Choosing the Best Law School

While choosing a law school for any level of a law degree, students will have to be mindful of factors like the accreditation of the university, the class size, the training options, the specializations, etc. that the program will offer. They will also have to consider the region in which they wish to practice since law degrees are regional in nature. The law degree that a student opts for will be of greater value within the area in which they have studied when compared to other parts of the country.

Students will be able to understand the quality of education offered by universities will vary from specialization to specialization and hence they will have to consider the employment rates of alumni before choosing a particular institution. Additionally, they will have to consider the bar passage rate and the placement success the institution has to offer for the program they are choosing to get a better understanding of what they will receive from the degree.

Top 10 Law Schools

The top 10 law schools that one can choose from and their details are as follows-

University	Location	Fee per year
Yale University	New Haven, CT	$70,000
Stanford University	Stanford, CA	$66,500
University of Chicago	Chicago, IL	76,000
Columbia University	New York, NY	$69,000
Harvard University	Cambridge, MA	$70,000
University of Pennsylvania	Philadelphia, PA	73,500
New York University	New York, NY	66,500
University of Virginia	Charlottesville, VA	$57,000
University of California	Berkeley, CA
University of Michigan	Ann Arbor, MI	$64,000

Yale University

Yale University is considered one of the best universities for law-related programs. It has a student-faculty ratio of 5:1 which ensures that candidates get individual attention to their academic endeavors. Students will be able to take up undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs in the field of law at this university. Being an Ivy League Law School, students who enroll here will not have to ponder over academic grades since most of the time there are no grades at all. Students who enroll in law programs here will be able to take up legal cases and represent clients in court for cases relating to domestic violence, apartment eviction, etc.

The fee for studying a law program here is estimated to be around $70,000 per year.

Stanford University

Stanford University offers law programs at undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs in this field of study. The Doctor of the Science of Law program and their LLM program are highly valued in the country with specializations in corporate governance & practice, environmental law & policy, law, science & technology, and international economic law, business & policy. They also have a program for Master of Legal Studies which is a non-professional degree. The enrollment rate for this field of study is 577.

The fee for this field of study is estimated to be around $66,500 per year.

University of Chicago

This university offers law programs at all levels with specializations in business/corporate law, constitutional law, contracts/commercial law, environmental law, health care law, intellectual property law, etc. The institution has a student-faculty ratio of 5:1 and a 99% employment rate within 10 months of graduation. It has an enrollment rate of 626 per year for full-time programs.

The fee for studying here is estimated to be around $72,000 per year.

Columbia University

The Columbia Law School offers law degrees at every level with their best programs being LLM and JD. The specializations offered for these programs include legal writing, tax law, trial advocacy, health care law, business/corporate law, constitutional law, public policy, etc. The enrollment rate here is 1293 and the student-faculty ratio is 5:1. It also offers online programs in this field.

The estimated fee for law programs at this university is around $76,000 per year.

Harvard University

Harvard Law School offers JD, LLM, and SJD programs in the field of law along with joint degree programs in the subject. The joint programs provided include Joint Degree Program in Law and Business, Joint Degree Program in Law and Government, Joint Degree in Law and Public Health, etc. The best specializations offered here include environmental law, criminal law, constitutional law, contracts/commercial law, tax law, etc. It has an enrollment rate of 1747 and a student-to-faculty ratio of 7:1.

The fee for the programs offered here is estimated to be around $69,000 per year.

University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School offers over 35 joint degrees and certifications in the field of law. The programs offered here include JD/MBE Bioethics, JD/MSSP Social Policy, JD/MS Nonprofit Leadership, JD/MSEd Education Policy, etc. along with JD/MSE Engineering, JS/MD Doctor of Medicine, etc. through their different schools. Students who have enrolled in programs here will be able to involve in legal clinics and work on their practical skills in this field. The enrollment rate for the programs here is 824 and the student-to-faculty ratio is 5:1.

The fee for law degrees is estimated to be around $70,000 per year.

New York University

This university offers law degrees at different levels with specializations in areas like corporate & commercial law, human rights law, law & security law, taxation law, regulation & public policy law, environmental law, criminal justice law, etc. Students will also be able to take dual degrees by incorporating programs from the field of arts and sciences. It has an enrollment rate of 1413 and a student-to-faculty ratio of 6:1.

The estimated fee for law programs every year is around $73,500.

University of Virginia

The School of Law at the University of Virginia offers undergraduate and graduate programs in this field. The programs offered include JD, LLM, and SJD along with dual degree programs. The concentrations offered here include commercial law, criminal justice law, intellectual property, legal history, race & law, tax law, public policy & regulation, family law, health law, etc. The enrollment rate here is 922 and the student-to-faculty ratio is around 7:1.

The estimated fee per year here is around $66,500.

University of California

This university offers JD, LLM, and doctoral programs in the field of law. The areas of study the programs here focus on social justice/public interest, business& start-ups, environment & energy, criminal justice, constitutional/regulatory, etc. This university also allows students to create their own electives based on their interests. The enrollment rate here is around 1,088 and the student-to-faculty ratio is around 6.5:1.

The estimated fee per year for the programs offered here is around $57,000.

University of Michigan

This university offers programs like JD, LLM, SJD, Executive LLM, Certificate in Advanced Corporation Law, etc. along with dual degrees and other certification programs. The best specializations offered here include clinical training, contracts/commercial law, criminal law, international law, legal writing, tax law, etc. The enrollment rate for programs here is around 964 and the student-to-faculty ratio is around 7:1.

The fee that one will have to pay for law degrees in this institution is estimated to be around $64,000 per year.