Northwestern's law school tops the NLJ list and has been in the top five since 2007. In 2009, the law school sent 55.9 percent of its graduating class to the top 250 corporate firms in America (commonly known as the "NLJ 250"), according to the NLJ list. Alone among the top law schools, Northwestern places a great emphasis on prospective students' prior work experience; in fact, as of 2010, 95 percent of entering students had at least one year of work experience prior to admission, and more than 80 percent of entering students had two or more years of work experience, according to Northwestern's website. The emphasis on work experience may be one reason why corporate law firms seek out Northwestern graduates.
Northwestern University Law School
375 East Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 503-8465
www.law.northwestern.edu
Columbia Law School ranked second in NLJ's 2009 list after being ranked first in the previous year's list. In 2009, Columbia sent 54.4 percent of of its graduating class to NLJ 250 corporate law firms. According to Columbia's website, 88 percent of the 2008 graduating class (the last year for which statistics were posted) found work in law firms, with a median private sector annual starting salary of $160,000. Columbia's location in New York City, where many NLJ 250 firms are headquartered or have offices, may help Columbia graduates obtain jobs at top firms.
Columbia Law School
435 West 116th Street
New York, NY 10027
(212) 854-2670
www.law.columbia.edu
The third-ranked law school for NLJ 250 hiring in 2009 was Stanford Law School. Stanford sent 54.1 percent of its graduating class to NLJ 250 corporate law firms in 2009, just .3 percent fewer than the second-ranked Columbia Law School. Ninety-eight percent of Stanford Law graduates were employed nine months after graduation, and the median starting salary for graduates was $135,000, according to the law school's website.
Stanford Law School
Crown Quadrangle
559 Nathan Abbott Way
Stanford, CA 94305
650-723-2465
www.law.stanford.edu