ORANGE, Calif., Oct. 12, 2007 -- The Chapman University School of Law is one of the nation’s most outstanding law schools, according to The Princeton Review, and ranks #1 in the nation in the category “Best Quality of Life.” The school also ranks #5 in the category “Professors Rock (Legally Speaking)” and #7 in “Best Classroom Experience.” The New York-based education services company features the Chapman law school in the just-published 2008 edition of its “Best 170 Law Schools” (Random House/Princeton Review, Oct. 9, 2007, $22.95).


According to Robert Franek, Princeton Review vice-president of publishing, "We select schools for this book based on our high regard for their academic programs and offerings, institutional data we collect from the schools, and the candid opinions of students attending them who rate and report on their campus experiences at the schools. We are pleased to recommend the Chapman University School of Law to readers of our book and users of our website as one of the best institutions they could attend to earn a law school degree."


Princeton Review’s “Best 170 Law Schools” has two-page profiles of the schools with write-ups on their academics, student life and admissions, plus ratings for their academics, selectivity and career placement services. In the profile on Chapman University’s law school, the Princeton Review editors describe the school as “incredibly receptive to student ideas” with professors who “boast tremendous real-world experience.” They quote from students attending it who say “there is a certain youthful exuberance about the school” that instills “a great sense of pride” in its students, that administrators are “constantly working to raise the reputation of the school” and that the school “is already well respected within Orange County and is quickly gaining prominence in Los Angeles and San Diego…I feel that it is only a matter of time before Chapman’s reputation matches the education it provides."


Referring to the Chapman law school’s several clinics (tax clinic, elder law clinic, constitutional jurisprudence, etc.) that allow students hands-on experience in specific areas of law, one student is quoted as saying, “I highly doubt that any other school offers students the chance to interact and participate with…top scholars in the actual representation of clients.” Far from being the highly competitive place most people think of when they picture law schools, one student remarks that Chapman School of Law is “a very cooperative environment that allows students to focus on their studies.”


In a "Survey Says" sidebar in the profile, The Princeton Review lists topics that Chapmen law school students it surveyed for the book were in most agreement about. That list includes
"diverse opinions accepted in classrooms" and "beautiful campus." The Princeton Review's 80-question survey asked students about themselves, their career plans, and their schools’ academics, student body and campus life.


The Princeton Review does not rank the schools in the book on a single hierarchical list from 1 to 170, or name one law school best overall. Instead, the book has 11 ranking lists of the top 10 law schools in various categories. Ten lists are based on The Princeton Review's surveys of 18,000 students attending the 170 law schools profiled in the book. (Only schools that permitted The Princeton Review to survey their students were eligible for consideration for these lists). Conducted during the 2006-07, 2005-06, and 2004-05 academic years, the student surveys were primarily completed online.


“Best 170 Law Schools” is one of 200 Princeton Review titles published by Random House. The line includes annual guides to the best business schools and medical schools, plus guides to graduate school admission exams and application essays. The Princeton Review is also known for its college and career guidebooks, its test-prep courses and other education services. The company is not affiliated with Princeton University and it is not a magazine.


For more information about the Chapman University School of Law, go to www.chapman.edu/law.


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