King Hall Ranks High in National Surveys
Reaffirming UC Davis School of Law's place among the nation's top law schools, the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings placed it 29th among the almost 200 American Bar Association-approved law schools. Having graduated its first class in 1969, UC Davis is the youngest law school ever to have been ranked in the top 25. The ranking at 29 represents the first time Davis has made three consecutive appearances in the 20-29 range.
"Although it is important not to place undue emphasis on rankings, it is gratifying to once again be among the nation's top schools," said Dean Kevin R. Johnson. "UC Davis School of Law has made great strides, with the expansion and renovation of Martin Luther King, Jr. Hall, the recruitment and retention of superstar faculty, enrollment of excellent students, and the launch of new academic programs and international partnerships," Johnson added. "Great things are happening at UC Davis School of Law."
In addition, the UC Davis School of Law faculty placed 23rd in the latest ranking of scholarly influence published by University of Chicago Law School Professor Brian Leiter, whose periodic assessment of law faculty productivity and influence is widely regarded as the single most systematic evaluation of American law school quality. King Hall faculty also placed 23rd in Leiter's previous ranking in April 2010. Leiter's reports assess law schools nationwide for their "scholarly impact" as measured by the number of faculty citations over a five-year period.
The King Hall faculty's high ranking is a reflection of an outstanding record of consistent publication in the nation's most-cited legal periodicals. Recent months alone have seen faculty articles published or accepted for publication in the Yale Law Journal, California Law Review, Cornell Law Review, Duke Law Journal, Georgetown Law Journal, Vanderbilt Law Review, Notre Dame Law Review, Boston College Law Review, Boston University Law Review, UCLA Law Review, UC Davis Law Review, Hastings Law Journal, Northwestern University Law Review, Iowa Law Review, Arizona Law Review, University of Pennsylvania Law Review, Michigan Law Review, Florida Law Review, Fordham Law Review, George Washington Law Review, Cardozo Law Review, Minnesota Law Review, and Washington and Lee Law Review, among others.
"I'm proud, but not surprised, to see our faculty once again ranked among the top 25 in the nation in this influential survey," said Dean Kevin R. Johnson. "With our recent hiring of some highly productive academic superstars, and considering that we are one of the youngest faculties to be ranked among the top schools, and I would expect our ranking is likely to rise in coming years."