What are sum of the top law schools for criminal law ?

Answer 1

The same as the general top ten: Yale, Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, NYU, Chicago, Penn, Michigan, Berkeley, Virginia and Duke. No one really pays attention to specialty rankings.

Answer 2

Law schools don't specialize in criminal law vs. other specialties. No matter where you go, you will have to take a base core of classes - contracts, torts, business law, civil procedure, etc. By your second and third year you have some electives but your education should be well rounded. If you want to do criminal law, take criminal procedure classes w/ your electives and join the moot court board. Often in your 3rd year, you can do an internship at the distict attys office or the public defenders office. For whatever it's worth, criminal law is NOT a hard field to break into. When you get out, if you can afford to take a job with crap pay, spend a few years at the public defenders office or the state attorneys office. They teach you everything you need to know about criminal law and you will get a lot of good trial experience. I went to a private law school, and I would not recommend it. Try a good state school w/ a high first time pass rates for students who take the state bar exam. It is best to go to school in the state where you want to practice and live. Think about where that might be and then pick a great public law school in that state. Having practiced law for 20 years, I think the private law school tuition is money wasted. In Florida, I would recommend Florida State and the University of Florida.

Answer 3

It doesn't make any difference. Law school is a waste of resources: time, effort, and money. It is an elevation of form over substance: you do it only because it's the best if not the only way to practice law. You won't learn anything about practicing law in law school especially by sitting through traditional classes. You'll learn law regardless of the specialty by doing it. Old fashined clerkship or apprenticeship programs, reading law, is at least potentially a far superior way to learn law, and how to be a lawyer or practice law. Unfortunately, old-fashioned clerkship programs are few and far between and not very practical because one cannot become a member of most bars without graduating from law school.

Now that I'm done pontificating, try to spend as little money as possible on your legal education: try to attend a public law school. Every first year curriculum prescribes criminal law and criminal procedure. Beyond that take what you want because in my view one cannot learn criminal procedure or substantive criminal law in a class. The only way to learn these subjects is to practice them: handle actual cases. Try to become involved in your law school's clinical programs, even non-criminal, because it is actually practicing law at least to some extent.

Another excellent way to learn criminal law is appellate advocacy. I really learned a lot of criminal law and procedure by researching the issues, anaylzing the research in light of the actual facts and issues, writing the briefs, and arguing the cases. Appellate advocacy is so helpful because it requires one to learn the law which one can then apply to similar situations when they arise in the trial context. If there is an appellate advocacy clinic, try to take it even if it is not a criminal appellate advocacy clinic.

Try to actually practice law. Do internships or externships. Try to obtain work part time during the school year or full time during the summers. It is better to volunteer than not work. It would not necessarily be better to work in criminal law. You might think you want to do criminal law but find that you do not like it once you actually practice it. You might find from practicing non-criminal law that you actually prefer that. Finally, you might find that you do not have the affinity or ability for litigation. I know persons who purport to practice criminal law who have no business in any courtroom.

In case there are any doubts regarding my qualifications to offer this advice, here they are. I graduated from law school nineteen years ago with a J.D. I have been a member of the bar for eighteen years. I practiced criminal law for fifteen years, fourteen years as a prosecutor, and one year as a public defender. I have eight published appellate opinions; and my record in them is 6-1-1.

Answer 4

Criminal Records Search Database : http://www.InfoSearchDetective.com/Help

Answer 5

Two are Georgetown University Law and George Mason Law School .....everybody knows that Harvard graduates are in demand .If you are planning to go to law school some day no offense intended please learn to spell the word was some not sum.
Good Luck

Answer 6

Outside of the Ivy League, I highly recommend San Diego and Univ. of Arkansas.