I'm publishing the full text of my Law School's recent U.S. News and World Report rankings, primarily because I'm proud to say that Davis continues to deliver the goods on the diversity goals that made me choose it for my legal education thirty (gulp!) years ago.

I don't do much for Davis, despite how much it's done for me, both while studying for my J.D. and after.  It's not a name you toss around like Harvard or Yale or UCLA.  For anyone trying to make a decision about where to go to law school, here are the reasons why I truly loved my educational experience there:

• there were (and continue to be) only about 160 people in each class, making the atmosphere  as relaxed as law school likely can be; the faculty available for a chat; and, the "feel" of the school like a small town where people bring you casseroles when you're sick and cheer you on when you're engaged in a competitive endeavor;
• the quality of scholarship and standards in teaching were and are extremely high;
• the student body is diverse;
• there's ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO THERE but study and hang out with your classmates (Davis is near many wonderful places -- San Francisco, Tahoe, gold country -- but Davis itself is precisely nowhere -- this is good for people who have a little ADHD and need to concentrate on their studies);
• they're one of the few west coast universities with real squash courts;
• the local legal community is tremendously supportive and small enough itself to provide opportunities for early real legal experience, like second-chairing trials, attending client meetings, participating in settlement negotiations, and meeting the Judges (both State and Federal) as a summer associate; and,  
• the local bench is among the finest in the State.

Amazingly, some of the best professors I had '77-'80 are still teaching at Davis:  Dick Wydick (who offered to bet me 100 to 1 that I'd pass the bar exam when I was freaking out about it the summer of '80 -- he also made this offer to my study partners, Peter Offenbecher and Sam Foulk -- I remember Peter musing aloud, "you know, it might be worth throwing the bar in July if I put enough money on the table" -- and, no, Peter did not take a dive); Floyd Feeney (who kindly hired me as a first year to help with a book on ancient criminal procedure); and, Bruce Wolk (to whom I'll ever be grateful for slipping helpful explanatory material in my student mailbox when my clueless questions in Fed Tax 1 made him realize I greatly needed help).  

The only burning alumni question I have:  is there still a pinball machine in the basement?

GO AGGIES! 

The Davis press release below.

UC Davis School of Law received high marks from its peers—faculty at other law schools and lawyers and judges throughout the United States—in the latest U.S. News & World Report ranking of America's Best Graduate Schools. The 2008 Edition includes an assessment of all 184 accredited law schools in the United States by peers and by lawyers and judges. UC Davis Law tied at 23 in the peer assessment category and at 32 in the assessment by lawyers and judges.

The report, released on March 30, 2007, showed UC Davis School of Law continues to rank in the first tier of all law schools, and while serving under 600 students is one of the highest-ranked small public law schools in the country.

“We are very excited to be recognized for our achievements particularly by our peers and those in the legal profession,” said Dean Rex Perschbacher, “although we encourage students and the public to look beyond national rankings and choose a school that meets the individual needs of each student.”

“Our school offers an exceptional legal education while retaining a close-knit community atmosphere through smaller classes and greater faculty interaction,” he added. “Those in the legal profession know the quality of our students, and our peers recognize the excellent scholarship and teaching by our faculty.”

U.S. News also recognized the Law School's strength in diversity, showing it among the top 25 in the United States in this category. This recognition is not new to Davis. In 2005, the National Jurist magazine ran a story on the “Best Schools for Minorities,” and named UC Davis School of Law as one of the very top law schools in the United States for minorities, with both a high minority enrollment and one of the most diverse law faculties in the country. The Princeton Review's 2006 edition of the Best 159 Law Schools ranked Davis in the top 10 for “Best Environment for Minority Students” and “Most Diverse Faculty.”

The school has a dynamic academic program with strengths in business law, criminal law and procedure, environmental and natural resources law, human rights and social justice law, intellectual property law, international law, and public interest law. The school also offers community clinics in the areas of family protection, immigration, prison law, and civil rights. In these clinics, second- and third-year students represent clients under the supervision of experienced faculty to develop their practical skills.

“We provide our students with comprehensive courses in a variety of legal areas and balance their coursework with real-life experiences in our clinics,” said Perschbacher.