Litigators may get the TV drama treatment, but plenty of the legal profession’s most important work happens outside the courtroom. As clients increasingly look for faster, cheaper, and less scorched-earth ways to resolve disputes, law schools have been racing to expand their offerings in mediation, arbitration, negotiation, and conflict resolution. The schools that stand out in alternative dispute resolution are training future lawyers to solve problems before anyone starts pounding the table in front of a judge. From nationally ranked dispute resolution institutes to hands-on negotiation competitions and international arbitration programs, these schools are helping students build the kinds of practical skills that modern legal employers actually want.
The National Jurist’s preLaw magazine recently released its ranking of the best law schools for alternative dispute resolution on its Alternative Dispute Resolution Law Honor Roll, highlighting schools for the strength of their programs. Here’s the methodology that was used:
preLaw magazine grades law schools based on the breadth of their curricular offerings. Scores are weighted as follows: 30% for a concentration, 24% for a clinic, 12% for a center, 12% for an externship, 9% for a journal, 8% for a student group, 5% for a certificate and added value for additional offerings.
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Without further ado, according to preLaw magazine, these are the law schools that earned A+ and A grades for their alternative dispute resolution programs (listed in alphabetical order):
- Cardozo School of Law (A+)
- Ohio State University (A+)
- Pepperdine Caruso School of Law (A+)
- Duquesne University (A)
- Fordham Law School (A)
- McGeorge School of Law (A)
- Mitchell Hamline School of Law (A)
- South Texas Houston (A)
- Texas A&M Law (A)
- University of Maryland (A)
Click here to read all about the programs highlighted in this Honor Roll.
Congratulations to all of the law schools that made the cut for this important ranking.
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Top law schools for alternative dispute resolution law [preLaw magazine / National Jurist]
Staci Zaretsky is the managing editor of Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.