The Real Reason Law School Deans Hate U.S. News

Yikes.

Businesswoman yelling at colleague through a bullhorn

Many deans also fear losing their jobs if they don’t produce good numbers. This fear is warranted, given the number of deans and administrators who have lost their jobs as a result of not meeting expectations in the rankings.

Wendy Nelson Espeland and Michael Sauder, explaining in an interview with Henry Farrell of the Washington Post that because the U.S. News & World Report law school rankings can make or break careers, they are often reviled by law school administrators. Espeland’s and Sauder’s new book, “Engines of Anxiety” (affiliate link), tells the tale of how law schools attempt to game the rankings in an effort to attract students. In their book, one law school dean compared the rankings to a “cockroach infestation,” and another hoped that “al-Qaeda would go after U.S. News.”


Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is an editor at Above the Law. She’d love to hear from you, so feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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