Examining 2024’s Top Law Schools

The US News Law School rankings always play a key role in perceptions of law school excellence – or otherwise – and the latest US News law school rankings for 2023-2024 continue their tradition of both observation and controversy.

The rankings were delayed through law schools’ refusing to provide US News with details regarding their ranking methodology. It started with Yale’s Dean Heather Gerken claiming that the rankings were “profoundly flawed.”

She claimed that the way US News used the data had under-rated the programs that were designed to encourage public interest legal careers and other programs with significant social outcomes, thus affecting the law school rankings.

The result was an onslaught of law schools who departed the US News rankings. The Law School deans believed that the benefits of appearing on the rankings were outweighed by negative connotations for legal education generally – they wanted ‘out’, in other words.

Influential legal blogger and writer David Lat posted on X the recommendation that the rankings should use the data publicly available and used by the American Bar Association.

The ‘HYS’ Law School Triumvirate

For a considerable time the US News rankings have had Harvard and Yale universities dominating. They also comprise part of the so-called “T14” refers to the top 14 law schools that consistently rank highest in the U.S. News & World Report’s prestigious law school rankings.

Since the inception of the U.S. News Best Law Schools rankings in 1990, Yale has consistently held the number one position. Harvard has been among the top three schools every year, except for two instances when it dropped to number four, including last year.

Stanford, currently ranked in first position, completes the trio of elite law schools colloquially referred to as “HYS” in legal education circles.

Several other institutions like Columbia (currently tied for #4 with Harvard), Berkeley (#9), and Georgetown (#14) have also performed well, being part of the so-called “T14” – the 14 law schools that have occupied the top 14 ranks in the U.S. News rankings for nearly every year since the rankings began, merely switching positions among themselves.

According to consultant Mike Spivey, (pictured) US News screwed up the analysis of law schools by attempting to blend both publicly available data and law school-provided data.

To quote from his report:

“U.S. News managed to screw up what should have been a simple, straightforward exercise. For one, defying all rational explanation, they decided that for some metrics they would use the data submitted by law schools who still participated in their survey; for non-participants, they would input the results from ABA data. There’s no justification at all for a mixed system.

“First, you are inviting possible errors from law schools submitting their data to U.S. News. Second, you are giving law schools an opportunity to submit data which is better than what is reported by the ABA- when the data should be the exact same. Third, now you’re manually combining data from two different sources, which is just asking for transcription or arithmetic errors.

“Which is exactly what happened. There were substantial discrepancies between the data U.S. News had, and the data available through the ABA. These discrepancies occurred across multiple metrics.

“Schools were being listed with job outcomes 5% below what they really had. First-time bar passage was off by 10% for some. Student faculty ratios were both over and under-estimated. We’re not even certain everything has been fixed- the University of Wisconsin might want to check if U.S. News is using the 90% first-time bar passage rate listed for them instead of the 99.6% number it should be.”

Source: Spivey Consulting

The result of all this was that the US News-released ‘preview’ of law school rankings, made on April 11, was incorrect so far as the T14 law schools were concerned.

The dramatic muck-up resulted in Harvard being dumped from its top spot in the T3 grouping to number 5, where it was in tied position with Duke and NYU.

This was a calamity for the law school, notwithstanding the controversy and damage that had been done to the prestige and pre-eminence of the US News Law School ranking ‘name’.

How Are The Law Rankings Now Calculated?

The revised ranking methodology shows a heightened emphasis on evaluating student outcomes, much in the manner of the Above the Law Top 50 rankings, which prioritize outcomes for law students above anything else.

The ‘outcomes’ of employment and bar passage now account for almost 60 percent of the ranking weighting, which more appropriately aligns with key data that makes sense for students and employers.

Employment data now carries a 33 percent weight, which is a considerable increase from the previous 14 percent, as Above the Law have noted.

Similarly, the first-time bar passage rate has been lifted to 18 percent, up from a mere 3 percent earlier. Furthermore, a new metric, ultimate bar passage, has been introduced,accounting for 7 percent of the overall score.

Conversely, the influence of peer assessment and lawyer/judge assessment has diminished, now contributing 12.5 percent each, down from 25 percent and 15 percent, respectively.

The weightage of LSAT/GRE scores has been reduced to 5 percent, while undergraduate GPA now holds a 4 percent significance, both decreasing from their previous levels.

Other factors such as acceptance rate (1 percent), faculty and library resources (7 percent) continue to play a role in the rankings.

The US News Law School Top 50*

Following the revisions and updates after the above-mentioned ‘screw ups’ by US News, the top 50 law firms are listed below, with the changes from the previous years in parenthesis.

*The list is courtesy of Spivey Consultants and we note that there are 53 due to the three-way tie at #51.

Here’s the list:

(1) Stanford University (+1)
(1) Yale University (0)
(3) University of Chicago (0)
(4) University of Pennsylvania (Carey) (+2)
(5) Harvard University (-1)
(5) New York University (+2)
(5) Duke University (+6)
(8) Columbia University (-4)
(8) University of Virginia (0)
(10) University of California, Berkeley (-1)
(10) Northwestern University (Pritzker) (+3)
(10) University of Michigan—Ann Arbor (0)
(13) Cornell University (-1)
(14) University of California—Los Angeles (+1)
(15) Georgetown University (-1)
(16) University of Southern California (Gould) (+4)
(16) University of Minnesota (+5)
(16) Vanderbilt University (+1)
(16) University of Texas—Austin (+1)
(20) University of Georgia (+9)
(20) Washington University in St. Louis (-4)
(22) University of Florida (Levin) (-1)
(22) University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill (+1)
(22) Wake Forest University (+15)
(22) Ohio State University (Moritz) (+8)
(22) Brigham Young University (Clark) (+1)
(27) University of Notre Dame (-2)
(27) Boston University (-10)
(29) Boston College (+8)
(29) Fordham University (+8)
(29) Texas A&M University (+17)
(32) Arizona State University (O’Connor) (-2)
(32) University of Utah (Quinney) (+5)
(32) George Mason University (Scalia) (-2)
(35) University of Alabama (-10)
(35) George Washington University (-10)
(35) Emory University (-5)
(35) University of Iowa (-7)
(35) University of California—Irvine (+2)
(40) University of Kansas (+27)
(40) Washington and Lee University (-5)
(40) University of Wisconsin—Madison (+3)
(43) University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (-8)
(43) Villanova University (Widger) (+13)
(45) Pepperdine University (Caruso) (+7)
(45) Indiana University—Bloomington (Maurer) (-2)
(45) SMU (Dedman) (+13)
(45) William & Mary Law School (-15)
(49) Baylor University (+9)
(49) University of Washington (0)
(51) University of Maryland (Carey) (-4)
(51) University of Oklahoma (+37)
(51) University of Tennessee—Knoxville (+5)

Top Law Schools Analysis

The rankings showed minimal reshuffling among the elite institutions. Yale and Stanford maintained their joint leadership, while Harvard Law School, the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, and the University of Virginia School of Law secured positions within the top four.

Duke Law soared six spots to crack the top 10 on the list, making it the biggest gainer within the prestigious T14 group —an impressive feat considering how entrenched the top ranks tend to be.

Georgetown tumbled out of the T14, replaced by UCLA. Can the Hoyas bounce back next year and reclaim their elite status?

In the battle of New York heavyweights, NYU leapfrogged Columbia, climbing two spots to #5 while Columbia dropped four rungs to #8.

New York University School of Law experienced a notable descent, dropping four places to tie with Northwestern and Michigan at #9.

And in Boston, the rivalry between BU and BC intensified as they continued converging, now separated by just two spots at #27 and #29 respectively.

Georgetown University regained its long-standing #14 spot among the top-tier law schools.

Beyond the prestigious T-14 group, the rankings witnessed significant movement and positional changes further down the list.

The new ranking methodology that have (hopefully) made the rankings more meaningful, but also emphasized a certain chaos around them, has elevated employment outcomes and bar passage rates and appears to favor state law schools with strong regional recruiting networks and bar prep programs.

Eight public universities in the top 53 jumped at least five spots, including Minnesota, Georgia, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Utah, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.

Only three state schools in that group fell significantly: Alabama, Iowa, and Illinois.

The Top Climbers in the Law School List

Beyond the top 50, the rankings saw seismic shakeups and 10 of the biggest climbers all soared at least 24 rungs:

(40) University of Kansas (+27)
(51) University of Oklahoma (+37)
(60) St. John’s University (+24)
(60) University of South Carolina (+24)
(60) Florida International University (+38)
(71) Texas Tech University (+34)
(71) Marquette University (+34)
(84) Stetson University (+27)
(89) Duquesne University (Kline) (+40)
(105) Belmont University (+28)

And The Biggest Law School List Losers

(89) Pennsylvania State University Dickinson Law (-31)
(96) University of St. Thomas (-31)
(122) The Catholic University of America (-28)
(125) Howard University (-27)
(125) University at Buffalo—SUNY (-31)
(135) University of Hawaii—Manoa (Richardson) (-44)
(135) DePaul University (-30)
(146) University of Maine School of Law (-32)
(155) Willamette University College of Law (-26)
(158) Santa Clara University (-25)

The Full US News Law School Rankings List

The following list from Mike Spivey Consulting are shown for the 196 schools with the previous year’s ranking in parentises.

(1) Stanford University (+1)
(1) Yale University (0)
(3) University of Chicago (0)
(4) University of Pennsylvania (Carey) (+2)
(5) Harvard University (-1)
(5) New York University (+2)
(5) Duke University (+6)
(8) Columbia University (-4)
(8) University of Virginia (0)
(10) University of California, Berkeley (-1)
(10) Northwestern University (Pritzker) (+3)
(10) University of Michigan—Ann Arbor (0)
(13) Cornell University (-1)
(14) University of California—Los Angeles (+1)
(15) Georgetown University (-1)
(16) University of Southern California (Gould) (+4)
(16) University of Minnesota (+5)
(16) Vanderbilt University (+1)
(16) University of Texas—Austin (+1)
(20) University of Georgia (+9)
(20) Washington University in St. Louis (-4)
(22) University of Florida (Levin) (-1)
(22) University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill (+1)
(22) Wake Forest University (+15)
(22) Ohio State University (Moritz) (+8)
(22) Brigham Young University (Clark) (+1)
(27) University of Notre Dame (-2)
(27) Boston University (-10)
(29) Boston College (+8)
(29) Fordham University (+8)
(29) Texas A&M University (+17)
(32) Arizona State University (O’Connor) (-2)
(32) University of Utah (Quinney) (+5)
(32) George Mason University (Scalia) (-2)
(35) University of Alabama (-10)
(35) George Washington University (-10)
(35) Emory University (-5)
(35) University of Iowa (-7)
(35) University of California—Irvine (+2)
(40) University of Kansas (+27)
(40) Washington and Lee University (-5)
(40) University of Wisconsin—Madison (+3)
(43) University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (-8)
(43) Villanova University (Widger) (+13)
(45) Pepperdine University (Caruso) (+7)
(45) Indiana University—Bloomington (Maurer) (-2)
(45) SMU (Dedman) (+13)
(45) William & Mary Law School (-15)
(49) Baylor University (+9)
(49) University of Washington (0)
(51) University of Maryland (Carey) (-4)
(51) University of Oklahoma (+37)
(51) University of Tennessee—Knoxville (+5)
(54) University of Arizona (Rogers) (-9)
(54) Temple University (Beasley) (+9)
(56) University of Colorado—Boulder (-7)
(56) Florida State University (-9)
(56) Wayne State University (+2)
(56) Seton Hall University (+17)
(60) Loyola Marymount University (+7)
(60) University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (formerly known as University of California—Hastings) (-9)
(60) University of California—Davis (-23)
(60) University of Kentucky (Rosenburg) (+7)
(60) St. John’s University (+24)
(60) University of South Carolina (+24)
(60) University of Houston Law Center (-2)
(60) University of Richmond (-8)
(60) Florida International University (+38)
(69) Georgia State University (+9)
(69) Yeshiva University (Cardozo) (-17)
(71) University of Connecticut (-7)
(71) University of Miami (+2)
(71) Tulane University (-16)
(71) Northeastern University (+2)
(71) University of Missouri (-4)
(71) Texas Tech University (+34)
(71) Marquette University (+34)
(78) University of San Diego (-14)
(78) University of Oregon (-11)
(80) University of Denver (Sturm) (-2)
(80) Case Western Reserve University (-2)
(80) Drexel University (Kline) (-2)
(80) Pennsylvania State University—University Park (-16)
(84) Stetson University (+27)
(84) Loyola University Chicago (-11)
(84) University of Cincinnati (+4)
(84) Lewis & Clark College (Northwestern) (+4)
(88) Drake University (+23)
(89) American University (Washington) (-16)
(89) Saint Louis University (+9)
(89) University of Nebraska—Lincoln (-11)
(89) Duquesne University (Kline) (+40)
(89) University of Pittsburgh (-11)
(89) University of Nevada—Las Vegas (Boyd) (-22)
(89) Pennsylvania State University Dickinson Law (-31)
(96) University of Montana (Blewett) (+7)
(96) University of New Mexico (-5)
(96) University of St. Thomas (-31)
(99) Mercer University (George) (+23)
(99) Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago-Kent (-5)
(99) Indiana University—Indianapolis (McKinney) (-1)
(99) University of Louisville (Brandeis) (-5)
(99) Louisiana State University—Baton Rouge (Hebert) (+6)
(99) Gonzaga University (+17)
(105) University of Arkansas—Fayetteville (-19)
(105) University of New Hampshire (Pierce) (0)
(105) Albany Law School (+17)
(105) Belmont University (+28)
(109) Chapman University (Fowler) (-9)
(109) Rutgers University (-23)
(111) Washburn University (-6)
(111) Loyola University New Orleans (+22)
(111) Michigan State University (-20)
(111) University of Mississippi (0)
(111) Brooklyn Law School (-13)
(111) Cleveland State University (Cleveland-Marshall) (+16)
(111) University of Dayton (+11)
(111) University of Tulsa (+7)
(111) Seattle University (+5)
(111) West Virginia University (+7)
(111) University of Wyoming (+18)
(122) The Catholic University of America (-28)
(122) Syracuse University (-19)
(122) University of South Dakota (Knudson) (+11)
(125) Howard University (-27)
(125) New York Law School (+4)
(125) University at Buffalo—SUNY (-31)
(125) Campbell University (Wiggins) (+≥22) (previously ranked 147-192)
(125) University of Memphis (Humphreys) (+17)
(125) Regent University (+17)
(131) Samford University (Cumberland) (+8)
(131) Pace University (Haub) (+11)
(133) Suffolk University (-11)
(133) Elon University (+≥14) (previously ranked 147-192)
(135) University of Hawaii—Manoa (Richardson) (-44)
(135) DePaul University (-30)
(135) University of Baltimore (-13)
(135) University of Missouri—Kansas City (-21)
(135) Liberty University (+≥12) (previously ranked 147-192)
(140) Hofstra University (Deane) (-22)
(141) University of the Pacific (McGeorge) (-8)
(141) Southwestern Law School (+≥6) (previously ranked 147-192)
(141) University of Idaho (+1)
(141) University of Detroit Mercy (-2)
(141) University of Toledo (+≥6) (previously ranked 147-192)
(146) Quinnipiac University (+≥1) (previously ranked 147-192)
(146) University of Maine School of Law (-32)
(146) Ohio Northern University (Pettit) (+≥1) (previously ranked 147-192)
(149) Northern Kentucky University (Chase) (0) (previously ranked 147-192)
(150) University of Arkansas—Little Rock (Bowen) (previously ranked 147-192)
(150) University of Akron (previously ranked 147-192)
(150) Oklahoma City University (previously ranked 147-192)
(153) St. Mary’s University (previously ranked 147-192)
(154) CUNY School of Law (-21)
(155) New England Law Boston (previously ranked 147-192)
(155) Creighton University (-16)
(155) Willamette University College of Law (-26)
(158) Santa Clara University (-25)
(159) Faulkner University (Jones) (previously ranked 147-192)
(159) Widener University—Pennsylvania (Commonwealth) (previously ranked 147-192)
(159) University of Illinois—Chicago (previously ranked 147-192)
(162) Northern Illinois University (previously ranked 147-192)
(162) South Texas College of Law Houston (previously ranked 147-192)
(164) Vermont Law School (-22)
(165) University of San Francisco (previously ranked 147-192)
(165) Mississippi College (previously ranked 147-192)
(167) Touro College (Fuchsberg) (previously unranked)
(167) University of Massachusetts—Dartmouth (previously ranked 147-192)
(167) Mitchell Hamline School of Law (previously ranked 147-192)
(167) University of North Texas—Dallas (previously ranked 147-192)
(171) Nova Southeastern University (Broad) (previously ranked 147-192)
(171) Roger Williams University (previously ranked 147-192)
(171) Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School (previously ranked 147-192)
(174) Southern Illinois University—Carbondale (previously ranked 147-192)
(175) California Western School of Law (previously ranked 147-192)
(175) North Carolina Central University (previously ranked 147-192)
(175) Capital University (previously ranked 147-192)
(175) Lincoln Memorial University (Duncan) (previously ranked 147-192)
(175) Widener University—Delaware (previously ranked 147-192)
(180-196) Appalachian School of Law (previously ranked 147-192)
(180-196) Ave Maria School of Law (previously ranked 147-192)
(180-196) Barry University (previously ranked 147-192)
(180-196) Charleston School of Law (previously ranked 147-192)
(180-196) Florida A&M University (previously ranked 147-192)
(180-196) Golden Gate University (previously ranked 147-192)
(180-196) Inter-American University (previously unranked)
(180-196) Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico (previously unranked)
(180-196) Southern University Law Center (previously ranked 147-192)
(180-196) St. Thomas University (previously ranked 147-192)
(180-196) Texas Southern University (Marshall) (previously ranked 147-192)
(180-196) University of North Dakota (previously ranked 147-192)
(180-196) University of Puerto Rico (previously unranked)
(180-196) University of the District of Columbia (Clarke) (previously ranked 147-192)
(180-196) Western Michigan University  (Cooley) (previously ranked 147-192)
(180-196) Western New England University (previously ranked 147-192)
(180-196) Western State College of Law at Westcliff University (previously ranked 147-192)

The US Law Rankings’ Importance

The US Law School rankings have thus undergone a metamorphis that aligns with data that provides a better idea of the schools’ effectiveness in the real world, as well as providing data-matching that is more closely aligned and therefore more useful for the lawyers and others relying upon the data.