Does class rank matter for law school?

Asked by: Ms. Patsy Carroll Jr.  |  Last update: October 21, 2025
Score: 4.7/5 (3 votes)

Most law schools have GPA or class rank cutoffs that determine which students are eligible for OCI interviews with specific employers. For example, top law firms (often referred to as “BigLaw”) tend to recruit only from the top 10-20% of the class.

Do law schools care about the classes you take?

In one word, NO. Law schools care about many things: your GPA, your LSAT, the story you tell, the obstacles you've overcome. But if there is one thing law school admissions committees care least about, it may be your major.

What should your class rank be on a law school resume?

Students may list their Rankings only on their resumes and correspondence used for applications for clerkships and academic positions. No Ranking information, except for the top 12 ranked students and graduates in the Order of the Coif, will be on official and unofficial transcripts.

How important is class rank in law school reddit?

If your school waits until spring grades to rank you, 1L summer employers won't see your class rank before hiring you. But any subsequent employers might. Even if you aren't interested in BigLaw, grades matter—but how much they matter depends on what job.

What is considered top of the class in law school?

Numerical grades range from 4.4 (highest) to 1.9 (lowest).

What I Wish I Knew Before Starting Law School - Advice for 1Ls

31 related questions found

Is class rank important in law school?

Most law schools have GPA or class rank cutoffs that determine which students are eligible for OCI interviews with specific employers. For example, top law firms (often referred to as “BigLaw”) tend to recruit only from the top 10-20% of the class.

Are lawyers upper-middle class?

Most people in the upper-middle class strata are highly educated white collar professionals such as but not limited to physicians, dentists, lawyers, military officers, economists, business analysts, urban planners, university professors, architects, supervisors and proprietors of sales jobs, psychologists, scientists, ...

Does class rank really matter?

Class Rank and Colleges

Most large state universities, however, still require applicants to report class rank (as do many scholarship programs) and rely on it to help sort through the high volume of applications received.

How important is ranking in law school?

That said, the job market is easier for graduates of top-ranked law schools. Even if their grades are unexceptional, they have easier access to legal internships, clerkships and job interviews at well-known firms.

Which law school class is the hardest?

Some of the hardest classes in law school, according to current and former students, are:
  • Constitutional Law.
  • Civil Procedure.
  • Contracts.
  • Federal Courts.
  • Federal Income Tax.
  • Administrative Law.
  • Partnership Tax.

What skills do law schools look for in applicants?

What Do Law Schools Look for in Your Application?
  • Strong Academic Record and LSAT Score. ...
  • Extracurricular Involvement. ...
  • Excellent Writing and Reading Abilities. ...
  • Personal Growth. ...
  • Strong Recommendations from People Who Actually Know You. ...
  • Something Special… ...
  • Demonstrated Interest in the Law School Itself.

What is an ideal class rank?

If you want to attend a more competitive college, you should aim to have a class rank that puts you in the top 25% of your class, or the 75th or higher percentile. For Ivy League and other top tier schools, a class rank in the top 10% or 5% is a good goal to aim for.

What is the typical education level for a lawyer?

For those who choose the traditional path, the next step to becoming a lawyer in California is to start a three-year Juris Doctor (JD) degree at one of the nearly 200 ABA-accredited law schools.

Do law schools care more about GPA or LSAT?

There are two major reasons that law schools prioritize the LSAT. The first is arguably for legitimate educational purposes. Not all undergraduate majors feature the same level of intellectual rigor, and undergraduate institutions also offer a wide variety of instructional quality.

Do people skip class in law school?

For one reason or another, you're probably going to have to miss a class or two or more at some point during law school. Maybe you're not feeling well? Perhaps you have an important family event to attend? You might even need to take a mental health day.

Is law school a lot of memorization?

The type of memorization required for law school is a bit different than what you dealt with in undergrad and high school. You'll need to memorize a lot more in a shorter amount of time. And, beyond just memorizing rules and elements, you'll also be required to understand and apply what you've memorized.

Does law school class rank matter?

1. Why Does Law School Ranking Matter? Law school ranking can help you pick a program that can offer you the highest quality legal education. These high-ranking programs also open doors to better job prospects, especially if you're interested in Biglaw.

Do law firms care where you went to law school?

Your Previous (On-the-Job) Training

Certain firms have the reputation for training people very well—and everyone knows that they have high expectations for the people there. If you get a good job right out of school or thereafter (with a major law firm), firms no longer really care about where you went to law school.

Is 20% class rank good?

Being in the top 20% of your class is generally considered a strong position, but its importance depends on the specific school to which you're applying and the relative competitiveness of your high school.

Does Harvard consider class rank?

We do seek students who achieve at a high level, and most admitted students rank in the top 10-15% of their graduating classes.

Do universities look at class rank?

Class rank can still be a factor for admissions, but compared to many other factors, class rank may not place as important of a role as you think. More schools no longer consider it, or they're assigning less weight to this metric among the many others they're evaluating.

Do top lawyers make millions?

How Much Do Top Lawyers Make? According to ALM Global's 2023 Global 100 Ranked by Profits Per Equity Partner, Kirkland & Ellis LLP (the highest-paid lawyers in the United States) pays their equity partners a whopping $7.52 million per year.

What salary is considered upper class?

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median household income in 2022 was $74,580. To reach the upper class in 2024, you'd typically need an income exceeding $153,000 – more than double the national median. Don't Miss: Are you rich?

Are lawyers introverts or extroverts?

Here's something I share with lawyers nearly every day: 60% of lawyers, or just about, are introverts. This is the exact inverse of America as a whole, where about the same percentage are extroverts.