National Jurist - January 2008 - (Page 24) top 10 schools with a politically left-leaning student body. And if law schools can really be branded conservative or liberal, how does this affect education and professional opportunities? A difference in education? Even those who agree with the evaluations of their student body and faculty politics believe there are better ways to define the atmosphere on campus. Jeffrey Brauch, dean of Regent University — ranked No. 1 among rightleaning institutions — said his school is in the business of training lawyers, not political advocates. “Our students learn the same legal concepts they would at any other law school,” he said. “Regent professors and students discuss legal and policy issues fully and openly with all views welcome. Students are exposed to ideas from multiple perspectives.” As with most law schools, students are trained to understand and argue both sides of difficult legal issues, he said. It’s something Regent does well, Brauch said of the school winning the 2006 ABA National Appellate Advocacy Championship over 150 other schools. Other schools are proud of their diverse student body, like the University of Alabama, which ranked No. 7 among right-leaning schools. “Our students are encouraged to debate the law while understanding that justice isn’t solely defined by any one political per- suasion,” said Aaron Latham, manager of communications. Soto-Vigil and his wife, who attends the University of Maryland School of Law, are in a unique situation. Because Maryland leans more to the right, they said they notice a difference in curriculum when discussing classes. “The difference is UDC is more directing education towards black letter [law] and hers is more targeting the analysis of the law,” he said. Soto-Vigil said the curriculum at UDC, ranked No. 1 among left-leaning schools, is more progressive. Professors teach the black letter of law, but include some of their thoughts on the topic subjectively. “I think for the most part we don’t really have conservative professors here and it Based on student assessment of the political bent of the student body at large. Students Lean to the Left 1. University of the 2. Northeastern University Students Lean to the Right 1. Regent University 2. Ave Maria School of Law 3. Brigham Young 5. University of Notre Dame 6. Louisiana State University 7. University of Alabama 8. Campbell University 9. Texas Tech University 10. The University of Mississippi University 4 George Mason University District of Columbia 3. City University of New York — Queens College 8. University of California, Berkeley 9. New York University 10. University of Maine 5. American University 6. Vermont Law School 7. University of Oregon 4. Lewis & Clark College Source: The Princeton Review “Best 170 Law Schools” 2008 Edition. 24 THE NATIONAL JURIST January 2008
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