The National Jurist magazine has named the UALR William H. Bowen School of Law a top school in its rankings for preparing law students for public service.

Bowen was recognized as one of the top 15 schools in the United States for preparing students for government jobs and for prosecutor and public defender positions.

“Our goal was to identify the law schools that have a proven track record of producing graduates for the different segments of public service,” said Jack Crittenden, editor in chief of The National Jurist. “Other rankings may focus on prestige. This study focuses on results.”

The UALR law school was only one of 16 schools nationwide to be named to two of the magazine’s five lists. Penn State University was the only law school named to three. Ranked categories are government, prosecutor/public defender, state judicial clerks, federal clerks, and public interest.

The National Jurist looked at employment data, curricula, and standard of living to determine three of the categories. Standard of living is a calculation that includes debt, loan forgiveness options, salary, and regional cost of living.

For state and federal judicial clerkships, the magazine relied solely on employment placement data. The magazine recognizes 15 law schools in each category, with 20 in government, but does not rank the schools.

“Bowen’s students, faculty, and alumni highly value public service,” said UALR Law Dean John DiPippa. “We attract students who want to study at a cost-effective law school located in the heart of our state’s center of government and nonprofit work. At Bowen, our students have access to all those opportunities, plus they can take advantage of our partnership with the Clinton School of Public Service to pursue concurrent degrees. Clearly, we have shown that Bowen is the choice in Arkansas for working toward a career in public service.”