By Dorothy A. Brown | The Washington Post
(Editor’s note: Opinion pieces are published for discussions purposes only.)
“March madness” holds a different meaning in the legal world. While most of the country looks forward to fast breaks and Cinderella upsets, law schools are bracing themselves for another type of madness: the annual carnage left by the US News & World Report rankings.
This year’s rankings drop on March 10, to be followed by the usual chaos. Deans at highly placed law schools will issue news releases; deans with less fortunate rankings will have their already hectic lives turned upside down. The lucky ones will get fired. The unlucky ones will have to deal with the fallout. Adding to the insanity is that all law schools will be the same the day after the ranking as they were the day before. Law schools are in trouble, but not in a way that the US News Rankings can signal.