Ranking the Law Schools: The Reality of Illusion?
The author wishes to express his gratitude to his colleague, Dean Joseph R. Julin, for his comments and support in connection with the preparation of this article.
Abstract
This article examines the problems inherent in any endeavor to rank law schools on a qualitative basis. Analysis of possible ranking criteria forces the conclusion that attempting to assign specific rankings based on objective criteria is a futile task. However, objective tests are suggested which indicate, on application to available data, that about 40 of the approximately 165 ABA-AALS-accredited law schools are of superior quality and differ among themselves only as to an image of prestige.
