Studying law requires the memorization of many legal concepts.
For many high-achieving students, getting into a top law school is a goal from an early age. America's top law schools are all extremely competitive, meaning that it will take much more than the desire to practice law in order to gain admission; in fact, getting in at top law schools is largely based on the combination of undergraduate GPA and the score on the LSAT.
Yale Law School
Yale Law School is currently ranked as America's top law school, as declared by the US News and World Report law school rankings. Compared to other top law schools, Yale is fairly small, enrolling about 200 new students each year. Yale Law has a fairly liberal reputation, and is seen as having more of a focus on theory than other top schools. Admission standards are high; the average undergrad GPA for new students is 3.91, and the average LSAT score is 173. Famous alums include Presidents Ford and Clinton, Clarence Thomas, Sonia Sotamayor, Hillary Clinton, Joe Lieberman and Alan Dershowitz.
Yale Law School
76 Yale Avenue
New Haven, CT 06520-8215
203-432-1333
law.yale.edu
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts is a perennial chart-topper in the law school rankings. Known as "HLS" to students, Harvard Law is America's oldest law school and it houses the world's largest academic law library. Each incoming class is about 550 students; with a faculty of 250 professors, HLS has one of the lowest law school student to teacher ratios. Students have great opportunities to write for top law publications, including the famed Harvard Law Review. Noted alumni include President Obama, Mitt Romney, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Oliver Wendell Holmes and Antonin Scalia.
Harvard Law School
1563 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138-2996
617-495-1000
law.harvard.edu
Stanford Law School
Stanford Law School is currently placed third in the US News ranking of top law schools. Located near sunny Palo Alto, Stanford is undeniably the best law school on the West Coast. Like Yale, Stanford has a total enrollment of just over 500 students, which leads to close contact with the faculty. The law program, which was founded in 1893, offers many legal tracts such as business law and international law; however, it widest acclaim comes from the success of its Supreme Court Clinic, which has brought more than 20 cases to the Supreme Court. Esteemed alums include Chief Justice Rehnquist, Sandra Day O'Connor and noted legal historian Lawrence Friedman.
Stanford Law School
559 Nathan Abbott Way
Stanford, CA 94305-8602
650-723-2477
law.stanford.edu
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