Akron Law: Highly acclaimed, widely recognized

05/25/2016

We invite you to explore The University of Akron School of Law as a top destination for your legal education. As one of the hottest law schools in the country, Akron Law has continued to receive recognition with respect to our quality educational programs, hands-on training, practical offerings, and performance. Some recent highlights include:

  • Top ranking for Intellectual Property Law program. Our IP program was awarded a grade “A” rating in the Winter 2016 preLaw Magazine. It is the highest grade possible, ranking among only 28 other schools in this category.
  • No. 7 ranking for prosecutors/public defenders. Preparing law students to make a difference in society is an area of strength at Akron Law. In recognition of this, Akron Law was named as the seventh ranked law school in the country in 2016 for those seeking a career as a prosecutor or public defender by The National Jurist Magazine.
  • Lowest debt for graduating students of all law schools in Ohio, according to JD Journal.
  • One of the best schools for bar-exam prep, according to preLaw.
  • Top 50 overall ranking. Akron Law was ranked as a Top 50, Top-Tier Law School by Above the Law in 2015-16 for the first time based on outcomes involving quality employment, costs of education, and alumni satisfaction among others.
  • Top 25 program for bar examination preparation. Akron Law was recognized as a top 25 law school for bar exam preparation by the The National Jurist Magazine during 2015. Our students placed third and first in the State of Ohio for first time test takers for the July and February exams.

The excitement surrounding Akron Law is evident through our expanding global presence (partnerships, study abroad, etc.), the nearly 30% jump in first year enrollment (2015-16 academic year), over 20% increase in applicants for the 2016-17 academic year (as of May 21, 2016), and a $21 million debt-free building renovation.

UA distinguishes itself

Employment preparation and placement are important priorities for our acclaimed institution.

Our employment rate (within nine months of graduation) for the Class of 2015 focused on our 142 graduates. Excluding the four students who were pursuing additional graduate degrees and the four unknown students, our employment rate was 92.5%. This included J.D.-required jobs (63.4%), J.D.-advantage jobs (17.1%), and professional jobs (9%).

In 2015-16, Akron Law received a host of honors including recognition as a Best Value law school based on quality and affordability. Our Reentry Clinic was named as one of the most innovative in the country by preLaw Magazine and recognized as an Innovative and Outstanding Program by the American Association of Law Schools. Akron Law recently received a $100,000 grant from the federal government to expand this program. Our Small Entrepreneur and Economic Development (SEED) Clinic received the U.S. Small Business Administration’s “Legal Services Champion” award in 2015.

Building on a tradition of national champions in trial team competitions, our student lawyering teams competed with distinction on a national scale again in 2016. In April, Akron Law’s first place regional champion team competed in the National Championships of the American Bar Association’s Client Counseling Competition taking third place in the nation. That same weekend, our regional champion trial team advanced to the top 8 in the country in Association for Justice Student Trial Advocacy Competition.

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Matthew Wilson

Matthew Wilson
President, The University of Akron
Former Dean, University of Akron School of Law