What sets your school apart from others?
Case Western Reserve University School of Law is part of the top-ranked university in Ohio. We have a longstanding commitment to diversity: 23% of our students identify as a member of an underrepresented minority group, 20% as LGBTQ, and 53% as female. We are ranked fifth best in the nation in experiential education, our faculty are ranked 30th in the nation in scholarly impact, and in 2021-22, Prelaw Magazine ranked us as a “top school” in 12 specialties. And at over $127 million, our endowment is the 32nd largest of any law school, enabling us to provide generous scholarships.
What advice would you offer someone looking to select a law school?
You should select a law school that is small enough that you won’t get lost in the crowd, where you will get to know your professors well, and where you will have plenty of opportunities to distinguish yourself through mock trial and moot court competitions, membership on a journal, and participation in clinics and externships. You should select a law school that is committed to providing hands-on experience throughout the curriculum. And you should select a law school where there is a tradition of faculty and alumni mentorship and active engagement in assisting students in obtaining externships and jobs.
What services do you provide to help your graduates obtain their first position?
Because of our successful approach to bar preparation, we are regularly ranked first or second in bar pass rate in Ohio and recently had the 20th best bar pass rate in the nation. With a high bar pass rate, our recent graduates had a 94% job placement rate. Our career development office is composed of experienced attorneys who work closely with our students during all three years. Through the Mentoring Alumni Program, alums around the country meet regularly with our students, starting in the fall of their first year. And we provide grants for unpaid summer externships and post-graduate fellowships.
Jessica Berg and Michael Scharf are co-deans of the Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland.
