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#Northwestern University School of Law

Ratings Rankings

What do these ratings mean?

from Brian Dalton, Breaking Media Director of Research

The ATL School and Firm Insiders Survey asks self-identified current students, alumni, and practicing lawyers to rate major aspects of life at their law school (academics, social life, clinical training, career services, financial aid advising) and/or law firm (compensation, hours, morale, culture, training). We then translate these ratings into letter grades, where the mean score for each particular ratings category is the equivalent of a “B.”

Employment

Insider Reviews

Alumni

Can t do better than NLaw. Fun and studious at the same time, and, at least under former Dean Van Zandt, it was run like a b-school (in a good way).

Clinical training and practicums are the most useful training you ll receive.

NLaw is great great fellow students, great location, great faculty. The only problem I had with the place (other than the social life, but c mon, it s law school) is the career center. These people have had their job handed to them for years the only thing they needed to do was proofread resumes. Now that it takes some pavement pounding to find opportunities (especially targeted opportunities for specific students), they don t know what to do. Its time NLaw let these people go and buy the career center staff from a place like Loyola or Depaul places that had to put in hard work to land good jobs for their students even when the economy was better.

Northwestern was simply great. In the heart of Chicago, the social life possibilities are endless. Student organizations are really active and never miss an opportunity to gather students for an outing, a show, sport Students are generally a little bit older than usual, making the work atmosphere more professionnal. / Faculty are extremely professional. Very hands on . Best school to become a lawyer in a top law firm.

The opportunities are there (clinics, moot court, working closely with professors) but it s very easy to be disinclined to take advantage of them because of a lack of advising.

Northwestern s student body is, on average, older than most other top law schools. I think this makes a huge difference in the culture there was very little useless competing on the part of students and we generally all got along and tried to take the most we could from our classes. I loved my experience and I think it is a great option for someone who has work experience who wants to have a less college-y law school social life.

It s the University of BigLaw.

Northwestern would benefit from greater practical training courses and better legal writing instruction. Tuition is also sky-high.

Students

I picked NU mainly b/c I m a dual degree student (JD/MBA) but also because I m slightly older than other candidates. Unlike other top schools, about 95% of students have at least 1 year of experience, and it seems the average male is about 3-4 years out with the average female being 2-3 years out. I think the work experience gives students valuable perspective not necessarily about the issues, but a perspective on life. A maturity that may not be found in typical law schools filled with fresh out of undergrad liberal arts gunners who didn t have a life in college.

I think the public perception is that Northwestern churns out corporate lawyers, and while there is some truth to that sentiment, we also have a wonderful clinic, an active public interest community, and a strong network of alumni in government and public interest positions.

Most of the people have had work experience before law school, but as someone who went straight through, I don t think this has put me at any disadvantage. People are nice and friendly for the most part, willing to help each other out. WHile law school is inherently competitive, I actually have a better social life in law school than I did in college. Northwestern Law really focuses on the student experience, and it shows/

Northwestern Law s clinical classes are excellent. If the you want to get hands on experience, instead of wasting your time in a doctrinal class, this is the best school for that. The social life is great and the students are very relaxed and friendly. I never felt like I was competing against my classmates.

Northwestern s unique atmosphere of almost all students with some post-college experience makes it a really interesting place to attend, and I think makes employers more attracted to our student population overall if you are considering corporate law in particular, NU has *incredible* practical experiences available as a law student, from structured transaction classes taught by actual practicioners to the Entrepreneurship Law Center (clinic) to the opportunity to do externships with in-house counsel or for organizations like the SEC.

Not worth the full price of tuition. Only worth it if you get a scholarship. Clinical classes are either great or terribly disappointing.

The only way to get any real financial aid is to apply to another school, get a financial aid offer and leverage it for money from this school.