According to U.S. News & World Report, first-ranked Yale Law School is a small school with only 613 students. It is located one block away from the main university campus in New Haven, Conn. In 1960, it abolished its grading system to alleviate pressure on its students and instead uses an evaluation of honor, pass, low pass and fail. It also gives students a paper option as a substitute for an exam. First-semester requirements include criminal law and an ethics course. In the second semester, students have opportunities to participate in legal clinics or appear in state court. Lillian Goldman Law Library covers six levels in the law school and has collections of rare books, foreign and international law books and government documents. Known for its public interest clinic, it emphasizes diverse areas of law such as domestic violence, immigration and workers' rights.
Yale Law School
133 Wall St.
New Haven, CT 06520
203-432-4991
law.yale.edu
Harvard is ranked second and has a student population of 1,771. It is the oldest law school in the country and opened in 1817. Students are trained for public service law, teaching law and legal scholarship. It is known for its courses in trade, criminal law, taxation, legal reform and international law. There is a mandatory course in international and comparative law and legislation. New to the curriculum is a problem-solving case study class that all students are required to take. First-year students may become involved with the Ames Moot Court, an annual court competition.
Harvard Law School
1563 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02138
617-495-3109
law.harvard.edu
Stanford Law School is ranked third. It was founded in 1893 and has a population of 557. It is located 35 miles south of San Francisco. It abolished letter grades to remove stress for the students. It is known for environmental, business and technical law in addition to programs integrated with other fields. It houses one of the few Supreme Court clinics that allows students to argue several cases. It has the Robert Crown Law Library, which is considered among the top in the country.
Stanford Law School
Crown Quadrangle
559 Nathan Abbot Way
Stanford, CA 94305
650-723-4985
law.stanford.edu
Ranked fourth, Columbia Law School has a diverse population of 1,309. Columbia Law is known as an international center for legal education. It offers programs in corporate law and finance as well as legal history. It boasts that among its graduates are state and federal judges, public defenders and government officials. First-year students take the usual courses in contracts, torts, constitution law, civil procedures and criminal law.The upperclassmen are free to select electives in fields of interest. The only upper-class requirements are in research and writing, professional responsibility and pro bono work. It places students in civil rights and human rights internships in law firms and organizations in the U.S. and around the world.
Columbia Law School
435 W. 116 St.
New York, NY 10027
212 854 2670
law.columbia.edu
The University of Chicago Law School is ranked fifth with a population of 593. It is located in Hyde Park, south of the heart of Chicago. It has a prominent economics department and adds economic analysis into many law courses. It offers combined legal courses with social courses, enabling students to apply their legal knowledge with social issues. It offers moot trials and four law journals. Second- and third-year students are encouraged to substitute a seminar and research for courses. A high percentage of graduates enter judicial clerkships.
University of Chicago
1111 E. 60th St.
Chicago, IL 60637
773-702-9484
law.uchicago.edu/
New York University Law School ranked sixth, with a population of 1,427. It is located in Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village and is known for its program in international law. It also has a good corporate legal program as well as clinical education, public service, jurisprudence, criminal law and legal history courses. It is the first law school to admit women and those from other groups who have had difficulty getting accepted to a law school. The school's Root-Tilden-Snow Program and Public Interest Center sponsor speakers, counseling and summer internships.
New York University
110 W. Third St.
New York, NY 10012
212-998-6060
law.nyu.edu/
University of California Berkeley Law School is ranked seventh and has a student population of 892. According to U.S. News and World Report, it is ranked first in intellectual properties. It has pass/fail grades and a relaxed atmosphere. Environmental law, social justice and international law are among its popular offerings. It offers dual programs not only within the school but also combined with other law schools. Students in this program may spend their third year studying in another law school.
University of California Berkeley
Boalt Hall School of Law
Berkeley, CA 94720-7200
510-642-2274
law.berkeley.edu
University of Pennsylvania Law School is ranked eighth, with a population of 780 students. Established in 1850, the law school emphasizes interdisciplinary studies. It offers 26 dual degrees ranging from a Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration degree with the university's Wharton School of Business to Juris Doctor/Doctor of Philosophy degree in communications. First-year students are permitted two electives, whereas upper-level students can opt for certificate programs in Middle East, Islamic Studies, gender and sexuality. Rentals in Philadelphia are reasonably priced, which enables students to live off campus. Graduates tend to find jobs in New York and Philadelphia.
University of Pennsylvania
3400 Chestnut St.
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6204
215-898-7400
law.upenn.edu
Ninth-ranked University of Michigan has a diverse population of 1,117. It is one of the largest and oldest public law schools in the U.S. It was the first public law school to admit women and second to matriculate African American students. Its emphasis is on public interest. It boasts of 25 Supreme Court clerkships since 1991. It emphasizes international law and requires students to take a course in that subject. Programs on Japanese or Chinese as well as European legal studies are available. More than 99 percent of its graduates have jobs by graduation.
University of Michigan Law School
625 S. State St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
734-784-0537
umich.edu
The University of Virginia was founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1826. Its law school is ranked 10th and has a population of 1,156, with students from around the world. It is located in a small town two hours away from Washington, D.C. It specializes in tax and international law, with joint degrees in commercial and corporate law available. It has a partnership with Princeton University and Johns Hopkins University for joint Juris Doctor/Master of Arts degrees. First-semester students take one of five courses with only 30 students in each class. Second- and third-level students take electives and individual research projects. They are required to take constitutional law and legal writing followed by professional responsibility. Most graduates opt for positions in large firms.
University of Virginia Law School
580 Massie Rd.
Charlottesville, VA 22901
804-924-7351
law.virginia.edu