Top Law Schools

Just thought this was sort of interesting. Clearly, the HLR is #1. I thought it was interesting that Chicago's was so low (relative to how good the school is).

http://lawlib.wlu.edu/LJ/index.aspx

Edit: To see the rankings, click the "2008" box under the "Combined" column and then hit submit.

VoidSix wrote:Just thought this was sort of interesting. Clearly, the HLR is #1. I thought it was interesting that Chicago's was so low (relative to how good the school is).

http://lawlib.wlu.edu/LJ/index.aspx

Edit: To see the rankings, click the "2008" box under the "Combined" column and then hit submit.

So much for that academic focus.

dextermorgan wrote:

VoidSix wrote:Just thought this was sort of interesting. Clearly, the HLR is #1. I thought it was interesting that Chicago's was so low (relative to how good the school is).

http://lawlib.wlu.edu/LJ/index.aspx

Edit: To see the rankings, click the "2008" box under the "Combined" column and then hit submit.

So much for that academic focus.

No kidding. I thought that was really surprising. Not to mention that their faculty is 2nd in citations (according to Leiter). Would've thought it'd be one of the best law reviews.

was surprised to see fordham law review so high up there.

timertimer61 wrote:was surprised to see fordham law review so high up there.

I knew it was well respected, but very happy to see that.

OperaSoprano wrote:

timertimer61 wrote:was surprised to see fordham law review so high up there.

I knew it was well respected, but very happy to see that.

OS, do you get an email alert everyone types "Fordham?"

Cooley is 547th, surprising that a top school has such a low ranking law review.

Wow, do people loooooove making lists.

Harvard has five secondary journals in the top 50

Chicago, Michigan, and Duke with surprisingly poor showings.
Texas and Fordham with surprisingly strong showings.

VoidSix wrote:

OperaSoprano wrote:

timertimer61 wrote:was surprised to see fordham law review so high up there.

I knew it was well respected, but very happy to see that.

OS, do you get an email alert everyone types "Fordham?"

Lol, no, but I was trained in school trolling by Observationalist, so I've picked up a few of his tricks.

ravens20 wrote:Chicago, Michigan, and Duke with surprisingly poor showings.
Texas and Fordham with surprisingly strong showings.

In Chicago's defense, I noticed it is the only school besides Harvard to have two journals in the top 25 (Supreme Court Review + UC LR)

VoidSix wrote:Just thought this was sort of interesting. Clearly, the HLR is #1. I thought it was interesting that Chicago's was so low (relative to how good the school is).

http://lawlib.wlu.edu/LJ/index.aspx

Edit: To see the rankings, click the "2008" box under the "Combined" column and then hit submit.

It's a little more complicated.

HLR is not "clearly" #1. HLR is #1 if you use the default IF of 0.33, which the authors selected "because that weighting gives Harvard the highest combined-rank over each of 13 ranking surveys." http://lawlib.wlu.edu/LJ/method.asp#combinedscore.

If you weight the IF at 0.577---the number used by another prominent ranking, see generally Ronen Perry, The Relative Value of American Law Reviews, 39 Conn. L. Rev. 1 (2006)---then YLJ is #1 in the W&L rankings. But YLJ and HLR often exchange the #1 spot.

It should be noted that the lower the IF factor, the greater W&L rises in the rankings: #59 with IF 0.000, #74 with IF 0.333, #85 with IF 0.577, and #105 with IF 1.000. In some disciplines, journals are ranked solely based on IF. So the lessening of the importance of the IF (and the relative benefit W&L receives by doing so) may be a valid criticism of the W&L rankings.

ggocat wrote:

VoidSix wrote:Just thought this was sort of interesting. Clearly, the HLR is #1. I thought it was interesting that Chicago's was so low (relative to how good the school is).

http://lawlib.wlu.edu/LJ/index.aspx

Edit: To see the rankings, click the "2008" box under the "Combined" column and then hit submit.

It's a little more complicated.

HLR is not "clearly" #1. HLR is #1 if you use the default IF of 0.33, which the authors selected "because that weighting gives Harvard the highest combined-rank over each of 13 ranking surveys." http://lawlib.wlu.edu/LJ/method.asp#combinedscore.

If you weight the IF at 0.577---the number used by another prominent ranking, see generally Ronen Perry, The Relative Value of American Law Reviews, 39 Conn. L. Rev. 1 (2006)---then YLJ is #1 in the W&L rankings. But YLJ and HLR often exchange the #1 spot.

It should be noted that the lower the IF factor, the greater W&L rises in the rankings: #59 with IF 0.000, #74 with IF 0.333, #85 with IF 0.577, and #105 with IF 1.000. In some disciplines, journals are ranked solely based on IF. So the lessening of the importance of the IF (and the relative benefit W&L receives by doing so) may be a valid criticism of the W&L rankings.

Good to know. Thanks.

I just said HLR was #1 because I have read the HLR and seen articles from it far more often than any other law journal.

wait, how do you determine rankings? by how many times its cited?

soullesswonder wrote:

ravens20 wrote:Chicago, Michigan, and Duke with surprisingly poor showings.
Texas and Fordham with surprisingly strong showings.

In Chicago's defense, I noticed it is the only school besides Harvard to have two journals in the top 25 (Supreme Court Review + UC LR)

True that's def. a good point.

VoidSix wrote:Good to know. Thanks.

I just said HLR was #1 because I have read the HLR and seen articles from it far more often than any other law journal.

No prob. I suspect HLR publishes many more articles than YLJ because, despite surpassing YLJ by about 1000-2000 citations per year, HLR has a lower IF.

I think we can make some decent generalizations from these rankings, but much like other rankings (*cough* Cooley *cough*), you can make rankings say what you want them to say by altering the weight of the variables or altering the variables themselves.

jrobby6 wrote:wait, how do you determine rankings? by how many times its cited?

W&L ranking methodology: http://lawlib.wlu.edu/LJ/method.asp#methodology.

In short, a combination of total number of cites and the impact factor. Impact factor is described here: http://lawlib.wlu.edu/LJ/method.asp#impactfactor. It's basically a ratio of cites to number of articles published.

Who the hell reads law reviews!

edit: never mind

Law Reviews are just not as relevant as they were 20 years ago. Law Professors may read them but I seriously doubt that most Judges do. LRs importance is tied to the prestiege associated with being an editor.