Though Columbia Law School wasn't formally established until the middle of the 19th century, the first law professor at Columbia University, James Kent, was appointed in 1793. In the 1920s, Columbia Law became known as the center of the American legal realism movement. Today, the school has a reputation as a powerhouse for international law and intellectual property, hosting centers for research on Chinese law, Japanese law, Korean law and European law.

The JD curriculum begins with a three-week introductory course on legal methods, followed by the usual roster of requirements and a yearlong legal practice workshop. The atmosphere at the school is notoriously competitive, though students in Vault's surveys say that grading is not as harsh as at other schools. In addition, students can enroll in joint degree programs in collaboration with many of the university's other graduate schools, as well as a JD/MPA cosponsored by Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School.

Columbia Law graduates often join corporate law firms in New York City and across the country--80 percent of the class of 2007 took jobs in private firms. On-campus housing is available for graduate students, but many choose to live in other New York neighborhoods. Students warn that, as you would expect in New York City, the cost of living is expensive. Law students tend to go downtown for entertainment because the local bars and restaurants are overrun with undergraduates.