In an unexpected move, the Franklin Pierce School of Law at the University of New Hampshire has taken a stand against prestigious legal rankings, as reported by Megan Carpenter, the dean of the institution. During an announcement on Thursday, Carpenter notified that the law school would no longer participate in the U.S. News & World Report’s law school rankings, citing the process as “seriously flawed”.
The significance of this decision is not to be underestimated. U.S. News & World Report’s law school rankings often dictate the perception of law institutions across the United States and the globe. A high ranking can be instrumental in attracting top-tier students and faculty, while a low rank can hinder these efforts. By consciously stepping away from this system, Franklin Pierce is sending a clear message that it does not view these rankings as a reliable assessment of the education and experience it provides.
For decades, law schools have been entrusting U.S. News & World Report to grade their performance, prompting some legal professionals to question the weight placed on these rankings and advocate for a more comprehensive and transparent evaluation system. Franklin Pierce’s stand against the rankings represents a major pushback in this on-going debate over the role and impact of such rankings on legal education.
Find out more about the decision in Carpenter’s announcement here.