Legal Commentary

It seems to me the answer is very good, and underrated by U.S. News survey respondents.

So if you look back at the Paul Caron/MoneyLaw chart I posted last week, on which schools have the biggest differential between the Princeton Review ranking and U.S. News ranking, BYU is one of a handful that appears to be underrated by U.S. News. If you're looking for underrated and overrated lawschools, based on "value added" for students or relative educational quality, this chart is a good place to look.

A few things of note about BYU, drawn from a variety of sources:

(1) Appear to be very intentional about what they want students to learn, and that there are different pedagogical approaches on how to get there. See, e.g., the unusual and important emphasis on problem-solving. Some evidence that this translates into better outcomes. BYU is one of the schools that has used data from the Law School Survey of Student Engagement to try to improve student experience.



(2) Great emphasis on skills like interviewing and counseling. See, for example, this presentation by Larry Farmer there.

(3) Carnegie emphasizes importance of "acting as a lawyer," either through simulations or clinics. Princeton Review reports that clinical has "really blossomed" in past few years, but ABA fall 2007 data shows only 23 people participating in clinics (5.9 per 100 students), but 514 in simulations (111! per 100 students). Need more info on what exactly is going on here. BYU?

(4) Strong emphasis on and success in teaching professionalism.

(5) Sky-high ratings in Princeton Review survey on "Professors Accessible" (90) and "Professors Interesting" (96) which according to LSSSE leads to greater student engagement and self-reported gains in analytic ability. Value added.

(6) Top 25 legal writing program (#22 in US News).

One interesting thing to notice is how many religiously-affiliated law schools are in the high "value added" category in the Caron/Moneyball chart, which may have something to do with greater attention to training ethical professionals who see lawyering as a calling, not just a job.

And no, it's not for everybody, with its religious affiliation and fairly conservative faculty, administration and student body -- but I'm guessing students can figure that out for themselves. Also, it's 66% male (2007 data) -- that sounds like a lot of guys to me. But we're just supposed to help prospective students judge BYU's academic quality. Also the students there work really hard -- which can of course lead to better learning outcomes, but also can take its toll without the proper support.

Currently, BYU's rating (scale from 1-5) from law professors is 2.8, and from lawyers and judges it's 3.3. My sense at the moment is that in ranking the academic quality of BYU's program, it ought to get a "4" from law professors, and a "4" or "5" from lawyers and judges. The reason for the difference is that law professors are to take scholarship into account, and lawyers and judges are directed by U.S. News to particularly focus on preparation for practice. Would welcome thoughts, particularly from those with more first-hand knowledge.