08.30.23 — In recognition of its national leadership in preparing students for public interest lawyering, Northeastern University School of Law has been ranked No. 1 for public interest in the 2023 “back to school” issue of preLaw magazine. The magazine also awarded the school “A+” grades in health law and human rights.
In its article, “Best Schools for Public Interest,” preLaw notes that one of the reasons Northeastern Law is a vanguard for public interest is because first-year students are required to take the school’s Legal Skills and Social Context course, which “empowers students to decide not only what subsequent courses they will take but also what types of lawyers they want to be.” The article also highlights the Civil Rights and Restorative Justice project, led by Professor Margaret Burnham, as an avenue of study that helps “broaden students’ perspectives on the world.”
The magazine extensively quotes Quaime Lee ’02, assistant dean of the Center for Co-op and Career Development, Emily Massel ’23, a recent graduate who was attracted to Northeastern Law because of its strong emphasis on social justice, and Dean James Hackney. “I think that there’s even more interest in doing good in the world, irrespective of where you are in a particular organizational structure,” said Hackney “This is a generation in which, if they go to a corporation or a large firm, they’re very interested in, ‘What is this corporation or firm doing on a positive social justice perspective?’ Even if it’s a for-profit organization, this generation wants to be in a place and be able to do things that do good in the world.”
The public interest rankings are conducted every two years, with data from the American Bar Association and individual schools.
In its feature on “top schools” for health law and human rights, preLaw called out Northeastern’s Center for Health Policy and Law and its Salus Populi project, which educates judges nationwide about the social determinants of health. The law school’s human rights leadership is spearheaded by the Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy.
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.
For more information, contact d.feldman@northeastern.edu.