A2Z S2, E15: US News Rankings

Dean Z delivers the TLDR on the US News Law School Rankings (as of January 10, 2023.)

Other helpful links:

[bigsteveo]

Looking forward to being at Michigan!! Go Blue! 😢

[jeremiahsnyder]

Some of those closings for emails were awesome, but admittedly less than professional! With regard to rankings, with all due respect to the numerous law schools out there and the esteemed faculty teaching at them, I am going to try to get into a school that will prepare me best for my law career. Rankings are not much of a consideration for me at this time. I have a great amount of respect and admiration for Gerry Spence, who is a member of the Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame. Spence grew up in Wyoming and attended the University of Wyoming for his undergrad and his LL.B. His success as a prosecutor and defense attorney are renowned. Even Spence admits that his academic background seems to defy the reality of his successful career. Yet, if the University of Wyoming can produce great lawyers like Spence, it seems faculty are more important than rankings. Granted, rankings might have some weight in some circles and for some people, but there is more to consider than just this when making the choice on what law school to apply to and attend.

[oceansky]

I use best as my closing. Like you said, get down to business!

[oceansky]

Good advice on not introducing name in email.

[andrionary]

The rankings are bad, but in a way opposite from how progressive T14 deans imagine. Rankings should be a weighted score based purely on student outcomes in biglaw, federal or state SC judicial clerkships, and other competitive public interest positions (SEC, DOJ, state AG/SG), etc. Rankings only matter to prospective students insofar as the students are thinking about weighing the usually higher debt from attending a higher ranking school against the potential career or financial benefits to be gained by attending that school.

If you want to be a "good person" and be a public defender in some no name county somewhere, you can go to Cooley and do that. You don't need rankings.

This is only if you believe that rankings should primarily serve prospective students in choosing schools, of course. If you think it should be a way for schools to compete in various progressive DIE olympics, then an alternative ranking system might make sense.

[oceansky]

I despise, I hope this email finds you well

[scififan]

Oh, I must have dwelled off to the dark side of YouTube again. My bad. Bye