The LSU Law Center moved up eight spots to No. 88 in the latest law school rankings released March 20 by “U.S. News and World Report.” The Law Center remained in the top 100 law schools in the nation in the closely watched rankings, moving up from No. 96 in the previous year.
More than 200 accredited public and private law schools are reviewed by the magazine. LSU Law is one of 52 public law schools in the country to be ranked in the top 100. LSU Law entered the “U.S. News” Top 100 for the first time in 2004.
“I don’t think a ranking is a good way to select a law school, and we do not do what we do for rankings. We make our decisions based on what we think is best for our students, faculty, staff, and community. That said, we are pleased when doing the right thing reflects positively on our rankings. But, I cannot overemphasize that picking the right educational institution is a search for a match between a student—his or her learning style, interests, and dreams–and a law school. The perfect selection for each person cannot be reduced to a number,” said Dean Tom Galligan.
Factors in the rankings include: Peer assessment score; assessment score by lawyers and judges; undergraduate grade point average, LSAT scores, and acceptance rate for students admitted in 2017; student/faculty ratio, Class of 2016 graduates employed at graduation, Class of 2016 graduates employed 10 months after graduation, school’s bar passage rate in its state, and that state’s overall bar passage rate.
LSU Law has consistently been ranked in the top 20 Best Value Law Schools in the country by National Jurist/Prelaw Magazine. Those rankings are designed to identify law schools where graduates have excellent chances of passing the state bar examination and obtaining legal employment without taking on large debt.
From its founding in 1906, the LSU Law Center has offered its students a legal education recognized for its high standards of academic excellence, an outstanding teaching and research faculty, and integrated programs in Louisiana civil law and Anglo-American common law. Students at LSU Law are trained rigorously in the same common law and federal law subjects that are taught at other leading American law schools. The curriculum also reflects the Law Center’s unique role as a curator of the civil law and provides students a perspective on international and comparative law.
