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2025-26 U.S. News Omnibus Specialty Rankings

Paul Caron
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The new 2025-26 U.S. News Specialty Rankings include the rankings for 13 specialty programs at 195 law schools. Here are the Top 100 law schools, determined by giving equal weight to each of the 13 separate specialty rankings:

  1. Business/Corporate Law
  2. Clinical Law
  3. Constitutional Law
  4. Contracts/Commercial Law
  5. Criminal Law
  6. Dispute Resolution
  7. Environmental Law
  8. Health Care Law
  9. Intellectual Property Law
  10. International Law
  11. Legal Writing 
  12. Tax Law
  13. Trial Advocacy
  School 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Avg.
1 Georgetown* 12 1 11 11 9 18 14 8 9 3 11 3 21 10.1
2 Harvard* 1 24 2 1 3 3 7 6 12 2 108 12 34 16.5
3 NYU* 2 2 5 6 1 35 7 34 3 1 70 1 56 17.2
4 Michigan* 11 4 9 6 3 27 18 20 12 8 27 6 73 17.2
5 Stanford* 5 14 4 1 1 14 12 7 1 10 96 18 64 19.0
6 UC-Berkeley* 7 4 5 6 7 48 2 53 2 6 70 31 16 19.8
7 Northwestern* 12 12 14 13 15 7 44 46 23 22 34 3 19 20.3
8 UCLA* 8 24 16 11 8 29 6 17 12 17 103 10 5 20.5
9 Duke* 12 31 12 17 9 72 14 26 12 13 27 10 83 26.0
10 Columbia* 2 19 5 4 9 23 5 46 12 3 103 8 112 27.0
11 George Washington 31 24 31 44 32 48 18 17 5 8 34 23 43 27.5
12 Texas 18 31 14 13 16 35 38 34 12 26 96 12 29 28.8
13 Penn* 5 31 9 6 3 48 25 20 9 18 110 22 73 29.2
14 UC-Irvine* 41 14 26 26 21 27 30 59 35 29 8 8 56 29.2
15 Fordham 18 14 26 23 16 12 76 59 20 19 70 23 5 29.3
16 Virginia* 8 53 5 6 3 59 25 30 20 11 110 5 73 31.4
17 Yale* 8 8 1 4 9 86 21 12 45 3 107 15 96 31.9
18 Ohio State 35 53 31 30 16 1 44 17 73 41 17 35 43 33.5
19 Vanderbilt 15 31 17 13 9 35 12 40 26 19 89 50 83 33.8
20 Boston University 28 31 23 26 21 72 64 2 12 29 34 15 96 34.8
21 Washington Univ. 20 19 18 18 21 29 64 40 31 19 110 35 34 35.2
22 Arizona State 41 60 31 44 32 9 16 13 53 37 3 35 96 36.2
23 Minnesota 20 19 19 19 21 72 30 29 24 26 70 26 96 36.2
24 American 55 2 55 56 29 35 56 20 6 6 89 41 24 36.5
24 Temple 55 53 55 44 51 35 62 13 35 13 27 29 2 36.5
26 Cornell* 16 31 12 13 21 48 46 46 26 11 70 31 112 37.2
27 Chicago 2 43 2 1 9 86 64 59 24 13 102 6 73 37.2
28 Emory 23 84 26 23 34 35 38 24 35 29 70 41 24 37.4
29 North Carolina 23 53 23 19 21 48 50 30 31 55 10 18 112 37.9
30 Maryland 51 8 41 66 29 9 21 4 53 45 93 53 24 38.2
31 UC-Davis 31 76 19 35 16 23 16 59 31 22 89 26 64 39.0
32 Florida 23 112 35 19 40 14 30 53 45 55 61 2 48 41.3
33 Boston College 35 43 35 35 40 48 50 34 31 29 51 12 96 41.5
34 Texas A&M 51 60 41 44 75 3 25 44 6 45 27 67 56 41.8
35 William & Mary 41 90 19 26 21 35 56 59 35 29 27 53 56 42.1
36 Houston 62 84 65 53 57 23 36 9 12 71 15 41 29 42.8
37 Denver 78 8 65 72 40 35 21 80 45 41 17 53 8 43.3
38 Indiana (Maurer) 31 84 41 35 40 48 38 34 35 22 61 26 96 45.5
39 Georgia 28 60 37 26 51 72 50 40 58 22 110 41 34 48.4
40 UC Law – SF* 62 43 55 72 51 14 21 16 58 71 110 29 48 50.0
41 Wisconsin 35 43 23 35 34 72 38 69 73 37 34 41 126 50.8
42 Univ. of Washington* 55 43 55 35 34 102 38 34 35 37 44 41 112 51.2
43 USC 16 71 26 23 29 48 64 69 45 55 110 15 96 51.3
44 Miami 41 24 62 56 68 29 38 76 63 29 93 31 73 52.5
45 Wake Forest 41 112 41 44 34 48 56 24 63 82 7 67 73 53.2
46 Case Western 55 60 65 56 75 67 30 13 73 13 51 90 48 53.5
46 University of Arizona 51 60 37 44 57 59 30 46 85 45 8 62 112 53.5
48 Notre Dame 26 60 19 30 57 102 50 80 73 26 79 41 64 54.4
49 Tulane* 31 31 55 35 40 72 25 91 73 29 110 62 64 55.2
50 Cardozo 51 31 47 35 21 5 134 80 6 67 110 41 96 55.7
51 Rutgers 71 12 55 56 40 102 64 59 81 45 11 76 56 56.0
52 Loyola-Chicago 78 60 70 83 82 29 86 4 45 45 61 67 21 56.2
53 UNLV 55 24 86 66 68 9 64 46 35 131 1 53 96 56.5
54 Colorado 41 76 47 44 57 72 7 76 45 55 84 53 83 56.9
55 Northeastern 96 19 65 83 51 59 102 9 26 45 27 118 64 58.8
56 Brooklyn 35 24 47 53 20 67 112 91 81 67 61 50 64 59.4
57 Illinois 41 101 47 30 40 35 86 69 53 55 110 62 48 59.8
58 Iowa 26 90 37 19 57 59 50 76 53 55 110 53 96 60.1
59 Florida State 41 121 37 30 34 119 18 53 58 55 110 35 96 62.1
60 Pepperdine 88 43 47 56 82 2 112 109 85 55 84 23 34 63.1
61 Georgia State 55 43 41 77 40 86 102 3 73 82 110 62 48 63.2
62 Villanova 71 43 70 66 57 102 76 69 45 77 70 35 43 63.4
63 Howard 96 31 62 56 51 35 102 91 63 82 70 82 29 65.4
64 Utah 55 60 55 56 34 150 7 30 26 67 110 67 137 65.7
65 San Diego 62 125 31 56 40 150 50 59 20 55 110 18 83 66.1
66 Washington & Lee 35 76 47 35 57 86 64 80 63 41 110 62 112 66.8
67 SMU 41 53 70 66 40 150 64 46 63 71 110 53 48 67.3
68 Alabama 35 84 26 35 57 110 76 59 115 98 89 31 73 68.3
69 South Carolina 73 31 86 66 57 102 64 99 104 98 61 50 12 69.5
70 Suffolk 88 8 122 118 90 18 76 46 45 116 3 145 29 69.5
71 Oregon 62 125 70 56 75 12 7 128 99 77 1 67 137 70.5
72 Kansas 62 112 70 44 102 29 25 109 89 77 17 82 112 71.5
73 BYU 20 135 47 53 68 67 86 143 58 45 110 41 73 72.8
74 Loyola-L.A. 78 90 86 90 75 102 118 59 73 125 34 18 7 73.5
75 Tennessee 28 14 70 44 75 72 102 53 115 116 61 82 126 73.7
76 Seton Hall 78 71 79 77 82 95 97 9 63 77 110 76 48 74.0
77 Lewis & Clark 78 71 70 98 90 95 2 109 73 98 17 111 64 75.1
78 St. John’s 78 101 79 77 57 72 124 109 63 77 17 118 21 76.4
79 Richmond 62 135 47 77 40 72 56 91 35 82 110 53 137 76.7
80 Pittsburgh* 78 101 65 83 51 110 86 34 58 45 110 35 151 77.5
81 Seattle 88 31 86 90 114 59 64 91 63 98 6 104 126 78.5
82 Stetson 96 112 98 90 90 18 76 109 149 116 3 76 1 79.5
83 Michigan State 62 53 98 72 82 59 86 109 63 71 110 95 83 80.2
84 Chicago-Kent 73 125 79 72 114 86 124 80 9 137 44 95 12 80.8
85 Santa Clara 62 90 86 83 68 86 97 86 4 37 110 82 165 81.2
86 Drexel 88 71 86 106 102 102 124 20 89 125 44 104 8 82.2
87 Hofstra 88 90 107 98 75 72 118 69 89 82 79 95 8 82.3
87 Syracuse 88 125 86 83 68 72 86 59 99 82 110 104 8 82.3
89 Wayne State 78 60 70 72 68 128 102 53 89 55 110 53 151 83.8
90 Connecticut 62 76 62 66 90 95 97 76 115 45 100 67 151 84.8
91 George Mason 41 169 41 30 90 119 102 122 26 82 110 90 96 86.0
92 Baltimore 127 4 107 139 57 95 76 122 89 98 51 82 96 87.9
93 Pace 113 121 153 130 118 18 1 86 132 67 110 82 19 88.5
94 Pacific 96 125 122 106 126 18 86 157 132 29 44 104 16 89.3
95 DePaul 88 90 98 90 118 110 124 26 35 116 110 104 56 89.6
96 Baylor 78 135 107 90 90 29 134 91 89 148 79 95 3 89.8
97 Missouri-Columbia 78 165 86 56 90 5 112 109 63 109 110 67 126 90.5
98 Oklahoma 73 135 86 77 82 95 86 40 104 98 110 90 112 91.4
99 Indiana (McKinney) 96 121 79 83 102 150 102 30 104 71 17 76 165 92.0
100 Marquette 108 121 107 90 82 48 86 109 81 116 17 111 137 93.3

*Denotes schools that did not submit statistical information to U.S.News. From the U.S News methodology:  “schools that declined to provide statistical information to U.S. News had their academic peer ratings programmatically discarded before any computations were made. Nonresponders were still scored using the full complement of eligible ratings submitted by peer schools, but any ratings they made of other schools were omitted.” For the complete list of boycotting schools for the past three years, see Law Schools That Boycotted The U.S. News Rankings.

If anyone at a law school outside the Top 100 would like the data for their school’s rank, email me.

Methodology: U.S. News assigns a rank for all schools that receive at least 10 ratings from faculty in the field. For law schools that received less than 10 ratings, we assigned the school the next lowest ranking behind lowest rated school(s) with 10 or more ratings:

  1. Business/Corporate Law: 195
  2. Clinical Law: 185
  3. Constitutional Law: 195
  4. Contracts/Commercial Law: 195
  5. Criminal Law: 195
  6. Dispute Resolution: 149
  7. Environmental Law: 189
  8. Health Care Law: 191
  9. Intellectual Property Law: 194
  10. International Law: 195
  11. Legal Writing: 109
  12. Tax Law: 195
  13. Trial Advocacy: 195

2024-25 U.S. News Omnibus Specialty Rankings

Editor’s Note:  If you would like to receive a daily email with links to legal education posts on TaxProf Blog, email me here.

About the Author

Paul Caron Avatar
Paul Caron
Paul Caron was named Duane and Kelly Roberts Dean of Pepperdine University School of Law on June 1, 2017. Dean Caron joined the Pepperdine faculty in 2013 after serving as the Dorothy and Leonard Straus Distinguished Visiting Professor of Law in the spring semesters of 2010 through 2013. He served as Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development at Pepperdine in 2015-2017. Before coming to Pepperdine, he was Associate Dean of Faculty and Charles Hartsock Professor of Law at the University of Cincinnati College of Law.
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