Temple Law School improved three spots over 2021 to #53 overall in the 2022 U.S. News and World Report Law School Rankings with several very strong showings from specialty programs. Temple’s Trial Advocacy program, historically among the top three in the country, topped the list at #1, while Legal Writing, also a perennial powerhouse, climbed five spots to #7. Additional rankings include International Law (#16), Health Care Law (#18), and part-time programs (#6).
Professor Jules Epstein, who serves as Director of Advocacy Programs, expressed pride in the advocacy faculty and the students who come to Temple for an advocacy education. “I have the immense privilege of working at Temple Law alongside some of the most talented advocacy educators – full-time and adjunct – in the country. I learn from them every day. They are innovative, accomplished, forward-thinking, and take genuine joy in their work,” he said. “But I also want to share the honor of being the top-ranked program with our students, who show up every day, bringing their full selves to their advocacy education and pushing one another to become better because they know that our profession needs each of them. And when everything about law school changed overnight, they responded by finding talents they never knew they had. I will always be more proud of them than words can fully express.”
Legal Writing Professor Kristen Murray was also quick to praise her colleagues for their success in building a strong foundation in legal skills and for their leadership in the discipline. “Temple Law had actually been experimenting with online classes before the pandemic hit, one of which was an upper-level course of mine. We were prepared when everything went online without warning,” she remarked. “But my colleagues, who are always thinking about what our students will need for successful practice, really outshone themselves, leading the way in developing new approaches to legal education for the world in which we found ourselves. Temple has always prepared students by looking ahead at what’s next, and we’re excited to continue that tradition.”
“I could not be more pleased with this recognition of Temple Law School, and especially of our Trial Advocacy and Legal Writing programs,” said Dean Gregory Mandel. “Temple Law has built its approach to legal education on the bedrock of exceptional legal skills and masterful advocacy, which our students can then take in any direction they choose due to the richness of our broader curriculum. Recent competitive victories in international appellate advocacy, tax counseling, civil litigation, and trial advocacy bear this out – no matter what field they choose, Temple Law students are more than equipped to excel.”
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Donald Harris, who also serves as Temple Law’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Liaison, remarked that Temple’s academic excellence is complemented by the opportunity to study law with people from many different backgrounds. “We’re proud of our work to build and sustain a diverse, inclusive law school community, not just with respect to race, but also gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, family background, viewpoint, and more. In fact, it’s one of our core commitments and central to our mission as an institution,” Dean Harris said. “We believe that an excellent legal education requires the opportunity to learn from the backgrounds and lived experiences of everyone in the law school community, which is why we work hard to ensure that each incoming class, as well as our full-time and adjunct faculty, include people from every imaginable walk of life. Our message to talented individuals, whether people of color, first-generation, LGBTQ+, or who have otherwise believed that a legal education is out-of-reach because of who they are is this: you belong here.”
“That’s really what makes Temple Law such a wonderful place to get a legal education,” added Dean Mandel. “Students come here for the unmatched foundation in legal and advocacy skills and exceptionally rich curriculum, and those things alone are more than enough to prepare them for success wherever they seek it out. But in coming to Temple Law, they also join a diverse, inclusive community in which we all learn from one another, where each student is encouraged to rise to their full potential. It sets Temple apart as a law school, but even more importantly it sets our students apart as they begin their legal careers.”