August 23, 2012
In the Media
'Law school porn' -- it's probably not worth the expense, research
suggests
By Karen Sloan
The National Law Journal
August 23, 2012
Excerpt:
Legal educators love to complain about so-called "law school
porn" — the postcards, letters and glossy magazines that schools
send out each fall touting their achievements in hopes of boosting
their U.S. News & World Report rankings.
It turns out that all that moaning may be valid. A study of the
materials' influence on U.S. News found little correlation
between the amount and content of mailings and improved
rankings.
"Most of this stuff is not making a difference, year-to-year," said
Larry Cunningham, associate dean for student services at St. John's
University School of Law in Jamaica, N.Y., and the author of the
report, The Effect of Law School Marketing Materials on 'U.S.
News & World Report' Rankings. "Whether or not a school
sends out this stuff might tell you where they are in the pecking
order, but there's not much impact as far as rankings."