TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama School of Law is ranked 15th among public law schools and 36th among all law schools in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report’s 2008 edition of its annual “Best Graduate Schools” publication. The ranking is the highest ever for the UA Law School, which has been ranked among the Top 50 law schools for nine consecutive years.

UA is tied with the law schools at Indiana University-Bloomington, Wake Forest University and the Universities of California, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland and North Carolina.

“This recognition represents a commitment to academic excellence in the University and the law faculty, students, staff, and alumni,” said Ken Randall, dean of the UA School of Law.

“About ten years ago, the law school created a strategic plan aimed at competing with the best public law schools in the nation; we now have met that goal. The University's financial support, along with generous private giving from our graduates and the state's law firms, provided the resources to implement our educational vision. It is a proud day for our campus, the legal profession, and the entire State of Alabama. We have proven that our state can offer premier educational opportunities,” Randall said.

The national law school rankings involve reputational assessments by lawyers and judges as well as by law school deans and faculty throughout the United States. The rankings also include statistics in the areas of admissions, bar passage and career services.

The UA Law School’s bar passage rate during the period surveyed is 97.3 percent, well above the state average of 80 percent. Some 98.4 percent of graduates are employed within nine months of graduation.

Eight U.S. Supreme Court Justices have spoken at the UA School of Law in recent years.

A $15 million addition and renovation to the UA Law Center was completed in 2006. The new and renovated facilities include new classrooms, upgraded space for the Law School’s Clinical program and Career Services Office, larger faculty offices, study rooms, a student lounge, a food service and dining facility, and renovated offices for student organizations.

The University of Alabama, a student-centered research university, is in the midst of planned, steady enrollment growth with a goal of reaching 28,000 students by 2010. This growth, which is positively impacting the campus and the state's economy, is in keeping with UA's vision to be the university of choice for the best and brightest students. UA, the state's flagship university, is an academic community united in its commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all Alabamians.