What law schools have the best faculty? Forum

[timmyd]

I hear/read alot of comments from law students and practitioners stating that law school really didnt prepare them at all for practice or that they did not learn much in law school. Does this depend to an extent on the level of the professors teaching the subjects? I attend UT and have found most of my professors are exceptional and I learn a great deal every day which I may or may not use in everyday practice.
My question is, what schools are known for having the best faculty? Does it tend to correlate to the USNR?

[famousblueraincoat]

What do you mean by "best faculty?" From what I understand, not being prepared for actual practice is more of an issue regarding how law school is structured, not how well a professor explains a given topic. Maybe you'd be interested in schools with the most robust/useful clinics and externships? Yale is the only school in the country that I know of that allows students to represent clients as early as 1L Spring due to some antiquated CT law.

Looks like it more or less correlates to USNews, but also a bit with location and preference. Being in close proximity to ginormous legal centers like NYC or DC obviously opens up a lot of opportunities to extern/intern.

But its probably the same crap everywhere divided by how much work you, as an individual, are willing to put forth w/r/t getting real-world experience to supplement the largely theoretical education received in the classroom.

Right?

Idk, bored 0L at work

[timbs4339]

The schools with the "best faculty" (I too don't know what you mean by this) are likely to leave you the most unprepared for practice.

[LSATSCORES2012]

You've probably already seen these, but if you haven't:

http://www.leiterrankings.com/new/2013_AAAS.shtml
http://www.leiterrankings.com/new/2012_ ... pact.shtml

[Lavitz]

You've probably already seen these, but if you haven't:

http://www.leiterrankings.com/new/2013_AAAS.shtml
http://www.leiterrankings.com/new/2012_ ... pact.shtml

Trolling for Chicago as usual, I see.

[2014]

I personally believe that membership in the academy is a great proxy for quality.

[Tiago Splitter]

I bet even 2014 can't read Leiter with a straight face.

[052220151]

Who cares dude, be worried about job prospects.

[Otunga]

As someone once interested in an advanced philosophy degree, I checked out Leiter's faculty rankings as well as his statements on which schools are the most philosophically rigorous or have the best related offerings. Many weren't t14.

[ZGr88n]

Dude, be worried about job prospects.

[timmyd]

Oh I am very worried about job prospects. I was just bored earlier today and was thinking about the subject. I'm a 2l by the way so I know that job placement trumps all. I do, however, think it is important to receive excellent teaching.

[A. Nony Mouse]

I had a lot of really excellent teachers in law school (lower T1). About 90% of what they taught me excellently has nothing to do with what I did in my job, but they taught it really well.

And faculty don't get ranked much anywhere for their ability to teach. The coin of the realm in academia is publications. I'm sure there are awesome instructors at the bottom law schools (especially since getting a law prof job is so difficult that profs at even schools like Golden Gate have excellent qualifications), but that's not going to get them on a "best profs" list.

[JazzieShizzle]

You've probably already seen these, but if you haven't:

http://www.leiterrankings.com/new/2013_AAAS.shtml
http://www.leiterrankings.com/new/2012_ ... pact.shtml

Just skimming through the rankings, there doesn't seem to be a strong correlation between job prospects and top faculty.
Look at #47 for a good example: American and U of Alabama in the same rank lol

[2014]

I bet even 2014 can't read Leiter with a straight face.

You should see him in person, I struggle to keep it together when I see him rolling through the halls in his new balances and beer belly. Word is he's a killer teacher though.

[MAHamlin]

Joke told by a professor of mine last week:

"How many University of Chicago Law School professors does it take to change a light bulb?

None. If the market wanted the light bulb to change, it would have changed by now."

Doesn't really speak to the quality of faculty, but it felt somewhat relevant (in a lighthearted way) to the topic.

[WhiteyCakes]

Joke told by a professor of mine last week:

"How many University of Chicago Law School professors does it take to change a light bulb?

None. If the market wanted the light bulb to change, it would have changed by now."

Doesn't really speak to the quality of faculty, but it felt somewhat relevant (in a lighthearted way) to the topic.

That's a 186 joke actually

[Crowing]

Joke told by a professor of mine last week:

"How many University of Chicago Law School professors does it take to change a light bulb?

None. If the market wanted the light bulb to change, it would have changed by now."

Doesn't really speak to the quality of faculty, but it felt somewhat relevant (in a lighthearted way) to the topic.

That's a 186 joke actually

Are you in the overheard at UChicago Law FB group? There are some great moments from profs in there. Strauss has been killin' it.

"Fuck the police, the government, the country, the world...and why stop there. If there are aliens out there, they're motherfuckers too."