Joy JuedesChapman University’s Fowler School of Law continued its ascent toward the nation’s top 100 law schools, climbing one spot to No. 108 in the new Best Law Schools rankings by U.S. News & World Report.
Rankings are based on placement of graduates, faculty resources, achievements of entering students, and opinions by law schools, lawyers and judges on overall program quality, according to U.S. News. In addition to the overall ranking, Fowler Law placed No. 82 in both trial advocacy and dispute resolution.
“Our focus remains on delivering a quality experience for our students,” Dean Paul Paton said. “We admitted the strongest class (measured by LSAT and GPA) in our history in 2023, far outstripping law schools ranked well above us. We’re glad that U.S. News continues to recognize our upward climb.”
Fowler School of Law had a 93% career placement rate this year. More than 80% of alumni passed the state bar on the first try in July 2023. Just over half of all bar-takers passed.
One of Chapman’s long-term goals in its new five-year strategic plan is a top 70 ranking for the law school.
That goal is part of the university’s priority to continue rising in national rankings, with a focus on measurements of academic achievement, financial resources and graduation/retention rates. Chapman is the No. 11 law school in California in the 2024 rankings. Some Southern California law schools dropped in the rankings since last year.
Fowler’s recent rankings build on momentum from 2020, when the law school rose 21 spots under then-Dean Matt Parlow. It was the largest increase of all California law schools that year.
