Lawyers of Color has just published the third edition of the Black Student's Guide to Law Schools & Firms, which ranks the best law schools for black students.
“Because studies have shown African Americans have different legal career trajectories than their peers, it is imperative they be equipped with information and tools that can help them succeed. We believe the law schools highlighted in the Guide ensure black students have a great career launch,” said Yolanda Young, president and executive director of Lawyers of Color.
Law schools were evaluated based on 10 criteria that included the school’s bar passage rate and the percentage of jobs law students received that required a JD. A bonus was calculated for law schools with black deans, of which there are a record 29. A quarter of law schools have over 10% black faculty.
"This increased diversity is due to increased mentoring and training of prospective law professors and administrators. The academy has been intentional in its efforts to increase the law school leadership pipeline. We are now seeing dividends. Having greater minority representation in the academy serves as inspiration for black law students," said Young.
The following criteria were considered:
JD Required
Bar Passage
Black JDs Awarded
Big Law Hires
Federal Clerkships
Tuition
Selectivity
Legal Market
Area Black Population
Black Faculty
Black Dean (Bonus)
Rankings are as follows:
Best Regional Law Schools
In addition to overall scoring, a greater weight was given to the percentage of JD degrees a law school awarded to black law graduates and the amount of residency tuition, which could not exceed $35,000.
Eastern
City University of New York
University of Connecticut School of Law
Rutgers Law School
University at Buffalo School of Law
University of Massachusetts School of Law
Mid-Atlantic
University of Maryland School of Law
University of Pittsburgh School of Law
Antonin Scalia Law School - George Mason University
Marshall-Wythe School of Law, The College of William and Mary Williamsburg
Midwest
Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, Cleveland State University
Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law
University of Iowa College of Law
University of Wisconsin Law School
Mountain
University of North Dakota School of Law
Southern
University of Arkansas School of Law
Florida State University College of Law
University of Georgia School of Law
Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Louisiana State University
University of Mississippi School of Law
Western
Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, Arizona State University
Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law School
University of New Mexico School of Law
William S. Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada
University of Washington School of Law
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