West Virginia University's College of Law
McConnell
MORGANTOWN -– West Virginia University's College of Law has been named a "Go-To" law school by The National Law Journal.
WVU is ranked No. 33 among 50 institutions in its first appearance on NLJ's list. The annual NLJ listing identifies the 50 law schools with the highest percentage of 2011 juris doctor graduates hired by the 250 largest law firms. The firms are identified by an NLJ survey.
WVU produced 126 JDs in 2011 –- tied with Washington & Lee as the school with the fewest graduates on the list –- and placed 9.52 percent in top 250 firms. Its ranking is ahead of the University of North Carolina, the University of California, Davis and several institutions that had more than twice as many graduates. Georgetown University Law Center, which ranked 14th, had the most graduates with 637.
"We are delighted with this recognition of WVU's strength and growing national reputation," College of Law Dean Joyce McConnell said. "We could not do this without a confluence of support from the University and from within the College.
"This recognition reflects the hard work of our students who understand the need to pursue academic excellence and the willingness to put forth the effort to pursue jobs in NLJ top 250 firms, and the talent and support of the faculty and staff at the College of Law, particularly the hard work and commitment of the College of Law Career Services Office.
"It's also a tribute to the national and regional firms who believe in our graduates."
The WVU College of Law has gained national recognition in publications over the last few months.
In 2011, it maintained a second consecutive ranking within the top 100 law schools as listed in U.S. News and World Report. It shared the No. 95 spot with Marquette University, Michigan State University, St. John's University and the University of Hawaii-Manoa.
The College of Law ranked 15th nationally in Best Law Schools in Public Interest in the Winter 2011 edition of preLaw Magazine and was also named among preLaw's "Top 40 Best Value" law schools.