The University at Buffalo Law School has rebounded after falling out of the top 100 law schools in the nation, according to U. S. News & World Report.
The rankings were released on March 20 and placed UB as 84th in the nation. This ranking comes in 19 points higher than the previous year, which had classified UB as a "third-tier" school.
While the law school administration is pleased with the increase in ranking, it feels that many ranking scales fail to capture the potential of the UB Law School.
"One challenge of the US News rankings methodology is that it rewards schools that spend more," said James R. Newton, vice dean of administration for the law school, in an email. "State institutions such as UB Law, that work very hard to provide ‘value,' a quality education at a reasonable price, will fare worse here, but will generally fare much better in other ranking systems that take ‘value' into consideration."
The recent ranking is the highest that the law school has placed since 2007, when it was ranked 77th. From there, rankings had fluctuated before hitting a low in 2009 at 103rd. The improvement in ranking over the past year has come as no surprise to administration and students in the law school.
"I believe that UB Law School's faculty and staff has been working incredibly hard to push UB back into the top 100 where it belongs," said Katie Taylor, a first-year law student.
Many changes have been made at the law school, both to the physical appearance and within the administration in the past year, that improved the ranking of the school, according to Taylor. These changes included refinishing the lobby and updating classrooms, as well as creating a ranking system and changing the curriculum to create a stronger program for students.
All of the changes that have been made in recent years have come together to create a stronger program that was recognized by U.S. News & World Report.
"The increase this year was due, in large part, to three things: the increasingly high median LSAT and GPAs of our entering class, our growing reputation with attorneys and judges, and our employment rates," Newton said.
However, for years, the law school has offered a strong and affordable law program for students.
"I am very glad to see that UB is once again in the top 100 law schools. I always knew that the education I was receiving was first-class, whether the ranking systems reflect that or not," said Caitlin English, a second-year law student. "All of the professors that I have encountered at UB Law have been extremely intelligent, focused, and driven to help students learn."
In addition to the U.S. News ranking, several other ranking systems have given accolades to the law school. Malcolm Gladwell of The New Yorker magazine ranked the law school as 40th based on his system, which took into account LSAT scores, faculty publishing, and ‘value' of the dollar. Thomson Reuters, a large legal publisher, ranked the school as 48th nationwide.
"I am extremely happy with my decision to come to UB, and if I had it to do all over again I would not change a thing," Taylor said. "UB Law School is a close-knit community, and many of the students within my section have become like a second family."
That close-knit community is one aspect that the law school works hard to maintain on such a large campus.
"The legal job market is tough right now, and I was anxious to begin my 2011 summer job search," English said. "Not only did the UB Law Career Services Office frequently update their website with various job postings throughout the summer, but members of the career services staff were willing to meet with me to discuss job prospects, look over my resume, or discuss interviewing."
UB Law School has made some great changes that have strengthened the program and can be expected to continue improvement.
Email: news@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
