In the 2009 U.S. News & World Report law school rankings, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law fell from #52 to #55. See here.

It's a little surprising, since the past year has been good for Cardozo. Their bar passage rate is now the third-highest among New York law schools. One of their graduates is currently clerking for Justice Stevens on the U.S. Supreme Court.

And, most importantly, their Law Revue is turning out delightful videos. If you share our love of Project Runway, you'll enjoy this good-natured spoof (film by Ryan B. Finkel). It's a little long, and somewhat uneven -- but on the whole, it's well-done and quite fun. The film is expertly put together, with the actual Project Runway footage elegantly interspersed into the fake footage, and the performances -- especially those by the Heidi Klum and Chris March impersonators -- are hilarious and compelling. Check it out below (plus links to two videos from last year's show).

So what's responsible for Cardozo's USNW&R decline? The booting of littering-and-loitering law students from the fifth-floor faculty lounge? Rampant "expensive umbrella" and iPod theft? Your guesses are welcome.

project law school - cardozo law revue 2008 [YouTube]
Joe in a Book Cardozo Law Revue 2007 [YouTube]
Cardozo Law Revue 2007 Beavis and Butt-for [YouTube]

Our favorite bride this week is one we don't get to write about. Rachel Berkowitz is a professional organizer who "helps individuals and businesses to organize closets, filing systems and offices and to move and pack." And if you're not a little bit turned on by that, we want to see your underwear drawer.

On the legal-eagle front, three Fordham JDs (at least) and a Sunday school teacher make this our first Catholic-themed week here at LEWW.

The contenders:

1. Sandra Zucker and Joshua Bennett

2. Mari-Claudia Jiménez and Steven Coffey

3. Laura Brown and Brian Vogt

More about these couples, after the jump.

The Legal Eagle Wedding Watch is kicking off 2008 with a few leftovers from 2007. But we think you'll agree that these offerings are worth savoring. These couples have got a little bit of everything: brains, looks, athletic ability, and (something that never goes stale) lots and lots of money.

Here are the contenders:

1.) Ellen Zajac and Teddy Schwarzman

2.) Stephanie Alperin and Eric Biderman

3.) Erica Greenbaum and Mark Gerson

4.) Katherine Van Loon and Jon Steitz

More about these couples, after the jump.

A reader alerted us to this informative article (registration-free) from the New York Law Journal. A summary from our correspondent:

This piece talks about the New York State bar passage rate, and specifically how the Tier 2 schools jumped up the ranks this year. Cardozo moved to the third-highest bar passage rate out of all the New York law schools, beating out both Fordham and Cornell.

I think with all the tier 2 trash talking on this site lately, you should give a post dedicated to the surprising accomplishment of those tier 2 bar takers in NY.

An excerpt from the article:

For as long as anyone in the legal academy remembers, the top three spots have shifted a few percentage points among Cornell Law, NYU Law and Columbia Law. And for the past several years, Cardozo Law, which opened its doors in 1976, has contended with St. John's University School of Law and Fordham Law for the coveted fourth spot.

"I'm not deeply invested in bar pass rates," said Cardozo Law Dean David Rudenstine. "But I have to confess, I'm really touched. This is a milestone for our school."

Congratulations, Cardozo! Your grads rock the New York bar exam.

Law Schools Report Record Gains in Bar Exam Pass Rate [New York Law Journal]

A juicy rumor started making the rounds yesterday. The claim was that Cardozo Law School had "uninvited" Sullivan & Cromwell, of Charney v. S&C fame, from participating in on-campus recruiting.

We received a few inquiries about it, so we decided to do some follow-up. We first contacted Kurt Rose, Cardozo's recruitment program coordinator. He told us that he "cannot comment on that," but referred to us to Susan Davis, a law school spokesperson.

Rose's "no comment" got us all excited. Might we have a nice little scoop on our hands?

But when we spoke to Ms. Davis, she denied the rumor emphatically, saying there is "no truth to it at all." She also mentioned that she received a call about it the other day and was mystified as to the origin of this gossip, since "it's not true, no way, no how."

So relax, Cardozo grads. S&C will still show up in person to reject you.

P.S. Cardozo is a fine law school, with many distinguished graduates -- including one of our favorite bloggers, immigration lawyer Lavi Soloway. Soloway is being honored at an alumni reception tonight, where he and his law firm partner, Noemi Masliah, will receive the E. Nathaniel Gates Awarrd.

But Cardozo does not have a great record of sending its grads on to Sullivan & Cromwell (hence our quip). According to the S&C website, the firm has only one Cardozo graduate: Jeffrey Kaplan, who works in S&C's D.C. office. In contrast, Cravath has six Cardozo lawyers: four regular associates, and two "discovery attorneys." Weil Gotshal has four partners and one counsel who are Cardozo grads (and presumably a number of Cardozo associates; but associate bios didn't come up in a search for Cardozo on the Weil website).

Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law - Career Services [official website]