For all the hype about the ranking ABA approved law schools, you may be surprised that “[n]either LSAC nor the ABA condones, approves, or sanctions use of the collected data to rank law schools. Both organizations disapprove of all rankings of law schools.”

Is the LSAC anf the ABA saying that all 194 of their schools are equal?  Well, perhaps not exactly, but while they have no published ranking sytem of their own , they are quick to point out that ranking systems are inherently flawed because none of them can take your special needs and circumstances into account when comparing law schools.

And just what are those factors? Here is a list of factors LSAC feels are “entirely or severely undervalued by all of the numerical ranking systems. ”

• Breadth and support of alumni network
• Breadth of curriculum
• Clinical programs
• Collaborative research opportunities with faculty
• Commitment to innovative technology
• Cost
• Externship options
• Faculty accessibility
• Intensity of writing instruction
• Interdisciplinary programs
• International programming
• Law library strengths and services

• Loan repayment assistance for low-income lawyers
• Location
• Part-time enrollment option
• Public interest programs
• Quality of teaching
• Racial and gender diversity within the faculty and student body
• Religious affiliation
• Size of first-year classes
• Skills instruction
• Specialized areas of faculty

Looking over this list it becomes clear that these are some important factors that can and should be considered by candidtaes for ABA law schools.  Still, it seems that law school ranking systemes are here to stay and popular ranking publications and websites such as US News and World Report and the popular Top Law Schools are here to stay and may not be so easily cast aside. 

 Better, in my opinion, is for prospective law students to a law schools to consider a school’s ranking, notwithstanding the systemic and inherent flaws in determining that raking — but then consider the highly relevant factors the LSAC attributes as being perhaps even more relevant.

Peter Loughlin

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