The Best Law Schools For Practical Training

Best Schools For Practical Training (preLaw Spring 2019):

[W]e honor the Best Schools for Practical Training and outline what they are doing to make a difference in key, lifechanging areas. ... We used information from the schools’ ABA 509 Reports as part of our analysis. We looked at which schools provided the most clinical opportunities, externships and simulation classes. We also looked at their pro bono requirements and other offerings. ... While the 509 Reports are the bedrock of our rankings, we also ask schools to provide more information about pro bono programs and other offerings. ...

As we’ve done in the past, we gave the most weight — 38 percent — to clinical experience because of its effectiveness as a practical- training tool. Externships counted for 24 percent, while simulations counted for 21 percent. Both are considered valuable practical- training experiences, but they don’t quite rise to the level of clinical work. For clinics and simulations, we calculated the percentage of seats offered per enrollment. For externships, we looked at the number filled per enrollment. Responses from individual schools helped us determine the final 17 percent of the calculation.