A patent is a must-have for any inventor, providing them with the legal ability to keep others from replicating, using, or selling similar inventions in a given period. 

To secure a patent, an invention must be original, useful, and nonobvious and meet other criteria. With a patent, the patent holder can sue infringers for violating patent law. 

There are several steps involved in applying for a patent, and students graduating from patent law programs in the U.S. can expect to become well-versed in this process through a host of real-world field experiences. 

What other skills might students expect to learn in one of these collegiate programs? Programs of study are typically interdisciplinary since patents are required for designs in almost every niche imaginable. 

From entertainment and transportation to healthcare and academia, there is no subject area that would not benefit from services in patent law. Students will gain expertise in patent law, copyright law, trade secrets, trademarks, and licensing.

A career in patent law promises novel experience and exciting collaborations with leaders in a range of niches. Here are the 10 best intellectual property law schools as selected by U.S. News at the time of this publication.

Stanford Law School (Stanford, CA)

A patent law degree is accessible through Stanford’s Program in Law, Science, & Technology (LST). 

Joint degrees are additionally offered in areas like bioengineering and computer science. In 4010 Intellectual Property: Patents, students ground themselves in doctrine regarding patentability, infringement, and remedies and investigate the implications of patent doctrine on social innovation and inequality.

Advanced-level courses like 4011: The Business & Law of Technology & Patent Licensing compel students to apply their knowledge to a tech-related niche where they’re interested in potentially building a career (i.e., transactions, IP management, litigation). 

Executives from major technology companies frequently provide guest lectures, and the course is structured on real-world hypothetical scenarios.

In opportunities like the Juelsgaard Intellectual Property and Innovation Clinic, students get the chance to advocate on behalf of real clients in the patent development stage. 

Stakeholders may take the form of nonprofit organizations, entrepreneurs, legal academics, startups, and journalists, to name a few.

New York University School of Law (New York, NY)

NYU’s law curriculum is inclusive of niches connected to innovation policy, intellectual property, antitrust law, etc. 

More than 30 intellectual property courses are offered annually, featuring independent research projects and interdisciplinary assignments in areas like art, biotechnology, and entertainment. Those hoping to pursue specific graduate study in patent law may be inspired to participate in the LLM in competition, innovation, and information law.

In the Patent and IP Licensing Seminar, students use their understanding of legal issues in patent licensing to analyze, negotiate, and draft mock license agreements. 

The Patent Law and Life Sciences course is an exciting offering that immerses students in investigations of patent law as applied to developments in pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and biologics. Rarely will students have the opportunity to speak one-on-one with in-house counsel from some of the world’s leading biotech companies!

Summer associate positions are available at large and boutique law firms where students can specialize in a preferred interest area. Examples of sites include the ACLU, the Center for Democracy and Technology, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Santa Clara University School of Law (Santa Clara, CA)

Santa Clara’s intellectual property and high-tech curriculum is one of the most extensive in the United States, offering students the flexibility to design a totally customized program of study. The Tech Edge JD combines law, business, and technology applications, along with one-on-one mentorship.

Newly created in 2018, the Tech Edge JD is founded upon career planning experiences with attorney mentors and SCU faculty advisors; 450+ hours of fieldwork at startups, law firms, and tech companies; and the progression of a career portfolio featuring milestones like transaction negotiations, cross-disciplinary projects, and financial statement analysis.

High Tech Tuesdays take place semi-monthly – these one-hour lunches feature judges, policymakers, and business leaders within the regional and national tech sphere. All students are encouraged to attend and engage.

George Washington University Law School (Washington, DC)

George Washington University created its MPL (master’s of patent law) in 1895 after its alumni had already written a host of patents for ground-breaking designs – Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone and George Eastman’s roll film camera being among them. 

Future patents written by GW Law alumni enabled the success of nylon and nuclear reactors in the 1930s, the computer mouse and Prozac in the 1970s, and the CRISPR-CAS system for altering gene expression in the 2010s.

JD candidates can concentrate in intellectual property law upon successful completion of 12 credits. Within their sequence, they may elect to take Entertainment Law, which provides an overview of legal issues inherent to the television, publishing, music, and film industries. 

In Patent Appellate Practice, alternatively, students learn litigation strategies for assisting a client through an appeals process via the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Patent law students at George Washington University can choose to compete for a variety of scholarships. For example, the Marcus B. Finnegan Competition offers $5000 for the first-place essay on any topic connected to intellectual property. 

The Dmitry Karshtedt Scholarship Fund awards up to $5,000 to a law student with demonstrated excellence in the pursuit of public service.

UC Berkeley School of Law (Berkeley, CA)

The Berkeley Center for Law & Technology was established in 1955 with a focus on intellectual property. Networking opportunities are available via events like the IP Scholars Conference, which unites nearly 200 intellectual property scholars from 70+ institutions to present their current investigations and findings.

Berkeley’s law and technology program houses cybercrime, telecommunications regulation, and wine law courses! Faculty reassess the curriculum annually to ensure it is up to speed with the demands of the modern business area. 

One of the newest courses – the Berkeley IP Lab – places students in the room with Bay Area startup engineers to design patents for various innovations.

Students have ample extracurricular opportunities at their disposal. The Moot Court program prepares participants for intellectual property, technology, and entertainment law competitions. 

Over at the student-led Berkeley Technology Law Journal, more than 150 students collaborate to publish three issues of scholarly findings. The BLTJ additionally co-hosts an annual symposium attended by researchers, industry leaders, and academics from all over the nation.

University of Houston Law Center (Houston, TX)

The University of Houston’s Institute for Intellectual Property & Information Law (IPIL) offers an LLM and JD program for students interested in patent law. 

The JD can be obtained via part-time or full-time pathways in which students complete 90 credit hours within their chosen niche. Courses range from Crime in the Information Age and Genetic and the Law to Patent Prosecution and Trademark and Unfair Competition.

Only a few students are admitted annually to the LLM, reserved for U.S. applicants who possess a JD and are accredited by the American Bar Association.

You may not have known that Houston is among the top five U.S. IP and information law markets. The university additionally hosts global corporations like ExxonMobil, the Texas Medical Center, and NASA, which are constantly innovating new patents. Proximity to these companies provides ample real-world field experience opportunities for UH patent law students.

Texas A&M University School of Law (Fort Worth, TX)

Students attending Texas A&M for patent, trademark, and copyright law can anticipate some of the lowest student-to-faculty ratios in the country. The school offers 20 introductory courses in intellectual property, as well as advanced-level seminars and three law clinics.

The Entrepreneurship Law Clinic connects students to startups in various industries, where they navigate challenges like contracts and entity formation. 

The Patent Clinic pairs students with inventors in pursuit of securing patent protection via the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Finally, in the Trademark & Copyright Clinic, students focus on supporting new businesses in protecting their brands.

Students have two degree choices: the LLM in intellectual property or the MLS in intellectual property. 

The former degree is geared toward those already in possession of a JD, while the latter – the first of its kind in Texas – is designed for those who do not wish to practice IP law but would benefit from continuing education in intellectual property. 

Students in this degree program range from government officials and business leaders to policymakers and artists.

American University Washington College of Law (Washington, DC)

American University’s Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property (PIJIP) actualizes its motto of Champion What Matters by hosting vast research and public impact projects such as Creative Commons U.S., the Supreme Court Series (post-argument reflections), and www.infojustice.org. 

Its year-long Glushko-Samuelson Intellectual Property Law Clinic engages students in actual client representation, where students work with artists, nonprofits, inventors, and scholars to carry out intellectual property law reform. 

Students gain proficiency in filing amicus briefs, reporting on current patent issues, and conducting advocacy within the legislative arena.

Intellectual property and technology summer sessions offer exciting new classes each summer. For example, in Video Game & Immersive Entertainment Law, participants work with video game developers to overcome free speech and censorship obstacles. 

The Music Licensing course connects students to music engineers, producers, performers, and songwriters as they establish agreements with music streaming services like Spotify, download services like iTunes, and upload sites like YouTube.

University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law (Concord, NH)

Graduates of UNH’s Franklin Pierce School of Law proceed to hold top IP positions at various Fortunate 500 companies and globally recognized organizations like General Electric, Hewlett-Packard, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. 

Residencies take place at exciting locations such as the Dallas Cowboys, Sony Music Entertainment, and Under Armour.

The on-campus Sports and Entertainment Law Institute attracts guest lecturers like former NCAA basketball athlete Ed O’Bannon, who served as a lead plaintiff on a lawsuit versus the NCAA, alleging antitrust and publicity law violations. 

The Warren B. Rudman Center for Justice, Leadership & Public Service awards scholarships to patent law students interested in focusing their careers in public service.

One of the neatest opportunities on campus is offered via the Intellectual Property Summer Institute, which convenes students, lawyers, faculty, researchers, and top business executives in envisioning the future of intellectual property law. Students can choose from course offerings in two tracks: Broad Topics and Deep Dives.

Yeshiva University Cardozo School of Law (New York, NY)

A selection of Yeshiva’s most exciting offerings includes practicums in the Gardozo-Google Patent Diversity Project and the Filmmakers Legal Clinic. 

The former aims to help underrepresented groups, including women, secure patents for their creations, while the latter assists independent filmmakers via legal support.

Yeshiva may be best known for its Fame, Arts, Media & Entertainment (FAME) Center, which challenges students to assist real clients like the Brooklyn Nets, Prada, and Lincoln Center in trademark, copyright, and patent law.

Students can pursue an LLM in intellectual property or MSL in data and privacy law. Regular competitions like the Boston Patent Law Association Competition award monetary prizes to students who submit essays on a topic of their choice within the IP realm.

The post The 10 Best Patent Law Schools in the US appeared first on collegegazette.com.

Although a large number of people call San Francisco home, the city is actually quite small. With its nearly 890,000 residents spread across just under 50 square miles, San Francisco ranks fourth in the country in terms of population density.

Lots of people mean lots of opportunities, and for this reason, it is an excellent idea for prospective law students to look into attending a law school in San Francisco. 

According to Niche, San Francisco is the second-best city for young professionals in the US, also ranking fourteenth in the nation for people of all ages. 

The city offers close proximity to the beautiful Pacific Ocean, Silicon Valley, the state’s capital city, and all the many other fantastic opportunities the Bay Area has to offer. 

As a result, many significant employers choose to have their headquarters in San Francisco. In fact, at present, there are at least 38 Fortune 500 companies in the city, not to mention numerous prominent law firms.

If you like the sound of living and attending a law school in San Francisco, then the following article is for you. Read on to see our picks for the best law schools in the city and learn a little about each of these excellent schools. 

Here are a handful of the best law schools in the San Francisco Bay Area.

University of San Francisco School of Law

The University of San Francisco originally started out as a one-room schoolhouse built in 1855. Throughout its extended history, USF has blossomed into San Francisco’s single-largest independent university.  

Despite the many changes the college has gone through over time, USF has maintained its longstanding commitment to upholding Jesuit values and traditions.  

The USF School of Law, too, shares this commitment, encouraging law students to become sharp critical thinkers who employ strong ethical standards in their professional and personal lives. 

According to US News and World Report, the University of San Francisco School of Law is ranked sixth in the nation in terms of most culturally diverse law schools. A 55.8% majority of the 1L class of 2022 is made up of women, and 56.5% are students of color.

In addition to a rigorous legal education by an incredibly well-educated faculty, USF offers students access to numerous valuable resources. For example, the USF campus is home to the vast Dorraine Zeif Law Library, which contains a remarkable number of stellar resources for legal research.

In addition to the wide array of learning materials, the Zeif Library also has numerous private study rooms that students can reserve, a fully equipped computer lab specifically intended for legal research, and various audio-visual equipment for communal use.

University of California Hastings College of the Law

Originally founded in 1878 as the legal studies department of the University of California, the UC Hastings College of the Law is the oldest law school in the state of California. 

One defining characteristic of the UC Hastings approach to legal education is the significant emphasis placed on experiential learning opportunities. 

The school offers a wide selection of clinical programs, externships, and simulation courses, with more than 100 students a year participating in judicial externships in the Bay Area at some point before graduating.

The UC Hastings law curriculum also heavily focuses on legal writing, compared to other similarly ranked law schools. For one, all law students at Hastings are required to take at least one small-group writing class during their first year at the school. 

Writing an original, substantial legal paper is a requirement for graduation, serving in part as a way for students to demonstrate all that they have learned from the numerous opportunities to strengthen the writing skills they will have received.

Unlike most law schools, Hastings allows 1L students to take elective courses during the spring semester.

Students can choose from several concentration areas, including social justice law, healthcare law, intellectual property law, and numerous others.

Stanford University Law School

Sometimes referred to as the “Harvard of the West” or as a “Public Ivy,” Stanford University is home to one of the most prestigious law schools in the country. 

The degree programs, academic courses, facilities, and clinics offered at the amazing Stanford Law School are nearly unparalleled. 

Without fail, Stanford Law School is consistently named within the top five law schools in the country by multiple major publications, including annual law school rankings by QS World University Rankings and US News and World Report.

Each year, Stanford Law School receives more than 4,500 applications for the incoming 1L class, admitting only around 180 students from the applicant pool.

With the school’s admission process being as highly selective as it is, Stanford is able to maintain an incredibly low student-to-faculty ratio of 4.5:1 consistently.

One area in which Stanford Law is known to excel is in intellectual property law. In fact, the school’s extensive IP law offerings have earned Stanford second place in the rankings for programs of this kind across the US.

Other specialty areas in which Stanford Law is especially highly ranked include criminal, commercial, and constitutional law, ranking third, fourth, and fifth in the nation in these fields, respectively. 

Santa Clara University School of Law

Founded in 1851, Santa Clara University is a private Jesuit university that is located in the heart of Silicon Valley, a global hub for the technology industry. 

Since 1911, the college has been home to an excellent law school known simply as the Santa Clara University School of Law.

At the Santa Clara School of Law, there are various law degree programs from the juris doctorate level up to the postgraduate level. The handful of law degrees offered at the SCU Law include the JD, the LLM, and a number of combined JD/MBA and JD/MSIS programs.

In addition to standard full-time JD degree programs, the SCU School of Law also allows students to earn their JD part-time through the flex JD program. 

Santa Clara Law’s highly rated programs of study range from technology to public interest, privacy, social justice, international law, and beyond.

Two parts in-person instruction and one part virtual learning, the flex JD option allows students greater control in determining not just the location of their legal studies, but also the pace. 

Most students complete the flex JD within four years, but students are permitted to take more or less time as needed.

University of California Berkeley School of Law

Like the aforementioned UC Hastings, UC Berkeley is one of the nine public, land-grant research universities comprising the esteemed University of California system. 

In fact, Berkeley is perhaps the most highly-revered college in the UC system, with “Berkeley” being a household name almost synonymous with excellence.

The UC Berkeley School of Law was established in 1894, and over the course of its centuries-long history, it has come to be one of California’s top law schools. 

According to the 2023 law school rankings published by US News and World Report, the Berkeley School of Law is the ninth-best law school in the United States. 

UC Berkeley is unique among law schools in that they do not use conventional letter grades to evaluate students, nor does the school rank students against one another.

Many of Berkeley’s academic program offerings are ranked among the top ten in the nation, with the school’s programs in corporate law, intellectual property law, and environmental law being #1 in the country.

Other remarkably well-ranked areas of study at the School of Law include criminal law, in which Berkeley is ranked second nationwide. 

The school’s commercial law and international law programs are ranked seventh, with the constitutional law program following close behind in the #8 spot. 

Golden Gate University School of Law

Established at the turn of the twentieth century in 1901, the Golden Gate University School of Law is one of the university’s three graduate schools.

The Golden Gate School of Law has a total full-time enrollment of around 300 students, which means that its students can benefit from the intimate, tight-knit community atmosphere that comes with attending a relatively small school like GGU Law. 

At GGU Law, there are just over six students per faculty member. As a result, students at this school receive ample academic support from instructors and valuable professional mentorship.

One exciting piece of information about the GGU Law student body is that just over 60.7% percent of students self-identify as female, making women students the majority.

The Golden Gate University School of Law offers two different law degree options: the juris doctorate and the master of law. There are six different LLM programs to choose from, plus a plethora of JD program options.

Students pursuing either of these two degrees have the opportunity to individualize their legal education experience by curating a unique plan of study that is well-suited to their own preferences, academic needs, and professional aspirations.

GGU Law offers an extensive range of areas of concentration for those students who want to specialize in a certain area of law.

The post The Best Law Schools in San Francisco appeared first on collegegazette.com.

To be more specific, the School of Law is contained within the Law Complex, a hub for legal-related affairs featuring the Sumner M. Redstone Building. 

Recently added to the side of the Law Tower, the Redstone Building houses the gorgeous, glass-enclosed Robert T. Butler atrium, the incredibly vast Samuel M. Fineman and Pappas law libraries, numerous meeting spaces, study rooms, and other facilities for student use.

One of the most visually striking aspects of the BU Law Complex is the Law Tower, an architectural masterpiece whose recent renovation was recognized with an award from the Massachusetts Historical Commission for achievement in historical preservation. 

The tower stands at an astonishing 17 stories high, making it the tallest law school building in the country. 

The School of Law is one of the 17 constituent schools and colleges in the BU system. 

Although the entire BU student body comprises more than 36,000 students from 130 countries worldwide, law students make up only a tiny fraction of this number, with full-time enrollment at the School of Law being just 796 students across all three years. 

For those who are interested in learning more about what makes the School of Law at Boston University the well-revered law school that it is, we have compiled some of the most essential information to know, from admission requirements to acceptance rates and other statistics. 

Read on to find out what GPA and LSAT scores you need for this amazing law school, what its ranking is, who some notable alumni are, and more.

Boston University School of Law Acceptance Rate

The acceptance rate into Boston University School of Law is 18%, as of the close of the 2022 admission cycle.

Throughout the most recent application window, BU School of Law received 8,240 1L applications for the class of 2024. 

The school did not release the total number of applicants who were offered admission — including those who chose to decline or defer admission rather than accepting the offering and enrolling in the law program immediately. 

They did, however, announce that a total of 318 students committed to being a part of the incoming first-year class of 2024. Based on these figures, we can calculate that only roughly 4% of students in the applicant pool ultimately ended up at BU Law. 

Although 4% sounds like a very low percentage, surprisingly, BU’s newest 1L class is set to be considerably larger than others in years past. 

This is due to the school receiving an increasing number of applications.

According to some sources, in 2020, BU Law had an acceptance rate of 25.9%, meaning we’ve seen a sharp 7% drop over the course of just two years. That year, the School of Law was ranked the #22 most selective law school in the US. 

Even further, going back three years earlier to 2017, BU Law’s acceptance rate was 37.9%. As one can see, over the past five years, acceptance rates at the School of Law — as well as at many other law schools across the country — have dropped considerably, making it more and more challenging to gain admission to the school.

Boston University School of Law GPA & LSAT Requirements

Boston University School of Law does not explicitly require a specific LSAT score or GPA in order to apply to their JD program, although test scores and other academic credentials are indeed a crucial part of the admission decision-making process at the school.

The median undergraduate GPA for those who were accepted to the School of Law at Boston University to be a part of the 1L class of 2024 was a 3.77 on an unweighted 4.0 scale.

This means students earned primarily As and a few Bs in all of their classes throughout their undergraduate studies.

This data alone shows that the law school admissions department at BU can be considered moderately selective. 

In fact, BU Law ranks #26 in the nation in terms of the highest median undergraduate GPA of students.

BU Law’s standards are even higher when it comes to the LSAT, tying for 19th highest in the country in terms of the highest median LSAT score of accepted students who enrolled at the school. 

For the most recent group of students enrolling in BU’s 1L program, the median LSAT score is an impressive 169.

Other requirements for admission include submitting an official undergraduate transcript, a current resume, a written personal statement, and paying the nonrefundable application fee of $85. 

Students who wish to do so may also submit optional additional essays along with the rest of their application materials.

In addition, all applicants must submit a minimum of two letters of recommendation, ideally written by someone who taught the applicant at a university level.

Boston University School of Law Notable Alumni

Since the school was founded 150 years ago, Boston University’s School of Law has produced a number of extraordinarily successful graduates who have gone on to hold prominent positions in every field of law, in the world of politics, and working in many other key industries.

As of today, the BU School of Law has a network of over 25,000 living alumni who are spread out across all fifty states and more than 100 different countries in all corners of the globe.

Notable BU Law alumni include Michael D. Fricklas, prominent lawyer in the entertainment industry. 

After completing his law degree at BU in 1984, Fricklas went on to become executive vice president of Viacom Inc. from 1993 until 2017, later being appointed to serve as a member of BU Law’s Board of Trustees in 2019.

Another is Owen D. Young, an early American industrialist, founder of RCA, and chairman of the board of directors for the General Electric Company from 1922-39. 

Elizabeth Holloway Marston is a famous BU Law alum most people are familiar with, whether they are aware of it or not: she is credited as being the inspiration for Wonder Woman. Along with her husband, William Moulton Marston, she also developed the system of systolic blood pressure measurement that could detect signs of deception, paving the way for the modern polygraph.

Boston University School of Law Ranking

According to the 2023 edition of US News and World Report’s annual law school rankings, Boston University School of Law is in a three-way tie for 17th place among all law schools in the United States.

BU Law is one of the nation’s foremost law schools when it comes to healthcare law. 

In fact, BU’s Law-Medicine Research Institute, established in 1958, was one of the first institutional collaborations between these two fields in the country, driving the study of health care law even at the earliest stages of the field’s recognition.

Today, the School of Law’s stellar health care law program is ranked fifth nationally, continuing the school’s legacy. 

Another specialty area in which BU Law excels is intellectual property law, ranking #11 in terms of best law schools for those looking to practice IP law. 

BU Law has strong programs in the area of tax law as well, with offerings including both full- and part-time undergraduate and graduate programs. 

In 2018,  the school was ranked eighth among American law schools for tax law studies, according to US News and World Report.

Outside of academics, the school is tied for ranking first in the nation in terms of highest median starting salary of graduates who are employed as law firm associates at any private practice following graduation. 

With the average BU law partner bringing home $180,000, it is clear that earning a degree from this law school is a great way to kickstart a career in the legal field. 

Should You Apply to Boston University School of Law?

Because of the numerous and complicated factors at play in making a law school decision, there is no one-size-fits-all guide to finding the perfect law school. That being said, there are many reasons to consider applying to the School of Law at Boston University.

For one, there is the size of the school. BU Law is somewhat large as a law school in terms of the number of students per graduating class, which one might see as an upside because of the opportunity to meet and interact with so many new people.

On the other hand, it should be noted that the School of Law is not large in all regards. BU Law boasts a student-to-faculty ratio of just 6.3:1, with just 15 students in the average law class.

Small class sizes allow students to develop close academic relationships with course instructors and classmates in an intimate learning environment, which is a huge appeal to many aspiring law school students.

Finally, excellent average starting salaries for graduates is certainly one of the biggest appeals.

All in all, the School of Law at Boston University is a great law school to apply to. Continuing to build on a 150-year-long history of providing excellent legal education, it has a wealth of opportunities and resources to offer students.

The post Boston University School of Law – Acceptance Rate, Ranking, and More appeared first on collegegazette.com.

Professors know your name, and colleagues aren’t your competitors. The school is in Los Angeles, representing the United States’ second most extensive legal market, close to Silicon Valley.

Students attending Gould get to customize their curriculum – it’s true that no two students at Gould will take the same path to obtain a law degree. 

In the first year, law students focus on establishing a foundation in legal theory, while years two and three transition them to scenarios where they can apply their knowledge.

Law students at Gould will ultimately choose an area of specialization and work in clinics and externships devoted to those specific areas, such as immigration law, housing law, or social justice work. 

There are more than 200 classes for students to choose from, many of which are as small as ten students. 

While the USC Gould School of Law is challenging to get into, those accepted will benefit from myriad opportunities to prepare for a career in law. 

Moving forward, we’ll discuss the law school’s acceptance rate, as well as admission requirements and median LSAT scores. 

After elaborating on the school’s notable alumni, power rankings, and other exciting programs, readers should be better equipped to decide if applying to USC Gould is right for them.

USC Gould School of Law Acceptance Rate

The acceptance rate into USC Gould School of Law is 12.7% – 5,867 students submitted applications to USC Gould, and only 745 were admitted. 

Admission to USC Gould has never been more competitive. The acceptance rate for the previous year’s cohort was 13%.

Those who enrolled in USC Gould come from various Ivy League institutions, Duke University, UCLA, and Vanderbilt. JD students also have experience as actors, best-selling authors, digital producers, technology entrepreneurs, and Fulbright scholars. 

One new admit, for example, helped launch a sports apparel company for Muslim women, while another sailed over 2,000 miles from San Francisco to Hawaii. Quite an accomplished group of law students!

Women represent nearly two-thirds of the admitted cohort – the law school’s highest percentage of female representation in a 1L class to date. USC Gould is also friendly to out-of-state applicants, with 42% of the most recently admitted class hailing from outside California.

There are six ways students can be accepted to USC Gould. The three-year JD is the most popular option. 

However, those admitted through Binding Early Decision are guaranteed a scholarship that covers half of their first year of law school tuition, at the minimum, and scholarships of the same amount for years two and three. There is no application fee to apply via Binding Early Decision.

The 3 + 3 Accelerated Bachelor/JD is reserved for USC undergraduates with the highest GPAs. This program allows admitted students to complete their undergraduate and law school studies within six years versus the standard seven years. 

To be eligible, USC students must maintain a 3.8 cumulative GPA and report an SAT or ACT score within the 85th percentile. All undergraduate degree requirements must be completed by the end of the student’s junior year.

Students admitted to USC Gould can expect to form close bonds with their peers. The school refrains from assigning individual class rankings to its law students; however, they publish the minimum GPA of the top 10% of each cohort. 

Students in the top 10% category are inducted into the Order of the Coif, the school’s national honorary legal scholastic society.

USC Gould School of Law GPA & LSAT Requirements

While USC Gould does not stipulate minimum GPAs or LSAT scores, applicants should expect a competitive application process. 

The class of 2024 was admitted with a median GPA of 3.82 and a median LSAT score of 168 (with 180 being the highest attainable score). 

The sole eligibility requirement is that applicants must have received or plan to receive a bachelor’s degree before enrolling at Gould. Those admitted may only attend as full-time, in-person students.

There are various materials that students must submit as part of their application packages, including the JD Electronic Application and the $75 application fee. 

Those who have participated in Teach for America, the U.S. military, the Peace Corps, the California Pathways to Law Program, or USC (undergraduate program) are eligible to seek a waiver, in addition to those who can demonstrate financial hardship.

Applicants must register with the Credential Assembly Services (CAS) and submit their CAS Report to Gould. 

This report should include all official transcripts, LSAT scores, LSAT writing scores, and letters of recommendation. In place of the LSAT, applicants may submit GRE scores. 

USC Gould requires two letters of recommendation and accepts a maximum of three. The Admissions Committee places the most value on letters written by those who can best attest to the candidates’ academic backgrounds. 

In instances where an applicant has been outside of school for several years, it is acceptable for a supervisor to send an application as opposed to a professor or guidance counselor.

The following two required items are the personal statement and résumé, which serve different purposes. 

The latter is meant to provide an overview of one’s work background, volunteer engagements, and extracurricular commitments and should not exceed two pages. The former provides two to three pages for applicants to discuss how their background inspired them to pursue a career in law.

All applicants should also qualify for admission to the bar. If one answers “Yes” to any character and fitness questions on the survey, they must provide a detailed written explanation, along with any supporting documents.

There is an optional Contribution to Diversity statement that applicants may craft, as well as a USC Statement of Interest. 

Generally, we recommend that applicants take advantage of all optional opportunities to give their applications a competitive edge. If applicants believe that part of their application requires further elaboration, they may submit a brief supplement as part of their complete application package.

USC Gould School of Law Notable Alumni

The USC Gould School of Law is responsible, in part, for the careers of various successful judges and justices, including those who have worked under the U.S. federal Court of Appeals, the U.S. Federal District Court for the Central District of California, and the California Supreme Court. 

Unsurprisingly, various United States senators and representatives got their start at USC Gould, in addition to the Second Gentleman of the United States, Doug Emhoff.

You Chung Hong was the first Chinese American USC Gould graduate admitted to practice law in California. Hong is known for his contributions to Los Angeles’ Chinatown community, which he helped rebuild in the 1930s.

Various entrepreneurs walked through the halls of USC Gould, including Richard Rosenblatt, the former Chairman of MySpace, and Sol Price, founder of Costco Wholesale Corp. 

With USC’s storied athletic prowess, it is not surprising that various athletes and sports management figures also graduated from Gould. 

Former Olympic gymnast Ronald Barak and water polo player Wally Wolf are alumni, as is the former CEO of the Oakland Raiders, Amy Trask.

USC Gould’s current alumni network exceeds 13,000 members. All students who graduate from the JD and master’s degree programs gain admittance to the USC Gould Alumni Association.

USC Gould School of Law Ranking

USC consistently ranks high in the U.S. News & World Report’s survey of nearly 200 law schools; most recently, they were ranked #18! 

The same report named USC Gould #4 in Diversity among the top 20 law schools. The 2020 National Law Journal’s list of Go-To Law Schools ranked USC Gould even higher among its competitors at #16.

The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education survey of 2020 examined more than 800 United States universities and colleges; from that list, the survey positioned USC at #18 in the nation and #3 among 150 universities surveyed in the western part of the nation. 

USC Gould undoubtedly receives high accolades for its talented faculty, valuable internship opportunities, and stellar residential services.

Students attending USC Gould can rest assured that they won’t graduate with an obscene amount of educational debt. 

Within the past decade, the school witnessed the fourth most significant decrease in average law school debt among the top 20 law schools. 

Upon graduating, new lawyers can expect to earn a median starting salary of $180,000. The average bar passage rate on the California Bar Exam holds at 88% over the past five years.

Outside of Gould, USC as a whole institution ranks #27 in National Universities. Students attending USC have great pride in their school and sports teams. 

One interesting fact is that USC is the only university in the world to boast a gold medal-winning Olympic athlete at every Summer Olympics competition since 1912!

Should You Apply to USC Gould School of Law?

USC Gould is not only a top-tier law school – it is also a great value. 

USC tuition increases are currently at a five-year average low, and the school has continued to raise its scholarship support in that same period. In fact, Gould’s financial aid has increased 2:1 over its tuition increases.

The institution runs on a need-blind admission policy. More than 10% of its students come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and more than 10% are first-generation college students. 

The most recent average scholarship award totaled $40,500, and financial aid packages ranged from $15,000 to full tuition coverage.

USC Gould’s diversity is easily one of its greatest assets. The most recent cohort can be described as 48% White, 20% Asian, 10% Hispanic/Latinx, 9% African American, and 8% multiracial. 

In addition to the school’s diversity and affordability, USC Gould attracts future lawyers through its experiential education programs, namely, its seven clinics and various externships. 

Through both programs, students gain expertise working with practicing attorneys on actual cases, representing a broad range of legal issues.

For example, the Post-Conviction Justice Project (PCJP) is Gould’s first clinical program, established in 1981. More than 700 law students have aided over 4,000 clients, 188 of whom were released from life imprisonment in California. 

USC’s externship placements have traversed various industries, with students taking on roles within Marvel, the U.S. Small Business Administration, and the National Immigration Law Center.

Students attending Gould benefit from an intimate student-to-faculty ratio of 12:1. More than 90% of graduating students are employed within ten months of commencement in long-term, full-time bar-required or JD Advantage positions. 

A law school experience at USC Gould is a full one, and students will leave prepared to take on various roles within the judicial, nonprofit, or business realms in America.

The post USC Gould School of Law – Acceptance Rate, Ranking, and More appeared first on collegegazette.com.

Receiving an offer for admission from any law school is an accomplishment you should be proud of, regardless of your particular school’s ranking. 

Of course, there is no guarantee that the school you thought would be the best fit for you actually will be a good fit. 

You might study at one law school for a semester or more, only to realize well into the experience that you are not as content as you thought you would be at that school.

If this sounds like you, there is no need to panic: you have the option to better the circumstances of your legal education by transferring to a different law school. 

The prospect of transferring law schools may sound like an utter headache, or even just downright daunting. 

Fortunately, we are here to help you through this transition. Read on to learn more about how to transfer law schools, including some statistics about the process, tips for writing a compelling personal statement, how to increase your chances of being accepted as a transfer law student, and more. 

Can You Transfer Law Schools?

Yes, you can transfer law schools. 

Every year, many law students decide to transfer to a different school, and in many cases, they do so successfully.

On top of that, students do not just transfer from their current school to a similarly ranked or more poorly-ranked school. 

Law schools that are ranked among the top 14 in the country regularly accept transfer students from law schools all across the rankings, including third- and fourth- tier schools and lower.

In fact, in the 2017-2018 academic year alone, 10 students — which equals 10% of the school’s 1L class — transferred from the unranked John Marshall Law School to the Emory University School of Law, which was ranked #26 at that time. 

However, depending on the particular school’s admissions policies regarding transfer students, there may be restrictions on who is eligible to transfer to their law school. One example of this is that some law schools only accept transfer students who are just completing their first year of law school. 

This means that students interested in transferring as a 2L or 3L student will have to research whether their intended law school accepts transfer students into second- or third-year programs. 

Additionally, it is essential to know that transferring law schools may be more complex than transferring undergraduate schools. 

Moreover, it is even more challenging to transfer to a highly-ranked law school than a lower-ranked one, since acceptance rates tend to decrease with rank. 

Importantly, however, generalizations like the above statement do not accurately reflect the reality that there are some schools that do not fit the general trend. 

Georgetown University, which is currently sits at the #14 spot on US News and World Report’s annual list of the best law schools in the country, is one of such exceptions, which we will examine in more detail in the following section.  

Law School Transfer Statistics

According to the most recent transfer admissions statistics, the number of transfer students that law schools in the United States receive annually has been declining somewhat steadily over the past several years. 

For example, in 2017, the number of students who transferred law schools successfully was 1,797. 

This figure represents about 4.8% of the total first-year law enrollment for the previous academic year, which was 37,100 students. 

In 2021, however, a considerably smaller number of transfer students — or more specifically, 1,375, according to one source — were able to transfer to a different law school. 

This means that, out of the 38,500 law students enrolled the year prior, only 3.6% of all 1Ls chose, and were able, to transfer schools. 

As a result, the concentration of transfer students versus non-transfer students has also been dropping, especially at the top 14 law schools. 

In 2020, the ratio of transfer students to others at the 15 most highly-ranked law schools was 50%, falling to only 43% in the following academic year.  

However, as previously noted, there are exceptions to the general trend, one of which is Georgetown University. 

The Georgetown University Law Center regularly accepts far more transfer students than any other law school in the country. On top of that, the school also has a history of accepting students from law schools that rank much lower than Georgetown does. 

For example, in the 2017-2018 admission cycle, Georgetown admitted 105 transfer students. Of this group of students, 15 came from the American University Washington College of Law — currently ranked #73 — and five came from the Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law, which is tied for #94 in the law school rankings.

In sum, it can be said that transfer students are a minority at any law school, and especially few-and-far-between at top-ranked law schools. 

Regardless, there are exceptions to this general observation, and statistics should not be interpreted as a surefire indicator of your likelihood of transfer admission to a given school.

Law School Transfer Personal Statement

What law school admissions offices are really looking for in a transfer applicant’s personal essay is that the student showcases some key aspect of who they are as an individual, and not just as a student. 

While it is certainly crucial that applicants exhibit a solid, strong understanding of grammar and English language writing skills, it is also vitally important to give the reader a clear look into your personality, values, passions, and ambition to pursue a law degree in service of those things. 

As you start drafting your essay, one crucial thing to remember is that there are essential differences between transfer application personal statements and first-year undergraduate application essays, like the one you likely had to submit to get into your current school. 

For one, the personal transfer statement should identify and explain the student’s reasons for wanting to transfer. 

Law school admissions want to see that you have the potential to be a great student and how that potential is stunted or underutilized at your current institution. 

The personal statement should show that the student has done their research about the school to which they are applying, especially with regard to what qualities make the two schools substantially different from each other. 

Using details, be specific about whatever it is the school has — courses, extracurriculars, resources, and so on — that leads you to believe that you would reach your full academic potential, be a strong addition to the classroom, and positively contribute to the campus community if accepted to transfer to their school. 

Your background research — which is valuable enough already as far as it informs your decision about what school you should transfer to —is essential to the applicant’s ability to  make an incisive and compelling case for why they should be accepted as a transfer student, rather than just finishing out their law degree at their current school. 

How to Boost Your Chances for Successfully Transferring Law Schools

In order to be a viable transfer student candidate at a reputable law school, it is crucial to maintain high grades at your current law school. 

While first-year law school applicants are evaluated primarily on the basis of grades earned during undergrad and LSAT scores, admissions departments put much more emphasis on current law school GPA when considering transfer applications. 

This may sound daunting — especially if your grades are less-than-ideal as a result of your discontentment at your current school — but it is the inevitable truth. 

To increase your chances of earning solid grades in your first semester of law school, do not be afraid to reach out to professors for help, access campus resources, and use whatever forms of academic assistance may be available to you. 

Beyond striving for high grades, it is also advisable to ensure that while you are attending your current school, you make it a point to establish good relationships with your professors. 

This is partially because getting to know your professors can make it easier to reach out when you need help in their course, and partially because you will more than likely need to ask one or two of your professors to write a letter of recommendation for you to submit as a part of your application to the law school to which you wish to transfer. 

Just as regular undergraduate and graduate admissions personnel look for candidates who are well-rounded, admissions officials also look favorably upon prospective transfer students who are involved in extracurricular activities at their current law school. 

For this reason, joining a club or other student organization may also improve your likelihood of being accepted as a transfer law student.

Last, you will need to write a killer personal statement. This essay is your opportunity to show off whatever you find most important or interesting about yourself that could not be shown in the other parts of your application, so take the above advice for writing your personal statement to heart. 

Should You Consider Transferring Law Schools?

Whether or not transferring law schools is the right decision for you and what you want to get out of your legal education depends on a variety of considerations. 

Depending on your reasons for wanting to transfer, transferring may not be the right way to address whatever issues contribute to your dissatisfaction at your current school. 

There is no sense in avoiding that if your current GPA is below a 3.5, then it is statistically quite unlikely that you would be accepted as a transfer student at any of the top 14 law schools. 

If you want to transfer because you want to go to a more prestigious school, you will need to be honest with yourself about your chances of admission. 

On the other hand, there are certainly many different cases in which transferring law schools is a wise course of action. 

You might find great success applying to a second- or third-tier school with a 3.5 GPA or lower, so you have a lot of options for courses of action to take in this process. 

For example, it can be beneficial to transfer law schools if the school you transfer to has a higher bar passage rate than the one you currently attend. 

This is because a high bar passage rate indicates that the school provides a sufficiently comprehensive, enriching legal education to its students. 

Additionally, passing the bar is a requirement for all attorneys, so a high passage rate shows that students at that school have a greater likelihood of employment placement opportunities.

Another thing to consider when debating transferring law schools is what other schools have to offer compared to your current one in terms of externship opportunities, student organizations, concentration areas, and course offerings that accord well with your personal interests, professional goals, and preferences. 

The post Transferring Law Schools – Statistics, Personal Statement, and More appeared first on collegegazette.com.

Being accepted to a highly selective, highly esteemed law school shows that you are among the best law students in the world, with a stellar academic record, a nearly perfect LSAT score and undergraduate GPA, and phenomenal critical thinking skills.   

Although prestige is certainly not the only factor that should determine where you choose to go to law school, there is a general correlation between law school rankings and employment outcomes. 

Top schools are known to produce more US Supreme Court justices and clerks, heads of state, prominent leaders in business and industry, and intellectual giants than other law schools.

Thus, attending a highly rated law school is almost sure to lead you to a successful legal career, regardless of what type of law you are interested in practicing, where you wish to establish your career, or whatever other factors that generally influence the likelihood of securing elite employment opportunities.  

The following list consists of some of the most highly ranked law schools in the entire world. 

Read on to learn a bit about what these top schools have to offer, including their J.D. and L.L.M. programs, research facilities, networking opportunities with highly successful alumni, and more. 

The ranking is determined by where each school positions in the QS World University Rankings. 

10. National University of Singapore Faculty of Law (Singapore, Singapore)

The National University of Singapore Faculty of Law is widely known as one of the best law schools in Asia. 

Located in Singapore, the school is positioned right at the center of booming international commerce and other commercial activity.

Singapore is also known as the nexus between the East and West, making NUS Law an ideal location for attending law school. 

NUS Law regularly hosts a number of visiting faculty and students from around the world, further contributing to the cosmopolitan atmosphere the school boasts. 

Since its founding in 1957, NUS Law has strived to curate a curriculum that is interdisciplinary, inclusive of multiple perspectives, and globally focused. 

They emphasize the importance of diversity by offering a broad range of courses on a vast number of different topics, such as Asian legal studies, jurisprudence, and intellectual property law. 

9. University of California – Berkeley Law School (Berkeley, CA)

The University of California Berkeley Law School regularly ranks in the top ten best American law schools and within the top three best public law schools in the nation.

The school is known for its unconventional approach to legal education. At UC Berkeley Law, there are no letter grades or GPAs, nor are students ranked against one another. 

Additionally, Berkeley Law offers unique, specialized survey courses, including one called Wine Law, for example. Students can also design their own elective courses. 

After completing a first semester consisting primarily of required courses, students are given the opportunity to customize their courses of study to best suit their individual academic and professional aspirations. 

In addition to J.D. degree programs, Berkeley Law also offers L.L.M. programs, master’s programs, and multiple options for concurrent degree programs.  

8. New York University School of Law (New York, NY)

Founded in 1835, the New York University School of Law is the oldest surviving law school in the state of New York, as well as the oldest law school in New York City. 

Situated in the heart of the largest city in the United States by population, NYU Law gives students access to an immense number of businesses, highly esteemed employers, and bustling industrial and political activity. 

NYU Law offers over 40 different clinical programs through which students can gain hands-on practical experience representing clients, preparing case briefs, and working with practicing legal professionals. 

With 16 different areas of study, over 300 course offerings, and more than 100 widely-acknowledged faculty members, NYU has a wealth of resources for its students. 

Additionally, the school has over 30 centers and 80 student organizations on campus, giving students even more options for enriching their law school experience by getting involved and using these facilities.  

7. Columbia Law School (New York, NY)

Columbia Law School is known as a world leader in the fields of law and legal education. The school boasts a number of solid and longstanding relationships with many of the world’s foremost law firms, Fortune 500 companies, social justice institutions, and various other valuable professional entities.  

With a student-to-faculty ratio of only 5.2:1, Columbia Law students are able to receive ample direct attention from professors, working closely with these well-renowned legal scholars.

The school is known for the rigor of its academics and its highly competitive admissions. 

With a median LSAT score of 174 and a median undergraduate GPA of 3.84, the incoming first-year class of 2021 is no exception to Columbia’s policy of only accepting students of the highest caliber.  

With numerous experiential learning opportunities, including pro bono legal service, clinical programs, and externships, Columbia Law offers students many different options to gain real-world experience working with clients.

6. London School of Economics and Political Science Law School (London, EN)

Founded over a century ago, the London School of Economics and Political Science Law School began teaching the subject of law as early as 1895. Throughout its long history, LSE Law has become one of the best law schools in the world. 

The school has been named the best school in the United Kingdom for research outputs in the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF). 

LSE Law School emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary, international perspectives to study law. The school considers inclusivity an essential component of their identity and their approach to legal education. 

The school is located in London, at the heart of legal activity in the United Kingdom. Its campus is situated in close proximity to Lincoln’s Inn, one of the four Inns of Court of which all UK barristers must be members, as well as the Royal Courts of Justice. 

Additionally, the House of Parliament is within walking distance for LSE Law students. 

5. Stanford Law School (Stanford, CA)

Stanford Law School has been ranked among the top three law schools in the United States every year since 1992, when the US News and World Report began releasing their annual school rankings. 

SLS ranks first in terms of median undergraduate GPA of accepted applicants who enroll at the school, with a near-perfect 3.93 average. 

The school offers students unparalleled opportunities, such as the chance to design unique, personalized joint degree programs or create new courses based on the individual student’s interests. 

With a student-to-faculty ratio of only 4.4:1, Stanford students work closely with the school’s highly esteemed faculty, many of whom are among the world’s foremost legal scholars and experts. 

Located near Palo Alto, California, in Silicon Valley, SLS offers its students close access to this global center for the technology industry and innovation. An impressive 88.8% of Stanford law students in the graduating class of 2017 were employed at the time of graduation, rising to 90.4% at ten months after graduation.

4. Yale Law School (New Haven, CT) 

Ever since the US News and World Report began releasing its annual ranked list of the best law schools in the country, Yale Law School has consistently held the #1 spot. 

The university is known for its exceptional faculty, its stellar track record for successfully placing students in illustrious careers after graduation, and its state-of-the-art research facilities. 

Yale Law School has been the alma mater of a number of prominent public figures, including United States presidents Gerald Ford and Bill Clinton and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton.

Yale Law’s acceptance rate for the 2020 to 2021 academic year was only 4%, making it the most selective law school in the country. 

With a yield rate of 87%, the highest among all law schools in the nation, few students would turn down Yale Law, as receiving an offer for admission to this school is highly competitive.    

The school’s nearly perfect bar passage rate of 99% is evidence of the high quality education Yale Law offers its students. 

3. University of Cambridge Faculty of Law (Cambridge, EN)

Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the fourth-oldest university in the world.

Legal education has been offered at the school since as early as the thirteenth century. 

The school has upheld a legacy for greatness for centuries. Early Faculty of Law students were responsible for writing the first known law reports in the ius commune — Latin for common law — tradition, designating the school as a pioneer in the field of law worldwide. 

Located at Cambridge, a global hub for technology and innovation, the university emphasizes the intersection between academia and business. 

Cambridge’s network of living alumni includes nearly 300,000 graduates from all corners of the world, with a substantial number now located in the United States, Canada, China, and all across Europe. Among these alumni are over 100 Nobel Prize Laureates, almost 200 Olympic Medalists, and 47 Heads of State.

2. University of Oxford Faculty of Law (Oxford, EN) 

There is evidence that suggests that the teaching and study of law began at the University of Oxford as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second oldest university in continuous operation in the entire world.  

Over the course of its more than 800-year history of providing legal education, the University of Oxford Faculty of Law has become a world leader in law, establishing itself as a globally recognized institution for learning and for fostering rich intellectual debate.

According to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, the University of Oxford has been ranked the best university in the world first for six consecutive years (2017 to 2022). 

Notable alumni, or “Oxonians,” including 28 British Prime Ministers, 55 Nobel Prize Laureates, 120 Olympic Medalists,and over 30 international heads of state.

1. Harvard University Law School (Cambridge, MA)

Harvard University Law School is famous for being one of the top law schools in the entire world. 

The school’s dedication to liberal arts and sciences education encourages students to make use of the world-class courses, research institutes, and faculty mentorship offered across all parts of Harvard to pursue their passions, make difficult inquiries, and conduct ground-breaking research.  

Each year, about 560 students enroll in Harvard’s three-year J.D. program. The school’s large class sizes and rigorous academic environment allow Harvard to regularly graduate a great number of esteemed lawyers, legal professions, and widely-renowned scholars.

Distinguished Harvard alumni include former United States president and first lady Barack and Michelle Obama.

Additionally, Harvard holds the record for sending the most graduates to US Supreme Court Clerkships, producing an impressive 491 graduates who went on to fill these esteemed positions since 1960.

The post Discover the 10 Best Law Schools in the World appeared first on collegegazette.com.

Although there are law practices in many different areas of the country, law schools are not evenly distributed across the United States, with most states having only three or fewer law schools. 

There is nothing preventing aspiring lawyers from moving away to start their careers in a state other than the one where they attended law school, but it can be challenging to find job openings and clerkships for those who did not graduate from a highly-ranked, well-known law school. 

Additionally, the law school you attend will likely offer clinics, internships, and local network connections that can help you get started in the area. 

Some law school classes may even be tailored to the state-specific guidelines and subject areas that will be tested on the state’s bar exam. 

For these reasons, it makes the most sense to study law in the state where you plan to start your career as a lawyer. 

Law school location is also essential when considering what industries are nearby, varying levels of demand for different markets, and any local cultural differences. 

Thus, location is an essential factor in determining what opportunities will be available to you if you decide to attend law school in one area versus another. 

The following list offers some information about great schools for those who are interested in practicing law in the southeastern United States.

We define the Southeast as including these states listed in the southeast region according to Wikipedia. 

Here are the best law schools in the southeast United States. These schools were chosen as they are the 12 highest-rated law schools in the region as ranked on the US News best law schools list.

University of Virginia School of Law (Charlottesville, VA)

Widely considered among the top law schools worldwide, the University of Virginia School of Law had an amazing bar passage rate of near 100% in 2020.

Additionally, the Princeton Review names UVA as having the #1 quality of life of all law schools in the entire nation.

There is even a designation for the top law schools in the nation called “T14” – names on the list include places like Columbia, Harvard, and Stanford. 

UVA is, in fact, one of these T14 schools.

One of the amazing things about UVA’s program is the study abroad opportunities the school affords its students. A number of international exchange programs exist, including those with law schools in countries such as Israel, Australia, and Japan.

Wake Forest University School of Law (Winston-Salem, NC)

With only about 40 law students in each first-year section, Wake Forest University offers an intimate learning environment and a tight-knit campus community. 

Current first-year enrollment at Wake Forest Law is 167, and the student-faculty ratio at the school is 7.4:1.

The school provides students with a traditional classroom experience, paired with an emphasis on service-based education. 

The first-year curriculum includes the customary course offerings and a required professional development course intended to help students develop an understanding of the connection between legal theory and legal practice. 

After completing the first year, Wake Forest law students have the opportunity to work with a faculty advisor to create their own upper-level course plan tailored to their professional goals.  

George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School (Arlington, VA)

Located in close proximity to Washington DC, the George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School sits at the heart of one of the nation’s most important political and legal centers.

The school offers its students an almost unparalleled array of employment opportunities in many areas of government and federal agencies and the area’s numerous private law firms.

The college has 16 different clinical programs, through which students can gain invaluable hands-on experience with representing clients, legal writing, preparing cases, and more.   

Emphasizing the intersection of law and economics, Scalia Law prepares its graduates exceedingly well for careers in the business sector. Over half of Scalia Law graduates are employed at the time of graduating from the school. 

Additionally, Scalia Law students have a history of landing stellar clerkship positions after graduation. 

William & Mary Law School (Williamsburg, VA)

Only an hour from Richmond and Virginia Beach and three hours from Washington, DC, William & Mary Law School is a suburban public university located in Williamsburg, VA. 

One of the oldest law schools in the United States, W&M Law has a long-standing commitment to training citizen lawyers, or lawyers who work first and foremost to pursue the public good.

Affectionately referred to by students as “the ‘Burg,” Williamsburg boasts its deep sense of reverence for its historical roots, as well as its vibrant, dynamic collegiate atmosphere. The town’s suburban environment 

W&M Law students have access to all the amenities and opportunities that come with living in a city, but in a place small enough to maintain the intimate, close-knit community atmosphere of living in a small town.  

Washington & Lee University School of Law (Lexington, VA)

The School of Law at Washington & Lee University is a small private school located in Virginia’s beautiful Shenandoah Valley, only about 3 hours away from Washington, DC. 

The student-to-faculty ratio is 7.3:1, so students can expect small class sizes. 

At W&L Law, students do not have to select a particular concentration, but rather have the opportunity to personalize their education through selecting elective courses. 

The school offers a handful of options for clinical programs, including one in which students help coal miners who developed black lung disease with getting federal benefits. 

Another clinic allows students to work with attorneys who are representing defendants facing the death penalty. 

Around 20% of those who graduate from W&L Law go on to practice law in Washington. 

Emory University School of Law (Atlanta, GA)

Emory University School of Law is currently tied for the #29 rank among law schools in the country, according to the US News and World Report’s annual list. 

The school is located in Atlanta, Georgia, one of the most affordable metropolitan areas in the United States. The city is home to a number of Fortune 500 companies, as well as the world’s busiest airport. 

Emory students are thus able to benefit from close proximity to this hub for all the business, travel, and legal activity that have earned the city the nickname “the gateway to the world.” 

With over 60 student organizations to choose from, students at Emory have many opportunities to get involved on campus, build their resumes, and establish network connections.   

University of Georgia School of Law (Athens, GA)

The University of Georgia School of Law is a public institution located in Athens, GA. 

The average enrollment at the school is around 600, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 7.7:1. 

An impressive 80% of all students at Georgia Law receive scholarship aid, while an even greater 100% of first-generation graduate students and military veterans get financial aid scholarships.

Georgia Law offers many concurrent enrollment programs in which students can earn an additional degree during their second and third years of law school. Concurrent enrollment programs can be taken through any of the university’s 17 other schools and colleges. 

The School of Law emphasizes global opportunities, offering students a variety of study abroad programs, work abroad programs, and other global experiences. 

University of Alabama School of Law (Tuscaloosa, AB)

Founded in 1872, the University of Alabama School of Law was the first law school in the state of Alabama. Today, it is the only public law school in the state.

The school is located in Tuscaloosa, or “T-Town,” along the Black Warrior River in West Alabama. 

The city is within a few hours of major metropolitan areas such as Atlanta, Nashville, Memphis, and New Orleans.

Beyond its advantageous location, the University of Alabama School of Law has a tradition of producing highly successful students. 

Within ten months of graduation, an astounding 96.1% of the Alabama Law graduating class of 2020 was either employed or pursuing another degree. 

The school also boasts a 93.6% bar passage rate for first-time test takers. 

University of North Carolina School of Law (Chapel Hill, NC)

Founded in 1789, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was the first public university in the country. According to the Wall Street Journal’s 2022 college rankings, UNC is the best public university in the entire southern United States. 

Although UNC Law was established 56 years later in 1845, it has come to earn itself prominent distinction as an elite law school, ranking #20 in reputation among lawyers and judges. 

The school has a long-standing tradition of producing top lawyers, providing high-quality legal education through a number of rigorous, hands-on, interdisciplinary academic programs.  

The city of Chapel Hill is known to offer numerous social and professional opportunities and a vibrant music scene, historic architecture, and all the city amenities students at UNC Law could ever need. 

University of Florida Levin College of Law (Gainesville, FL)

Located in the sunny city of Gainesville, within a two-hour drive of Jacksonville, Orlando, and Tampa, the University of Florida Levin College of Law is the oldest operating law school in the state of Florida.

The college is known for its robust alumni network, called the UF Law “Gator Nation.” 

This network consists of over 21,500 graduates from all over the world, many of whom remain involved with the school through offering mentorship, connections, and professional opportunities to current UF Law students. 

For those who are interested in practicing tax law, UF Law is a great choice, as their tax law program is currently ranked second in the nation. In fact, the school is in the top 25 law schools in the country in general, so UF Law evidently has a lot to offer all of its students.  

Vanderbilt University Law School (Nashville, TN)

Founded in 1874, Vanderbilt University Law School is an elite law school located just over a mile from the heart of downtown Nashville. 

Named America’s “friendliest city” by the Travel + Leisure magazine, Nashville is known as a hub for a number of industries, including music, research, and business. 

The Vanderbilt campus is home to over 300 species of trees and shrubs, earning it designation as a national arboretum since 1988. 

The weather is mild year-round, allowing students to enjoy outdoor activities no matter the time of year. 

Vanderbilt’s first-year curriculum consists primarily of required courses, while the second- and third-year curricula allow students great freedom in selecting elective courses that align with their passions. 

Duke University School of Law (Durham, NC)

Duke University School of Law is ranked #10 among the top law schools in the country, according to the 2022 list by the US News and World Report. 

With an acceptance rate of only 20.2%, Duke Law is the eleventh most selective law school in the country. 

However, this selectivity is not unwarranted, as the school has a highly prestigious reputation for its high-quality academics and extensive resources, including its professors.   

With a 5.2:1 student-to-faculty ratio, Duke law students have the opportunity to receive ample guidance and direct attention from the school’s highly respected, expert faculty. 

Duke’s location is also known for being stellar — Durham has been named the second-best place to live among the 150 most populous metropolitan areas in the United States. 

The post Here Are the Best Law Schools in the Southeast appeared first on collegegazette.com.

Beyond its vibrant cultural and social atmosphere, the so-called City of Angels is a bustling hub for entertainment, technology, and financial industry affairs. 

Many Fortune 500 companies and massive technology companies like Google, YouTube, and Facebook have offices in downtown LA, offering law students a vast array of professional opportunities within a short distance of their school of choice. 

As many lawyers eventually establish careers in the area in which they attended law school, attending a law school in Los Angeles is the wise decision for students who wish to practice in the Southern California region. 

There is no shortage of law schools to choose from, but not all J.D. programs are created equally. Thus, when deliberating about which law school in LA is the best option, students need to carefully consider what each school has to offer them.

The following law schools are ranked according to where each school ranks in the US News & World Report’s 2022 list of the best law schools in the country.

4. Southwestern Law School

Southwestern Law School offers students more options for degree programs leading to a J.D. than any other American Bar Association-approved law school, with four different programs of study, all featuring different schedules and instructional approaches.

In addition to a conventional full-time, daytime degree program, the school has a part-time night program. Southwestern’s other two J.D. programs are more unconventional.

One of these is the PLEAS program, which stands for Part-time Legal Education Alternative at Southwestern. This four-year, part-time program is designed to suit the needs of law students who have child- or elder-care responsibilities. It is one of the first programs of its kind in the country. 

Students who take part in the PLEAS program have the opportunity to be a part of a special mentorship program under the supervision of Professor Jenny R. Fee, the program’s designated faculty advisor. 

Over the course of the program, PLEAS students meet with Professor Fee as a group, with many chances to arrange individual meetings as well. Under the professor’s guidance, students receive assistance with planning out future courses with an eye on their career aspirations. 

The SCALE, or Southwestern’s Conceptual Approach to Legal Education, the program is an accelerated J.D. program with an alternative approach to legal education. The very first ABA-approved program of its kind, SCALE allows students to earn a J.D. degree in only two years.

Established in 1975, the accelerated SCALE curriculum is very flexible beyond the first year, allowing students to choose from among a number of summer session electives, second-year elective courses, and honors programs participation options. 

SCALE students are guaranteed full-time externship placements with practicing legal professionals in order to develop the practical skills and knowledge lawyers need. 

The school also offers concurrent J.D./M.B.A. degree programs through a partnership with Southwestern’s Drucker Graduate School of Management.

3. Loyola Law School

Loyola Law School has been ranked #1 for best evening programs outside of the east coast. 

The school is also tied for the #8 spot on the US News and World Report’s 2022 rankings for best part-time law schools in the country. 

The first American Bar Association-approved school in California to require students carry out a minimum amount of pro bono legal service prior to graduation, the school boasts a strong commitment to ethics and the public interest. 

Further, Loyola students are often known to surpass the required minimum of 40 hours of pro bono work. 

In fact, in alignment with the school’s purported dedication to pursuing social justice, Loyola students have helped save five wrongfully convicted people from death row and long-term incarceration. 

Each year, Loyola Law students complete over 40,000 hours of free legal work for nonprofit organizations. 

The school’s robust Public Interest Department offers students support for pro bono student work in a number of ways, including public interest scholarships, summer public interest grants, and post-graduate public interest fellowships. 

Additionally, the college is home to a number of different programs, clinics, and centers for those who are interested in studying public interest law, such as the Public Interest Law Concentration. 

Upon graduation from the program, participating students receive a certificate acknowledging their distinction.  

According to the legal magazine the American Lawyer, Loyola is the third best law school in the country in terms of preparing its graduates for careers as attorneys for Big Law Practice. 

Loyola’s graduating class of 2020 has an employment rate of 86.71%, with the majority of graduates securing employment in the state of California shortly after graduation. 

Loyola’s experiential learning opportunities include field placements and practica, clinics, externships, and multiple concentrations that combine academic rigor with hands-on practical training. 

2. University of Southern California Gould School of Law

Founded in 1900, the University of Southern California Gould School of Law was the first law school in the Southern California area. 

Over the school’s 120-year history, USC’s Gould School of Law has established a tradition of enrolling one of the country’s most diverse law student populations, including more international students than any other law school. 

In 1911, before the success of the women’s suffrage movement, a dozen female students graduated from USC Gould. 

Shortly after, they launched Phi Delta Delta, the first women’s law student organization in the US.

Today, USC Gould has maintained its commitment to innovating legal education, becoming an elite legal institution ranking among the top 20 law schools in the country. 

The school’s alumni network has grown to include over 10,000 legal professionals across the world. 

With a median undergraduate GPA of 3.84 and a median LSAT score of 168, the school’s incoming class of 2024 is no exception to its longstanding tradition of accepting only the highest caliber applicants. 

As of 2020, the acceptance rate for USC Gould is only 19.2%, making admission to the school highly selective. The high standards held by the USC Gould admissions office are warranted, however, given the school’s prestigious reputation.

Over 500 USC Gould alumni have gone on to become state or federal judges after graduating from the school. 

Emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinary studies to develop a robust and comprehensive understanding of legal theory and practice, USC Gould offers 15 different dual degree programs. 

The college has, in fact, pioneered the concepts of interdisciplinary legal education and clinical training, becoming one of the first schools to recognize the significance of cross-disciplinary studies in 1965.

1. University of California – Los Angeles School of Law

The University of California Los Angeles School of Law is consistently ranked as one of the premier law schools in the United States, coming in #14 in the US News and World Report’s annual ranked list of best American law schools. 

Founded in 1949, UCLA is among the youngest of top-rated law schools. Over the course of its history, the school has become internationally renowned for the exceptionally high-quality education they provide. 

As of today, UCLA Law’s alumni network has swelled to include more than 18,000 graduates who are leaders in the legal field and in the areas of government, industry, and social justice. The school regularly hosts reunions and other events that allow current students to form network connections and receive mentorship from alumni.  

The college offers a rigorous academic environment that is on the forefront of the most cutting-edge innovations in the legal field. 

With over 60 full-time faculty members who are widely recognized as some of the most influential legal scholars in the world, UCLA students get the opportunity to learn from some of the most knowledgeable professionals there are.

In addition to a stellar faculty, UCLA offers an extensive array of resources, including a number of well-funded centers, programs, and institutes on campus.  

UCLA Law is consistently ranked as one of the best law schools for entertainment and media law. Additionally, many of their other programs, including the business/corporate law, tax law, constitutional law, and environmental law programs, are ranked within the top 10 in the US. 

As of 2021, UCLA Law has graduated a greater number of highly-cited critical theorists than any other school, making UCLA a leader in terms of scholarly impact.

With over 400 law firms and legal employers who visit the campus every year, UCLA offers almost unparalleled employment opportunities. 

An astounding 96% of students in UCLA’s graduating class of 2018 were employed in the legal field within ten months after graduation.

The post Here Are the Best Law Schools in Los Angeles appeared first on collegegazette.com.

Real estate lawyers, then, are attorneys who have expert knowledge about the regulations, laws, and statutes that apply to the buying, selling, and use of real estate. 

The legal term “real estate” applies to land, developed or undeveloped, as well as any permanent structures and resources on that land. 

Practicing real estate law may entail settling disputes over ownership of a parking lot, representing clients who are facing eviction or foreclosure, evaluating whether or not a homeowner’s association has overstepped its authority to require a certain level of lawn maintenance from residents, and much more. 

Real estate law can vary significantly between different states. Therefore, real estate attorneys must cautiously identify the applicable laws and be aware of any local specificities that may affect a given case. 

The domain of real estate law can be divided into two broad categories: commercial and residential. Some attorneys in this field may choose to work exclusively with clients on one side or the other, or they may do both. 

This area of law also addresses issues such as the preservation and maintenance of historical monuments, environmental protection for public lands, accessibility requirements for people with disabilities in public buildings, and tenants’ rights.  

Becoming a successful real estate attorney requires meticulous attention to detail and the ability to reason with shrewd pragmatism, as well as strong people skills. Attending a law school that offers a robust real estate law program is the first step to developing and fine-tuning these skills.

Here are our picks for eight of the best real estate law schools in the US.  

University of Notre Dame Law School (Notre Dame, IN)

To prepare future real estate attorneys, University of Notre Dame offers the Program of Study in Real Estate Law. 

To assist students in developing an interdisciplinary understanding of real estate law and its implications, the law school collaborates with the Fitzgerald Institute for Real Estate. 

A newly established university facility, the Fitzgerald Institute hosts conferences, holds case competitions, and offers many other events for students interested in real estate law.  

The Institute has 17 faculty professors who not only teach courses on real estate law, but also conduct rigorous interdisciplinary research, analyzed from a progressive theoretical and empirical perspective in service of pursuing a dynamic understanding of real estate. 

In addition to the educational enrichment the Fitzgerald Institute offers, it also provides significant professional opportunities, having a network of over 1,100 industry partners. This network includes many committed alumni, employers, and corporate affiliates.

Notre Dame Law’s Real Estate Club also connects its members with professionals and employers in the real estate law field. 

A student-led organization aiming to bolster understanding of real estate law and its significance to ND undergraduate students, the club offers tutorials on industry-related skills.    

Fordham University School of Law (New York, NY)

Located in New York City, Fordham University School of Law offers its students advantageous proximity to some of the world’s foremost law firms and developers. 

Fordham Law School’s Real Estate Institute offers a number of professional certificates to develop the practical skills and knowledge the industry requires. 

There are also several summer intensive programs, offered in the daytime on weekdays, available at Fordham. Enrollment is limited in order to ensure high quality of education through extensive one-on-one attention to each student.

Led by adjunct faculty from the Institute, these programs are intended for industry professionals seeking to deepen their understanding and expertise in the field and pre-graduate students looking to get ahead of their graduate studies. 

Matriculated students who participate in the Institute’s summer intensives can earn credits toward their degrees.

In 2020, Fordham launched an LL.M. program in real estate law, making it the only law school in New York City to offer a master’s program in this field. 

University of Miami School of Law (Coral Gables, FL)

The University of Miami School of Law’s location is hugely advantageous, as Miami is the biggest market for international real estate buyers in the country. 

The university’s real estate law program, along with three others, has been ranked in the top ten on the LL.M. Guide’s 2021 list of schools with the best LL.M. Programs in the world.

The Robert Traurig-Greenberg Traurig LL.M. in Real Property Development offers a number of opportunities for interdisciplinary, hands-on learning, such as case studies and real estate projects in collaboration with the School of Architecture.  

Miami Law real estate students are required to complete at least 60 hours of real-world real estate practice through an internship under the supervision of an established practicing attorney. 

Students who satisfy the internship requirement by working at Greenberg Traurig, LLP, are given priority consideration for the Greenberg Traurig Fellowship Program, during which the fellow is a temporary full-time employee with special training requirements to enrich the educational aspect of their work.   

Other opportunities for hands-on experience in the real estate field that Miami Law offers include the Affordable Housing Practicum and the Tenants’ Right Clinic, both of which allow students to represent real clients.

Georgetown University Law Center (Washington, DC)

Georgetown University Law Center offers a number of courses related to real estate law.

Georgetown’s Harrison Institute for Public Law offers the Affordable Housing Transactions Clinic, where students can provide pro bono representation to low-income clients who are involved in disputes with landlords, facing eviction, or suffering from discriminatory housing policies or practices. 

The work Georgetown students participating in this clinic have done includes filing a federal lawsuit against real estate company Evolve, LLC, in partnership with the National Fair Housing Alliance. 

The lawsuit alleged that the company was guilty of discriminating against prospective tenants who were entitled to Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers. 

At Georgetown, real estate law students can also gain practical experience through the Housing Advocacy and Litigation Clinic, also referred to as Rising for Justice (RFJ). 

The RFJ program is a coalition of students from five different law schools that provides free legal representation and counseling to low-income clients in the DC area.   

Boston University School of Law (Boston, MA)

Boston University School of Law offers numerous courses and clinics relating to housing, land use, and real estate for aspiring real estate lawyers. 

Some examples are the Civil Litigation and Justice Program, Construction Law, and Transaction Simulation: Acquisition of Urban Real Estate for Major Commercial Re-Development.

The university also has the BU Law Real Estate Association, the purpose of which is to provide students a way of forming network connections with real estate law firm professionals and employers in the Boston area.

The REA works in collaboration with students at the BU Questrom School of Business and other similarly oriented student associations in Boston to host events, including panel discussions and educational forums. 

Through the Joseph E. Corcoran Center for Real Estate and Urban Action, BU students can gain practical experience by participating in internships, field projects, and workshop trainings. 

The Center offers many opportunities for both on- and off-campus engagement, aiming to help students develop a rich, interdisciplinary understanding of real estate law by contributing to urban revitalization and community building projects.

University of Illinois Chicago School of Law (Chicago, IL)

University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, Chicago’s only public law school, has a variety of  externships, site visit opportunities, student organizations, and other programs related to real estate law.

The Center for Real Estate Law works closely with the Real Estate Law Student Group to organize events where real estate lawyers and other professionals in the field hold discussions, establishing educational and professional connections. 

To supplement the individual advising degree candidates get from the Center and the Law School’s Career Services Office, UIC Law offers a career program each semester, where students can learn about professional opportunities for those interested in pursuing employment in the area of sustainable development or real estate law. 

UCLA School of Law (Los Angeles, CA)

According to US News, UCLA is ranked #14 on the list of the best law schools in the country.

Recently, UCLA real estate law students were acknowledged by the White House for their efforts to ameliorate the country’s housing and eviction crisis. 

The students offered pro bono services for critical needs, like mediating conflicts between tenants and landlords and defending individuals who were facing the threat of eviction. 

The school’s real estate law program involves a robust, extensive array of educational and professional opportunities, from its undergraduate courses to its multiple real estate-centered organizations.  

The Real Estate Law Association, a student organization, offers its members professional networking opportunities, connecting them with industry mentors, potential future clients, and the greater LA community.  

RELA works in collaboration with the university’s Association for Real Estate at Anderson, its nonlegal counterpart at UCLA’s School of Management. 

AREA hosts a number of industry-related events, including job site visits, case competitions, educational events, mentorships, and more.  

Both of these associations are sponsored by the UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate, which generously supports real estate industry research and conceptual development.  

Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law (Malibu, CA)

At Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law, all undergraduate students are automatically enrolled in the Preceptor Program, which pairs them with a practicing attorney or judge who serves as a mentor for the duration of their first semester. 

For many students, participation in this program leads to internships, job offers, and lasting professional relationships that form the basis of strong networking connections.

The Preceptor Program is run by the Parris Institute for Professional Excellence, which aims to support students in professional development and develop personal goals and ethics that adhere to the university’s mission. 

According to National Jurist, Pepperdine is ranked third in the country in terms of the best practical learning opportunities offered by law schools.

Pepperdine’s course offerings for its real estate law JD program include Federal Income Tax of Property Transactions, Real Estate Transactions, Real Estate Finance, Environmental Law, Administrative Law, and Property.

The post Discover These Amazing Real Estate Law Schools appeared first on collegegazette.com.

Many of these immigrants are given no legal assistance upon arrival, finding themselves totally in the dark during court hearings relating to their immigration status. 

On top of the strong reasoning, writing, and rhetorical skills all lawyers need in order to succeed, immigration lawyers must also have many specific skills that working with immigrant clients demands. 

Because their clients may not speak English or have any familiarity with American culture, immigration lawyers must be capable of effective cross-cultural communication, as well as be sensitive to the difficulties that leaving one’s home country may create. 

These immigration lawyers must also be able to interact compassionately with the individuals they represent.

Developing the necessary skills for practicing immigration law requires extensive hands-on clinical training. Selecting a law school that can provide the thorough, robust, and practical education immigration lawyers need is essential to one’s professional future. 

There are many different factors to consider in the law school selection process, including how course offerings, post-graduate employment rates, clinical programs, and faculty expertise at different schools compare to one another.   

Here are our picks for 10 of the best immigration law schools in the US.

University of Maryland Francis King Carey Law School (Baltimore, MD)

The second-oldest active law school in the country, the University of Maryland Francis King Carey Law School has a long history of producing notable alumni, including several judges, senators, members of Congress, governors, and two attorney generals. 

UM Law requires that students get hands-on experience representing clients, particularly those who could not otherwise afford legal services. For aspiring immigration lawyers, this requirement can be satisfied through the Chacón Center for Immigrant Justice’s clinical program. 

Emphasizing the intersection of criminal and immigration law, this program’s students have the opportunity to get involved in advocating for immigration policy reform, on top of providing representation for clients in the Baltimore community.

The Immigration Clinic is directed by Maureen Sweeney, a distinguished immigration law scholar.

University of Virginia School of Law (Charlottesville, VA)

According to the Princeton Review, the University of Virginia School of Law is home to the best professors, best classroom experience, and best quality of life of any law school in the country. 

Woodrow Wilson, Robert F. Kennedy, and Ted Kennedy are among the school’s many notable alumni.

Of the 250 courses UVA Law offers annually, 23 are clinical programs, including the Immigration Law Clinic. 

Students who participate in this program represent clients seeking asylum or release from immigration detention before the Arlington Immigration Court, taking full responsibility for their cases while gaining valuable real-world experience. 

In addition to the clinical program, UVA Law also has a robust Pro Bono Program, as well as the Pro Bono Challenge, which incentivizes students to complete at least 75 hours of pro bono service over the three years they are at the school, awarding those who finish the challenge with a certificate of recognition signed by the Dean.

Columbia Law School (New York, NY)

According to US News, Columbia Law School is consistently ranked in the top five law schools in the country, currently tied for fourth place. 

Although CLS is best known for a strong corporate law program, its immigration law program also lives up to the school’s renown. 

Through the Immigrants’ Rights Clinic, students have the opportunity to directly represent clients, as well as participate in innovative projects related to impact litigation, public education, and legislative reform. 

The clinic is run by Elora Mukherjee, an internationally recognized immigrants’ rights advocate whose eyewitness reports on the inhumane conditions for children detained at the US-Mexico border garnered international attention. 

Since its founding in 2014, the clinic’s students have taken on and won many cases for vulnerable young migrants seeking asylum. One of the program’s many notable victories secured legal protection for six undocumented Central American children.   

UC Davis School of Law (Davis, CA)

UC Davis School of Law boasts an 87.2% bar passage rate, nearly 10% higher than the average for Californian law schools. The smallest school in the University of California system, the School of Law has an intimate 8:1 student to faculty ratio.

Located in California’s Central Valley, the heart of the state’s agriculture, UC Davis places students close to the area’s large immigrant population. 

In addition, the school’s location is a mere 15 minutes away from Sacramento and an hour from the Bay Area, numerous centers for employment, the state’s legal and political activity, and a rich network of alumni.  

Students who participate in the school’s Immigration Law Clinic gain extensive experience directly representing clients, preparing case briefs, and advocating for legislative reform. 

Emphasizing the significance of the intersection of criminal law and immigration, the clinic provides its students with the opportunity to advise public defenders about the distinct challenges and potential implications for immigration status faced by immigrant clients.  

Cornell Law School (Ithaca, NY)

Cornell’s Migration and Human Rights Program provides pro bono legal services to immigrants through multiple clinics, including the Asylum and Convention Against Torture Appellate Law Clinic and the Farmworker Legal Assistance Clinic. 

Exclusively for first-year students, Cornell offers the Immigration Law & Advocacy Clinic, which is designed to foster the development of the research, writing, and advocacy skills students will need to represent clients successfully.

Through this clinic, students participate in community advocacy through on- and off-campus presentations through Know Your Rights and Undocu-Ally, intended to help educate affected groups and other immigration lawyers about developments in immigration law. 

In collaboration with the Cornell Farmworkers Program, students can gain experience working with local nonprofits at farms. 

UCLA School of Law (Los Angeles, CA)

Like many other schools on this list, UCLA School of Law has a significant focus on hands-on experience. The many clinics they offer include the Immigrants’ Rights Policy Clinic and the Immigrant Family Legal Clinic. 

After finishing their first year, UCLA law students can participate in externships through the school’s robust program. During externships, students gain real-world experience under the guidance of knowledgeable practicing attorneys and faculty advisors. 

UCLA School of Law also offers litigation, dispute resolution, and transactional

simulation courses, which allows students to develop a strong sense of what practicing immigration law is like. 

Recruiters from leading employers, including government agencies, law firms, and corporations, regularly visit the UCLA School of Law. Ten months after graduation for UCLA law alumni, the employment rate is an impressive 96%.

Stanford Law School (Stanford, CA)

Along with Harvard and Yale, Stanford Law School is consistently ranked among the top four law schools. It is known for its distinguished faculty, ample resources for students, and its world-class quality of education. 

Stanford admits only 180 students a year, the smallest class size of any law school ranked in the top 14. Their 4:1 student to faculty ratio is almost unmatched. 

In addition to 11 clinical programs, SLS also offers students hands-on experience through the Law and Policy Lab, which focuses on addressing real-world legal issues with cutting-edge solutions and emphasizes interdisciplinary analysis.   

On top of the Lab and the many different clinics SLS offers, students can get involved with immigration rights advocacy through the Stanford Advocates for Immigrants’ Rights, a student group founded in 2016. 

SAIR has created a Research Bank in order to facilitate nonprofit research relating to immigrants’ rights issues in collaboration with well-known advocacy organizations such as ACLU.

Yale Law School (New Haven, CT)

Since the inception of the US News law school rankings, Yale Law has been given the number one spot every single year. According to the Princeton Review, Yale is also the most challenging law school to get into in the country. 

Notable alumni include Bill and Hillary Clinton, Gerald Ford, and several Supreme Court justices. The prestige and power that come with a Yale Law degree are essentially unrivaled. 

Unlike many other law schools, Yale Law prescribes a very minimum number of required courses, encouraging students to instead craft their own, unique path through their studies. After completing the relatively rigid 1L coursework, students are free to choose any of the nearly 200 courses offered each semester.     

Yale’s long list of clinical offerings includes programs related to immigration law, the Immigrant Rights Clinic, and the Worker & Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic.

Harvard Law School (Cambridge, MA)

One of the most prestigious universities in the world and the third best law school in the country according to US News, Harvard Law School offers a stellar immigration law program. 

Harvard’s Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program provides unique opportunities to gain invaluable real-world experience representing clients and participating in policy advocacy at a local, national, and international level. 

After being placed at either Harvard or Greater Boston Legal Services, HIRC students represent clients seeking asylum in the United States for protection from persecution, violation of basic rights, or other forms of suffering inflicted by their country of origin. 

In addition to the HIRC, aspiring immigration lawyers at Harvard can gain first-hand experience through the Harvard Law School Immigration Project. This student practice organization provides pro bono legal representation and advocacy services to immigrant communities.  

University of Chicago Law School (Chicago, IL)

Although Yale is number one on US News’ law school ranking list, the University of Chicago Law has taken the top spot according to the legal news website Above the Law. 

Above the Law’s ranking system differs from others in that it is entirely outcome-based. This means that rather than looking at factors such as median GPA and LSAT scores of admitted students, they instead determine rank based on considerations such as rate of employment after graduation.

University of Chicago Law School is ranked #1 in terms of private sector median salary for graduates, #2 for bar passage and employment rate, and #3 for employment rate 10 months after graduation. 

The school’s Immigration Law Society is active in promoting interdisciplinary dialogue, organizing panel discussions, and community education events relating to immigration law.

Since its founding in 2020, the Immigrants’ Rights Clinic has handled several cases of national importance. The IRC provides direct representation for multiple individuals seeking asylum every year. 

The IRC has influenced the future of immigration court rulings, among many other achievements, through their work.

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