RALEIGH – Campbell Law School has once again been selected as one of the best schools in the country for practical training by preLaw magazine.
Campbell Law earned an A- in the annual rankings featured in the magazine’s Spring 2025 issue. The complete list of the 59 schools that made the cut is available at this link. The magazine also gave Campbell Law an A- in 2023 and 2024.
“Our graduates are ready to perform and lead from the moment they pass the bar exam,” said Campbell Law Dean J. Rich Leonard. “We’re delighted that our hands-on curriculum and culture are continually being noticed for the results that they produce.”
Campbell Law offers a plethora of opportunities for students to learn by doing, including its historically strong competitive advocacy program that has reaped numerous awards in recent years, including a number of regional, national and international titles.
Leonard also recently named Richard A. Waugaman III ‘09, ‘12 as the law school’s inaugural Assistant Dean of Experiential Education. His primary responsibilities include overseeing the law school’s clinical programs while collaborating with the faculty and staff to strengthen other experiential learning opportunities such as simulated courses, field placements and experiential courses.
Waugaman, who is the director of the Gailor Family Law Litigation Clinic, will also focus on providing students with hands-on education that increases their awareness of a lawyer’s calling to be a servant within and for their community and prioritizing their competitiveness for clerkships and associate positions following graduation.
The law school also boasts a top-tier externship program, an ABA Gambrell Award-winning mentorship program, six pro bono clinics and a variety of pro bono and community service opportunities.
According to its methodology, the magazine grades schools on the number of students involved in clinics, externships, simulation courses, moot court and other special programs, giving the most weight – 32 percent – to clinics. Externships account for 25 percent of the ranking. And simulation courses account for 20 percent of the ranking. Finally, moot court and pro bono hours account for 10 percent of the ranking while another 10 percent goes toward other practical training offerings such as required legal writing.
ABOUT CAMPBELL LAW SCHOOL
Since its founding in 1986, Campbell Law has developed lawyers who possess moral conviction, social compassion, and professional competence, and who view the law as a calling to serve others. Among its accolades, the school has been recognized by the American Bar Association (ABA) as having the nation’s top Professionalism Program and by the American Academy of Trial Lawyers for having the nation’s best Trial Advocacy Program. Campbell Law boasts nearly 5,000 alumni, who make their home in nearly all 50 states and beyond. In 2024, Campbell Law celebrated 45 years of graduating legal leaders and 15 years of being located in a state-of-the-art facility in the heart of North Carolina’s Capital City.