As published by MSN
Specialty programs at The John Marshall Law School in Chicago again have been named among the nation’s best. John Marshall’s legal writing, trial advocacy and intellectual property (IP) law programs have been ranked among the country’s best in the 2017 U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate Schools.
“We are pleased to continue to receive recognition and respect for our curriculum,” Dean John E. Corkery said. “Our programs prepare law students for practice and provide them with the skills and knowledge that give them an advantage in a tough job market.”
At No. 5, John Marshall’s legal writing program is the only program in Illinois to be ranked in the top 20. John Marshall’s Lawyering Skills Program is one of the most rigorous research/writing programs in the country, and it houses the largest in-school writing resource center in the U.S.
Professor Kim D. Chanbonpin, director of the Lawyering Skills Program, called her program’s high rank evidence of John Marshall’s leadership in the legal writing community.
“Having good research and writing skills can determine whether or not a lawyer gets a job,” Chanbonpin said. “Legal writing is a priority in legal education, and our rank proves that our students and faculty take that priority seriously.”
John Marshall has a reputation for producing sharp legal writers. John Marshall graduates consistently have been selected as members of the National Order of Scribes based on their excellence in legal writing. The National Order of Scribes was created in 2007 by The American Society of Legal Writers as an honorary organization to acknowledge graduating law students who excel in legal writing.
For years, John Marshall faculty members have been recognized for their leadership in the national and international legal writing communities. Chanbonpin has served as president-elect of the Legal Writing Institute (LWI) for two years, ahead of taking on the president’s role later this year.
John Marshall’s trial advocacy program has been ranked 19th in the nation. “At John Marshall, we have a long tradition of excellence in our trial advocacy program,” said Professor Marc Ginsberg, director of John Marshall’s Center for Advocacy & Dispute Resolution. “Our competitive teams continue to enjoy national recognition. Every John Marshall student experiences trial ad training. Our trial ad program emphasizes professionalism, collegiality and collaboration.”
John Marshall, ranked 21st in intellectual property, is one of 42 law schools in the country to participate in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Law School Clinic Certification Program. It is the only law school in Illinois whose USPTO program focuses on both patent and trademark practice areas.
“John Marshall has long had a reputation of excellence in IP – nearly 80 years,” said Professor Daryl Lim, director of the Center for Intellectual Property, Information & Privacy Law. “This year’s honor continues 16 consecutive years of being nationally ranked. One in three law students at John Marshall indicate an interest in IP. They know the quality of the events, personalities and programs that we offer. They know that IP happens here.”
With more than 50 specialized IP courses, John Marshall’s program draws students from around the U.S. and across the globe. It has partnered with IP lawyers in the People’s Republic of China for 20 years. It also conducts an ABA-approved summer program in China directed exclusively to IP issues.
