What is the Equal Justice Works Guide to Law Schools?

The Equal Justice Works Guide is a free interactive online resource of public service opportunities, curricula and financial programs at more than 150 law schools in the United States.

The result of a unique collaboration between Equal Justice Works and participating schools, the guide, formerly known as The E-Guide to Public Service at America’s Law Schools, fills a void in existing commercial law school rankings. It compiles extensive data on the availability of clinical and externship programs, financial aid and loan repayment assistance programs, the number of staff members dedicated to public service programs, and other criteria essential to students who plan to pursue public service careers or who want to gain lawyering skills before they graduate. The resource allows users to look at individual school profiles or compare schools based on the criteria most relevant to them.

There are lots of law school guides out there. How is this one different?

Equal Justice Works is committed to creating a more just society by mobilizing the next generation of lawyers committed to equal justice. Our only agenda with the guide is to assist students in finding the best schools for them and assist law schools in comparing their offerings. More specifically, the goals of the Equal Justice Works Guide to Law Schools are:

• 1) to create an online resource designed to highlight the range of ways law schools are successfully preparing the next generation of lawyers to fulfill their professional responsibility to provide legal services to underrepresented people and causes;
• 2) to document curricular and co-curricular innovations; and
• 3) to provide a resource to help law school applicants look beyond lists and rankings and undertake independent research to find schools that meet both their practical needs and educational goals.

Why aren’t there any rankings in the guide?

We believe that rankings have little to do with finding a quality legal education for an individual applicant. Many aspects of law school education are difficult to quantify, although they are extremely important to the education and training each school provides. These include: student satisfaction, rigor of academic and skills-based training, accessibility of faculty and administrators, and support for – and recognition of – student initiatives. Further, the data and narratives we collect from schools do not lend themselves to qualitative rankings and we discourage attempts to do so.

Equal Justice Works does not make any qualitative judgments about the data, nor do we weight or otherwise prioritize the data.

Equal Justice Works recognizes that each law school is different in its mission, culture and student engagement. There is no one-size-fits-all answer to what public interest offerings are a good fit for each individual school, or for each individual law school applicant. With this in mind, the guide is structured so that every school can highlight its strengths, through clinics, externships, career services, curriculum, affordability and financial aid, pro bono, student engagement, publications and other public service programs and initiatives.

Do all schools participate in the Equal Justice Works Guide?

Participation is voluntary, although the number of law schools has increased each year. Sixty-five schools participated in the 2005 pilot year. Between 2006 and 2007, the number of participating schools jumped by 30 percent – from 116 in 2006 to more than 150 in 2007.

How does Equal Justice Works gather the data for the guide?

Participating schools self-report using a carefully designed and user-tested online survey instrument. We are fortunate to have had the advice of many experts in legal education in selecting and refining the questions over the last five years.

In spring 2008, Equal Justice Works began working with Harris Interactive, an independent marketing research firm, to help us simplify the survey instrument and design a more user-friendly website.

How often is the data updated?

The data contained in the Equal Justice Works Guide are updated annually. The data compiled for the current third edition of the guide are from spring 2007.

Who uses the guide?

The Equal Justice Works Guide provides valuable information for several user groups:

• Pre-law advisors and law school applicants who wish to research and compare public service programs, curricula, faculty and student engagement, tuition, scholarships and other financial considerations at law schools around the country;
• Current law students seeking fresh ideas from other schools regarding student group activities, curricular and co-curricular offerings at other schools;
• Law school faculty and staff who wish to improve or expand their current programs by taking a look at innovative practices at other institutions; and
• Public service employers who are seeking schools that provide students with courses, practical skills training and opportunities that are a good match for both their client services and hiring needs.

I’m a college student thinking about law school and a career in public service. What should I be looking for in the guide to help me evaluate prospective schools?

The Equal Justice Works Guide contains extensive data on the availability of clinical, externship and pro bono programs, financial aid and loan repayment assistance programs, the number of staff members dedicated to public service programs, and other criteria essential to students who plan to pursue public service careers, want to keep their post-graduate debt to a minimum, or who want to gain lawyering skills before they graduate.

There are a number of different search functions to help each user tailor research to meet individual interests and needs. Schools can be searched by practical considerations such as geographic location, public or private status and annual tuition, or they can be searched by the availability of specific public service programs and/or curricula. Prospective law school applicants can view schools individually, or review multiple schools in a side-by-side comparison.

The guide is a starting point for applicants researching law schools, not an end point. Once an applicant has narrowed her search to a handful of schools, she should conduct further research by calling and/or visiting the school; talking to faculty and administrators outside of the admissions office; and talking to current students and alumni to get a better sense of whether any individual school is a good fit for her educational and personal goals.

When will the next edition of the guide be available?

Any changes from the current edition? The third edition of the guide has been extensively reengineered. It will be available online in fall 2009 and will feature visual and structural enhancements to make it more user-friendly. Rollout of the 2009 edition of the guide will be supported by a substantial promotion plan including print and online advertising, direct mail, media relations and event outreach.

The 2009 edition will also feature current data on available courses and student engagement, including narratives on innovative programs being offered by each school.

For questions about the survey, or to receive a copy of the survey content via email, please contact Charlene Gomes at (202) 466-3686 ext. 108.