American Lawyer Magazine has ranked Temple Law 17th nationally for how well prepared graduates felt they were for practice five years after graduation.  Temple was the only regional law school to rank in the top 20.  This is the first year that law schools have been ranked on this measure.

The annual survey, which measures job satisfaction among midlevel associates at major law firms, asked respondents to rate their law schools on how well they prepared them for firm life.  Of all the questions on the survey, this is the one that correlated most strongly with overall job satisfaction. 

Notably, associates from top-performing schools “tended to say they gained practical skills at law school that they still use daily,” pointing in particular to training in practical research and writing skills.  Collaboration and teamwork were also identified as “soft” cultural skills that were either fostered or ignored by law school communities, with corresponding results for graduates who found themselves in firms that demanded these work habits.

“While I’m tremendously pleased, I’m not at all surprised,” remarked Temple Law Dean JoAnne Epps.  “The elements of their legal education that satisfied associates most valued – training in practical skills, practice writing the types of legal documents they’re most likely to see early in their careers, exposure to transactional skills, and a culture that promotes collaboration or teamwork – are all areas in which Temple Law has been a recognized leader for years.”

Complete survey results are reported in the September 2014 issue of American Lawyer Magazine.