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This is probably one of the most common questions I hear from law school applicants, and my answer is always the same: It depends on what you want to do after graduation.
If you’re hoping to land a Big Law job, secure a federal clerkship, or work in academia, then rankings play a big role. On the other hand, if you want to open a private practice or work in your home state after law school, then going to a lower-ranked school can actually be in your favor.
In this guide, I'll explain when law school rankings matter most, when they matter less, and what you should consider when choosing the right school for your career goals.
Law school rankings matter most if you’re pursuing one of the following four career paths:
The table below breaks down how important law school rankings are according to the career path you want to pursue:
Let’s dive into each one.
If you want to land a job in Big Law, your safest bet is going to a top-20 law school. Big Law firms recruit heavily from schools like Columbia Law and Northwestern Law, so attending one of these programs gives you access to established recruiting networks and summer associate opportunities.
For example, according to the ABA's 2025 employment outcomes:
I want to point out, though, that the difference isn't necessarily the quality of education. The difference is in the career opportunities each school provides. Duke Law has a direct recruiting connection to Big Law, while A&M Law's employment outcomes show that graduates can build successful legal careers without joining large corporate firms.
In fact, A&M Law has a 95.28% bar passage rate and a 99.2% legal employment rate, both strong indicators of how well the school prepares graduates to enter the legal profession. Its lower Big Law placement rate only matters if your goal is Big Law. It isn’t a reason to dismiss the school's overall quality or career prospects.
Unlike Big Law firms that recruit hundreds of associates, elite litigation boutiques hire fewer attorneys and favor graduates from the highest-ranked law schools. For example, Hueston Hennigan, one of the country's leading litigation boutiques, explicitly says it recruits lawyers from the most selective law schools and clerkships. Its previous recruiting lists include Harvard, Columbia, Duke, and other T14 schools.
Boutique firms like Hueston Hennigan represent major clients such as Amazon, Disney, and Qualcomm in complex commercial disputes and other high-stakes legal matters. The benefit of working for boutique firms is the ability to supercharge your growth as an attorney. You’d join smaller case teams, which means working directly with senior partners and taking on important responsibilities early in your career.
When it comes to federal clerkship placement, judges favor candidates with elite academic credentials, including law review publications or a degree from a top law school. According to the ABA's 2025 employment data, 23.3% of Yale Law graduates and 22.7% of University of Chicago Law graduates secured federal clerkships, both of which are T14 schools. For context, only 3.19% of all 2025 law graduates entered federal clerkships, so competition for these positions is fierce.
In a federal clerkship, you work directly with a federal judge and gain firsthand experience in how courts make decisions. Clerks research complex legal questions, prepare legal memoranda, and help draft judicial opinions, developing writing and analytical skills that can take years to build in private practice.
When it comes to hiring law teachers, schools are looking for candidates who will bring original legal scholarship, not just teach law. Law schools and universities favor candidates from prestigious schools since it’s an indicator of the quality of legal education they received.
A 2024 study by the Association of American Law Schools showed that schools favor graduates from top schools:
Yale Law graduates alone accounted for 18% of U.S. law teaching positions filled over the past five years.
Rankings matter much less if you’re pursuing one of these paths:
In fact, in these cases, it might be in your best interest to go to a regional law school in the area where you want to practice to minimize the amount of debt you would graduate with.
In our webinar Deciding What Law Schools to Apply To, Andrew Post, one of our law school admission consultants and current JD candidate at Georgetown University Law Center, says:
“If you want to work in North Carolina, say you got into Duke with no scholarship money, UNC with almost full tuition covered, and Wake Forest with a full ride. If you just want to work at a good law firm in North Carolina and don't care about Big Law, I would go to UNC or Wake Forest over Duke. I wouldn't take Duke at full price.”
Andrew makes an important point. If you don't want to work in Big Law in New York, but instead want to work in your region, make sure you know what lawyers make in that market. Then think about whether that's sustainable with a Duke-level amount of debt.
It's also worth looking at which law schools are the most established in the region where you want to practice. For example, if you want to work in San Diego, consider aiming for the University of San Diego Law since it's the dominant regional school. A school with an established local reputation, a strong alumni network, and a generous scholarship offer can be a much better choice than a higher-ranked school that leaves you with a ton of debt.
The table below breaks down how important law rankings are according to the career path you want to pursue:
Beyond rankings, there are several factors you should consider when choosing a law school:
Once you've narrowed down your list of schools, the next step is putting together a strong application. Getting support for your application from our law school admissions experts increases your chances of acceptance at your target schools. Our counselors give you personalized guidance on how to tailor your personal statement to each school's expectations and demonstrate why you're a good fit for their program.
No, you don't need to go to a highly ranked law school to become a successful lawyer.
Many graduates from lower-ranked schools build successful careers in:
Law school rankings matter only if you want to work in Big Law, elite corporate firms, academia, or secure a federal clerkship.
A school's bar passage rates, employment outcomes, and total cost of attendance can matter more than its national ranking. A school with strong job placement in your target city and affordable tuition can offer a better return on investment than a prestigious school that leaves you with substantial debt.
Yes, some employers care about where you attended law school, especially Big Law firms, elite litigation boutiques, federal clerkships, and academic positions. By contrast, smaller firms and regional employers place more weight on your grades, achievements, and connections to the local legal community.
A lower-ranked law school may be the better choice if:
Co-Founder of Juris Education, Dartmouth College
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