Yesterday we mostly gave you the good news. We clued you into how the University of Nebraska – Lincoln and University of Connecticut are moving up the rankings ladder and becoming solid competition in the Tier 1 market. Other schools would be wise to contact them and find out exactly what they’re doing right!  Just looking at the data and trends from the Tier 1 rankings can tell you a bit about how law schools are faring.

Some of the schools who have clung to the bottom of the first tier are finding the current law school market to be toxic for them, Catholic U., St. John’s U., and Santa Clara U. have all slipped below a Tier 1 ranking and will now find themselves fighting to find a way back.  Schools in the lower echelons of the first tier historically show a struggle in the 80th and 90th positions for several years before waking up one day and finding themselves below the #100 benchmark. While it is discouraging for staff, it can be devastating to students as they accumulate debt while betting on what looks to be the losing horse in the law school market.  DePaul and Hofstra both found themselves below the 1st ties benchmark for the first time last year and neither of them were able to rally and make even a slight comeback. Don't let the smiling faces on their admissions pages fool you, the job market is rough. And it will get worse for the students who find their schools slipping below the requisite Tier 1 benchmark when they go hunting for a job. If you’re one of these students, seriously consider your options. You are accumulating a lot of debt; make sure your interests are best served whether you decide to finish up your program (i.e., accumulating more debt while facing dire job prospects) or jump ship.  It honestly is okay to quit if you feel that is in your best interests.

What other schools look iffy – even if they aren’t quite as iffy as the ones mentioned above?  West Virginia and U. of Hawaii have dipped below Tier 1 twice in the past six years. Michigan State is languishing in the bottom of the Tier after pulling up into Tier 1 in 2001.  St, Louis U. placed in 93rd place after years of being a 2nd tier school. History shows they will have to show steady, consistent improvement if they are to keep this tenuous hold. That’s the bad news (maybe good news if you are just getting started in your law school career and are considering attending at one of these high risk schools – it’s not too late to back out). You don’t really pay for what you get; they still cost tons (ranging from $33,714 to $37,615 per year for tuition alone for the schools mentioned in this paragraph).

It’s common knowledge that you’re best positioned for a job if you’re attending school in a T14 law school. But what about other schools? Schools that have recently pulled up into remarkably higher positions (and have surpassed position #60) include University of Richmond (ranked in the 50s for the past 3 years and currently ranking #51), Arizona State (hanging steadily in the 30s and currently #31), and Baylor ( solid showing in the 50s for the past 3 years and currently ranking #51). These are the schools that have increased their ranking despite today’s unfriendly market - so they may be schools that are doing things right and might be worth checking out.

We wish there was better news. It’s still a pretty bleak world for graduating law students everywhere.  But if your heart is set on practicing the law and you’re okay with taking the risk with law school debt, know that graduating students are reportedly finding jobs. So keep your chin and your hopes up while you consider your options and make your dreams (or adjusted dreams) a reality.

The 2015 Law School Rankings from U.S. News and World Report have been released! And here’s the big surprise – no surprise!  Well, okay. Some of you will feel a tiny butterfly of elation and some of you will feel your stomach drop (maybe an eighth of an inch) as you notice your school has risen (or fallen) in the ranking game – because most the changes this year are pretty small. But we didn’t want you left out of the loop so we’ll give you everything you need to know.

Law Schools are very wily about the numbers game and, although it can be annoying, all of this ranking is honestly a good thing for both schools and students.  Law schools working to increase or maintain their rank must consider the post-graduation employment rate to stay competitive. See, the schools play a balancing game – trying to keep LSAT scores and GPAs high by making good choices of first offers while keeping post-graduation employment rates high, too.  How do they boost their employment percentage? Good question. They have to project how many jobs will be available to their students and then create a class that will neatly align with the available jobs. This is why you’ve seen class sizes shrink at law schools around the nation despite a burgeoning demand for law school. This class size slashing is good for law school rankings because it means more students in the (reduced size) class will be snagging jobs come graduation, percentage-wise. And percentages are where it’s at! If there are fewer jobs available, it is good business to produce fewer lawyers to hire into them.  This leaves fewer unemployed attorneys at graduation and a stronger chance that, at the end of your law school career, you will find a way to pay off all of those loans!

The T14  No real changes here. If you were accepted into a T14 school this year, you’ll still be attending a T14 school in the Fall.  Congratulations.  There were only 2 tiny moves in this list.  Duke improved it’s standing by jumping ahead of University of Michigan – Ann Arbor so now these two schools are tied at #10. And Georgetown pulled even with Cornell creating a tied ranking so now any attendance at a T14 school means your school is ranked at #13 or higher.

Updates. Last year Brooklyn Law sank like a stone (from #65 to #80). The bad news is this law school hasn’t recovered from the fall. The good news is it didn’t fall off the map: BL is holding its own at #83. For now.  After its precipitous fall to #47, U of Illinois (Urbana-Champagne) has pulled itself together and is starting to make the climb back up the rankings – this year making a showing at #40. As scandals are eventually forgotten, Illinois should be able to work its way back to (or at least close to) the 25th spot once again. St. John’s has sadly slipped into the second tier. The next few years will determine if St. John’s has become a casualty of our new economic reality.

Last year’s wake up call to BYU seems to have worked. BYU pushed up 8 places while the University of Utah  (perhaps complacent in its newly won top ranking in Utah) fell 8 places to render BYU the top dog in Utah once again. Nice try U of U.

The University of Connecticut continues to rally and has worked its way back to the 54th place in the rankings. It still has a little work to do to earn back the 52nd place it enjoyed in 2009 but this is one of the quickest turnarounds in the rankings game. If this school continues to focus on its academic strong points and aligning its mission to its newly reduced budget, we anticipate great things from this school.

The University of Alabama continues to enjoy its newfound prestige. It dropped slightly in the rankings but is holding fast at #23. UNC – Chapel Hill holds fast to its prestigious ranking of #31 for a second year. Will they ever return to their 2010 position of #28? Stay tuned…

It seems a lot of the other gains and losses due to the changes to the ranking games adjusted slightly this year. Given a couple more years, everything should settle back down to a predictable pace. Who do we think is worth watching?

First and foremost, keep your eye on University of Nebraska – Lincoln. They have rocketed from the somewhere in the 2nd tier to #54. This is no small feat. And the upward movement has been a trend (so we’re pretty sure it’s not just a glitch) that looks like it has staying power.

Stay tuned for Part 2!