FEATURE – 2006 LAW SCHOOL RANKINGS – OSGOODE MOVES TO THE TOP!
Richardson LSAT Preparation - Toronto, Canada
Law School rankings are thought to be based on faulty methodology.
They are claimed to be irrelevant. Yet, all prelaw students read them. In
the U.S. there are a number of commercial enterprises (the most
well know being U.S. News and World Report) that produce them. In
Canada, Canadian Lawyer Magazine published an annual Canadian Law
School survey. The U.S. law deans hate them.
They comment:
"As the deans of schools that range across the spectrum of
several rating systems, we strongly encourage you to minimize the
influence of rankings on your own judgment."
http://www.lsac.org/LSAC.asp?url=lsac/deans-speak-out-rankings.aspThose who are interested can find the U.S. News and World Report rankings at:
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/law/lawindex_brief.phpThe Canadian law school rankings are published by Canadian Lawyer Magazine every January. I have included a summary of the rankings in this newsletter every year since 1997.
Those interested in seeing the survey methodology can visit:
http://www.canadianlawyermag.com/pages/surveys.html
You will find that the rankings of schools move up, down, sideways and diagonally.
The best example of movement is Osgoode Hall. It has appeared in the bottom, the top and in between. To demonstrate how much a school’s ranking can fluctuate, I have include the Canadian Lawyer law school survey results every year from 2000. Osgoode placed in the bottom half in from 2000 to 2003. But, for 2004 to 2006 it placed second (2004), fourth (2005) and first (2006).
The school is understandably proud of its number one ranking.
http://www.yorku.ca/ylife/2006/01-16/osgoode-011606.htmAlthough Osgoode never deserved a low ranking (based on its wide ranging courses alone), it has, over the past few years, accomplished some incredible things. The beneficiaries are its LL.B. students, prelaws and practicing lawyers.
First: The Osgoode LL.B./J.D. Program:
The most notable is the creation of its LL.B./J.D. program with NYU. This program allows students to achieve both U.S. and Canadian law degrees in four years. (Ottawa and Windsor also have LL.B./J.D. programs. Students at McGill earn both Civil and Common law degrees in three years.)
Articles about the LL.B./J.D. program are available at:
http://osgoode.yorku.ca/media2.nsf/83303ffe5af03ed585256ae6005379c9/e108170e7921e81285256f95005c0dd1!OpenDocument http://www.prep.com/LW.pdfSecond: Osgoode Is Very Friendly To Prelaws!
A. Osgoode Pre-Law Open Houses – View The Video:
The last newsletter mentioned that Osgoode Hall was holding open houses for pre-law students. These took place on Saturday September 24 and on Saturday October 22. If you missed it, you have the opportunity to view the video:
http://www.osgoode.yorku.ca/archive.htm#openhouse2005
or
http://www.osgoode.yorku.ca/archive.htmB. Osgoode Pre-Law Mooting Program:
This fantastic program is exclusive to Osgoode. Basically prelaws are able to try out their lawyering skills before going to law school. Information about this program appeared in both my March 2005 and April 2005 newsletters. To learn more visit:
http://www.prep.com/law/lawnews.htmlThird: The Osgoode LL.M. Program For Practicing Lawyers
In addition to providing a diverse and "top notch" legal education for its LL.B. students, Osgoode runs a large part-time LL.M. (Masters of Laws) program for practicing lawyers.
It is worth noting that Osgoode Hall is the largest common law school in Canada. The fact that it is located in Toronto (on the York University campus) allows it to tap the teaching skills of the large number of practicing lawyers in Toronto. As a result the school is consistently able to offer a wide choice of courses to its students!