Liberty Law named fourth in nation for graduates entering careers in government and public service

Liberty University School of Law has placed fourth in the nation for graduates entering careers in government and public interest work in a ranking by Law.com. The website ranked 201 law schools based upon American Bar Association data on entry-level employment for 2019 graduates. Liberty Law is the only Virginia law school ranked in the Top 10.

The website abovethelaw.com shared the rankings, noting that some students choose law schools with the intention of pursuing a career in government or public service even though in some cases these positions can be less lucrative than other practice areas. “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 website said.

Keith Faulkner, dean of the School of Law, said Liberty has structured its learning environment, curriculum, and internship/externship opportunities to prepare graduates to enter careers in government and public interest work.

“Students who come to Liberty Law School have a strong desire to serve others, which is why many seek out careers as prosecutors, public defenders, Judge Advocates, or legal services lawyers,” said Dean Keith Faulkner. “Our lawyering skills program prepares graduates for the demanding jobs found in government and public service, and our professionalism program emphasizes the need for lawyers to answer the call for service above self. Liberty lawyers have the hearts of servants, and I cannot think of a better place to start one’s career than service to the public.”

Kristine H. Smith, Esquire, director of employer and student services at the School of Law, said that of 51 law students who graduated in 2019, 15 are working in positions that the American Bar Association classifies as government and public service.

“We have nine prosecutors working in five states, two Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps members in the Marines and Army, two public defenders in West Virginia and Illinois, and two staff attorneys in legal aid offices also in West Virginia,” said Smith. “With our overall 2019 employment rate for our graduates at 94%, we are so proud to also be ranked as fourth in the nation for government and public service employment.”

Employment rate of Top 10 law schools for government and public service positions

1. City University of New York: 58.93%
   2. Florida State University: 37.06%
   3. University of South Dakota: 34%
   4. Liberty University: 33.33%
   5. Florida A&M University: 32.56%
   6. District of Columbia: 32.31%
   7. University of Wisconsin: 31.61%
   8. Penn State-Dickinson: 31.58%
   9. University of Oregon: 31.25%
   10. Northeastern University: 30.99%

(Source: Law.com, an online resource featuring over 18 U.S. legal publications and providing the legal industry with news, insights, rankings and employment data)