Academic

US News 2009 Law School Rankings Leaked - Alabama Rises Again

By Dan Filler

OK, so I agree with Brian Leiter that the overall US News law school rankings don't tell you that much (although to be fair, over time they produce what they claim to describe).  And it's also true that I no longer teach at Alabama and therefore ought to just relax and enjoy the overall spectacle like any outsider to the process.  (Drexel won't be ranked until it's fully accredited, presumably.)

But damn - I still drive around with a Roll Tide license plate frame and my academic hometown will always be Tuscaloosa.  So with all the caveats about the rankings - but with a note that UA's faculty reputation numbers have jumped a relatively substantial 0.2 (from 2.7 to 2.9 in two years) - it's nonetheless no small deal for the law school, or frankly the state overall, that UA Law has now risen to #32 in the rankings.  That's no small potatoes for a school that wasn't in the top 50 a decade ago, or in the top 40 two years ago.

I've blogged a bit about the role of rankings within the state of Alabama here.  I can only imagine the Red Army Choir's response to this news!

The actual top 100 rankings are here.   You'll find an image of the top 32 here - but don't blame me for the seamy frame.

H/T to Dave Hoffman.

Full post as published by The Faculty Lounge on March 26, 2008 (boomark / email).