199 Law Libraries Ranked for Resources, Service and Space
It’s not as easy as it once was to figure out what makes a great law library. In the digital age, the traditional standards of comparison – number of volumes, titles and subscriptions – no longer seem adequate.
What makes a good law library in the 21st century includes a variety of factors: comfort, accessibility, convenience and, most of all, availability of the latest technological tools.
So when The National Jurist set out to determine just how to figure out the best law school, we wanted to take a variety of factors into consideration.
The National Jurist compared 199 law libraries, using the most recent ABA data, and calculated scores in those six categories.
Our methodology has changed slightly over the years. We no longer measure for number of computer workstations, as wireless technology has replaced the old school-provided hard-wired stations.
But the core measurement system is the same, using data from the ABA: The number of volumes and titles make up 50 percent of the score. The ratio of library study seating to enrollment counts for 20 percent. The ratio of full-time professional librarians to enrollment, and the number of hours that the library is open each week account for 15 percent each. We translated each raw figure or ratio to percentile form on a 1-10 scale.
Ranking | School Name | Volumes | Titles | Library seats per student | Students per librarian | Hours open |
1 | The University of Iowa College of Law | 1,233,072 | 769,596 | 1.10 | 38.50 | 106 |
2 | Yale Law School | 1,230,913 | 389,383 | 0.70 | 32.67 | 133 |
3 | Indiana University Maurer School of Law–Bloomington | 756,331 | 267,800 | 1.12 | 21.14 | 115 |
4 | University of Pennsylvania Law School | 866,087 | 413,677 | 0.66 | 52.47 | 115 |
5 | Louisiana State University, Paul M. Hebert Law Center | 855,368 | 338,281 | 0.80 | 44.31 | 113 |
6 | New York University School of Law | 1,097,200 | 670,595 | 0.60 | 35.58 | 101 |
7 | University of Texas School of Law | 1,058,750 | 476,414 | 0.84 | 82.20 | 99 |
8 | Harvard Law School | 2,287,183 | 870,406 | 0.46 | 44.36 | 121 |
9 | Northwestern University School of Law | 771,593 | 364,102 | 0.83 | 71.00 | 105 |
10 | Cornell Law School | 748,889 | 246,819 | 0.73 | 84.43 | 168 |
11 | University of Minnesota Law School | 1,070,498 | 330,556 | 0.99 | 70.91 | 81 |
12 | University of Virginia School of Law | 896,639 | 335,490 | 0.78 | 82.57 | 112 |
13 | University of Alabama School of Law | 607,336 | 186,031 | 1.04 | 26.05 | 110 |
14 | Georgetown University Law Center | 1,174,417 | 409,419 | 0.54 | 80.20 | 107 |
15 | The University of Michigan Law School | 989,117 | 322,471 | 0.74 | 95.92 | 112 |
16 | The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law | 815,550 | 216,095 | 0.99 | 95.71 | 107 |
17 | Boston University School of Law | 654,713 | 521,843 | 0.72 | 75.64 | 102 |
18 | Washington & Lee Univ. School of Law | 439,347 | 191,232 | 1.30 | 48.88 | 168 |
19 | Duke University School of Law | 646,042 | 248,367 | 0.91 | 71.11 | 104 |
20 | Tulane Unversity Law School | 649,211 | 387,083 | 0.74 | 106.57 | 113 |
21 | University of Colorado Law School | 719,893 | 209,480 | 0.85 | 57.78 | 106 |
22 | University of Illinois College of Law | 775,377 | 300,108 | 0.50 | 65.22 | 102 |
23 | Columbia University School of Law | 1,142,994 | 438,436 | 0.29 | 70.39 | 102 |
24 | The University of Chicago Law School | 644,602 | 309,449 | 0.80 | 59.30 | 90 |
25 | Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law School | 507,614 | 212,952 | 1.98 | 38.17 | 105 |
26 | University of Georgia School of Law | 534,017 | 397,907 | 0.66 | 82.50 | 121 |
27 | William & Mary Law School | 399,092 | 205,312 | 0.90 | 57.09 | 168 |
28 | University of California, Berkeley, School of Law | 893,966 | 330,854 | 0.38 | 66.54 | 100 |
29 | Stanford University Law School | 484,986 | 306,030 | 0.94 | 53.90 | 103 |
30 | Florida State University College of Law | 521,781 | 250,225 | 0.54 | 77.10 | 168 |
31 | Texas Southern University-Marshall School of Law | 695,187 | 190,280 | 0.69 | 68.75 | 108 |
32 | Saint Louis University School of Law | 657,923 | 603,515 | 0.42 | 98.10 | 107 |
33 | University of California at Los Angeles School of Law | 653,441 | 266,929 | 0.76 | 72.29 | 97 |
34 | University of Tulsa College of Law | 407,689 | 228,553 | 1.55 | 51.11 | 113 |
35 | University of Tennessee College of Law | 587,152 | 153,751 | 0.93 | 52.00 | 112 |
36 | Lewis & Clark Law School | 528,877 | 440,798 | 0.54 | 102.29 | 113 |
37 | University of Wisconsin Law School | 574,936 | 321,873 | 0.75 | 81.10 | 104 |
38 | University of Connecticut School of Law | 553,811 | 190,364 | 1.21 | 74.11 | 89 |
39 | University of California, Hastings, College of the Law | 714,309 | 252,537 | 0.64 | 113.73 | 102 |
40 | Washburn University School of Law | 388,881 | 293,909 | 0.94 | 47.67 | 101 |
41 | American University Washington College of Law | 598,029 | 262,293 | 0.41 | 85.94 | 119 |
42 | Washington Univ. School of Law | 712,344 | 219,056 | 0.58 | 119.86 | 120 |
43 | Albany Law School | 695,905 | 197,188 | 0.60 | 91.88 | 104 |
44 | University of Cincinnati College of Law | 433,450 | 204,457 | 0.93 | 45.13 | 95 |
45 | Notre Dame Law School | 661,959 | 240,432 | 0.62 | 62.00 | 95 |
46 | Fordham University School of Law | 645,001 | 305,324 | 0.29 | 52.97 | 119 |
47 | Rutgers University School of Law–Newark | 568,200 | 232,850 | 0.64 | 45.33 | 95 |
48 | Temple University-Beasley School of Law | 609,458 | 146,596 | 0.72 | 48.70 | 96 |
49 | University of Washington School of Law | 627,947 | 172,450 | 0.75 | 59.33 | 89 |
50 | University of Pittsburgh School of Law | 463,297 | 264,245 | 0.63 | 49.86 | 101 |
51 | University of San Diego School of Law | 534,858 | 335,389 | 0.57 | 102.50 | 112 |
52 | Quinnipiac University School of Law | 434,035 | 163,449 | 0.90 | 55.29 | 99 |
53 | Ohio Northern University–Claude W. Pettit College of Law | 416,504 | 238,105 | 0.99 | 77.25 | 113 |
54 | Wayne State Univ. Law School | 624,517 | 316,450 | 0.78 | 148.25 | 97 |
55 | Villanova University School of Law | 548,055 | 150,046 | 0.49 | 67.64 | 168 |
56 | Loyola Law School, Loyola Marymount University | 600,346 | 293,988 | 0.43 | 107.25 | 108 |
57 | George Washington University Law School | 620,592 | 271,984 | 0.38 | 84.15 | 110 |
58 | University of North Carolina School of Law | 536,732 | 148,943 | 0.65 | 61.25 | 109 |
59 | Creighton University School of Law | 378,266 | 183,702 | 0.80 | 35.62 | 106 |
60 | Emory University School of Law | 409,740 | 198,628 | 0.71 | 38.72 | 109 |
61 | Wake Forest University School of Law | 422,392 | 325,317 | 1.23 | 156.67 | 108 |
62 | University of Richmond School of Law | 397,075 | 200,755 | 1.40 | 80.33 | 106 |
63 | SMU Dedman School of Law | 630,282 | 288,656 | 0.77 | 158.83 | 104 |
64 | The University of Kansas School of Law | 355,176 | 160,830 | 1.00 | 61.13 | 95 |
65 | The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law | 428,123 | 174,066 | 0.55 | 43.81 | 115 |
66 | University of South Carolina School of Law | 543,112 | 82,055 | 0.74 | 48.79 | 107 |
67 | Howard University School of Law | 632,218 | 31,699 | 0.82 | 64.86 | 105 |
68 | University of Louisville’s Brandeis School of Law | 417,747 | 82,950 | 1.05 | 29.93 | 89 |
69 | Cleveland State University–Cleveland-Marshall College of Law | 536,990 | 165,877 | 0.72 | 74.00 | 94 |
70 | Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law | 423,204 | 122,575 | 1.03 | 77.00 | 111 |
71 | Stetson Unversity College of Law | 418,297 | 714,559 | 0.66 | 128.38 | 105 |
72 | Indiana University School of Law–Indianapolis | 603,531 | 203,221 | 0.52 | 95.30 | 104 |
73 | North Carolina Central University School of Law | 378,233 | 318,510 | 0.57 | 71.56 | 100 |
74 | University of Utah Quinney College of Law | 351,853 | 137,051 | 1.73 | 48.13 | 95 |
75 | University of Missouri School of Law | 396,211 | 230,503 | 1.04 | 64.71 | 70 |
76 | University of the District of Columbia–David A. Clarke School of Law | 257,629 | 156,202 | 0.92 | 41.83 | 101 |
77 | Drake University Law School | 330,399 | 71,975 | 1.58 | 40.45 | 109 |
78 | Vanderbilt University Law School | 609,706 | 191,026 | 0.43 | 96.33 | 111 |
79 | Whittier Law School | 439,591 | 208,127 | 0.76 | 84.33 | 102 |
80 | Willamette Univ. College of Law | 297,027 | 39,464 | 1.15 | 85.60 | 168 |
81 | University of Florida, Fredric G. Levin College of Law | 625,336 | 203,215 | 0.63 | 122.40 | 96 |
82 | University of Puerto Rico School of Law | 460,962 | 83,718 | 0.61 | 19.94 | 112 |
83 | Boston College Law School | 474,937 | 111,442 | 0.82 | 72.82 | 105 |
84 | The University of New Mexico School of Law | 431,576 | 136,225 | 0.82 | 49.43 | 90 |
85 | University of Arkansas School of Law | 334,135 | 193,584 | 0.85 | 57.57 | 105 |
86 | University of Kentucky College of Law | 485,493 | 77,346 | 0.80 | 56.43 | 100 |
87 | University at Buffalo Law School, State University of New York | 577,774 | 121,528 | 0.63 | 62.08 | 105 |
88 | New York Law School | 526,951 | 317,924 | 0.33 | 114.00 | 98 |
89 | Thomas M. Cooley Law School | 592,374 | 336,364 | 0.26 | 141.46 | 124 |
90 | Florida A&M University College of Law | 354,300 | 146,957 | 0.92 | 100.50 | 100 |
91 | Regent University School of Law | 396,856 | 90,287 | 0.78 | 37.64 | 109 |
92 | University of Wyoming College of Law | 294,733 | 71,476 | 1.26 | 74.33 | 107 |
93 | St. John’s University School of Law | 394,554 | 240,339 | 0.65 | 90.10 | 100 |
94 | University of Nebraska College of Law | 414,698 | 96,821 | 0.92 | 80.80 | 109 |
95 | Western New England College School of Law | 350,710 | 135,421 | 0.84 | 63.67 | 103 |
96 | University of Hawaii at Manoa–William S. Richardson School of Law | 356,649 | 48,901 | 1.36 | 50.00 | 94 |
97 | South Texas College of Law | 522,951 | 172,908 | 0.69 | 115.18 | 106 |
98 | Faulkner University, Thomas Goode Jones School of Law | 191,082 | 293,102 | 0.69 | 60.80 | 98 |
99 | Texas Tech University School of Law | 322,339 | 101,247 | 0.86 | 92.43 | 168 |
100 | Marquette University Law School | 358,494 | 191,767 | 0.54 | 83.11 | 117 |
101 | University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law | 397,982 | 123,708 | 0.78 | 46.90 | 99 |
102 | Mississippi College School of Law | 348,664 | 206,234 | 0.72 | 109.80 | 108 |
103 | University of Nevada, Las Vegas, William S. Boyd School of Law | 318,198 | 196,080 | 0.64 | 60.88 | 101 |
104 | University of North Dakota School of Law | 331,516 | 124,662 | 0.86 | 60.75 | 99 |
105 | University of Miami School of Law | 639,360 | 127,533 | 0.56 | 137.22 | 111 |
106 | University of Houston Law Center | 534,531 | 116,782 | 0.58 | 105.33 | 107 |
107 | Hofstra University School of Law | 578,270 | 173,137 | 0.43 | 87.92 | 101 |
108 | University of Southern California, Gould School of Law | 436,096 | 196,147 | 0.38 | 60.50 | 100 |
109 | George Mason University School of Law | 462,730 | 212,429 | 0.55 | 112.00 | 98 |
110 | University of Oklahoma College of Law | 360,336 | 173,018 | 0.79 | 73.86 | 96 |
111 | St. Thomas University School of Law | 332,325 | 212,969 | 0.74 | 106.50 | 106 |
112 | Pace University School of Law | 393,691 | 135,805 | 0.70 | 71.36 | 102 |
113 | Southwestern Law School | 491,065 | 161,916 | 0.60 | 112.33 | 108 |
114 | William Mitchell College of Law | 350,450 | 212,616 | 0.65 | 128.88 | 109 |
115 | Charleston School of Law | 26,267 | 561,141 | 0.58 | 55.55 | 104 |
116 | University of Maryland School of Law | 508,792 | 153,951 | 0.58 | 81.55 | 103 |
117 | Roger Williams University School of Law | 305,533 | 160,992 | 0.73 | 78.57 | 110 |
118 | University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law | 311,972 | 135,720 | 0.80 | 65.14 | 99 |
119 | Syracuse University College of Law | 482,143 | 95,871 | 0.61 | 64.00 | 106 |
120 | University of Toledo College of Law | 357,323 | 57,004 | 0.91 | 98.80 | 109 |
121 | Franklin Pierce Law Center | 303,639 | 106,373 | 0.71 | 54.13 | 105 |
122 | Penn State University, The Dickinson School of Law | 534,835 | 138,662 | 0.42 | 63.60 | 94 |
123 | Texas Wesleyan University School of Law | 263,297 | 186,775 | 0.47 | 58.00 | 112 |
124 | Western State University College of Law | 202,929 | 45,582 | 0.87 | 24.19 | 109 |
125 | Brooklyn Law School | 567,943 | 205,165 | 0.45 | 149.00 | 108 |
126 | Case Western Reserve University School of Law | 411,139 | 114,034 | 0.54 | 59.82 | 104 |
127 | University of san Francisco School of Law | 360,208 | 195,846 | 0.63 | 111.50 | 98 |
128 | Southern Illinois University School of Law | 418,826 | 79,593 | 0.97 | 72.20 | 78 |
129 | Valparaiso University School of Law | 337,284 | 161,374 | 0.64 | 82.14 | 113 |
130 | West Virginia Univ. College of Law | 353,581 | 81,425 | 0.89 | 107.00 | 106 |
131 | Samford University, Cumberland School of Law | 306,758 | 38,599 | 0.96 | 61.75 | 105 |
132 | Georgia State University College of Law | 354,660 | 95,516 | 0.53 | 44.33 | 103 |
133 | University of St. Thomas School of Law–Minneapolis | 197,078 | 177,322 | 0.84 | 64.43 | 83 |
134 | California Western School of Law | 341,131 | 180,809 | 0.49 | 98.56 | 110 |
135 | University of Denver Sturm College of Law | 406,659 | 231,391 | 0.30 | 99.27 | 108 |
136 | Pepperdine University School of Law | 413,138 | 129,173 | 0.65 | 80.00 | 106 |
137 | University of Maine School of Law | 334,393 | 104,300 | 0.77 | 38.43 | 97 |
138 | Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology | 554,761 | 186,849 | 0.48 | 136.71 | 96 |
139 | Seattle University School of Law | 382,182 | 154,335 | 0.41 | 104.30 | 119 |
140 | University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law | 516,053 | 129,223 | 0.53 | 143.86 | 108 |
141 | Rutgers–The State University of New Jersey–School of Law–Camden | 451,712 | 106,650 | 0.54 | 106.71 | 103 |
142 | University of Dayton School of Law | 326,375 | 43,212 | 1.02 | 95.80 | 102 |
143 | University of Idaho College of Law | 247,523 | 67,352 | 1.12 | 38.38 | 86 |
144 | Gonzaga University School of Law | 303,256 | 80,689 | 0.92 | 109.80 | 110 |
145 | University of Montana School of Law | 130,932 | 24,560 | 1.08 | 40.83 | 106 |
146 | University of Oregon School of Law | 388,187 | 91,661 | 0.58 | 75.86 | 107 |
147 | University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law | 338,153 | 138,612 | 0.71 | 79.17 | 100 |
148 | Liberty University School of Law | 246,630 | 216,009 | 1.14 | 219.00 | 95 |
149 | Northern Kentucky University–Salmon P. Chase College of Law | 336,367 | 76,726 | 0.40 | 81.57 | 168 |
150 | Charlotte School of Law | 101,099 | 101,540 | 1.27 | 48.33 | 95 |
151 | Widener University School of Law (Wilmington) | 393,763 | 69,258 | 0.43 | 59.38 | 107 |
152 | The University of South Dakota School of Law | 211,337 | 42,272 | 1.14 | 199.00 | 168 |
153 | Loyola University New Orleans College of Law | 380,288 | 146,399 | 0.44 | 83.50 | 106 |
154 | Northern Illinois University College of Law | 257,303 | 42,363 | 0.72 | 59.40 | 98 |
155 | Touro College-Fuchsberg Law Center | 449,583 | 96,621 | 0.65 | 81.00 | 85 |
156 | Suffolk University Law School | 380,058 | 186,885 | 0.53 | 127.08 | 103 |
157 | Ave Maria School of Law | 118,420 | 65,933 | 0.94 | 33.56 | 105 |
158 | Elon University School of Law | 169,180 | 116,928 | 1.07 | 103.67 | 101 |
159 | Mercer University–Walter F. George School of Law | 347,461 | 76,038 | 0.88 | 73.83 | 68 |
160 | The University of Mississippi School of Law | 331,718 | 105,261 | 0.65 | 82.33 | 105 |
161 | Oklahoma City University School of Law | 324,800 | 123,593 | 0.61 | 86.71 | 102 |
162 | Campbell University, Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law | 196,328 | 77,153 | 1.10 | 120.33 | 99 |
163 | University of La Verne College of Law | 311,025 | 40,753 | 0.84 | 70.80 | 94 |
164 | Seton Hall University School of Law | 459,904 | 199,058 | 0.49 | 122.11 | 81 |
165 | Santa Clara University School of Law | 378,399 | 140,746 | 0.47 | 107.00 | 106 |
166 | University of Akron School of Law | 287,066 | 74,884 | 0.60 | 69.71 | 105 |
167 | Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University | 549,105 | 110,679 | 0.44 | 122.44 | 88 |
168 | Chapman University School of Law | 300,372 | 176,269 | 0.55 | 108.60 | 104 |
169 | Northeastern University School of Law | 331,858 | 162,810 | 0.67 | 88.00 | 88 |
170 | Vermont Law School | 251,185 | 88,392 | 0.71 | 89.83 | 110 |
171 | Nova Southeastern University–Shepard Broad Law Center | 342,978 | 156,847 | 0.53 | 125.00 | 104 |
172 | University of Detroit Mercy School of Law | 384,277 | 188,027 | 0.44 | 122.67 | 92 |
173 | Hamline University School of Law | 280,247 | 162,940 | 0.47 | 119.33 | 116 |
174 | Michigan State University College of Law | 291,529 | 174,462 | 0.48 | 95.50 | 109 |
175 | Florida International University College of Law | 221,251 | 101,727 | 0.61 | 76.00 | 107 |
176 | Golden Gate University School of Law | 380,316 | 84,018 | 0.65 | 93.43 | 95 |
177 | Baylor University School of Law | 237,743 | 54,838 | 0.67 | 59.71 | 108 |
178 | Widener University School of Law (Harrisburg) | 201,080 | 32,193 | 0.73 | 76.17 | 105 |
179 | Thomas Jefferson School of Law | 234,757 | 173,424 | 0.34 | 88.00 | 115 |
180 | Loyola University Chicago School of Law | 402,327 | 71,044 | 0.51 | 110.88 | 101 |
181 | New England Law–Boston | 364,417 | 64,269 | 0.42 | 76.93 | 104 |
182 | Duquesne University School of Law | 304,627 | 89,165 | 0.58 | 100.43 | 102 |
183 | Southern University Law Center | 484,489 | 94,206 | 0.54 | 175.00 | 99 |
184 | Drexel University, Earle Mack School of Law | 39,260 | 143,044 | 0.68 | 60.29 | 93 |
185 | University of California, Davis, School of Law | 450,528 | 103,741 | 0.54 | 115.60 | 78 |
186 | St. Mary’s University School of Law | 419,963 | 81,832 | 0.48 | 116.29 | 104 |
187 | Appalachian School of Law | 217,450 | 132,619 | 0.66 | 87.50 | 88 |
188 | Phoenix School of Law | 107,142 | 127,741 | 0.51 | 67.20 | 106 |
189 | Capital University Law School | 262,687 | 51,529 | 0.71 | 108.50 | 92 |
190 | Barry University Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law | 273,067 | 117,550 | 0.44 | 109.00 | 100 |
191 | The John Marshall Law School | 404,449 | 96,713 | 0.55 | 150.44 | 96 |
192 | Florida Coastal School of Law | 221,992 | 128,329 | 0.35 | 77.37 | 104 |
193 | Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School | 251,870 | 154,993 | 0.43 | 99.20 | 86 |
194 | University of Baltimore School of Law | 369,236 | 53,368 | 0.29 | 119.67 | 110 |
195 | City University of New York School of Law | 289,262 | 43,854 | 0.62 | 96.75 | 61 |
196 | The University of Memphis–Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law | 277,125 | 50,953 | 0.49 | 138.00 | 100 |
197 | DePaul University College of Law | 397,732 | 103,814 | 0.39 | 148.00 | 94 |
198 | Inter American University School of Law | 200,581 | 29,101 | 0.35 | 124.14 | 103 |
199 | Pontificial Catholic University of Puerto Rico School of Law | 232,073 | 29,025 | 0.31 | 148.00 | 92 |