Two U students took first place at a Bankruptcy Law competition, and the win may help the law school rise in national acclaim.
According to US News and World Reports List of Best Law Schools, the U is ranked 42 out of the 205 American Bar Association approved schools. This was a seven-spot improvement from last year. In addition, the U tied with UCLA for seventh place in environmental law in the nation. This marks the first time in the college’s history that it placed in the top ten in this category.
Keith Mayer, a second year law student, is excited for the direction the school is going.
“Between the completion of the new law building, the environmental program ranking top ten nationally for the first time, the students’ success in a myriad of competitions and the school’s publishing of several cutting-edge journal articles, this year feels like the beginning of a big upswing in rank for the law school,” Mayer said.
According to a statement released by College of Law dean Bob Adler, the school is proud of the improvements they have made in their program such as bar exam pass rates and employment after graduation.
“Although we are pleased by this recognition, our main focus is the education and success of our students, not a particular number in any given set of rankings,” Adler said.
Mayer said he is excited to see the new opportunities that will result from the improved rankings of the law school.
“Better rankings will open a lot of doors for students coming out of law school, both professionally and personally,” Mayer said. “The result of this is to continue to attract top caliber students and staff. I am really excited for the future of the school.”
The U’s law school said there have been improvements in student employment as well as test passage but could not provide concrete numbers from previous years. In addition the new law building is set to open this fall.
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