Best Law Schools in Pennsylvania
Are you interested in pursuing a law career in Pennsylvania? A great way to start is to enroll in one of the best law schools in Pennsylvania. To help in this regard; we have published a list of the best law schools in Pennsylvania for your reading pleasure.
Lawyers are involved in helping people with their legal needs, from defending them to protecting their intellectual property. The law profession is one of the highest-paying professions in the country, it also sets one high in society.
Being a lawyer entails having critical thinking skills and creative problem-solving skills, these skills are learned in law schools through experiential training and mock courtroom trials. The best law school offers internships, externships, mock trials, and law clubs to help law students to develop these skills.
There are about nine law schools in Pennsylvania but this list has been limited to the best. The popular courses offered at these schools include finance, corporate law, and litigation. To get more information on these best law schools in Pennsylvania, keep reading this article.
Best Law Schools in Pennsylvania
1. Widener University Commonwealth Law School
Widener University offers one of the best legal education, it provides rich opportunities to students and alumni.
The law school has been recognized severally by preLaw magazine as the #1 school for Employment Honor Roll. Widener has started a legal incubator program in collaboration with the Dauphin County Bar Association.
This program provides new graduates with the resources and training for solo small firms that benefit the surrounding community.
2. Duquesne University School of Law
Duquesne University School of Law out of all the law schools in Pennsylvania has produced the most number of judges seated in the Superior Court, Commonwealth Court, and Court of Common Pleas.
The number of distinguished alumni makes Duquesne one of the top law schools in bar passage nationally. The school has a bar passage rate of 93%, this is another proof that this college is one of the best law schools in Pennsylvania.
Duquesne offers a highly reputed trial advocacy program that prepares students to be courtroom-ready attorneys. Law students are trained in trial preparation, case analysis, case presentation, and witness preparation.
The best law students compete in regional and national competitions and they are also coached by practicing attorneys. The team has won a number of national championships, including the American Association for Justice Student Trial Advocacy Competition and the Buffalo-Niagara Invitational Mock Trial Competition.
Duquesne University School of Law boasts over 8,000 alumni practicing in all 50 states and several countries nationally.
3. Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law
The Kline School of Law was established to fulfill the demand for law graduates with immediate experience.
The program requires each student to complete at least one co-op or clinical placement and an additional 50 hours of pro bono service.
The school’s curriculum aligns with each student’s area of interest and allows graduates to enter the workforce with the skills necessary to meet the rigorous demands of a lawyer. Students also make connections with professionals in the business, choosing from over 200 of Drexel’s co-op partners.
Law graduates from this school can work for a variety of employers from government agencies to corporations to public interest organizations. The major employers include the US Army JAG Corps, ACLU, US Department of Justice, IBM, and Pfizer.
Drexel’s Thomas R. Kline Institute for Trial Advocacy, this facility allows law students to practice their skills in a professional setting. The building also houses cutting-edge technology, a ceremonial courtroom, and many trial practice rooms.
4. University of Pittsburgh School of Law
University of Pittsburgh School of Law is one of the best law schools in Pennsylvania, the school is committed to awarding scholarships to law students through all three years. A vast majority of students at Pitt receive scholarship funds to maintain an impressive cost-to-value ratio.
Law students are given a wide range of opportunities like the interdisciplinary centers on campus. These centers include centers for International Legal Education, Bioethics and Health Law, Cyber Law, Community Legal Services & Clinical Legal Education, and Policy, & Security. Students are also given the opportunity to perform research alongside faculty and engage with policymakers to make a change.
The Future Law Project at Pittsburg University investigates how law policy and action should be informed by cross-field research. The center invites experts across academia, legal, and research, practice to determine the future of law.
5. Penn State Law School
Penn State offers one of the best law programs that help students to gain students critical knowledge of the law along with legal practice skills, communication, and confidence to achieve their professional goals.
Law students at Penn State enjoy many learning opportunities, such as the business startup accelerator program, Entrepreneur Assistance, and Intellectual Property clinics. These programs allow students to learn the basic legal skills required to attract and interview potential clients.
Law students are given the opportunity to represent startups, non-profits, and in a similar setting to a small law firm. Law students prepare Patent & Trademark Office documents under the supervision of practicing attorneys in the Intellectual Property Clinic.
The school also offers an Externships Everywhere program that allows law students to work in a legal office for a semester anywhere in the world.
Law students can also earn credits and gain valuable experience with government agencies, non-profits, judges, law firms, or businesses that best suit their career goals.
6. Pennsylvania State University Dickinson Law
The Dickinson Law Review is one of the oldest continuously published law school journals nationwide. This magazine contains articles and commentary on relevant legal topics published by Law students at Dickinson Law.
The collection of essays, articles, commentary, and reviews is often used in courts for treatises. This school also hosts scholarly dialogues and symposia with highly-trained legal authors.
Dickinson allows law students to choose from a wide variety of organizations to participate in the campus community. These groups help law students to develop personally and professionally.