Law school honored as a Best Value, recognized for innovation in social justice

(Photo courtesy of Wayne Law)


For the 10th consecutive year, Wayne State University Law School has been recognized as a Best Value Law School by The National Jurist’s preLaw Magazine.

This year to determine rankings, grades of B+ or higher were assigned to each of the 52 public universities and 10 private law schools who made the rank, and Best Value selections are based on graduate employment rate, bar passage rate, and overall cost. The ranking is designed to recognize the law schools where graduates have excellent chances of passing the bar and obtaining a legal job without taking on substantial debt, according to publication. Wayne Law received a grade of A- among 19 law schools in the same category, and above 23 other Best Value law schools that received a B+.

For the July 2022 Michigan bar exam, Wayne Law alumni made up over 16% of all test-takers and had the second-highest bar pass rate of Michigan law schools, with 84% of first-time takers conquering the exam, eclipsing the statewide average of 76%.

The Wayne Law Post-Graduate Employment Rate for the Class of 2022 is 91.1% based on the number of graduates working in full-time, long-term jobs for which bar admission is required or a JD is an advantage divided by the total number of graduates. (For additional information see law.wayne.edu/aba). Wayne Law has awarded more than $8 million in scholarships in 2022, which contributes to affordability for students.

“We are intentional in our graduates’ preparation for the bar exam, as well as ardent in assisting them securing quality employment,” said Wayne State University Law School Dean Richard Bierschbach. “We are also very proud of our low ratio of debt to starting salary, which helps our students get started on the right foot after graduation,” he added.

PreLaw magazine also recognized Wayne Law among the top law schools in innovating programs to prepare students for the future, specifically in the category of Social Justice. Wayne Law’s Community Advocacy Clinic was touted for bringing together students and community members to study policy issues and develop ways to increase access to safe and affordable living. Wayne Law partnered with Community Development Advocates of Detroit to bring advocates into the classroom and co-plan the clinic. This is part of an overall effort to tackle housing justice in Detroit under the umbrella of the Warrior Housing Corps. The Housing Corps is a community within Wayne Law that engages students in direct representation, policy advocacy, and community engagement.

For additional information about Wayne State University Law School, visit law.wayne.edu.