Two programs at The John Marshall Law School have climbed in the legal specialty rankings of 2014 U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate Schools published on March 12, 2013.
The Legal Writing Program is ranked second in the nation. It was ranked sixth in 2013. The Intellectual Property Law Program is now ranked 12th, a jump from 17th place.
At John Marshall, the Lawyering Skills Program (commonly called legal writing) is one of the most rigorous research/writing programs in the country, designed to immerse students in the art of legal writing and research over four semesters.
“I am pleased that our peers have recognized the strength of our Lawyering Skills program at John Marshall,” said Professor Anthony Niedwiecki, director of the Lawyering Skills Program.
“I believe that the high ranking is a result of the steps we have taken to better reflect current legal practice. We recently surveyed our alumni and employers to see which skills they want our graduates to have,” he said. “In response to the results of the survey, we have revamped our program to better reflect what lawyers do in practice. Overall, we have been ahead of other law schools in producing practice-ready graduates.”
Niedwiecki also said the leadership roles of John Marshall faculty are being recognized in rankings by the legal writing community. “Many of our professors are accomplished leaders in our field with several serving on the boards or as officers of all of the major legal writing organizations,” he noted.
John Marshall’s Intellectual Property (IP) Program is ranked 12th in the nation. The IP Program, one of the oldest in the country, offers more than 30 specialized IP courses, making it one of the most extensive sets of IP offerings anywhere. The program draws students from around the country and across the globe. It has partnered with IP lawyers in the People’s Republic of China for 20 years.
“This great news shows that my colleagues in the IP community recognize the strength of our program,” said Professor Doris Estelle Long, director of the Center for Intellectual Property Law. “We have a great deal of synergy at John Marshall, from our innovative courses with their focus on real-world, practice-ready training to our online journal, Review of Intellectual Property Law, to our Chinese IP Resource Center and our cross-curricular offerings with our Center for Information Technology and Privacy Law.
“I believe it says much about how we prepare our students for their legal careers in intellectual property law,” Long said. “With our new innovative programs now offered as part of the law school’s eDegrees online option, we look forward to continuing to be on the leading edge of intellectual property education,” she added.
