Brooklyn Law School Soars in preLaw magazine Rankings for Practical Training and Intellectual Property

Brooklyn Law School earned high marks in two new rankings featured in the latest edition of National Jurist’s preLaw magazine, which gave the school an “A+” and a national ranking of  #15 for Practical Training.  

The school also earned an “A” for Intellectual property law, which placed it among the top 32 schools nationally and marked the first time the IP program has ranked on one of preLaw’s lists.  

An article on the new Practical Training ranking that that appeared in Above the Law Thursday noted the particular importance of obtaining high marks in the category, and pointed out that new graduates often complain that they don’t learn about “how to be a lawyer,” when in law school and are unprepared for legal careers.  Schools that rank highly in practical training are offering the best training opportunities and are “the schools that are really doing their homework when it comes to readying their students for their future careers as lawyers,” the article stated.  

Brooklyn Law School is not only a regular on the list of top schools in Practical Training (most recently in 2024), but it is the only independent law school to crack the top 25 in the category this year. It ranked second highest for the sheer number of clinics it offered (24).  

Associate Dean of Experiential Education and Professor Susan Hazeldean, who oversees the Law School’s robust array of practical training offerings, says that the programs succeed by staying laser-focused on preparing students for the workforce.  

“Brooklyn Law School clinics, externships, and simulation courses all have one goal: to make sure our students graduate ready to practice law. In clinics, students represent real clients facing a wide range of legal problems – everything from incorporating a non-profit, defending criminal charges, applying for asylum, adopting a child, fighting discrimination, to patenting an invention,” Hazeldean said. “We are so proud to see our staff, faculty and students be recognized for their incredible work!" 

According to preLaw, the study’s methodology gives the greatest weight (32 percent) to clinics and based its calculation upon the number of students who completed clinics in 2023-24, counting each semester in which they were enrolled. Externships were weighted using the same metrics and counted for 25 percent of the score. Enrollment in simulation courses counted for 20 percent of the score, while Moot Court and pro bono hours accounted for another10 percent. Additional practical training courses such as legal writing made up another 10 percent.  

In the magazine’s Intellectual Property Honor Roll, Brooklyn Law School earned an A, placing it among the top 32 schools in the ranking. For the category, the magazine explained that the “range of protectable intellectual property is remarkably broad, and the practice of law continues to grow dramatically as technology continues to be at the forefront of business and services in the global economy.” 

The ranking is based on the breadth of IP curricular offerings and weighted as follows: 30 percent for a concentration in the subject; 24 percent for a clinic (such as the Brooklyn Law Incubator & Policy (BLIP) Clinic); 12 percent for a center, 12 percent for an externship, 9 percent for a journal, 8 percent for student groups, and 5 percent for a certificate and added value for additional offerings.