Community members, including attorneys, judges, justices, and friends of the Law School, gathered in 2019 to celebrate completion and dedication of the new Clinical Building, and the community programs it supports.
Richardson School of Law is again among the nation’s top tier law schools in the new 2022 rankings by U.S. News & World Report, with the overall program remaining in the top 100, both the Environmental Law and Evening Part-Time programs being recognized with significant upward movement, and the Law Library lauded as one of the best.
The 2022 ranking places both the full-time and part-time programs among the Best Graduate School law programs in the country out of 193 ABA-accredited law schools. It’s a position that Richardson has consistently held for a number of years. A year ago the overall program was ranked 96th in the country; this year it moved to 98th, tying with the University of Buffalo-SUNY (NY), the University of Louisville (Brandeis) in Kentucky, and just a little behind the University of South Carolina.
The Environmental Law Program rose six points, to 24th in the country among 181 programs, compared to 30th a year ago. Meanwhile, the Evening Part-Time Program rose three points, moving to 28th place out of 70 programs, compared to 31st a year ago. Richardson’s Evening program is “one of its hidden strengths,” says third-year student David Case ’21, noting that while he’s not in that program he has shared many classes with students who are. “Their visible dedication, professionalism, and commitment to the learning of law is not only admirable,” said Case, “but also inspires me to be the same.”
The Law Library was also recognized with a ranking of 22nd out of all U.S. law schools – and ahead of highly ranked schools such as Columbia University and the University of Chicago. “I credit our excellent ranking to the collaborative work environment of our Law Library staff and faculty and their dedication to our students' success,” said Law Library Director Vicki Szymczak. “We make the most out of any resources that come our way in an effort to boost curiosity about the law, and encourage rigorous research in our community.”
Additionally, five other programs moved up dramatically, including:
- International law which ranked 62nd this year compared to 83rd a year ago;
- Constitutional law that moved to 76th place from 93rd a year ago;
- Business/corporate law that moved to 111th this year from 123rd a year ago;
- Health law, which ranked 104th this year compared to 112th a year ago;
- Tax law that leapt to 95th this year from 110th place last year.
“We are gratified that our law school and its specialty programs are being nationally recognized for their excellence through the rankings. This has been a challenging year, yet because of the excellence of our faculty, staff, and students, the school continues to excel,” said Richardson Law Dean Camille A. Nelson. “The dramatic improvements in so many areas speak directly to the dedication and professionalism of our faculty and staff, and the extraordinary commitment of our students. We are honored that, despite being one of the smallest law schools in the country, Richardson Law
continues to have a powerful presence among the country’s best schools for legal education.”
Richardson is known for featuring small classes, plus a supportive family-like, yet professional atmosphere that builds strong relationships among faculty, students, alumni, and the larger community.
“For a small school to be recognized in so many diverse areas demonstrates the strength - and breadth – of our program,” said Professor Daniel L. Barnett, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. “We strive to provide a quality legal education that is on par with much larger law schools, and we are doing it! Our success is a testament to the dedication, hard work, and creative vision of our students, faculty, and staff.”
Student support is also reflected in the emphasis on assistance with bar exam preparation, as well as the low student-to-faculty ratio of 4.5 students per faculty, which puts Richardson on par with Yale and Stanford which have a 4.4 ratio, and Northwestern’s Pritzker Law School which stands at 4.5.
“Small seminar classes allow us to cultivate community, even if it's on Zoom,” says Student Bar Association President Gloria-Leilani Palma ’21. “The relationships that we develop at Richardson are going to be life-long, and the Law School really provides us with a great launching pad so that by the time we are practicing, we have relationships to build on, and help us out when we need it.”
Palma also had high praise for the school’s constitutional law courses. “Professor Freeman's teaching style incorporates current events that relate to topics discussed in class, which helped me retain concepts in Constitutional Law,” says Palma. “She also encourages us to consider the social impacts that these laws have on our society.”
"These rankings reflect, in part, a concerted effort recently to get the word out nationally about our faculty's impactful legal scholarship and other accomplishments," stated Professor Nicholas Mirkay, Director of Faculty Research. "The faculty is supported by our entire ‘ohana - the Dean, the librarians, the staff, the students, and the local legal community. We are truly a distinctive and committed collective of teachers and scholars."
Third-year student Ellen Ashford ’21 agrees. “Our faculty is on the cutting-edge in socially-mindful research, highly regarded in their fields for good reason, and exceedingly accessible to students given our small class sizes and favorable faculty to student ratio,” said Ashford. “The opportunity to develop meaningful, lasting relationships with so many members of our esteemed faculty is something I did not realize would be possible during law school.”
In compiling its rankings, U.S. News uses a complex weighting system which includes such data as: bar passage rate for first-time test takers; number of graduates employed at graduation and 10 months later; LSAT scores and GPA for incoming class; acceptance rates; student/faculty ratio; financial aid availability; school expenditures per student; and a newly revamped approach to measuring library resources. They also include two new placement indicators on graduate indebtedness.
The part-time rankings are based on four specific factors, including: LSAT and GRE scores; undergraduate GPAs of students entering in fall 2020; the breadth of the program; and the program’s reputation among deans and faculty at peer law schools.
Overall rankings include a subjective reputational survey in which the deans, several faculty members at each school, plus lawyers, and judges in communities across the nation are asked to rate schools from marginal to outstanding.
