Author: Kevin R Johnson
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Ready for the US News Rankings?!?
Above the Law and others (here and here) have been priming the pump for controversy over the upcoming U.S. News law school rankings. Professor Derek Muller has released his updated projections for the 2026-2027 U.S. News law school rankings, which also has stirred the rankings pot. Our own Paul Caron had his own projections last May…
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Top 250 US Cities – Bar Associations & Job Boards Directory
This comprehensive directory provides direct access to bar associations and legal job boards across America’s top 250 metropolitan areas. Legal professionals can use this resource to identify career opportunities, networking organizations, and professional development possibilities in legal markets across the United States. For a California-focused resource, see California Bar Admission: Complete Guide for Out-of-State Attorneys. These…
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Black student enrollment doubles at Harvard Law School for 2028 JD class, ABA reports
I am not savvy enough to cull the American Bar Association data myself but a recent news report caught my eye about Harvard Law School’s “significant rise in Black student enrollment for its 2028 J.D. class . . . . The school enrolled 50 Black students, more than double the number from the previous class,…
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California Designates Black-Serving Institutions
The Trump administration has taken steps providing financial support for historically Black colleges and universities and reducing support for Hispanic Serving Institutions (and here). The administration also has sought to curtail diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. As often is the case, California is headed in its own direction. My school, the University of California, Davis,…
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From the Bookshelves: John Grisham, The Widow
Need a break from grading — if you are still grading — final exams? I found John Grisham’s latest, The Widow, to be fun. Here is the publisher’s blurb: “Simon Latch is a lawyer in rural Virginia, making just enough to pay his bills while his marriage slowly falls apart. Then into his office walks…
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More on the Best Online Law School Programs In America (2026)
Law schools have been toying with online education. Earlier this week, Above The Law posted The Best Online Law School Programs In America (2026) from University Magazine. As Jeremy Paul blogged last month, here are the Top 10 online legal education programs on that list: There obviously been movement on the online law school market.…
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Northwestern Pritzker Law scholarship fund reaches $1 million to support public service careers
National Jurist reports that Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law students pursuing careers in civil rights, civic engagement or public service will benefit from a boost in scholarship funding. The Jonathan L. Entin Endowed Scholarship Fund now totals $1 million, thanks to recent contributions. “The fund, first established in March 2024 and supplemented in March…
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New Year’s Resolutions for Law Students
Near the end of 2025, Michael Hunter Schwartz posted on New Year’s Resolutions for Law Teachers. JD Advising has a list of New Year’s Resolutions for Law Students: 1. Let Go of Perfectionism 2. Learn to IRAC 3. Get Involved 4. Ditch the Competitive Mindset 5. Outline (Almost) Daily 6. Devote Time Every Week to…
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Top 10 best law schools for government work
There are lots of rankings of law schools out there. preLaw Magazine rank the top 10 best law schools for placing graduates in government work.
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Law Schools With the Most to Do For Fun
I think that rankings are fun. Everyone has one. Here is a law school ranking system that is out of the ordinary and — yes — fun. Online Paralegal Programs ranks the top 30 “Law Schools with the Most to Do For Fun.” Here are the top 5. 1. Colorado Law, University of Colorado, Boulder…
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All In: Embedding AI in the Law School Classroom by Gregory M. Duhl
AI is the rage. Worries about student cheating. Developments by the day. Here is an article that might be of interest as one prepares for the classroom future (and spring 2026). All In: Embedding AI in the Law School Classroom by Gregory M. Duhl Abstract What is the irreducibly human element in legal education when…
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Visiting Harvard Law School Professor Self-Deports After Pellet Gun Incident
This doesn’t happen often. A visiting faculty member at Harvard Law School self deported? It involved an arrest for the shooting of a pellet gun in front of a synagogue. “The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) publicly declared the incident an `anti-Semitic shooting,’ withdrew his visa, and [Carlos Portugal] Gouvêa was arrested by [Immigration and…
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10 best law schools for criminal defense/prosecution work
According to preLaw Magazine, these are the top 10 best law schools for placement of graduates in criminal defense/prosecution work. Check them out.
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AI for Legal Education Blog
Want to stay up on developments on artificial intelligence and legal education. University of Houston Law Center Foundation Professor Seth J. Chandler has launched a new blog, AI for Legal Education, as a guide for students, faculty, and alumni navigating AI. Here is the UH press release description of the blog: ” The blog (legaled.ai) directly addresses the…
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Princeton Review’s Top 10 “Quality of Life” Law Schools
There are many reasons for applicants to pick a law school. Employment possibilities, prestige, education, geography, bar passage rate, diversity of faculty and student body, and much more. Quality of life can factor into the decision-making process. Princeton Review 2025 Law School Rankings rates the following schools as the Top 10 in “Quality of Life.”…
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From the Bookshelves: The Way Forward for Legal Education by David I. C. Thomson
Universities and law schools are still processing the experience and lessons of the pandemic on education. Change is in the wind. This book offers some thoughts on what might be viewed as radical changes to legal education. Food for thought. The Way Forward for Legal Education by David I. C. Thomson (Carolina Academic Press 2023) Publisher’s…
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New Students Begin Legal Education with Community Service
Here is a way to begin a legal education that sends a message on the value of giving back. Incoming students at the University of Arkansas Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law “spent their first official day of law school giving back to Dunbar Magnet Middle School through a hands-on beautification and supply drive project.” The…
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U.S. News and World Report: Law Schools With the Most Graduates in Public Interest Law
This has been out for a long while but I seem to have missed it (or forgot that I saw it). I have no excuse as the ranking was even reviewed critically on Above the Law. Here are the top law schools on the U.S. News and World Report list of Law Schools With the…
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Will Juries Be Replaced by AI?
Artificial intelligence seems to be everywhere. Will juries soon be replaced? Would that be good? The University of North Carolina School of Law in a legal experiment had three AI systems act as jurors and unanimously acquit a Black teenager of robbery charges in a mock trial was based on a juvenile case in North…
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NALP’s annual report, “Jobs & JDs: Employment and Salaries of New Graduates, Class of 2024″
The National Jurist summarizes some of the data from the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) jobs report on the Class of 2024: “The job market remains strong for new lawyers, but racial gaps persist. The latest data from the National Association for Law Placement shows the employment rate for the Class of 2024 reached…
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DREAM Act Reintroduced in Congress
This week, another version of the DREAM Act was introduced in the U.S. Congress. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced the bill, which would create a path to legalization for undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children. The law likely would ease access for immigrant students to higher education. It also a…
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From the Bookshelves: Amazon’s Bestsellers on Legal Education
There are many issues of interest in legal education today. With that in mind, I wondered what the bestselling legal education books might be. Well, 6 of the top 10 on the Amazon’s Bestsellers on Legal Education were LSAT prep books! I guess that, with law school applications surging, LSAT prep would be in high…
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Many Law School Applicants Motivated by “Helping Others”, Will Law Schools Respond?
The AALS news digest has a wealth of relevant law school news. One recent item caught my eye. A Law School Admissions Council study found that nearly half of LSAT test takers listed “helping others” as their motivation for applying to law school. Other driving factors for law applicants included social justice and financial security. This…
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From the Bookshelves: The Opinionated University: Academic Freedom, Diversity, and the Myth of Neutrality in American Higher Education by Brian Soucek
Speech at — and by — universities has been an issue of controversy in recent years. My colleague, Brian Soucek, has a book on the topic, The Opinionated University: Academic Freedom, Diversity, and the Myth of Neutrality in American Higher Education. Here is the publisher’s teaser:
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The 20 Worst Law Schools According to Money Inc.
Money Inc. has a list of the “20 Worst Law Schools in the U.S.: Low Bar Passage Rates and Poor Employment Outcomes (updated Feb. 2025). The article “examines the 20 worst-performing law schools in the United States based on factors such as bar passage rates, employment outcomes, and student debt levels.” The story cautions students…