This Week's Featured Law School - The University of Michigan Law School

It's easy to understand why the University of Michigan Law School is the first choice for many up and coming attorneys. With the class of 2008 boasting a 99.8% employment rate, the school is clearly doing something right. In fact, it's ranked in the top 3 by The Princeton Review for career prospects. There are 79 full time faculty members, 57 of whom are tenured. The Law Library is home to more than one million volumes and employs only the most experienced professionals to maintain the library. Women make up 45% of the students in any given year and up to 80% of the students are transferring from other states. The tuition for residents is around $43,000 while non-residents can expect to pay approximately $46,000.

Located in Ann Arbor, there's more than just the incredible education one gains when attending the school; students experience life in one of the best places in the country. It's beautiful and is considered one of the safest places to raise children. Several U.S. Supreme Court Justices graduated from U of M, including William Rufus Day and George Sutherland. The school also boasts the most graduates who claim Supreme Court clerkships and an impressive number of its graduates go on to serve on Michigan's Supreme Court. There's much to be proud of.


To better understand the current goals of the school, one must understand its past. Founded in 1859, it quickly became the school to be accepted to and within eleven short years, it became the largest campus in the U.S. The University of Michigan Law School is home to Sarah Killgore, who in 1871 became the first woman in America to not only graduate from law school, but also the first woman to pass the state's bar exam. By the time 1883 rolled around, U of M law school appointed its first full time professor. Less than a decade later, the school granted its first LL.M degrees. With each new milestone met, the school continued to raise the bar for all others to follow. It's remained that way all these years and as a result, it enjoys an incredible number of applicants who wish to experience the school's educational process.

Each year, the law school's resources prove substantial and benefit many law students. It provides more than $3 million dollars each year in grants, yet its tuition is more than $10,000 below the average debt for the highest ranked law schools. Its financial aid personnel work closely with students to ensure their debt, if any, is at a minimum by the time they prepare to enter into the working world. Whether it's loan programs or grants, the school remains committed to its students as they pursue their college educations.

With such a rich history, a spectacular campus that includes overwhelming Gothic buildings and very well maintained grounds, along with educational opportunities that are unmatched, the University of Michigan is an incredible place to gain that degree that will ensure an exciting career in the legal profession. With many dynamics that define an impressive faculty, students are inspired, energized and learn not only the law, but the nuances that are important and present in every remarkable lawyer. It's challenging, rewarding and stimulating and is one of the most respected schools in the world.