The Trial Advocacy program at the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law has once again been recognized as one of the top 10 programs in the nation, according to a study by U.S. News & World Report.

McGeorge School of Law ranks No. 9 for Trial Advocacy, higher than Harvard University, Georgetown University and University of California at Berkeley. The Trial Advocacy program’s ranking rose seven places from last year.

In the fall, McGeorge School of Law students won the Annual San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association Mock Trial Competition and Region Three of the National All-Star Bracket Challenge. McGeorge was one of only seven law schools to make the national finals of the two most prestigious mock trial competitions this year.

“We had an amazing year in Trial Advocacy, which reflects the strength of the program, faculty and students,” said Michael Hunter Schwartz, dean of McGeorge School of Law. “We received an influx of resources for the trial advocacy program in the past few years from generous donors, such as Robert Eglet, Tracy Eglet and Dan Wilcoxen, and we are using those resources to strengthen and sustain the program for generations to come.”

In February, McGeorge earned an A ranking in Trial Advocacy and was one of only four California-based law schools to receive the honor in the Winter 2023 issue of preLaw Magazine.

Overall, U.S. News & World Report ranked McGeorge No. 6 among private law schools in California and No. 13 among all state law schools.

The school also received national recognition for Legal Writing (No. 32), Alternative Dispute Resolution (No. 34), International Law (No. 38) and Environmental Law (No. 94). McGeorge’s Alternative Dispute Resolution ranking improved 43 spots from last year.

McGeorge is ranked No. 37 in the nation for part-time law programs and the No. 4 for part-time law program in California.

“These rankings affirm our position as a leading institution in legal education that prepares students to excel in their legal careers,” Schwartz said.

Recently, preLaw Magazine recognized the academic strengths of McGeorge School of Law in public policy and government law. In February, McGeorge earned an A ranking in public policy for the fourth consecutive year and a No. 4 ranking for Government Law. The public policy ranking recognizes McGeorge as one of the top 10 schools in the nation for public policy. McGeorge is one of only two California-based law schools, along with UC Berkeley, to receive the honor this year. McGeorge’s Government Law ranking makes the law school the highest-ranked program in California.

In the same issue of preLaw Magazine, McGeorge was ranked as the No. 14 most diverse law school in the country.

U.S. News & World Report's rankings evaluate 196 law schools fully accredited by the American Bar Association. The rankings are based on a weighted average of the 12 measures of quality including bar passage rate and employment after graduation.

McGeorge is led by professors who have attained national and international renown in their fields, including retired U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, the law school's longest serving faculty member who taught from 1965 to 2019.

McGeorge also houses law clinics that provide students experiential learning opportunities to support community members in bankruptcy, elder and health law, homeless advocacy, immigration, legislative and public policy and prisoner civil rights.

U.S. News & World Report's full methodology for best law school rankings can be found here.