Lawyers
love
rankings,
and
there’s
nothing
they
love
more
than
rankings
about
prestigious
job
placement
rates
and
the
law
schools
that
helped
graduates
land
those
impressive
jobs.
Readers
are
in
luck,
because
today,
we’ve
got
yet
another
ranking
on
the
subject.
For
more
than
a
decade,
Law.com
has
published
a
list
of
the
best
law
schools
to
go
to
if
you
want
to
work
in
Biglaw
after
graduation.
Law.com
refers
to
these
institutions
of
higher
education
as
the
“go-to
law
schools,”
and
this
year,
they’re
ranked
by
the
percentage
of
2025
graduates
who
took
associate
positions
within
the
Am
Law
200,
the
nation’s
top
200
law
firms
based
on
gross
revenue.
(Compare
this
to
last
year,
when
the
rankings
were
based
on
the
percentage
of
graduates
who
landed
as
associates
at
NLJ
500
firms,
the
500
largest
firms
in
the
country.)
Before
we
get
to
the
list
of
the
go-to
law
schools,
it’s
worthwhile
to
speak
about
the
landscape
for
entry-level
employment
in
the
legal
profession.
The
ABA
recently
released
the
data
for
the
class
of
2025,
and
their
success
in
the
job
market
was
quite
strong.
That
said,
things
are
going
great
for
the
Top
10
Go-To
Law
Schools:
- Columbia:
75.55%- Northwestern:
67.80%- Penn:
66.93%- UVA:
65.26%- NYU:
61.87%- Chicago:
61.11%- UC
Berkeley:
60.42%- UCLA:
55.72%- Vanderbilt:
55.62%- Georgetown:
53.77%
You
can
access
the
full
list
of
the
Top
50
Go-To
Law
Schools
by
clicking here.
Columbia
is
back
to
ruling
this
ranking,
reclaiming
its
decade-long
roost
at
No.
1
after
a
one-year
absence
(namely
because
the
school
decided
to
participate
this
year,
unlike
last
year).
USC
Gould,
on
the
other
hand,
which
landed
in
4th
place
last
year,
declined
to
participate
this
year,
opening
up
the
field
for
other
top
schools.
Berkeley
and
Georgetown
might
have
been
kicked
out
of
the
U.S.
News
T14,
but
they’re
both
here
to
play
in
the
Top
10
for
prestigious
employment
outcomes.
Congrats!
Perhaps
even
more
notable
than
these
numbers
are
the
tuition
figures
appended
to
this
year’s
ranking.
Law
school
costs
versus
employment
percentages
can
vary
greatly.
Unless
you’re
tied
to
a
specific
location,
why
pay
~$83,000
to
go
to
a
school
that
sends
about
53%
of
its
graduates
to
Biglaw
when
you
can
spend
~$59,000
less
to
go
to
a
school
that
sends
about
55%
of
its
graduates
to
Biglaw?
Either
way
you
slice
it,
this
list
is
incredibly
useful.
It’s
a
great
way
for
law
students,
both
current
and
prospective,
to
gauge
their
employment
prospects.
Use
these
rankings
wisely
—
or
ignore
them,
at
your
peril.
The
2026
Top
50
Go-To
Law
Schools:
Big
Law
[Law.com]
Staci
Zaretsky is
the
managing
editor
of
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
from
you,
so
please
feel
free
to email her
with
any
tips,
questions,
comments,
or
critiques.
You
can
follow
her
on Bluesky, X/Twitter,
and Threads, or
connect
with
her
on LinkedIn.