lawyer

#Stanford Law School

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

SLS has invested a lot of resources in developing a more comprehensive clinical program, something that was in its infancy when I attended. While I didn t have the benefit of participating in these programs, it appears that they give their students a better understanding of the practice of corporate law in Silicon Valley, among many other disciplines.

Students

Amazing; best three years of my life.

Financial aid awards are only given out a year at a time. They will be decreased if you make any money in the summer (i.e. when you get a firm job your 2L summer, plan on essentially receiving no aid for that year). Do not just multiply your initial financial aid grant by 3, it will certainly be lower.

I don t have a job, and likely won t have one when I graduate, although I doubt I will be included in the law school s hiring statistics.

It is the happiest law school in the country. Also the best for joint degrees.

Stanford is on the quarter system, which means the schedule is shifted about a month later than most other law schools. This isn t a huge downside, but does mean that we have finals three times a year and usually have to start summer jobs a bit late. It also means about a month less time to study for the bar after graduation. Additionally, Stanford is a very small law school (approx. 180 per class) in the middle of Silicon Valley, so there is definitely a law school bubble and you know everyone in your class.

The small class size really makes a difference! I was a transfer student (T-14 to SLS) and my old school, while fantastic, was much less personal. Though this also means fewer choices for free lunch lectures