Northeastern University - School of Law

The Northeastern University School of Law believes in transformation through experience, sending its more than 600 students into the workforce in some capacity as early as their first year. This is thanks to a practical learning education model that features the Cooperative Legal Education Program as its central tenet. The program has ties to 1500 employers across 71 countries. And with students fulfilling three mandatory co-op requirements, they graduate with almost a year of full-time legal work experience, which in turn leads to already-populated résumés when they hit the job market. In classes, students receive written evaluations from both faculty and co-op employers instead of grades. In all, it's a model that students love: “Having the ability to get a year of legal experience before graduation gives you plenty of material for interviews for job prospects and really allows you to figure out what you want to do within the law,” one shares.

There is “a strong emphasis on research and writing,” and all first-year students complete the signature Legal Skills in Social Context course that introduces them to lawyering skills while working together on a social justice project in partnership with community organizations. This “allows for year-long collaborative writing and a large presentation at the end of the year,” which is a task students find “encouraging to see in the legal context.” In fact, there is a heavy focus on public interest that suffuses every class, and students must fulfill a public interest requirement in order to graduate (often through a public interest co-op). The Center for Public Interest Advocacy and Collaboration acts as the support center for all such endeavors, and helps connect students with pro bono opportunities across the nation. The school's eight clinics also provide a responsible avenue for students to gain experience while aiding underrepresented individuals in matters such as domestic violence or prisoners' rights. Lastly, a cadre of nationally recognized centers and institutes (such as the Center for Law, Innovation and Creativity and the Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy) round out an already full plate of experiential opportunities.

The NUSL model is highly interdisciplinary, and “there are a lot of opportunities to engage with professors beyond the classroom, as many are advisers for affinity groups, participate in networking programs/conferences, and present their latest academic research to the student body.” Teachers here are often “contributing new and innovative ideas in their respective fields of the law,” and “also share NUSL's passion for social justice and innovation, [which] shows in their teaching.” Similarly, the administration “is responsive to student concerns,” and they “efficiently and effectively construct a full three-year experience for two different rotations,” including coursework and the co-op requirements. Overall, NUSL “provides multiple opportunities for networking and job opportunities.” Although it is overwhelmingly known as a public interest school, “as students engage in more ways to help people, private sector work is not the enemy anymore.”

NUSL “is an incredibly liberal and community-centered law school” where “students are all kind and progressive.” Here, “diversity and acceptance are stressed,” and “faculty and students alike want to see you succeed and will help support you.” As students “are not ranked against each other, there is a general sense of camaraderie,” and “not having curved grades means that everyone is willing to share what they've learned and help each other through confusing legal problems.” One attendee says, “The students really stick together here.” Another adds, “I've never met more upperclassmen who were willing to grab a coffee or jump on the phone with me to give me really helpful and thoughtful advice.” In sum, the school “has an incredibly diverse mix of personalities and people from [various] backgrounds.”