Customer Reviews

The Best Law Schools, 1999 Edition (Best Law Schools (Princeton Review))

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am currently in my second semester in law school. This book was the only resource that I used when contacting schools for information and narrowing my choices. It had all of the information that I needed to get in touch with the schools. I was very concerned with the practical lawyering skills at each school and this was the ONLY source that had statistics on lawyering skills for each school. This book was RIGHT ON for the school that I am now attending.

country. I'm not sure how often the passages on each schools are updated but I bought the 1999 edition and found it to be a refreshging departure from the usual bland statistics that are quoted in other books. It is nice to hear from students even though I do agree that the authors try to make every law school appealing. I also found the admissions section to be annoying because the authors seem to suggest that every law school is difficult to gain admission too. In conclusion, I certainly wouldn't use this book as my sole guide to law schools but I think that it is a nice compliment to the ABA book.

Lets set something straight. You can't rank the intangible; you can't rank law schools. But considering the huge controversy over whether law schools can or should be ranked, the guide is worthy of consideration simply because of its bold attempt to do so. Each law school is portrayed in a pleasant light, and the guide bases much of its analyses on direct quotes from the students. Gone from the 1999 edition is the Gourman Report Rating, which helps eliminate the temptation of ranking law schools arbitrarily. The guide also reads easily and contains subtle humor, making for an enjoyable reading experience. Its dry remarks about the admissions process at Stanford are particularly memorable. But the excitement ends there. You will quickly find that the guide changes little from year to year. Thus, one guide should last you for awhile. What is also lacking is an honest, direct criticism of each school's law program. Perhaps this cannot be done, given the limited amount of information with which the authors must work. This again points to the fact that it's impossible to truly measure a law school without having been there - and even then, how can you compare such an experience with another law school?

So take it for what it's worth. Viewed together with other law school materials, "The Best Law Schools" should strike you as one of the more entertaining guides.

The admissions standards potrayed in the book are the authors opinion. The book put out by the LSAC has most of the school's actual admission decisions.