A Guide to California Law Schools Advice and Ratings

Find the best CA law schools for your needs with advice and ratings resources

California law schools advice and ratings use many statistics, such as employment prospects, median salary and tuition. Intangibles such as campus life, teaching methods and learning atmosphere also may form the basis of a law school evaluation.

Applicants to California accredited law schools should begin their search by first considering law schools located in their desired geographic area. They also should consider the top law schools in the state where they plan to practice. Applicants should then select the schools that are within their budget and meet their specific needs. There are three general sources for evaluating California law schools:

1. Blogs on California law universities. A credible blog or other type of social media may have posts from students, faculty and law school experts sharing their personal experiences or professional opinions about California law schools.
2. Rating services of law schools. Recognized experts may provide ratings of law schools that offer exceptional educational programs.
3. Recognition for individual law schools. The best law schools will be recognized with awards, grants and other accolades for their programs.

Get advice for law schools in CA through blogs

Blogs contain posts from law students, professors or lawyers who have personal experience with various law schools. They also may analyze and discuss law school rankings.
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The California Blog of Appeal provides a critical analysis of national ranking services for law schools. Nuts & Boalts has posts from students at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law that provide insight into law student experiences on that campus and advice for incoming law students.

Study rankings of California law colleges

Rankings for law schools in California are an effective and credible source of advice and ratings. Each rating service should provide its methodology. Rankings typically consist of weighted factors, such as assessments of law professors, selectivity and placement rate.
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PrelawAdvisor.com rates the transfer programs of law schools based on data from the 2009 edition of ABA-Approved Law Schools, and includes law schools in California in its ratings list. Top-Law-Schools.com uses data from nationally known sources in its law school rankings, and features several law schools in California.

Look at California law schools that are awards recipients

Awards and accolades can be an excellent way of identifying top tier law schools in California. Law schools may receive awards for legal research, academic programs or specific papers. The best law schools also will receive grants for their programs.
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The Witkin Legal Institute awarded the 2008 Roger J. Traynor Award for Best Oral Argument to Hastings College of the Law. Anne K. Knight, a student at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, was a Burton Award winner in 2008.

• Law school applicants seeking highly rated California law schools should use the law school ratings to get a good overview of the schools. However, applicants should be more concerned with finding a law school that will meet their particular needs, rather than attending the highest ranked law school on a list. Law school students may also wish to consider attending California part time law schools. A part time law schools in California may provide a more affordable option for busy law school students.

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