Northeastern Law Receives Top Rankings for Public Interest, Health Law and Human Rights
08.25.25 — In recognition of its national leadership in preparing students for public interest lawyering, Northeastern University School of Law has been ranked No. 2 for public interest in the 2025 “back to school” issue of preLaw magazine.
Northeastern Law’s public interest focus permeates virtually every class, where students and faculty regularly debate the ethical and societal implications of legal issues and decisions. The law school’s Center for Public Interest Advocacy and Collaboration (CPIAC) takes the lead in infusing the law school’s public interest mission into all facets of the student experience. Northeastern was also one of the first law schools to institute a public interest requirement — the majority of students eagerly fulfill this obligation through working with public interest co-op employers.
“Students are coming here specifically to learn how to use the law to fight racism, sexism, homophobia, economic inequality,” Professor Lucy Williams, faculty co-director of CPIAC, told preLaw. “These students don’t just want a job; they want meaning. They want to transform the world, even in some small way.”
The public interest rankings are conducted every two years, with data from the American Bar Association and individual schools.
In addition to recognizing Northeastern Law as the top school in the nation for public interest law, preLaw/The National Jurist also awarded the school “A+” grades in health law and human rights.
About Northeastern University School of Law
The nation’s leader in experiential legal education since 1968, Northeastern University School of Law offers the longest-running, most extensive experience-based legal education program in the country. Northeastern guarantees its students unparalleled practical legal work experiences through its signature Cooperative Legal Education Program. More than 1,000 employers worldwide in a wide range of legal, government, nonprofit and business organizations participate in the program. With a focus on social justice and innovation, Northeastern University School of Law blends theory and practice, providing students with a unique set of skills and experiences to successfully practice law.
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