UB Law School falls in rank

The University at Buffalo Law School has dropped out of the top 100 ranked law schools in the United States.
The U.S. News and World Report publishes yearly rankings, which many pre-law hopefuls use as a guide to determine which school to attend. In this year's rankings, officially published on April 15, the UB Law School fell from the top 100 listing. Last year, the school was ranked 85.
Twelve deciding factors are used to generate a rank for each law school. Undergraduate GPA and LSAT score are used; however, U.S. News also factors in the size of the school's library.
Many schools move up or down in the ranking from year to year. However, some are obviously more static than others. For instance, Harvard, Yale and Stanford have been in the top three positions almost since the first publishing of the U.S. News rankings. Other top schools that move very little from year to year include the University of Chicago Law School as well as Columbia University Law School.
Over the past few years, the UB Law School has fluctuated in its national rankings. In 2006 it was ranked 89; however, just three years later, it was tied for 100. That doesn't seem awful, since there are over 160 law schools accredited through the American Bar Association.
While the national view of UB Law School seems about average, it is nothing of the sort. The school places graduates in the top firms in New York City and has a very strong reputation in the Western New York area. Many local judges and some politicians hold a Juris Doctor degree from UB.
Bill Altreuter, a UB Law alumnus, class of '82, talks about his fond memory of the law school and his hopes that its national reputation will improve.
"My time at UB Law was probably the most intellectually stimulating experience of my life," Altreuter said.
According to the methodology posted by U.S. News, the size of the school's library and average expenditure per student are almost as important as employment rates after graduation.
However, one of the major issues with the U.S. News ranking comes from peer assessment. U.S. News sends questionnaires to all law school deans, deans of academic affairs, chairs of faculty appointments, and the most recently tenured faculty members. They were asked to rate programs on a scale from marginal (one) to outstanding (five).
These assessments make up 25 percent of the total score used to compile the rankings. This is a bit shocking because average undergraduate GPA and LSAT scores make up 22.5 percent. So in this case, opinion of a school and its programs seems to trump raw data.
Greg Denning, a senior accounting major, has applied to UB Law School and hopes to gain admission for the fall. He is very pleased with the local reputation the school has and is shocked with the drop in ranking.
"UB Law is one of the most reasonable options in the state for anyone considering becoming an attorney. It is one of the most affordable options and has a great alumni network which allows students interested in the area to stay and practice," Denning said.
Denning also cites the interesting elective courses offered by adjunct faculty as a reason for being interested in attending UB Law School. He is not worried about a drop in rankings and continues to consider UB to be a great place to gain a legal education.

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