UM law school ranks high in magazine report

University news service

The University of Mississippi School of Law reflects overall progress and a giant leap in placement success in the U.S. News & World Report's latest national ranking of law schools.

The magazine's annual report moves the Ole Miss law school up to the second tier overall from its third-tier spot, which it had consistently held previously, and ranks the state-supported institution third nationally behind two private law schools in finding jobs for its graduates.

Only New York University and Duke University, both private law schools, were ranked higher in placement, with a 100 percent success rate, compared to 99 percent for the Ole Miss law school.

"No public law school in America is ranked higher than we are in terms of placement success," said Dean Samuel M. Davis. "Our success in helping our graduates find jobs is attributable to the outstanding job that Joyce Whittington does as director of career services. Simply put, no one in the country does it better."

Reflecting on the law school's advancement to the second tier overall, Davis pointed to the greatest holdbacks.

"While we do well in the areas of reputation among academics, reputation among lawyers and judges, student selectivity, placement and bar passage rate, we continue to rank low in the area of faculty resources (expenditures per student for instruction), including library and student support services.

" Our hope is that with the marvelous support we received this year from the legislature, the wonderful private support we are receiving from our alumni and other friends, and the additional funds we have been allocated from the special tuition increase--all of which support is going into the faculty resources area--we can make significant progress in this area and improve our overall ranking."

Davis said he made it his top priority last year to move the Ole Miss law school to the second tier as soon as possible, although he was among 164 deans who signed a letter challenging the validity of the U.S. News rankings.

" Most of us law deans continue to be troubled about the validity of the U.S. News and other rankings; however, potential applicants will continue to read them and form impressions of us," the dean said. "As we all know, perception often is more important than fact, and this is a good example. We aspire to be one of the best public law schools in the country, and we want to be perceived as one of the best."