Commentary: US News Law School Rankings: Why March Madness Started Early This Year in the Legal Academy

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The Law Librarian Blog has posted an interesting update regarding U.S. News’ law school rankings:

Two events have the legal academy buzzing before the release of the dreaded US News Law School Rankings on March 28th.

 

First, the ABA Journal article, The Rankings Czar: Law deans hate Bob Morse’s rankings. He’d like their help to make them better is out. The article reiterates well-known complaints, law school reporting practices, and consequences of playing the cut-throat rankings game. It features, for example, interviews with Nancy Rapoport (UNLV) (read her “poster child” post) and Brian Leiter (Texas), author of Brian Leiter’s Law School Rankings, the leading source of alternative law school ranking information.

 

Unfortunately the article failed to interview one law prof whose comprehensive critique of the US News ranking’s methodology would have publicized his well-recieved research to the Journal’s non-academic audience, namely, Ted Seto (Loyola Law School Los Angeles). See his Understanding the U.S. News Law School Rankings (SSRN). Check out Daniel J. Solove’s (George Washington University Law School) Improving the US News Rankings: A Wish List (Concurring Opinions), one of many posts that have launched the earlier than usual March Madness buzz in the legal blogosphere.

 

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