UNC Law reverses decline in U.S. News rankings.

Byline: Matt Chaney

The University of North Carolina School of Law has rebounded in this year's U.S. News & World Report's Best Law School Rankings, rising 11 places and marking the largest change in position for any of North Carolina's ranked law schools.

UNC joined a five-way tie for 34th in the publication's 2020 rankings, released March 12.

Dean Martin Brinkley wrote in an email to Lawyers Weekly he was "thrilled" to see the school return to form after falling to 45th in the rankings a year ago. At the time, he said that "relying on what has worked for the law school in the past simply isn't enough anymore."

This time, he pointed toward improved job placement numbers and increases in funding from the state and donors which allowed the school to spend more on student expenditures and on getting students placed.

"Rankings are important but they do not capture Carolina Law's commitment to provide a top-quality legal education at an affordable price, to increase the profession's diversity, or to serve the community through our students' consistent 100 percent participation in pro bono activities," Brinkley said. "We are thrilled with the momentum of this year's ranking jump and look forward to building on that momentum."

North Carolina's other ranked law schools, Duke Law School and Wake Forest University School of Law, also moved up from their positions in last year's rankings.

Duke, which regularly tops the list of...