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The verdict is in: NIU Law named among best schools for ‘small law’

December 11, 2015

Cover of the National JuristThe NIU College of Law has been recognized by National Jurist and Pre-Law magazines as one of the best schools in the nation for launching its graduates into small-firm practices.

In its “Back to School” issue, in an article titled “Why Small Law is the New Big Law,” Pre-Law magazine ranked the NIU College of Law seventh, with 43.7 percent of its graduates being hired by firms with 100 or fewer attorneys – based on 2014 class data reported by the American Bar Association.

Similarly, in a “Back to School” article titled “Best Schools for Big Law & Small Law,” National Jurist magazine ranked NIU Law 11th in a separate analysis layering the magazine’s own weighting criteria on top of the same data from the ABA.

Both articles signal a shift in law firm hiring practices as the market for “Big Law” graduates has slowed in recent years – and further highlights how schools like NIU Law have positioned their placement services to align well with the evolving marketplace for law graduates.

“Many of our graduates are looking for the benefits that a small law firm can offer such as more immediate client contact and a wider scope of responsibilities,” NIU Law Dean Mark Cordes said. “We work hard to accommodate students interested in smaller practices as well as those looking for a larger firm, and have established career success programs to support both interests.”

Earlier this year, NIU Law was named by National Jurist as one of the top 64 “Best Value” law schools in the nation as well – receiving an A- as its overall rating by the magazine.

As the only public law school in the Chicago area, the NIU College of Law has also been named a top law school nationally for diversity, value and careers in public interest/government service.