Practical training in law school provides hands-on experience to put legal concepts into action. From writing a contract to negotiating a dispute to learning the nuances of litigation, the real-world practice helps prepare students to become lawyers.
To determine our Best Schools for Practical Training Honor Roll, we looked at the number of students each school has participating in clinics, externships, simulation courses, moot court and other special programs. We gave the largest weight to clinics. We asked schools for the number of students who completed a clinic in the prior year. If a student was enrolled in a clinic for two semesters, that counted as two. Extra credit was given to schools that required clinic work.
After crunching the data, Northeastern University School of Law takes the top spot again on the 2026 Honor Roll. Its Cooperative Legal Education Program guarantees three full-time legal work experiences.
Hemanth Gundavaram, associate dean for academic and faculty affairs at Northeastern Law, said practical experience is a requirement to graduation.
“Northeastern Law gives students the opportunity to learn by doing,” Gundavaram said. “While other law schools might give students the chance to work over the summer or experience a part-time internship or externship, we integrate full-time employment into our curriculum.”
University of Minnesota Law School moved up two spots to No. 4, and USD School of Law made the biggest jump from A- to A+, landing in the Top 10.
There are 12 law schools that are new to the Honor Roll this year: University of Florida Levin College of Law, University of Illinois College of Law, Gonzaga University School of Law, The University of Alabama School of Law, The University of Tulsa College of Law, Florida International University College of Law, Santa Clara University School of Law, The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, University of Maine School of Law, University of Texas School of Law and Yale Law School.
Law schools that moved from B+ last year to A this year on the Honor Roll are Washington and Lee University School of Law, University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law and Lewis & Clark Law School.
Read the full story here.
Best law schools for practical training
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| Rank | Law School Name | 2025 Grade | # of Clinics | Clinic Ratio | Clinic Guarantee | Field Ratio | Simulation Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northeastern University | A+ | 11 | 55% | Yes | 95% | 55% |
| 2 | University of St. Thomas - Mn. | A+ | 16 | 19% | 179% | 87% | |
| 3 | Baylor University | A+ | 6 | 26% | Yes | 25% | 409% |
| 4 | University of Minnesota | A+ | 29 | 53% | Yes | 64% | 104% |
| 5 | University of Denver | A+ | 17 | 12% | 88% | 60% | |
| 6 | Quinnipiac University | A+ | 12 | 30% | Yes | 63% | 147% |
| 7 | University of Arizona | A+ | 14 | 50% | Yes | 35% | 255% |
| 8 | Pepperdine Caruso School of Law | A+ | 10 | 23% | 40% | 235% | |
| 9 | UC - Irvine | A+ | 26 | 50% | Yes | 22% | 131% |
| 10 | University of San Diego | A+ | 16 | 17% | Yes | 58% | 223% |
| 11 | Elon University | A+ | 5 | 9% | 34% | 260% | |
| 12 | University of Georgia | A+ | 10 | 32% | 45% | 128% | |
| 13 | Case Western Reserve U. | A+ | 10 | 15% | Yes | 52% | 97% |
| 14 | Yale Law School | A+ | 30 | 92% | 9% | 30% | |
| 15 | University of Wyoming | A+ | 7 | 33% | Yes | 43% | 67% |
| 16 | Brooklyn Law School | A+ | 22 | 25% | Yes | 50% | 136% |
| 17 | Chapman Fowler School of Law | A | 8 | 14% | 49% | 159% | |
| 18 | Washington and Lee University | A | 4 | 7% | Yes | 26% | 173% |
| 19 | Liberty University | A | 4 | 6% | 24% | 255% | |
| 20 | University of Chicago | A | 7 | 83% | 3% | 109% | |
| 21 | University of Colorado | A | 11 | 44% | Yes | 32% | 108% |
| 22 | University of Maryland | A | 19 | 31% | Yes | 27% | 92% |
| 23 | Arizona State University | A | 10 | 13% | 72% | 85% | |
| 24 | University of Florida | A | 8 | 17% | Yes | 25% | 230% |
| 25 | Cornell Law School | A | 27 | 42% | 44% | 66% | |
| 26 | Regent University | A | 3 | 3% | Yes | 43% | 97% |
| 27 | Syracuse University | A | 7 | 21% | 28% | 191% | |
| 28 | Brigham Young University | A | 10 | 30% | 33% | 45% | |
| 29 | Drexel University Kline | A | 5 | 7% | Yes | 29% | 74% |
| 30 | Penn State - Dickinson Law | A | 3 | 12% | 62% | 85% | |
| 31 | Temple University | A | 19 | 25% | 39% | 121% | |
| 32 | University of Illinois | A | 9 | 20% | 45% | 88% | |
| 33 | Lewis & Clark Law School | A | 8 | 19% | 46% | 54% | |
| 34 | Texas A&M Law | A- | 11 | 38% | 41% | 78% | |
| 35 | CUNY School of Law | A- | 12 | 29% | Yes | 5% | 93% |
| 36 | Campbell Law School | A- | 7 | 18% | 23% | 174% | |
| 37 | Southern Univ. Law Center | A- | 9 | 58% | Yes | 19% | 24% |
| 38 | Boston College | A- | 15 | 21% | 16% | 182% | |
| 39 | Gonzaga University | A- | 10 | 20% | Yes | 34% | 72% |
| 40 | Villanova Law | A- | 8 | 18% | 57% | 101% | |
| 41 | University of Alabama | A- | 7 | 19% | Yes | 28% | 144% |
| 42 | George Mason University | A- | 10 | 19% | 62% | 124% | |
| 43 | Tulane University | A- | 9 | 20% | 31% | 81% | |
| 44 | Albany Law School | A- | 14 | 10% | Yes | 39% | 59% |
| 45 | University of Wisconsin | A- | 19 | 36% | 42% | 96% | |
| 46 | University of Tulsa | A- | 3 | 17% | 62% | 0% | |
| 47 | Drake University | A- | 6 | 28% | Yes | 26% | 56% |
| 48 | McGeorge School of Law | A- | 7 | 14% | Yes | 37% | 86% |
| 49 | Southwestern Law School | A- | 13 | 13% | 43% | 119% | |
| 50 | Florida International University | A- | 5 | 14% | Yes | 37% | 126% |
| 51 | Santa Clara Law | A- | 6 | 21% | 43% | 116% | |
| 52 | Appalachian School of Law | A- | 2 | 7% | 39% | 138% | |
| 53 | University of Tennessee | A- | 7 | 22% | Yes | 16% | 107% |
| 54 | University of Nebraska | B+ | 9 | 21% | 22% | 153% | |
| 55 | Indiana U Bloomington | B+ | 10 | 33% | 26% | 161% | |
| 56 | Vermont Law School | B+ | 8 | 21% | Yes | 14% | 157% |
| 57 | Ohio State University | B+ | 8 | 15% | 27% | 149% | |
| 58 | University District of Columbia | B+ | 6 | 52% | 21% | 69% | |
| 59 | Georgetown University | B+ | 17 | 22% | 26% | 67% | |
| 60 | Capital University | B+ | 3 | 15% | 34% | 154% | |
| 61 | Seton Hall University | B+ | 10 | 12% | 25% | 146% | |
| 62 | University of San Francisco | B+ | 10 | 18% | Yes | 24% | 104% |
| 63 | University of Utah | B+ | 7 | 11% | 50% | 101% | |
| 64 | University of Maine | B+ | 6 | 18% | 43% | 52% | |
| 65 | Loyola University Chicago | B+ | 7 | 22% | 30% | 93% | |
| 66 | University of Missouri-KC | B+ | 8 | 10% | Yes | 30% | 80% |
| 67 | Cardozo School of Law | B+ | 12 | 28% | 37% | 70% | |
| 68 | LMU Loyola Law School | B+ | 22 | 13% | 20% | 108% | |
| 69 | University of Massachusetts | B+ | 11 | 16% | 17% | 157% | |
| 70 | University of Hawaii | B+ | 12 | 30% | Yes | 26% | 51% |
| 71 | University of Texas | B+ | 18 | 30% | 9% | 120% | |
| 72 | West Virginia University | B+ | 7 | 30% | 16% | 73% | |
| Rank | Law School Name | 2025 Grade | # of Clinics | Clinic Ratio | Clinic Guarantee | Field Ratio | Simulation Ratio |
Methodology
The largest weight (32%) went to clinics. We asked schools for the number of students who completed a clinic in 2024-25. If a student was enrolled in two semesters, that counted as two. Extra credit was given for guaranteed or required clinic work. Externships accounted for 25%. If a student had two externships, that counted as two. Simulation courses accounted for 20%. We asked for the total enrollment in such courses. Moot court and pro bono hours accounted for 10%. Required pro bono hours got extra credit. We gave 10% to additional practical training offerings, such as required legal writing. If schools did not reply, we used ABA data.
