The first school to introduce a public interest environmental law curriculum, the University of Oregon School of Law remains one of the country's powerhouses in natural resource and environmental law. Students can pursue an LLM in the area, a JD concentration or a JD/MS in environmental studies. UO Law's other big strengths are its legal writing and alternative dispute resolution departments, which both nabbed top-10 spots in national rankings. For scholars particularly interested in dispute resolution, the school has a master's degree in conflict and dispute resolution.

After they complete the core courses, JD students can specialize in one of five formal areas, such as family law or public interest law. Three concurrent dual degrees are available, including a JD/MBA with the university's Charles H. Lundquist College of Business.

UO Law has a reputation as a public interest law school, and its employment statistics confirm it--only 46 percent of the class of 2007 went into private practice, while the remainder concentrated in government or public service jobs. About half of UO Law graduates stay in Oregon, mostly in Portland or Salem. The rest settle on the West Coast, practicing in California or Washington.