Northeastern Law Ranked in Top 10 for Racial Justice
10.07.24 — In recognition of its national leadership in creating transformative programs and hands-on initiatives, Northeastern University School of Law has been ranked No. 9 for racial justice in the fall 2024 issue of preLaw magazine. The rankings are conducted every two years; in 2022, Northeastern was ranked No. 10.
preLaw/The National Jurist selected Northeastern Law as a leader in creating “educational environments that foster change and prepare students to tackle the legal challenges associated with racial justice.” The law school has long held racial justice as a critical priority. The incoming fall 2024 JD/FlexJD class includes 28 percent students of color; the faculty is 36 percent people of color. In addition, there are several student-run organizations that promote racial justice.
Northeastern Law is at the national forefront of advocating for racial justice. The school’s leadership includes the Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR), which includes the nationally recognized Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project (CRRJ), renowned for investigating and documenting racially motivated homicides and the massive breakdown in law enforcement in the South during the Jim Crow era, and the highly regarded Criminal Justice Task Force, which addresses policies and practices in the criminal justice system that disenfranchise the most vulnerable members of society. CRRJ’s Burnham-Nobles Archive provides an unprecedented archive of approximately 1,000 anti-Black killings between 1930 and 1954 in the South. The law school’s Center for Public Interest Advocacy and Collaboration also focuses on racial justice, including the Cradle-to-Prison Pipeline Project, which supports initiatives to dismantle the pipeline.
“At Northeastern Law, we infuse our curriculum with cases and conversations about racial justice and justice for all marginalized people,” said Dean James Hackney. “In particular, we have a required first-year clinical experience that focuses on social justice team projects, many of which involve racial justice. Students also participate in our upper-level clinics, many of which include racial justice topics, and specifically through our Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Clinic. Racial justice is woven into the fabric of who we are and what we want our graduates to accomplish.”
In addition to recognizing Northeastern Law as a top school in the nation for racial justice, preLaw/The National Jurist has also awarded the school an “A+” in practical training, health law, human rights and intellectual property law. preLaw/The National Jurist ranks Northeastern No. 1 for public interest.
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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