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Surveys & Rankings ›

2021 Go-To Law Schools

We’ve ranked the top 50 law schools according to the percentage of their 2020 juris doctor graduates who took associate jobs at the largest 100 firms.

 
  • March 04, 2021 | news

    Columbia Reigns Supreme in Big Law Hiring, But Northwestern, Cornell Came on Strong in 2020

    By Karen Sloan

    Columbia Law School lands at the top of our 2021 Go-To Law Schools ranking of Big Law feeder schools, marking the eighth straight year the school tops the list.

  • March 04, 2021 | news

    COVID-19 Forced Summer Associate Recruiting to Go Remote. Firms May Never Return to Campus.

    By Karen Sloan

    Summer associate recruiting will return to August in 2021, after a one-year move to January due to COVID, but schools and firms are planning to conduct interviews virtually—a move that could become permanent.

  • March 04, 2021 | news

    'Better Than Expected.' Law Schools and Firms Weigh In On OCI In The Age of COVID

    By Karen Sloan

    Listen to Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law Career Services Dean David Diamond and Skadden Arps Global Hiring Partner Gavin White discuss this year's strange summer associate recruiting cycle.

  • March 04, 2021 | news

    The Top 50 Go-To Law Schools

    By Karen Sloan

    These law schools sent the highest percentage of 2020 graduates to associate jobs at the largest 100 law firms.

  • March 04, 2021 | news

    Go-To Law Schools: Associates to Partner

    By Karen Sloan

    These law schools saw the most alumni promoted to partner in 2020.

  • March 04, 2021 | news

    Go-To Law Schools: Tuition

    By Karen Sloan

    Here’s a look at how much it costs to attend a law school that has a strong Big Law track record.

  • March 04, 2021 | news

    Go-To Law Schools vs. U.S. News

    By Karen Sloan

    How Go-To Law School rankings match up with U.S. News & World Report.

  • March 04, 2021 | news

    Go-To Law Schools: Firm Favorites

    By Karen Sloan

    See which law schools specific firms hired from the most.

  • March 04, 2021 | news

    Go-To Law Schools: All Schools Data

    By Karen Sloan

    See hiring stats for every law school that sent a 2019 graduate to one of the largest 100 firms.

  • March 04, 2021 | news

    Go-To Law Schools: Search By School

    By Karen Sloan

    Search our Go-To Law Schools data by school to see the firms where 2020 graduates found associate jobs.

  • March 04, 2021 | news

    Go-To Law Schools: Search By Firm

    By Karen Sloan

    Search our Go-To Law Schools hiring data by firm to see the schools from which they hired new associates.

  • March 04, 2021 | news

    Explore the Data Behind The Go-To Law Schools

    By Karen Sloan

    Our interactive database allows you to delve into all the Go-To Law Schools School associate hiring and alumni partner promotion data.

  • March 04, 2021 | news

    Go-To Law Schools Methodology

    By Karen Sloan

    Find out how Law.com determines its Go-To Law Schools ranking.

  • March 04, 2021 | news

    Sneak Peek at the 2021 Go-To Law Schools: Nos. 1-10

    By Karen Sloan

    Here's an early look at Law.com's 2021 Go-To Law School Big Law hiring report, featuring schools 1-10 on our annual ranking of the 50 law campuses that sent the highest percentage of recent graduates on to large firm associate jobs.

  • March 04, 2021 | news

    Sneak Peek at the 2021 Go-To Law Schools: Nos. 11-20

    By Karen Sloan

    Here's an early look at Law.com's 2021 Go-To Law School Big Law hiring report, featuring schools 11-20 on our annual ranking of the 50 law campuses that sent the highest percentage of recent graduates on to large firm associate jobs.

  • March 03, 2021 | news

    Sneak Peek at the 2021 Go-To Law Schools: Nos. 21-30

    By Karen Sloan

    Here's an early look at Law.com's 2021 Go-To Law School Big Law hiring report, featuring schools 21-30 on our annual ranking of the 50 law campuses that sent the highest percentage of recent graduates on to large firm associate jobs.

  • March 02, 2021 | news

    Sneak Peek at the 2021 Go-To Law Schools: Nos. 31-40

    By Karen Sloan

    Here's an early look at Law.com's 2021 Go-To Law School Big Law hiring report, featuring schools 31-40 on our annual ranking of the 50 law campuses that sent the highest percentage of recent graduates on to large firm associate jobs.

  • March 01, 2021 | news

    Sneak Peek at the 2021 Go-To Law Schools: Nos. 41-50

    By Karen Sloan

    Here's an early look at Law.com's 2021 Go-To Law School Big Law hiring report, featuring schools 41-50 on our annual ranking of the 50 law campuses that sent the highest percentage of recent graduates on to large firm associate jobs.

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About the Survey

The COVID-19 pandemic may have shuttered law school campuses, courthouses and law firm offices across the country, but it didn’t stop Big Law from hiring thousands of new associates in 2020. The nation’s largest 100 law firms hired 4,463 recent law graduates last year—slightly higher than the previous year. Among the 50 schools most popular with those large firms, more than 30 percent of 2020 graduates landed associate jobs, which is the same percentage as 2019. But with the continued uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, future law firm associate hiring seems likely to slow down.

We’ve ranked the top 50 law schools according to the percentage of their 2020 juris doctor graduates who took associate jobs at the largest 100 firms. To comprise that list, we used The National Law Journal’s annual survey of law firms by lawyer head count.

In addition to ranking the top 50 law schools, we present the law schools that saw the most alumni promoted to partner in 2020, which firms hired the most associates, and how each school’s tuition compares to its Big Law placement rate.


 

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