The 50 Best Law Schools in America

Harvard Law School

In an oversaturated market where countless lawyers are unemployed or underemployed, choosing the right law school makes all the difference.

The right school puts you on track to a competitive corporate or public sector job. The wrong school may be a waste of three years and $250,000.

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We held a survey to determine what real professionals consider the best law schools. They have determined that this school is Harvard Law School.

More than 650 of our readers responded, of which 60 percent had J.D.s. and 69 percent had hiring experience. Thirty-six percent of the respondents work in legal fields, 23 percent work in finance, 10 percent work in technology, 6 percent are current law students, and 6 percent work in consulting.

A full 40 percent of the respondents said that law school is NOT worth attending if you don't get into a top-tier school, while 32.9 percent said that it depends on factors like your financial background, the cost of attending, the school's alumni network and connections, the type of law you want to practice and the specialty of the school, whether you intend to practice in the state you attend school, and personal connections.

"If you want to work at a large firm or company in a large city, then a top tier school is more important," one respondent wrote. "If you want to be a lawyer in a mid-size city or smaller, then attending a top tier school is not as important."

Survey takers stressed that it's important to consider where you plan to practice when deciding which law school to attend, as some of the state schools can have very strong networks in their region. "Someone practicing in Portland, Maine is better off going to UMaine Law as opposed to Harvard for the very fact that that network is more beneficial in Maine," one respondent wrote.

Other respondents wrote that attending a second-tier law school can still be beneficial and can even land you a gig at a BigLaw firm—if you graduate in the top of your class.

Ultimately, though, if you dream of being a lawyer, the fact remains that you must attend law school and pass a state bar exam in order to do so.

"If you have a very specific reason for wanting to become a lawyer, then law school can be worth attending even if you don't get into a top-tier school," a respondent wrote. "Also, a legal education has inherent value, so law school can be worth attending if you don't overpay."

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