PPB October 2020

Top Law Schools In 2021 Law firms can use promotional products to get in front of up-and- coming attorneys at some of the nation’s best law schools. U.S. News & World Report ranked 194 law schools accredited by the American Bar Association. These schools rose to the top: Yale University Stanford University Harvard University Columbia University University of Chicago The Lega l I ndus t r y New York University University of Pennsylvania University of Virginia Northwestern University University of Michigan – Ann Arbor Law School Applications On The Rise More people want to be lawyers, which is good news for law schools. U.S. law schools saw a 3.3-percent bump in applicants for 2019-20 and an 11.6-percent increase over a two-year period. Among law school applicants, 45 percent say politics played a role in their decision to pursue law. Source: AboveTheLaw.com Promos For Pro Bono Work More than half of all American lawyers (52 percent) offer free services to clients who cannot afford to hire an attorney. Lawyers contributed an average of 37 hours of pro bono work in 2018, with solo practitioners and those who work in very large firms providing the most pro bono hours. Source: American Bar Association Law Practice Areas Primed For Growth Wondering what are the best law areas to approach now? According to The Balance Careers, the seven areas below are gaining traction and have traditionally thrived in a recession. Civil litigation Environmental law Bankruptcy law Labor and employment law Foreclosure law Intellectual property law *e-discovery *(e-discovery is the practice by which parties involved in a legal case collect, review and exchange information electronically for the purpose of using it as evidence) Davooda / Cherry Blossom / Shutterstock.com 64 | OCTOBER 2020 | GROW