'Where Did You Go to Law School?' Gatekeeping for the Professoriate and Its Implications for Legal Education

Abstract

This article discusses an empirical study that has provided a comprehensive description of the backgrounds and characteristics of those entering law teaching today, and it presents a statistical analysis of the factors predicting law faculty hiring. The results suggest that where a faculty candidate went to law school may trump their subsequent scholarly, professional, and teaching accomplishments, and that most law teachers graduated from a handful of elite law schools.

Keywords: educational diversity, legal education, legal scholarship, law school hiring, diversity in hiring, law faculty, law professors, higher education