The Northern Illinois University College of Law was listed as one of the country’s top ten most underrated law schools in a recent study.
The study by University of North Carolina School of Law professor Alfred Brophy rated schools based on students’ median scores on the Law School Admission Test, graduates’ employment outcomes, and the number of citations a school's law review receives. Brophy then compared his results with U.S. News & World Report's ranking of the best law schools, and came up with a list of schools that fared better under his system than the magazine’s. Those with the biggest differential made his list of the top ten most underrated law schools. NIU’s College of Law ranked 9th on Brophy’s list.
Mark Cordes is Interim Dean of the College. Cordes says the school is thrilled at the ranking. He says Brophy’s study focuses on what’s really important for students today.
“First of all, how good are the students at the law school you’re going to, and second, and even more importantly, what are the employment opportunities when you get out? And NIU Law has done quite well in both regards.”
Winnebago County Bar Association of Rockford President Brad Koch isn’t surprised at the study’s results. Koch says it confirms his experience with graduates of NIU’s law school.
“They hit the ground running. I guess would be the best way to put it. They’re well prepared to become practicing attorneys. And that’s a testament to the education that they receive preparing them, both from an educational standpoint and an ethical standpoint.”
Brophy says he compiled the report to help students find the law school that would be the best value for their money. According to the study, that just might be NIU.
Brophy talks more about how and why he did the study at Law.com.
