Evaluating the Efficiency of Thirty-Five Law Schools Using Data Envelopment Analysis

If legal institutions endorse LSAT scores and UGPAs as accurate assessments of ability, to what extent does “ability” influence wages in the legal job market? Do average salaries of graduates of top schools justify these schools’ lofty admittance standards? Earning a law degree does not automatically grant its holder the right to practice law; in fact, it is essentially a prerequisite for consideration by the professional organization that regulates the law profession in any given jurisdiction. Upon earning a law degree, aspirants must slay yet another mighty dragon, the bar exam. Given that certain law schools require excellent LSAT scores and GPAs, does graduation from these schools precede high bar passage rates? Using empirical evidence containing average LSAT scores, UGPAs, starting salaries, and bar passage rates, this study uses Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to evaluate relative efficiency levels across 35 law schools in the Pacific West and Mountain zones, including the states of Washington, Oregon, California, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and Montana