National Honors Bestowed Upon Washburn Law

Graphic: 2017 honors

Washburn University School of Law has been honored nationally for the exceptional quality of its legal writing program, practical training, and trial advocacy program.

Washburn Law was ranked 15th nationally in Legal Writing in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Grad Schools, Law, 2018 edition, released earlier this month. The magazine prefaced the rankings with, “Legal writing is a vital skill for any practicing lawyer. Through these courses, students learn to perform legal analysis and to write clearly and persuasively.”

Washburn Law’s Legal Analysis, Research, and Writing Program provides a strong foundation in lawyering skills for first-year law students. Washburn Law's program is one of only a handful nationwide that is staffed by full-time, tenure-track faculty members. Classes are small and are taught by professors dedicated to legal writing as one of their primary fields for teaching, scholarship, and service. The Law School’s curriculum is designed to give every student a strong foundation in both objective and persuasive legal reasoning, legal research skills, clear writing style, and oral advocacy.

In the spring 2017 issue of the National Jurist, Washburn Law was named one the nation’s “Best Schools for Practical Training.” The selection is based on experiential learning opportunities in five categories: clinics, externships, simulation courses, interschool competitions, and “other.” For nearly 50 years, the Washburn Law Clinic has afforded students the opportunity to become practice- and courtroom-ready before graduation. With a well-established Clinic, externship program, award-winning competition teams, and a strong emphasis on bar preparation, Washburn Law students achieve the right combination of clinical and doctrinal learning needed to practice law.

Washburn Law’s trial advocacy program was ranked among the top 16 law schools in the nation by preLaw magazine, winter 2017 issue. Law students hone their trial advocacy skills through criminal clinics; externships; trial and academic appellate advocacy competitions; client counseling and negotiation competitions; and moot court events. For several years, Washburn Law’s Center for Excellence in Advocacy has been hosting a week-long Intensive Trial Advocacy Program and Alternative Dispute Resolution Week, bringing together students, practitioners, and judges in a hands-on learning environment.