If you are thinking of pursuing a career in law, you’ll probably already be aware that going to law school is an absolute must. Applying to colleges and law schools can be pretty stressful, as it’s a given that you’ll want to go to an institution that’s not only got a good reputation in general, but has a good reputation for teaching law and has produced some great lawyers. Attending a good law school will also open up more opportunities for your career as graduates of better colleges do tend to be offered the better jobs in general, although this isn’t always the case. If you are poring over your college application and wondering which colleges to send it off to, we’ve put together a list of some of the best law schools in the US for you to consider.
Harvard
It goes without saying that Harvard is one of the best colleges in the US, and if you’re looking to go to the best law school then this is the place to be. Although don’t stress too much if you can’t meet the requirements to get in – it’s only important that you attend a top-tier school if you’d like to practice law at a big city law firm.
Yale
Attended by former US presidents Bill Clinton and Gerald Ford, Yale University is another top-tier school that should definitely be considered if you’re planning to get into one of the best law schools in the US. Although Yale Law School has no specific areas of concentration with their law degree program, there are a number of fields that current students are interested in including Human Rights Law, International Law, and even Law Teaching – meaning that you get a good all-round education in law but are encouraged to pursue the areas of concentration that interest you as well.
Virginia
Founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819, the Virginia School of Law may not be as prominent as Harvard and Yale, but it still stands out as being a great choice of school for those wishing to study law. Along with Harvard, Stanford and Yale, the Virginia School of Law has contributed the most clerks to the US Supreme Court in the last decade, and was attended by lawyers such as Barry Hawk.
Columbia
Columbia is a great law school for those interested in studying international law, as they offer a range of degree programs centered around the law studies of other countries such as Korea, Japan, and Israel. The Columbia Experimentalist Mentorship Program was also designed in order to allow students of law to choose projects, seminars and events that interest them and collaborate with the Columbia Experimentalist Group on that work, making it great for gaining field-relevant experience.
Did you study at a law school in the US that isn’t mentioned above? If you’d like to add your school to this list and tell us why you think it is a top law school in the US, we’d love to hear from you in the comments.