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ABOUT THE E-GUIDE
Overview | Frequently Asked Questions
The
E-Guide to Public Service at America’s
Law Schools is a free
online database of information for
more than 150 law schools. The product
of a unique collaboration between
Equal Justice Works and participating
law schools, The E-Guide
fills the void in existing commercial
law school rankings by supplying extensive
data on the availability of clinical
and externship programs, public interest
curricula, scholarships and loan repayment
assistance, and public service programs.
Eschewing a ranking format in order
to promote a more informed and sophisticated
consumer, The E-Guide allows
users to explore individual schools
in-depth or easily compare schools
based on the criteria most relevant
to them. What
is The E-Guide?
The E-Guide to Public Service in America’s Law Schools is an interactive online database of public interest programs and curricula from more than 150 U.S. law schools. This free resource is the product of a unique collaboration between Equal Justice Works and participating law schools. The E-Guide:
Law School participation in The E-Guide is voluntary. In The 2007-2008 Edition of The E-Guide, 154 schools submitted detailed information for inclusion. Schools not participating in the current E-Guide may opt to join next year. Equal Justice Works is opposed to a rankings system for evaluating law schools. Rankings are a zero sum game. When one school moves up, another must move down. Rankings are also based on factors that may have nothing to do with a quality legal education for a particular applicant. We believe that all law schools can do well in teaching public service. We also believe that law school applicants are in the best position to make their own assessments of which school best fits their needs and interests when information is presented in an accessible, comparable manner. Dig for the Details. Many of the columns link to more detailed information about particular programs or policies. Be sure to check out the law school profiles and short essays that describe aspects of the school and its culture not otherwise captured in The E-Guide. Use it with other resources. Whether you’re an applicant deciding where to apply or a legal employer researching the law schools where you recruit, there are many additional valuable resources to consult. Visit the related links section of this site, where you will find resources like the Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools, which provides insight into bar passage rates and data that helps predict an applicant’s chances of being admitted to particular schools. Also visit the Law School Admissions Council's website. It is filled with essential information about the admissions process and national trends. Recognize that distinctions among schools may or may not matter. Schools do not aspire to fill every column – they choose programs and curricula that fit their overall approach to legal education and to public service. Programming can vary if a school is public or private, located in a rural or urban area or founded 30 rather than 130 years ago. Don’t assume that the absence of a field placement program or a certain policy means the school is not for you. Pro bono activities may thrive at a school without a formal policy and schools in more rural areas without a field placement program can offer other opportunities for students seeking hands-on experiences. Talk with those who know. Applicants should contact schools directly, visit the campuses if possible and talk to faculty, students and alumni. The data is gathered through an annual online survey of participating schools and supplemented with information from the Official Guide to ABA Approved Law Schools and the NALP Directory of Law Schools. This year’s survey is a culmination of three years of testing and gathering feedback. Its questions flow directly from the framework developed with the assistance of a social scientist. Yes. Each E-Guide edition is archived and available for research and comparison purposes. Last year’s E-Guide can be found at link here. "Public interest," "public service," and "social justice" are often used interchangeably to refer to issues and activities serving the public good. Drawing from the American Bar Association's definition of pro bono service, we use "public interest" to refer to programs, curricula, and placements that focus on the legal needs of:
Newsweek.com is our online partner and website host for The E-Guide. Newsweek.com has agreed to our model for presenting schools’ public interest programming- without the use of rankings. The agreement between Equal Justice Works and Newsweek expressly forbids a seriatim ranking. Equal Justice Works also retains full control of the methodology and data for The E-Guide. New editions of The E-Guide are launched annually in August. School surveys are conducted in the months preceding the launch date. Yes. We are continually seeking ways to improve this resource. User feedback is invaluable in that process. We urge you to use the Feedback form and tell us what you found most useful, what information is still missing, or anything else you think could improve The E-Guide. |
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© 2007 Equal
Justice Works |
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