Top 100 Law Schools in America for 2010

Here is the rankings list of the 2010 top 100 law schools in the United States of America. Whether you’re looking for the top 10, top 50, or top 100 in Tier 1 law schools they’re all in the list below. The rankings are structured like this:

(Ranking) (Name of University)
(Location)
(2008-2009 Tuition)
(Total Full-Time Student Enrollment in Fall of 2008)

If we’re looking at Yale University, for example:

1     Yale University
New Haven, CT
Full-time: $46,000 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 588

Then this means that Yale is ranked #1 in the United States, located in New Haven, CT, had a 2008-2009 tuition of $46,000 per year and has a total full-time student enrollment of 588.

Any comments, questions, or opinions make sure to leave a comment at the end!

1     Yale University
New Haven, CT
Full-time: $46,000 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 588
2     Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
Full-time: $41,500 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment:1,730
3     Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Full-time: $42,080 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 539
4     Columbia University
New York, NY
Full-time: $45,674 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 1,266
5     New York University
New York, NY
Full-time: $42,890 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 1,423
6     University of California–Berkeley
Berkeley, CA
In-state, full-time: $30,944 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $43,189 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 865
6     University of Chicago
Chicago, IL
Full-time: $41,835 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 593
8     University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Full-time: $44,330 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 786
9     University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI
In-state, full-time: $41,500 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $44,500 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 1,151
10     Duke University
Durham, NC
Full-time: $42,938 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 611
10     Northwestern University
Chicago, IL
Full-time: $45,332 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 779
10     University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA
In-state, full-time: $36,800 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $41,800 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 1,155
13     Cornell University
Ithaca, NY
Full-time: $46,670 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 591
14     Georgetown University
Washington, DC
Full-time: $42,065 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 1,631
15     University of California–Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
In-state, full-time: $31,103 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $41,624 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 1,012
15     University of Texas–Austin
Austin, TX
In-state, full-time: $23,427 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $38,697 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 1,233
17     Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
Full-time: $42,206 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 578
18     University of Southern California (Gould)
Los Angeles, CA
Full-time: $44,510 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 605
19     Washington University in St. Louis
St. Louis, MO
Full-time: $40,436 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 831
20     Boston University
Boston, MA
Full-time: $38,266 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 822
20     Emory University
Atlanta, GA
Full-time: $39,776 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 697
20     University of Minnesota–Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN
In-state, full-time: $24,686 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $35,089 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 780
23     Indiana University–Bloomington (Maurer)
Bloomington, IN
In-state, full-time: $19,988 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $37,373 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 612
23     University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL
In-state, full-time: $31,262 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $39,262 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 587
23     University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN
Full-time: $37,650 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 558
26     Boston College
Newton, MA
Full-time: $38,450 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 799
26     University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
In-state, full-time: $17,916 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $34,684 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 616
28     College of William and Mary (Marshall-Wythe)
Williamsburg, VA
In-state, full-time: $20,146 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $30,346 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 626
28     George Washington University
Washington, DC
Full-time: $40,100 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 1,398
30     Fordham University
New York, NY
Full-time: $42,076 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 1,229
30     University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, AL
In-state, full-time: $12,564 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $24,158 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 481
30     University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC
In-state, full-time: $15,045 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $27,867 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 735
30     University of Washington
Seattle, WA
In-state, full-time: $19,585 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $28,809 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 534
30     Washington and Lee University
Lexington, VA
Full-time: $36,297 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 391
35     Ohio State University (Moritz)
Columbus, OH
In-state, full-time: $20,919 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $35,869 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 670
35     University of California–Davis
Davis, CA
In-state, full-time: $28,511 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $40,756 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 578
35     University of Georgia
Athens, GA
In-state, full-time: $13,090 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $29,940 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 660
35     University of Wisconsin–Madison
Madison, WI
In-state, full-time: $14,730 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $34,654 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 788
39     University of California (Hastings)
San Francisco, CA
In-state, full-time: $28,864 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $40,089 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 1,244
40     Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC
Full-time: $33,950 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 463
41     Brigham Young University (Clark)
Provo, UT
Full-time: $18,480 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 458
41     George Mason University
Arlington, VA
In-state, full-time: $18,732 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $31,948 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 454
43     University of Arizona (Rogers)
Tucson, AZ
In-state, full-time: $19,584 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $32,221 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 469
43     University of Maryland
Baltimore, MD
In-state, full-time: $22,044 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $33,323 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 714
45     American University (Washington)
Washington, DC
Full-time: $39,402 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 1,235
45     Tulane University
New Orleans, LA
Full-time: $38,724 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 746
45     University of Colorado–Boulder
Boulder, CO
In-state, full-time: $22,048 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $32,560 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 520
45     University of Utah (Quinney)
Salt Lake City, UT
In-state, full-time: $13,371 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $28,593 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 385
49     Southern Methodist University (Dedman)
Dallas, TX
Full-time: $36,546 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 527
49     Yeshiva University (Cardozo)
New York, NY
Full-time: $42,570 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 975
51     University of Florida (Levin)
Gainesville, FL
In-state, full-time: $12,339 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $31,704 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 1,224
52     Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
In-state, full-time: $12,352 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $32,364 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 771
52     University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, OH
In-state, full-time: $19,362 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $33,764 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 361
52     University of Connecticut
Hartford, CT
In-state, full-time: $18,480 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $38,976 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 479
55     Arizona State University (O’Connor)
Tempe, AZ
In-state, full-time: $16,294 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $28,858 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 539
55     Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH
Full-time: $36,674 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 624
55     Pepperdine University
Malibu, CA
Full-time: $37,590 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 640
55     University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY
In-state, full-time: $15,258 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $26,436 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 395
59     University of Houston
Houston, TX
In-state, full-time: $18,447 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $25,977 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 748
59     University of Tennessee–Knoxville
Knoxville, TN
In-state, full-time: $12,084 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $29,304 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 468
61     Brooklyn Law School
Brooklyn, NY
Full-time: $42,375 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 1,211
61     Lewis & Clark College (Northwestern)
Portland, OR
Full-time: $30,436 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 523
61     University of San Diego
San Diego, CA
Full-time: $39,204 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 795
61     Villanova University
Villanova, PA
Full-time: $33,490 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 744
65     Baylor University (Umphrey)
Waco, TX
Full-time: $36,080 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 418
65     Georgia State University
Atlanta, GA
In-state, full-time: $10,674 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $30,330 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 472
65     Pennsylvania State University (Dickinson)
University Park, PA
In-state, full-time: $31,942 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $31,942 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 547
65     Temple University (Beasley)
Philadelphia, PA
In-state, full-time: $16,758 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $28,702 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 773
65     University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
In-state, full-time: $15,033 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $26,376 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 489
65     University of Missouri
Columbia, MO
In-state, full-time: $15,984 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $30,486 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 448
71     Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, CA
Full-time: $38,450 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 992
71     University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL
Full-time: $36,594 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 1,205
71     University of Oklahoma
Norman, OK
In-state, full-time: $16,766 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $26,695 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 517
71     University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA
In-state, full-time: $24,162 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $32,306 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 698
75     Louisiana State University–Baton Rouge (Hebert)
Baton Rouge, LA
In-state, full-time: $13,143 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $23,239 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 565
75     University of Nevada–Las Vegas (Boyd)
Las Vegas, NV
In-state, full-time: $11,032 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $21,332 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 371
77     Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago-Kent)
Chicago, IL
Full-time: $35,741 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 705
77     Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey–Camden
Camden, NJ
In-state, full-time: $23,191 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $33,385 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 545
77     Seattle University
Seattle, WA
Full-time: $33,784 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 812
77     Seton Hall University
Newark, NJ
Full-time: $41,160 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 717
77     University of Denver (Sturm)
Denver, CO
Full-time: $33,780 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 839
77     University of New Mexico

Albuquerque, NM
In-state, full-time: $11,593 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $25,693 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 346
77     University of Oregon
Eugene, OR
In-state, full-time: $20,570 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $25,610 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 531
77     University of Richmond (Williams)
Richmond, VA
Full-time: $31,510 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 477
85     Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA
Full-time: $1,225 per credit
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 732
85     University at Buffalo–SUNY
Buffalo, NY
In-state, full-time: $14,685 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $21,485 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 739
87     DePaul University
Chicago, IL
Full-time: $35,500 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 909
87     Indiana University–Indianapolis
Indianapolis, IN
In-state, full-time: $19,473 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $38,911 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 638
87     Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, IL
Full-time: $35,334 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 638
87     Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI
Full-time: $31,020 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 563
87     Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey–Newark
Newark, NJ
In-state, full-time: $23,007 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $32,777 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 582
87     St. John’s University
Jamaica, NY
Full-time: $40,600 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 719
87     University of South Carolina
Columbia, SC
In-state, full-time: $17,718 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $35,490 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 682
94     Catholic University of America (Columbus)
Washington, DC
Full-time: $36,400 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 592
94     Northeastern University
Boston, MA
Full-time: $38,514 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 615
94     St. Louis University
St. Louis, MO
Full-time: $33,382 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 784
94     University of Arkansas–Fayetteville
Fayetteville, AR
In-state, full-time: $357 per credit, Out-of-state, full-time: $712 per credit
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 403
98     University of Louisville (Brandeis)
Louisville, KY
In-state, full-time: $13,744 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $28,292 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 351
98     University of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
Full-time: $35,880 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 521
100     Gonzaga University
Spokane, WA
Full-time: $30,263 per year
Total Full-Time Student Enrollment: 545

Citizens Cannot Use CAN-Spam to Sue Spammers: District Court Rejects Appeal

When a lawyer thinks about test cases, usually the main considerations revolve around the makeup of the plaintiff and the defendant.  Lawyers want to put the white hat on the plaintiff and the black hat on the defendant.  With the CAN-Spam Act, that consideration is fairly straightforward:  pick a spammer for a defendant and someone who’s inbox is bursting with more Viagra and laser printer toner ads and important career information that will make you look three inches taller than a newspaper recycling bin brimming with the Sunday paper leftovers.  But a word of caution here:  the CAN-Spam Act’s private enforcement provisions are limited to “Internet access service” providers (like Comcast, Cox, AT&T), not you and me as individuals.

Still, not an impossible task.  Round up some exemplarly emails and ask the big guys to file suit.  It has already happened – MySpace won a $230 million victory against spammers who sent 730,000 emails, but reportedly hasn’t collected on the judgment.  One spammer was convicted of felony spamming, sentenced to nine years in jail, but was later allowed by the Virigina Supreme Court to challenge the constitutionality of the statute.

Nevertheless, the United States continues to be the target of almost 30% of the world’s spam.  If you have any doubt, look in your inbox.  But I’m getting off track.  We’re still looking for a white-hat plaintiff to file suit against spammers.

Enter Jim Gordon, who owned gordonworks.com and got too much spam.  To put an end to it, Gordon sought $10 million from two companies, Virtumundo, Inc. and Adknowledge, Inc. as well as their sole shareholder, Scott Lynn, who the court called “in modern parlance, spammers.”  Gordon filed suit under the federal CAN-Spam Act after collecting thousands of unsolicited bulk emails as evidence that Virtumundo was a spammer of the worst kind.

The federal District Court for the Western District of Washington granted summary judgment to Virtumundo earlier this year ruling that Gordon had not suffered “adverse effects” within the meaning of CAN-Spam.  Yep, he lost, but then appealed.

The Ninth Circuit just rejected an appeal from Gordon, upholding the lower court’s decision and fing that Gordon was not an “Internet access service” provider, and therefore  did not have standing to sue.  Ninth Circuit Judge Richard Tallman wrote:

[O]ur review of the congressional record reveals a legitimate concern that the private right of action be circumscribed and confined to a narrow group of private plaintiffs. [T]his demonstrates to us that lawmakers were wary of the possibility, if not the likelihood, that the siren song of substantial statutory damages would entice opportunistic plaintiffs to join the fray, which would lead to undesirable results. While Congress did not intend that standing be limited to fee-for-service operations, we think it did intend to exclude plaintiffs who, despite certain identifying characteristics, did not provide the actual, bona fide service of a legitimate operation.

Finally, the Court noted:

It matters not that [Gordon] entered the keystrokes or clicked the mouse. Nor is it relevant that he created gordonworks.com e-mail addresses for family and friends, and not merely himself. While Verizon and GoDaddy might have a compelling argument that they are IAS providers within the meaning of the CAN-SPAM Act, Gordon’s claim that he holds such elite status is unconvincing.

And with that, the Court ruled against Jim Gordon and all private users of the Internet to attack spam through the CAN-Spam Act.  Oh look, I just got another email.  How about that?  I can lose a pound a day on this diet!!!

[thanks to dok1 and j. craig williams via cc]

Jake Warner Profile: The Self-Help Legal Trailblazer

We all know that legal fees are sometimes unaffordable by those with limited income.

We all know some people will not have the capacity to hire lawyers and represent them in every dispute they may find themselves in.

So, placed in a difficult situation, these people turn to free legal aid given by the government. The problem however, is that there are thousands of low-income people needing legal assistance and there are not enough lawyers to go around – the outcome is a long waiting list.

Jake Warner | NOLO Press CEOOne of the problems is that the legal aid system is limited in helping only the poor, which leaves out the middle class income earners who also need the financial help with their legal expenses, which can make these people unable to afford hiring private lawyers to represent them. This is where Ralph “Jake” Warner got his idea when he co-founded Nolo Press in 1971. He believes in reshaping the legal system and makes it easy for everyone to understand. The motto of the company is “Law for All”. Jake Warner believes that law is an integral part of democracy and he is passionate about it. His goal, achieved through Nolo Press, is to reshape the law by putting it in layman terms and make it easily accessible by everyone.

Jake Warner must have been greatly influenced by the prevailing “free living” concept of his era in 1966. The sentiment at that time was anti-corporate and all about communal living and free love. Many of his fellow graduates eschewed the traditional path out of law school of getting into the big law firms and getting big money. His classmates liked the idea of working pro-bono, helping others get legal representation at low costs or even free.

Jake had the dream of making law accessible to all and this goal has driven him to find a way to make it accessible to middle class income earners who were previously not qualified to get help from legal aid. In 1971, Warner and his business partner Ed Sherman, published their first book titled “How to Do Your Own Divorce“. The book was written by Sherman and for quite a long time they lugged cases and cases of this book door-to-door to various bookstores until they found a distributor that was willing to represent them.

Today Jake Warner serves as chief executive for Nolo Press, and they put out dozens of self-help law books a year covering varying topics such as landlord-tenant rights and estate planning. He remains aggressive and passionate about making law accessible to all by publishing books like “Nolo’s Quick LLC: All You Need to Know About Limited Liability Companies” and many more. His company also produces software, like “Quicken Willmaker“, which is a bestseller and they are also launching a bid to sell legal forms and products online.

Thanks to people like Jake Warner, people of limited means now have a choice when it comes to representing themselves in court. While no one will deny that the services of a lawyer are without comparison, NOLO has given people an option and has given many people a taste of the law – perhaps spawning more than a few future law students looking to further their legal education.

Jake Warner received his law degree from Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California at Berkeley and his undergraduate degree from Princeton.

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