The Best Law Schools For Public Service (2025)

Let’s face it: tens of thousands of students enroll in law school every year, each with a dream in their hearts of saving the world. Maybe they want to seek out justice for children, animals, or the environment. Maybe they want to serve their communities and make them safer for the public at large in the face of police brutality. Maybe they want to advocate for those who have been unfairly discriminated against, be it in their housing choices, on the job, or based on their race or gender. Whatever their public-interest cause may be, while many law students say they want to save the world, only a select few are willing to accept the sometimes lower salaries that go hand-in-hand with their altruistic career goals.

Some law schools are better than others when it comes to getting their graduates a leg up on the competition for one of these coveted jobs. The National Jurist’s preLaw Magazine recently released its ranking of the best law schools for public service, highlighting the schools that are really doing their homework when it comes to readying their students for their future careers as lawyers in public interest and government roles.

Here’s the methodology that was used:

We grade each school on three factors: 1) employment in the field (50% for public interest and government); 2) curricula related to field (40% for public interest and government); and 3) debt and loan repayment options (10%). For public defenders/prosecutors, employment counts for 35% and curricula for 55%.

Curricula scores are based on the following in each field: concentration/certificate (35%), clinic (24%), externship opportunities (12%), centers (12%), student groups (9%) and student journals (8%). Other information, including the number of faculty and courses offered in the particular field, is reviewed with possible bonus points of up to 5%.

Debt and loan repayment scores are based on expected monthly loan payments for the average graduate who works in public interest or government and long-term debt. Expected monthly payment figures are based on an income-based repayment plan, taking the average salary for each field and subtracting the school’s expected loan repayment support.

Without further ado, according to preLaw Magazine, these are the top 10 best law schools for public interest work, government work, and criminal defense/prosecution work. Check them out, below.

PUBLIC INTEREST

1. CUNY
2. Northeastern
3. U. District of Columbia
4. UC Davis
5. Yale
6. Roger Williams
7. Seattle
8. UC Berkeley
9. UCLA
10. Northern Illinois

GOVERNMENT

1. Albany
2. George Mason
3. U. District of Columbia
4. McGeorge
5. New York Law School
6. Florida State
7. Indiana-McKinney
8. Arkansas-Little Rock
9. Washburn
10. Regent

CRIMINAL

1. U. District of Columbia
2. Brooklyn
3. Case Western Reserve
4. Oklahoma City
5. Albany
6. Northern Illinois
7. New Mexico
8. Wisconsin
9. New York Law School
10. UC Berkeley

Click here to see the rest of the ranking.

Congratulations to each of the law schools that made the cut.

Best law schools for public service [preLaw Magazine / National Jurist]

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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.