As of February 2011, 613 students were in the law school at Yale University. The school has a different approach to grades. During the students' first term, they do not earn any grades. Afterward, grades are assigned as honors, pass or low pass. Students go out into the field and help to represent clients in the workforce. Students do not choose a particular field at this institution, but they can take certain specific courses.
No surprise exists that Harvard Law School is at the top of the list. As soon as the students begin the program, they start off working with local musicians, prison inmates and others in need of legal counsel. In addition to taking the traditional courses, students also have to do 40 hours of volunteer work in order to graduate. In the law field, this volunteer work is known as pro bono work.
Many of the programs at Stanford University can be complete within three years. Students have a range of activities in which they can engage, including 10 clinics, 10 journals run by students and 50 student organizations. Several joint degree programs are offered, and students can go on to earn additional degrees at both the Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Schools and at the Johns Hopkins Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies.
Located in New York City, Columbia University is one of the top schools. Thirty different centers on campus provide law experiences for students to engage in, such as those related to teaching careers or judicial clerkships. Students also have the option to study abroad and earn an international degree in one of 10 countries. Part time and evening programs are not available at this institution.