What Times Law School Rankings Mean For Lawyers
Tom Borman, LawFuel contributing editor
The Times Law School rankings may have come out last October, but what should lawyers and recruiters know about what they mean. What do the rankings really matter to lawyers, recruiters, and law firms scanning the 2025 Times Higher Education? Stanford leads the rankings for top law schools.
The rankings rank 389 institutions from 48 countries and the US dominates in the top 10s across all 11 subjects. US universities are also most represented for each subject overall as well as in the top 50 for each subject.
Stanford, Harvard and Cambridge (in the UK) universities are the only institutions represented in top 10s across all 11 subjects.
But China is leading the way for Asia in terms of representation overall and in top 50s. China has top-10 institutions in Business and Economics, and Education Studies, and representation in the top 50 for every subject.
Stanford University trumps the others (no Trump puns intended, although the Trump administration’s problems with Harvard University have seen that institution down a notch.
🔝 The Updated Elite 10 (THE Law Rankings 2025)
| Rank | University | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stanford | Overtook Harvard; industry income + citations drive ascent |
| 2 | Harvard | Slight dip; still powerhouse in prestige and alumni networks |
| 3 | NYU | Urban legal powerhouse, top in international law |
| 4 | Cambridge | UK’s gold standard; boosted by global research partnerships |
| 5 | Columbia | Tech & corporate law focus; rich employer reputation |
| 6 | UC Berkeley | Rising equity + tech law profile; strong in social impact |
| 7 | Oxford | Historic prestige, but research impact slightly lower |
| 8 | University of Chicago | Elite theory + Law & Econ edge; consistent global placement |
| 9 | Yale | Still the clerkship king, but not as dominant on research size |
| 10 | UCL | Leading UK urban law faculty with a European legal focus |
📈 What’s Behind the Rankings?
THE rankings provide their rankings based on five weighted categories that matter to law firms:
- Teaching (30%) – Academic reputation, faculty/student ratio
- Research (30%) – Volume, income, and reputation
- Citations (30%) – Research influence (especially for impact litigation and journals)
- International Outlook (7.5%) – Staff/student diversity + global partnerships
- Industry Income (2.5%) – Commercial impact (eg., training judges, firm consults)
💡 Lawyer Takeaways
- Stanford’s rise? It crushed on industry income and citations—meaning real-world legal influence and journal clout, such as their look at the Trump administration’s first 100 days – they tackle key issues and research with vigor.
- Harvard dipped not from a misstep, but because Stanford outpaced it in global collaboration and tech-law funding.
- NYU holds thanks to its deep NYC ties, LLM dominance, and international law muscle.
🌍 Global Trends – Who’s Gaining?
🇸🇬 Asia Rising
- NUS Singapore is a breakout star in the top 15.
- Strong international partnerships and industry law training.
- Singapore’s judiciary-modernization push is driving institutional strength.
🇨🇦 Canada’s Quiet Strength
- University of Toronto is sitting pretty near the top 20.
- Massive employer reputation and judicial clerkship pipeline.
🇦🇺 Australia’s Climb
- UNSW Sydney and Melbourne continue top 30 runs.
- Not just for sunny campuses—global outlook and interdisciplinary law strength (eg. climate + tech law) sees Australian universities continuing to show strong growth.
🔍 What This Means for Law Firms
- Big Law recruitment strategies: Stanford grads may soon eclipse Harvard in demand, especially in tech and startup law. Their growth is impressive and shows no signs of abating.
- UK caution flags: Cambridge and Oxford are global players, but may lose ground without increased research spend, a vital prerequisite to top grades in the rankings.
- Watch Asia: Singapore and even Hong Kong are producing law grads with better multilingual skills and cross-border capability.
📉 Surprises & Shifts
- Yale’s slip: Fewer published articles and low industry income dent its global score. But still a clerkship magnet.
- London crowding: UCL, LSE, KCL all jostle in the top 25–50 range. Fierce internal competition may dilute employer attention.
- Australia’s marketing machine: Their law schools punch above weight due to aggressive international student recruitment.
⚖️ Final Verdict for LawFuel Readers
🌟 Law Firm Relevance Index
| Category | Top Performer(s) |
|---|---|
| Tech & Startup Law | Stanford, Berkeley, NYU |
| Clerkship Pipelines | Yale, Harvard, Oxford |
| Corporate Law Power | Columbia, Chicago, Cambridge |
| International Focus | NUS, UCL, UNSW |
| Social Impact Law | Berkeley, Toronto, LSE |
Wrap-Up: The Rankings in Plain English
If you’re a law firm partner or recruiter? Stanford is the one to chase. Impressive rankings, continuing.
If you’re advising your bright-eyed niece where to apply? Harvard still brings the name—and the network, but it’s tainted by the recent political imbroglio with the Trump administration.
And if you’re looking for the dark horses with edge? Start watching NUS and UNSW—they’re not just pretty brochures but are displaying strong law school ranking credibility.
