U.S. News and World Report has continually ranked Yale Law School No. 1 in the United States. Despite its longstanding reputation, however, things are not business as usual at Yale. Yale law students no longer receive traditional grades; instead, they earn marks of "honors," "pass" or "low pass." Though the law school does not allow students to declare areas of specialization, students may select courses that match their own interests. The median starting salary for Yale Law graduates working in the private sector is $160,000. Prominent Yale Law alumni include President Bill Clinton and Supreme Court Justices Samuel J. Alito and Clarence Thomas.
A Harvard Law education emphasizes the importance of putting your legal skills to work before you earn your degree. Harvard Law offers more than 40 legal clinics, more than any other law school in the United States, and all Harvard Law students must complete at least 40 hours of pro bono legal work before graduating. Harvard follows Yale in awarding students non-traditional grades: "Honors," "Pass," "Low Pass" and "Fail" grades. Median private sector starting salaries for Harvard Law graduates run to around $160,000. President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts are all Harvard Law alumni.
Stanford Law School offers students numerous opportunities to earn dual degrees in their areas of interest, both at other Stanford University-affiliated schools, such as the Graduate School of Business, or at other institutions, such as Johns Hopkins's Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies. Students choose their areas of concentration in their second year of law school. Median starting salaries for Standford Law grads in the private sector are $160,000. Notable Stanford Law alumni are former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court William Rehnquist and Miriam Rivera, former Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Google.
Columbia also allows students to begin shaping their law school education according to their own interests early on -- as early as their first year. Columbia offers a large number of dual degree programs in addition to a number of study abroad opportunities. These study abroad programs allow students to earn credentials to practice law in other countries. The median private sector starting salary for a Columbia Law alumnus is $160,000. President Theodore Roosevelt and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg are both Columbia Law graduates.