Deciding where to go to law school is a difficult decision. But slavishly following the annual U.S. News & World Report ranking may not significantly increase one's large-firm job prospects. With demand for elite graduates outstripping supply, many top firms recruited deeper into the classes at elite schools: In 2007 a bigger percentage of students graduating from top schools took jobs at NLJ 250 firms than in 2006. Most applicants might do better by focusing on lower debt load rather than higher ranking.
Hiring more deeply into top schools
A bigger percentage of students graduating from top law schools in 2007 took jobs at NLJ 250 law firms than those graduating in 2006. Columbia Law School took the top spot again this year, sending nearly 75% of its graduates to NLJ 250 law firms.
What rankings don't say about costly choices
Deciding where to go to law school is a difficult decision for many applicants. Law school is expensive and becoming more so each year, making the choice of where to go often the biggest investment decision an applicant has made in his or her life. Yet many prospective law students lack knowledge about the entry-level legal market or even what different types of lawyers do in their daily lives.
CHARTS:
Employment trends for law school grads
The top 100 out of 194 ABA-approved schools ranked by percentage of 2005 graduates at NLJ 250 firms.
By Region:
• New York
• California
• Illinois
• Texas
• Washington, D.C.
• Massachusetts
• Georgia
• Pennsylvania
• Alabama to Kentucky
• Louisiana to Nevada
• Ohio to Wyoming
• Composite report of all 11 regions
• Methodology
