A career in law starts with finding the school that fits you best. When evaluating law schools, reputation, location, and the percent of graduates passing the bar exam are very important factors.
These days, it’s a good idea to choose a law school based on employment or may be the practice you want to pursue such as family law or tax law. Where can you get a job? Who’s hiring? What schools are actually placing students into jobs? Below are the top law schools in the U.S. that you may consider:
1. Harvard University
Harvard Law School offers a diverse and dedicated faculty, an energetic and creative learning environment and a student body that comes from every state in the U.S. and over 70 countries. Every year, around 1900 students attend the law school.
Harvard Law School offers three degree programs: The J.D. is a three-year program that gives students the intellectual foundations for legal study. The one-year LL.M. program provides students who already have excellent legal training and experience, an expanded understanding of law and legal theory. The S.J.D. is still a more advanced degree, intended for students who wish to pursue a career in legal education.
2. Yale University
Located in New Haven, Connecticut, Yale Law School is one of the world’s premier law schools. Among the School’s graduates are U.S. Presidents and Supreme Court Justices; and among its far-reaching projects, the Information Society Project and the China Law Center.
Yale Law School offers four degree-granting programs - The J.D. program is a three-year course of study. The LL.M. is a one-year course of study for J.D. graduates interested in law teaching. The J.S.D. program is open to Yale Law School LL.M. graduates. The M.S.L. program is a one-year course of study intended for experts in other fields who want to explore how the law relates to their fields.
3. Stanford University
At Stanford Law School, the community — engaged faculty and students, influential alumni, dedicated staff — is united in its belief that a Stanford Law degree is a powerful tool for change.
Stanford Law School offers an intensive, dynamic JD program in an environment that is collegial and interdisciplinary, and part of one of the world’s leading research universities. Stanford Law School also offers three one-year master's degree programs and a doctoral degree (JSD) for foreign graduate students who have earned a law degree outside the United States.
4. University of California--Berkeley
Berkeley Law offers a superb education in both established and emerging fields of law. Their intellectual property program was the first of its kind, and remains dominant more than a decade later. Berkeley was the legal pioneer of the green movement, creating the nation’s first environmental law program. One of the most selective law schools in the nation, Berkeley Law enrolls about 270 of the more than 7,000 prospective J.D. students who apply annually.
Other than the J.D. and J.S.D. programs offered, Berkeley was also the first law school that offered M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Jurisprudence and Social Policy. Most recently, the school expanded its LL.M. program to offer two options: one standard nine-month program as well as one six-month curriculum that spans two consecutive summers.
5. Duke University
The Duke University School of Law is the law school and a constituent academic unit of Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States. One of Duke's 10 schools and colleges, the School of Law began as the Trinity College School of Law in 1868. In 1924, following the renaming of Trinity College to Duke University, the school was renamed the Duke University School of Law. The School features programs in Business, Comparative and International Law, Environmental Law, and Intellectual Property, among others.
Twenty-five percent of students at Duke pursue a dual degree -- that's more than any other top law school in the country. Duke offers the following dual degree programs: JD/LLM in International and Comparative Law, JD/MA and JD/MS, JD/MBA and Accelerated JD/MBA, JD/Master of Environmental Management, JD/Master of Public Policy, JD/Master of Theological Studies, JD/MD, JD/PhD and JD/Master in Global Business Law. The LLM program at Duke Law School is designed to introduce foreign-trained law graduates to the legal system of the United States. The SJD is a doctorate program for students with outstanding academic credentials who intend to pursue an academic career in law.
6. University of Virginia
The University of Virginia School Of Law (Virginia Law) was founded in Charlottesville in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson as one of the original subjects taught at his "academical village," the University of Virginia. The law school maintains an enrollment of approximately 1,100 students in its initial degree program. Emphasizing its role as a public institution, Virginia Law reserves 40% of the seats in each first-year class for Virginia residents.
Virginia Law offers a regular 3 year J.D program as well as Combined-Degree Programs (J.D.-M.A., J.D.-M.B.A., J.D.-M.U.E.P., J.D.-M.P.H., J.D.-M.S.). In a typical year, several dozen students, all holders of the academic degree regarded as their country’s first professional degree in law (equivalent to the J.D. degree) are admitted to the one-year program leading to the Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree. Virtually all members of the LL.M. class are from abroad. The Law School also offers the Doctor of Juridical Science degree (S.J.D.), the highest degree in law.
7. Georgetown University
Opened as Georgetown Law School in 1870, it was the first law school run by a Jesuit institution within the U.S. The second largest law school in the U.S., Georgetown often emphasizes that its close proximity to federal government agencies, courts, and the Supreme Court offer a significant advantage in the study of law. It receives over 10,000 applications every year, more than any other law school in the U.S. Out of the nearly 11,000 applications received for the 2008-2009 academic year, about 21% were offered admission.
Georgetown Law offers the following programs in the study of law: Juris Doctor Program, Graduate Programs (LL.M./S.J.D.) Georgetown Law's J.D. program can be completed over three years of full-time day study or four years of part-time evening study. The Law Center also offers a summer program, Foundations of American Law and Legal Education, to introduce lawyers educated in other countries to the study and practice of law in the United States. The Law Center also offers a Master of Studies in Law (MSL) degree, designed specifically for working journalists. The joint degree programs allow students to combine law with another field of study, including Foreign Service, Business Administration, Public Health, Government, and Philosophy.
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