fall 2022 semester. Additionally, most of the law students, over three-quarters, reported experiencing mental or physical health problems due to law school related issues: 77 percent experienced anxiety, 71 percent experienced disrupted sleep, and 51 percent experienced depression. Just 11 percent said they did not experience a mental or physical health issue due to law school. 

Luckily, more law programs, recognized by Bloomberg Law’s Innovation Program, are creating programs to offer better support to students in terms of their law school experience and career readiness. Each of the schools named as a finalist also track the student outcomes related to their programs via qualitative and quantitative data, ensuring that the programs are actually bolstering student development and not just paying lip service to the idea. 

We’ve highlighted a few of the programs recognized for innovation in student development below, and the full list is available on Bloomberg Law. You can also find Bloomberg Law’s lists for law school innovation in other categories (technology, business, pedagogy, etc.). 

Elon University School of Law: Elon offers a redesigned curriculum with an emphasis on experiential learning, an academic period of seven (rather than eight) semesters, and lower tuition. The shortened law school year allows graduating students to take the bar in February and commence professional life earlier. Elon Law’s Interim Dean Alan Woodlief, in an interview with Bloomberg Law, described the school’s improved admissions, bar passage, and career placement rates since adopting the new curriculum. “These data points demonstrate a strong demand for law schools that place student needs and development at the center of their approach to educating future attorneys, and we’re proud of the strides we have made together as a community in our noble mission,” he said.

Fordham University School of Law: Fordham offers the Peer Mentoring and Leadership Program, which pairs third-year law students interested in being mentors with second-year students. The school identified the second-year period as a critical time for students, who are often under intense academic and career pressure. The benefits of the program include increased support of students in a high pressure period, cross-cultural understanding, growth in friendships and professional networks, and improved leadership skills for the mentors. The program’s founder, professor Linda Sugin, described the aims of the program to Bloomberg Law, “All the mentoring and leadership skills developed in the program are essential for lawyers—regardless of the type of work they do. All lawyers need to develop self-awareness, work cross-culturally, handle challenges and setbacks with resilience and equanimity, and care for their own well-being,” she said. 

The University of Tennessee College of Law: The University of Tennessee developed the Institute for Professional Leadership (IPL) to offer students a curriculum curated to develop legal and professional leaders. Specific leadership courses are combined with pro bono, public service, and career advancement opportunities, and events to develop students’ leadership skills and prepare them for careers in law, government, nonprofit, and for-profit organizations. The Interim Director for the IPL and law professor, Joan MacLeod Heminway described the reasoning behind the Institute’s creation to Bloomberg Law. "Leadership education in the law school setting fills a gap in the traditional program of legal education. Robust leadership education in law schools focuses students on intentional introspection and the identification and development of skills, values, professional identity, and career paths through interdisciplinary programming beyond a strictly legal context,” she said.

Crafting Your Personal Statement: Lessons from Memoir Writing

A memoir requires more than a recounting of events from your life. Rather, you must show the reader that you’ve experienced transcendence. Marion Roach Smith calls it the “golden rule” of memoir. She writes, “Memoir is not about what you did. Memoir is about what you did with it.” The experience is not the focus or the reason for the writing, just the vessel for sharing a more universal learning with your audience. 

Smith expands this thought when she writes, “Specifically memoir is a promise from me that I experienced something, I’ve given some real thought to it and now know what it is, and now I am going to share what I now know with you. The promise is not that I am going to recreate the experience or make you relive it with me.” 

This approach also aligns with what admissions committees are seeking in your personal statement. From your past experiences, they want to learn more about your potential and character. Show them how a recent discovery helped you evolve, how you’ve refined your abilities in innovation and/or leadership, and/or teamwork. Prove to them that you are ready to pursue a graduate education and career path.

Below, we’ve compiled a few other takeaways from Marion Roach Smith’s approach to memoir that will help you craft a strong personal statement. Also, be sure to check out her memoir manifesto. 

1. Structure. Memoir is created out of three components. Prior to writing, sit down and consider the building blocks of your piece. 1) What is this about (think: universal, e.g., connecting with and empowering your team, trying and trying again to find the right approach to solve a complex problem)? 2) What is your argument (something that you learned based on your experience)? 3) What experiences from your life will you deploy to prove your argument? 

2. Think small. Memoir requires that you share your growth with the audience, which can be done effectively by incorporating small details. Smith notes the power of observation for showing the reader your journey to transcendence. She writes, “Never forget about the small stuff and how it reveals the big stuff of life.” Small details also create a relationship with your reader, drawing them into the experience. 

3. Don’t forget your audience. Your memoir should hit on universal themes that are relatable to the reader. When you’re writing, and more importantly editing and rewriting, keep in mind how your audience will take in what you’re saying. Did you provide enough detail of the experiences to show growth and to make your argument? Did you provide too much or extraneous detail? Were you vulnerable and honest in your writing? 

4. Keep it tight. Focus only on the experiences, sentences, and words that you absolutely need to support your argument and demonstrate your growth in the piece. You want to go deep, not broad. Adding in additional stories can distract the reader, and potentially lose them. Once you have demonstrated growth and made your argument, your personal statement is complete. Fight the urge to turn it into an autobiography or a resume.

American Bar Association Rejects Test Optional Admissions

Yesterday, the American Bar Association’s (ABA) policy making body rejected a bid to remove the law school admissions test requirement from the law school accreditation standards. The vote marks the second defeat of the proposal in six years. 

Potentially allowing law schools to go “test optional” for admissions starting in 2025 created a unique controversy, as both proponents and opponents of the policy argued that it would be harmful to law school diversity. 

“As the debate showed, we all care deeply about diversity, we just have different views on the best way to pursue it. The LSAT is an important tool for advancing diversity. The incoming class of 2022 is by far the most diverse class in history, and more than 98 percent of those students used the LSAT. And this year’s applicants are even more diverse than last year, which bodes well for continued progress. The House vote will ensure that we have additional time for research into the actual impact of test-optional policies on students and diversity, so that any policy changes are based on evidence and data,” said Kellye Testy, the President of LSAC, in a statement after the vote.

Testy’s statement echoed a sentiment shared previously in an open letter penned by 60 law school deans urging the ABA to reject the proposal. The letter called out the potential harm that removing the test could do for diversity in admissions, as it would require schools to depend more heavily on other, potentially more biased, metrics like GPA, recommendations, and the reputation of an applicant’s undergraduate institution.

Princeton Review Releases Category-Based Law School Rankings

The Princeton Review just released its rankings of law schools. Amidst the broader discourse on law school rankings as a result of the U.S. News ranking boycott, The Princeton Review’s methodology offers something different. Their rankings do not show all schools for a “best of” view, as they believe each of the 168 schools included provide an excellent academic experience. Rather, the categories and lists are designed to provide prospective students with insights and data (gathered from 17,000 student experience surveys from the enrollees of the 168 law schools over the past three years, as well as a 2021-2022 law school administrator survey) on various aspects of the program’s experience.  

You can access the top 10 lists for each of the 14 topic areas here. Below, we highlight three of the Princeton Review’s law school rankings. 

Best Classroom Experience: (student response data only)

1. Stanford University School of Law

2. Duke University School of La

3. University of Chicago Law School

4. University of Virginia School of Law

5. University of Michigan Law School

6. Georgetown University Law Center

7. UCLA School of Law

8. Boston University School of Law

9. Vanderbilt University Law School

10. University of Notre Dame Law School

Best Quality of Life: (student response data only)

1. University of Virginia School of Law

2. Florida State University College of Law

3. Vanderbilt University Law School

4. UCLA School of Law

5. University of Pennsylvania Law School

6. Samford University, Cumberland School of Law

7. Duke University School of Law

8. Stanford University School of Law

9. Boston College Law School

10. UC Davis School of Law

Best Career Prospects: (combination of administrator surveys/school reported data and student response data)New York University School of Law

1. University of Virginia School of Law

2. University of Michigan Law School

3. Stanford University School of Law

4. Duke University School of Law

5. University of Southern California Law School

6. UC Berkeley, Berkeley Law

7. Northwestern University, Pritzker School of Law

8. Harvard Law School

9. Columbia University School of Law

2022 Incoming Law School Class Most Diverse in History

In 2021, the entering law school class made headlines for being the largest and most diverse to date, with almost 35 percent of students identifying as people of color. But now, although the class size has returned to “normal levels,” two-thirds of the 2022 incoming law school class identify as students of color. LSAC describes the incoming class as “by far the most racially and ethnically diverse law school class in history.” 

The LSAC 2022 entering class profile incorporates LSAC data along with the ABA’s published Standard 509 data. Below are some highlights from the profile on the makeup of the incoming class. 

• The class size totaled over 38,000, a decrease from the unusually large 2021 entering class, but on par with the class sizes seen since 2018. 

• Using demographic categories that directly compare to previous years, 36.6 percent of the incoming class identify as students of color, up about 2 percentage points from last year (34.7 percent) and up over 3 percent from 2018 (33.3 percent). 

• Using updated demographic breakouts that include a category for Middle Eastern and North African/Arab students (who historically have been incorporated into the Caucasian category), the percentage of students who identify as a person of color increases to 39 percent, an increase of 2.1 percentage points over last year. 

• Women continue to make up the majority of the incoming class (55.3 percent), while men comprising 42.5 percent of the class.

• Almost all of the incoming class, over 98 percent, took the LSAT as part of the application process. The 2022 incoming class had a higher average LSAT score, up by 0.32 points, when compared to the 2021 entering class. 

• The 2022 entering class also earned a higher median undergraduate GPA, up by 0.04 points, than the 2021 class. 

You can find LSAC’s full profile here, or access the ABA dataset here.

You’ve Submitted Your Law School Application… Now What?

Congratulations! You’ve submitted your law school application, but your work is not quite complete. You still have the opportunity to make a positive impression on the admissions committee by demonstrating your enthusiasm for the program. 

Consider the following ways to showcase your interest.

• Follow the school on social media and set up Google alerts with key words so you can easily stay informed of current events, research, or news related to the program. Confirm that your social media presence is up to date and represents you well.

• Prepare for and participate in interviews, even if they are optional. Interviews are a great way for the admissions committee to get to know you as a person (beyond your application) and for you to learn more about the program’s student experience, experiential learning opportunities, and/or alumni network. 

• Set up an in-person visit to the school, if possible. Make appointments with professors or current students who share your interests. Prep by creating a brief elevator speech explaining, with specifics, how the school's programming aligns with your interests and why you would be a great addition to the student body.

• Attend any admissions events, webinars, or other programming facilitated by the school or the admissions committee. If appropriate, introduce yourself and ask a thoughtful question(s) on the content.

• Follow-up any interactions with faculty or students with a brief thank you note reiterating your excitement about the program. 

• Send an update letter to the school if you have a significant accomplishment or update, not previously covered in your application, to share. Examples include: a significant positive change to your GPA or LSAT/GRE score, publications, professional development (e.g., you presented at a national/regional conference or received a promotion with additional responsibility at work), awards/honors, and/or extracurricular achievements (you took on a leadership position in a club/organization, significantly expanded the scale or reach of a club/organization, or a club/organization you lead received an honor or award).

• In your update letter, don’t forget to express your continued interest in the program, noting specifics that are particularly compelling to you. If the school is your first choice, make the yield protection statement: If admitted, I will attend. 

• Do not excessively contact the admissions committee, particularly to ask questions with answers readily available online or to ask for feedback on your application or admissions likelihood. If you do reach out – make it strategic. 

Law Schools Take on Gun Violence

This month, the University of Minnesota Law School will launch its Gun Violence Prevention Clinic in an effort to promote their Second Amendment scholarship and increase student engagement in firearms law. “Firearms law is currently one of the most dynamic and rapidly changing areas in the law. Yet there are not enough litigators with expertise in the field, and law schools and legal scholars are under engaged in Second Amendment issues,” Megan Walsh, Visiting Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Minnesota Law School and Gun Violence Prevention Clinic Director, said. 

The University of Minnesota isn’t alone in seeking to build out this knowledge base and skillset. Below, we’ve rounded up a number of ongoing initiatives and projects at law schools designed to provide students with opportunities in firearms scholarship, litigation, and legislation.

The University of Minnesota Law School Gun Violence Prevention Clinic

The clinic, a three-year pilot project, is designed to promote gun violence prevention through strategic litigation. In partnership with the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, students will provide pro bono legal work in support of cases that help reduce injuries, deaths, and trauma resulting from gun violence. The clinic will also establish a home for gun violence prevention litigation in the Great Lakes area and increase litigation expertise and resources for Second Amendment and gun violence prevention.  

The Duke Center for Firearms Law

The Center, launched in 2019, seeks to grow scholarship in firearms law and serve as a “balanced and reliable” resource for stakeholders including scholars, judges, lawyers, policymakers, journalists, and the public through research and programming. 

Washington University in Saint Louis School of Law’s Initiative on Gun Violence and Human Rights

Law students participate in in-depth research projects to better understand the underpinnings of the U.S. gun violence crisis and to examine the issue through international human rights instruments. The initiative supports information sharing through conferences and webinars, as well as publishing articles and research. Last year, Leila Sadat, Initiative Director and Professor, contributed to an amicus briefing filed at the Supreme Court for New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen. 

Yale Law School’s Law, Policy, and Guns Project at the Solomon Center for Health Law and Policy 

The Solomon Center places a spotlight on issues related to gun violence in the U.S. The Center has sponsored a course offering (2020), a special issue of The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics (2020), and continues to facilitate public events as well as serve as a home for research and scholarship efforts.  

New York Law School’s Gun Safety Legislative Advocacy Clinic

In partnership with Everytown for Gun Safety, New York Law School offers a hands-on clinic to engage students with gun safety advocacy and legislation. Students will gain experience in legislative research as well as in drafting legislative proposals, creating campaigns, and building coalitions in support of their bills. They will also learn to critically analyze proposed gun bills based on existing laws and legislative efforts, and to serve as counterpoints to the gun lobby.

U.S. News Announces Updates to the Law School Rankings in an Open Letter to Law Deans

Earlier this week, U.S. News announced that it will make updates to the 2023-2024 Best Law Schools ranking in response to the public criticism and boycott of its rankings by a number of leading law schools. In an open letter to law deans, which was published on Monday just prior to the start of the American Association of Law Schools meeting, Robert Morse, Chief Data Strategist, and Stephanie Salmon, Senior Vice President of Data and Information Strategy, described the organization’s reaction to the recent public discourse. They wrote that the U.S. News interviewed more than 100 law school deans and representatives to gain a better understanding of the criticisms and strengths of the current ranking. Generally, they said, complaints were centered around a few key topics, including the weight placed on peer assessment surveys, a need for greater emphasis on outcome measures (e.g. bar passage, employment), re-consideration of the weight assigned to various employment outcomes, and a review of student expenditures and student debt metrics. The organization also conducted an internal review. 

As a result, U.S. News will make the following changes to the ranking:

• All law schools will be ranked using publicly available data required by the ABA, regardless of whether school representatives respond to the annual U.S. News survey. However, U.S. News will publish in-depth profiles for those schools that do respond to the survey. 

• There will be updates to the methodology that increase the weight on outcome measures and reduce the weight given to peer assessment survey results.  Additionally, the employment outcomes measure will be updated to give full-weight to those who receive fellowships (including school-funded fellowships) or enroll in further graduate studies. 

• U.S. News will make more of the collected data available to students in order to allow them to make more informed comparisons between law schools. 

• Over time, the organization will work alongside key stakeholders to better recognize and represent other key factors such as loan forgiveness/repayment and student aid/financial assistance, as well as socio-economic and diversity metrics.

For some deans, the updates are still not enough to reverse their position. Heather Gerkin, Dean of Yale Law School, spoke to Law.com. “Having a window into the operations and decision-making process at U.S. News in recent weeks has only cemented our decision to stop participating in the rankings,” Gerkin said. Similarly, University of New Hampshire Law School Dean, Megan Carpenter, noted to Law.com that because U.S. News did not specify the modifications they plan to make to the formula, it raises concerns that the response “simply devolves into an exercise about tweaking their monolithic formula.” 

Related:

• Two Law Schools Announce Continued Participation in U.S. News Ranking

• Yale and Harvard Law Schools Will No Longer Participate in the U.S. News Law School Rankings