Best Public Law Schools

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Kizmet, Jul 31, 2016.

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  1. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

  2. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    I was surprised that Berkeley was rated as low as it is.
     
  3. Neuhaus

    Neuhaus Well-Known Member

    I'm not a huge fan of rankings like these. CUNY Law has an 81% bar passage rate. And the tuition won't force you to live in excessive debt. You can graduate from CUNY and accept a low paying legal job and actually have some sort of life.

    Alumni are well represented in the public interest law world.

    I'm not sure what the criteria is for a position to be considered "coveted" but I think thinking like that is what leads us to our present state of discontent. There is nothing wrong with being a public defender. In many counties in upstate New York the job pays $60k, a perfectly fine and respectable salary which would allow the recipient to own a home and enjoy a decent quality of life. It would, perhaps, be more attractive of an option of the typical law school graduate wasn't saddled with six figures worth of student loan debt.

    But, you know, no one wants to settle for a "good" life. Everyone wants a corner office, a luxury car and an absurdly large apartment in Manhattan.

    To me, rankings like this appeal to students who want to hear that law school is going to serve as a path to riches. The young and arrogant will see that 6% in "coveted positions" and imagine that they, by virtue of being Mommy's special snowflake, will of course make it into that exclusive club. Then when they don't make it. Or when they refuse all of the stepping stones that might have led them to greater success they will sue the school and start blogging about how law school screwed them over.
     
  4. TEKMAN

    TEKMAN Semper Fi!

    It surprises me that Georgia State University beat College of William and Mary.
     
  5. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    Definitely some wild cards on the list.
     
  6. That is probably due to cost and location. It's still out of place though. The CHOA network is huge deal in Atlanta. I'm sure they probably do internships around here and then slide right into a position. IIRC, William and Mary has a pretty steep price tag. Minus healthcare though and W&M would get you the job over GSU...outside of GA...in almost every position though. There definitely are a few schools that I would have stacked differently.
     
  7. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    I have not really looked at this ranking, especially I have not looked at the criteria by which the schools were judged. Some people may be familiar with the Philosophical Gourmet Report which ranks Philosophy programs around the world. The criteria are almost exclusively based on who is teaching where. The strength of the faculty is essentially the sole criteria. This does sometimes lead to some unexpected results and if, for example, an instructor jumps universities it can result in a big shift in the rankings for those specific schools. Also, if someone publishes a new book or important article, their stock rises in the world of Philosophy and so does the school where they teach. Perhaps there's a similar dynamic at play with these law schools.

    The Philosophical Gourmet Report 2011 :: Overall Rankings
     
  8. FTFaculty

    FTFaculty Well-Known Member

    The list is absurd. My alma's on it, but ranks ahead of schools it's clearly behind and behind schools it's clearly ahead of, in relative prestige, employment after graduation, selectivity and bar passage rates. About the only thing they got right is Michigan and Virginia in the top two. UNC too low, Colorado too high, GSU too high, Kentucky obscenely too high, Alabama's good, but they don't belong in the mix with Michigan, Berkeley, Virginia--no way.
     

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