Do you want to practice law in Texas and want to know the best law school you can attend? If yes, read on to know the 10 best law schools in Texas 2021.
This post contains everything you need to know about Texas law school and law degrees, Texas lawyer salaries and the 10 best law schools in Texas 2021.
In the U.S, Texas is the second-largest state in both populations (nearly 28 million) and size (about 268,600 square miles).
Law is a professional academic field that grants Juris Doctor (J.D.) degrees in the U.S so the process is different from most law schools in other countries that need only a high school diploma or the equivalent to admit students to study law.
READ ALSO: Postgraduate Diploma or Master’s Degree in Canada
What Is Law School?
Wikipedia defines a law school as an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction.
What Is A Law Degree?
A Juris Doctor (J.D.) is the degree duly awarded to law school graduates. Most J.D. programs are three-year programs, while others are four-year or part-time programs, and a few two-year accelerated programs are available.
J. D program graduates can practice any area of law after passing a state bar exam with the exception of patent law, which requires a technical undergraduate major (or substantial coursework in science courses) and a passing score on the patent bar exam.
How Much Does A Lawyer Earn In Texas?
According to the American Bar Association, there were 89,361 resident and active attorneys practicing in Texas in 2017.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor also notes that two metropolitan areas in Texas were among the highest-paying metropolitan areas in the country for lawyers to work.
They were the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land area, where lawyers averaged a mean annual salary of $174,870; and the Dallas-Plano-Irving area, where lawyers averaged a mean yearly salary of $154,490.
Therefore, the average lawyer in Texas at that time was making $145,800 per year. However, the salaries of the lawyers according to hierarchy in 2021 are as follows:
Starting level lawyer $60,900 per year
Junior-level lawyer 82,220 per year
Mid-level lawyer $127,110 per year
Senior-level lawyer $165,270
The typical tenure for a Lawyer is 1-3 years.
Best Law Schools In Texas In 2021
Below is the list of the top Law Schools in Texas 2021 available for you. Actually, there are only 9 law schools in Texas and we have carefully examined them here.
1. South Texas College of Law
South Texas College of Law is a private American Bar Association (ABA) accredited law school. It is the oldest law school in Houston and the third-oldest in Texas. It is a member of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS). South Texas is also well known for its moot court and mock trial trial advocacy program.
This Texas College of Law is a private university in a large city and offers 1 Law Degree program. In 2015, 339 students graduated in the study area of Law with students earning 339 Doctoral degrees.
There is currently a student population of over 980 students enrolled in STCL. However, South Texas Law School is considered a competitive law school, which accepts only 64% of its applicants.
2. St Mary’s University
St. Mary’s is the largest school at this university in Texas and offers 75 academic programs. It’s graduate studies offer 19 master’s programs and 2 Ph.D. programs. The student-faculty ratio is 12 to 1. There are about 200 full-time faculty members enrolled in St. Mary’s, 94 percent of whom hold a doctorate or terminal degree.
The School of Humanities and Social Sciences is not just a law school in Texas, but it is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
St Mary’s University offers 1 Law Degree program. In 2015, 216 students graduated in the study area of Law with students earning 216 Doctoral degrees.
Acceptance Rate: 79.9%
3. University Of Texas At Austin
UT Austin is a world-renowned higher education, research-intensive institution, with a student population of more than 51,000 students enrolled annually with a teaching faculty of around 3,000.
It comprises 18 top-ranked colleges and schools, 17 libraries, seven museums, and one 307-foot tower – the most iconic building on campus.
It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate, professional, masters, and doctorate degrees.
4. Texas A&M University School of Law
Texas A&M’s main campus in College Station accommodates more than 69,000 students. The branch campuses in Galveston have 5,200 students as well as Qatar and at the School of Law, Higher Education Center at McAllen, and Health Science Center locations across Texas. It is accredited by the American Bar Association.
Texas A&M, offers 133 undergraduate degree programs, 175 master’s degree programs, 92 doctoral degree programs and 5 first professional degrees as options for study.
Acceptance Rate: 30.22%
5. Baylor University Law School
Baylor University Law School is a large private university in Texas and is among the top 50 law schools in the country according to the U.S. News & World Report. In 2015, 116 students graduated in the study area of Law with students earning 116 Doctoral degrees.
Over 170 law students matriculate from Baylor, and in 2019, students came from 157 undergraduate colleges and universities spanning 39 states and countries.
Baylor Law students, throughout the curriculum, learn to work with clients, make opening statements, interview witnesses, conduct trials, and make closing arguments.
As an ABA-approved school in Texas, Baylor Law offers 2 law degree programs.
Acceptance Rate: 39.04%
6. Texas Southern University
Texas Southern University is a medium sized public university which possesses an impressive array of more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programs and concentrations, a diverse faculty, and 80-plus student organizations.
STU offers 1 Law Degree program. In 2015, 151 students graduated in the study area of Law with students earning 151 Doctoral degrees.
It is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Acceptance Rate: 66.7%
7. Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University is a large, public, four-year university enrolling 35,859 students and offering 266 degrees in Lubbock, TX. It is also the only campus in Texas that is home to a major university, law school, and medical school.
Texas Tech University is among 131 universities and colleges in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education’s “Very High Research Activity” category. It is further accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
Acceptance Rate: 69.7%
8. University of Houston Law Center
University of Houston Law Center is a large comprehensive university that is part of the University of Houston. U.S. News & World Report ranked its part-time law program ninth in the country—the school excels at making a law degree accessible to students with commitments that make evening and weekend study the only option. The Law Center also wins high marks for its programs in Health Care Law and Intellectual Property Law.
The Law Center offers dual degrees such as a J.D./M.B.A. or J.D./M.P.H. Students can even earn a J.D./M.D in collaboration with the Baylor College of Medicine.
Acceptance Rate: 33.05%
9. Southern Methodist University
SMU’s Dedman School of Law was established in 1925 and is home to the largest collection of legal materials in the Southwest. The school enrolls over 200 students every year and has a large alumni base representing all 50 states and 80 countries.
There are plenty of opportunities for students to practice their legal writing and research through the school’s five law journals. Also, SMU Dedman Law has a nationally ranked moot court program and several options for externships.
Acceptance Rate: 47.2%
Conclusion
Earning a J.D. in any law school in Texas leads to a great progression as a lawyer. Despite the fact that Hollywood exaggerates life in law school, earning a law degree is often synonymous with high pay and prestige.
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