The Best Law Schools For Public Service (2025) – Above the Law

Let’s
face
it:
tens
of
thousands
of
students
enroll
in
law
school
every
year,
each
with
a
dream
in
their
hearts
of
saving
the
world.
Maybe
they
want
to
seek
out
justice
for
children,
animals,
or
the
environment.
Maybe
they
want
to
serve
their
communities
and
make
them
safer
for
the
public
at
large
in
the
face
of
police
brutality.
Maybe
they
want
to
advocate
for
those
who
have
been
unfairly
discriminated
against,
be
it
in
their
housing
choices,
on
the
job,
or
based
on
their
race
or
gender.
Whatever
their
public-interest
cause
may
be,
while
many
law
students
say
they
want
to
save
the
world,
only
a
select
few
are
willing
to
accept
the
sometimes
lower
salaries
that
go
hand-in-hand
with
their
altruistic
career
goals.

Some
law
schools
are
better
than
others
when
it
comes
to
getting
their
graduates
a
leg
up
on
the
competition
for
one
of
these
coveted
jobs.
The
National
Jurist’s preLaw
Magazine recently
released
its
ranking
of
the
best
law
schools
for
public
service,
highlighting
the
schools
that
are
really
doing
their
homework
when
it
comes
to
readying
their
students
for
their
future
careers
as
lawyers
in
public
interest
and
government
roles.

Here’s
the
methodology
that
was
used:

We
grade
each
school
on
three
factors:
1)
employment
in
the
field
(50%
for
public
interest
and
government);
2)
curricula
related
to
field
(40%
for
public
interest
and
government);
and
3)
debt
and
loan
repayment
options
(10%).
For
public
defenders/prosecutors,
employment
counts
for
35%
and
curricula
for
55%.

Curricula
scores
are
based
on
the
following
in
each
field:
concentration/certificate
(35%),
clinic
(24%),
externship
opportunities
(12%),
centers
(12%),
student
groups
(9%)
and
student
journals
(8%).
Other
information,
including
the
number
of
faculty
and
courses
offered
in
the
particular
field,
is
reviewed
with
possible
bonus
points
of
up
to
5%.

Debt
and
loan
repayment
scores
are
based
on
expected
monthly
loan
payments
for
the
average
graduate
who
works
in
public
interest
or
government
and
long-term
debt.
Expected
monthly
payment
figures
are
based
on
an
income-based
repayment
plan,
taking
the
average
salary
for
each
field
and
subtracting
the
school’s
expected
loan
repayment
support.

Without
further
ado,
according
to preLaw
Magazine,
these
are
the
top
10
best
law
schools
for
public
interest
work,
government
work,
and
criminal
defense/prosecution
work.
Check
them
out,
below.

PUBLIC
INTEREST

1. CUNY
2. Northeastern
3. U.
   District
   of
   Columbia
4. UC
   Davis
5. Yale
6. Roger
   Williams
7. Seattle
8. UC
   Berkeley
9. UCLA
10. Northern
    Illinois

GOVERNMENT

1. Albany
2. George
   Mason
3. U.
   District
   of
   Columbia
4. McGeorge
5. New
   York
   Law
   School
6. Florida
   State
7. Indiana-McKinney
8. Arkansas-Little
   Rock
9. Washburn
10. Regent

CRIMINAL

1. U.
   District
   of
   Columbia
2. Brooklyn
3. Case
   Western
   Reserve
4. Oklahoma
   City
5. Albany
6. Northern
   Illinois
7. New
   Mexico
8. Wisconsin
9. New
   York
   Law
   School
10. UC
    Berkeley

Click here to
see
the
rest
of
the
ranking.

Congratulations
to
each
of
the
law
schools
that
made
the
cut.

Best
law
schools
for
public
service
[preLaw
Magazine
/
National
Jurist]

---

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.