Best Law School in Every US State
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The United States has one of the world's largest and most diverse legal education systems, with hundreds of law schools producing lawyers for state and federal practice. Each year only a small group of elite institutions dominates national rankings. We need to point out that every state has its own leading law schools with deep connections to its judiciary, bar, government and legal profession.
This guide identifies our choice of the best law school in each of the 50 U.S. states. We consider academic reputation, quality of faculty, legal scholarship, professional reputation, alumni influence, selectivity, employment outcomes and the school's importance within its state. National rankings, including the U.S. News Best Law Schools rankings, provide useful comparative evidence, but they are not the sole determinant.
| State | Best Law School | Why We Selected It |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | University of Alabama School of Law | Alabama's leading law school, with a long history, strong academic reputation and significant influence within the state's legal profession. |
| Alaska | University of Alaska | Alaska has no ABA-accredited law school; the University of Alaska system provides the state's principal legal education and pre-law infrastructure. |
| Arizona | Arizona State University Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law | Arizona's leading law school, with strong national recognition, legal scholarship and connections to the state's legal profession. |
| Arkansas | University of Arkansas School of Law | The state's flagship law school, with a strong regional reputation and extensive influence on Arkansas's legal profession. |
| California | Stanford Law School | One of the world's leading law schools, with exceptional academic reputation, faculty and influence across California and the United States. |
| Colorado | University of Colorado Law School | Colorado's leading law school, with strong academic credentials and a particularly important role in the state's legal profession. |
| Connecticut | Yale Law School | One of the world's most prestigious law schools, with exceptional academic reputation, faculty and influence. |
| Delaware | Widener University Delaware Law School | Delaware's principal law school and particularly important for the state's corporate and business-law environment. |
| Florida | University of Florida Levin College of Law | Florida's flagship public law school with strong national recognition, academic reputation and professional influence. |
| Georgia | University of Georgia School of Law | Georgia's flagship law school and one of the strongest law schools in the southeastern United States. |
| Hawaii | University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa William S. Richardson School of Law | Hawaii's only law school and the state's principal centre for legal education and scholarship. |
| Idaho | University of Idaho College of Law | Idaho's leading law school and a major source of lawyers for the state's legal profession. |
| Illinois | University of Chicago Law School | One of America's most prestigious law schools, with exceptional scholarship, faculty and national influence. |
| Indiana | Indiana University Maurer School of Law | A leading Indiana law school with a strong national reputation and substantial influence on the state's legal profession. |
| Iowa | University of Iowa College of Law | Iowa's leading law school, with a long history, strong scholarship and significant professional reputation. |
| Kansas | University of Kansas School of Law | Kansas's flagship law school and a leading regional institution for legal education. |
| Kentucky | University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law | Kentucky's flagship public law school with strong academic and professional standing. |
| Louisiana | Tulane University Law School | One of the United States' leading law schools and particularly distinctive because of Louisiana's mixed civil-law and common-law legal tradition. |
| Maine | University of Maine School of Law | Maine's only law school and the state's principal institution for legal education. |
| Maryland | University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law | Maryland's leading public law school, with strong connections to Baltimore, the state judiciary and government. |
| Massachusetts | Harvard Law School | One of the world's most prestigious law schools and a major centre of legal scholarship and professional influence. |
| Michigan | University of Michigan Law School | One of America's leading law schools, with exceptional academic reputation and national influence. |
| Minnesota | University of Minnesota Law School | Minnesota's leading law school, with strong academic, professional and research credentials. |
| Mississippi | University of Mississippi School of Law | Mississippi's flagship law school and a major source of lawyers for the state's legal profession. |
| Missouri | Washington University School of Law | One of the strongest law schools in Missouri and a nationally recognised centre of legal scholarship. |
| Montana | University of Montana Alexander Blewett III School of Law | Montana's only law school and the state's principal institution for legal education. |
| Nebraska | University of Nebraska College of Law | Nebraska's leading law school and a major institution within the state's legal profession. |
| Nevada | University of Nevada, Las Vegas William S. Boyd School of Law | Nevada's leading law school, with strong connections to Las Vegas and the state's rapidly developing legal market. |
| New Hampshire | University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law | New Hampshire's only law school and a particularly well-known institution for intellectual property law. |
| New Jersey | Rutgers Law School | New Jersey's principal public law school, with extensive connections to the state's courts, government and legal profession. |
| New Mexico | University of New Mexico School of Law | New Mexico's only law school and a leading centre for legal education in the Southwest. |
| New York | Columbia Law School | One of America's leading law schools, with exceptional international reputation and particularly strong connections to New York's legal and financial sectors. |
| North Carolina | Duke University School of Law | One of America's most prestigious law schools and a leading institution in the Southeast. |
| North Dakota | University of North Dakota School of Law | North Dakota's only law school and the state's principal institution for legal education. |
| Ohio | Case Western Reserve University School of Law | A highly regarded Ohio law school with strong academic and professional credentials. |
| Oklahoma | University of Oklahoma College of Law | Oklahoma's flagship law school with a long history and strong professional influence. |
| Oregon | University of Oregon School of Law | Oregon's flagship law school and a leading regional institution for legal education. |
| Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School | One of America's most prestigious law schools, with exceptional national reputation and strong links to Philadelphia's legal profession. |
| Rhode Island | Roger Williams University School of Law | Rhode Island's only law school and the state's principal institution for legal education. |
| South Carolina | University of South Carolina School of Law | South Carolina's flagship law school and a leading source of lawyers for the state's legal profession. |
| South Dakota | University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law | South Dakota's only law school and the state's principal legal education institution. |
| Tennessee | Vanderbilt Law School | One of America's strongest law schools and a leading institution in the Southeast. |
| Texas | University of Texas at Austin School of Law | Texas's leading law school, with outstanding national reputation, faculty and influence across the state's legal profession. |
| Utah | University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law | Utah's leading law school and an important centre of legal scholarship in the Mountain West. |
| Vermont | Vermont Law and Graduate School | Vermont's principal law school and particularly well known for environmental and natural-resources law. |
| Virginia | University of Virginia School of Law | One of America's most prestigious law schools, with exceptional academic reputation and a powerful national alumni network. |
| Washington | University of Washington School of Law | Washington's leading public law school, with strong connections to Seattle and the Pacific Northwest legal profession. |
| West Virginia | West Virginia University College of Law | West Virginia's only law school and the state's principal centre for legal education. |
| Wisconsin | University of Wisconsin Law School | Wisconsin's leading law school, with a distinctive legal education tradition and strong influence on the state's legal profession. |
| Wyoming | University of Wyoming College of Law | Wyoming's only law school and the state's principal institution for legal education. |
