In 2009, a starry-eyed American University Law student posed a great question to Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia: how does a lawyer become “outrageously successful” if they do not have the connections that an elite law school degree confers? Justice Scalia’s infamous candor did not fail him at this moment. At first, he said “just work hard and be very good,” but continued with advice that, while blunt, was admittedly quite truthful:

“By and large I’m going to be picking from the law schools that basically are the hardest to get into. They admit the best and the brightest, and they may not teach very well, but you can’t make a sow’s ear out of a silk purse. If they come in the best and the brightest, they’re probably going to leave the best and the brightest, OK?” 

One can only imagine the stunned look on that poor law student’s face upon hearing this honest reply. For better or worse, what Justice Scalia said is totally true! 

Top Law Schools Bring Prestige to the Table, Not Necessarily Stellar Teaching

Top law schools, particularly Ivy League law schools, feed into the top corporate, government, and nonprofit job markets in the country. Their reputations for churning out high-performing lawyers have been forged by generations of precedent. These pipelines are unlikely to change anytime soon. Justice Scalia’s honesty may be a hard pill for some to swallow, but his thought process is shared among the top legal professionals in the country, most of whom come from top law schools themselves.

It’s a common misconception that top-ranked and highly selective schools, undergraduate or graduate, must be famed for their teaching. This is not necessarily true! While many of the top law schools in the nation employ some of the greatest legal minds around and have established widely respected legal philosophies and practices, this does not always translate to high quality teaching. However, this does not really concern employers, who simply look for applicants with prestigious degrees. It might be undemocratic, but budding lawyers need to know how the game is played so they don’t waste their time applying to the wrong schools!

What are the Top Law Schools in the Nation?

When it comes to law school prestige, the U.S. News & World Report annual ranking of best law schools holds a lot of sway. In fact, T-14 — the term used to designate the nation’s top law schools, much like the M7 consortium of top MBA programs — is pulled directly from the ranking’s top 14 schools. So, which schools are in the T-14?

T-14 Law Schools

Law School	U.S. News Ranking
Stanford University	#1 (tie)
Yale University	#1 (tie)
University of Chicago	#3
Duke University	#4 (tie)
Harvard University	#4 (tie)
University of Pennsylvania (Carey)	#4 (tie)
University of Virginia	#4 (tie)
Columbia University	#8
New York University	#9 (tie)
Northwestern University (Pritzker)	#9 (tie)
University of Michigan–Ann Arbor	#9 (tie)
University of California, Berkeley	#12
University of California–Los Angeles	#13
Cornell University	#14 (tie)
Georgetown University	#14 (tie)

The current T-14 does not contain many surprising members. All Ivy League law schools make the cut, and the remaining schools are all highly selective in their own right. Notice a pattern here? Every T-14 school also operates a highly selective undergraduate program. Why? Prestige begets prestige. The top high schoolers in the country attend highly selective colleges, and from there go on to highly selective graduate school programs at those same institutions. It’s a circular feedback loop that feeds right into the top firms in the country: the Skaddens, Davis Polks, Cravaths, etc. Justice Scalia was right — the remaining students at lesser schools are, unfortunately, left out in the dust!

How Ivy Coach Helps Students Get Into the Law School of Their Dreams

At Ivy Coach, we are well-versed in the elusive qualities that make certain law school candidates stand out over others. If you’re interested in Ivy Coach’s assistance in optimizing your case for admission to an elite law school, fill out our complimentary consultation form, and we’ll be in touch.