Friday Funny: From One Extreme To The Other – Worst Colleges And Best Law Schools

Posted by Heidi Schwartz

Singapore Management University and Law School.
Singapore Management University School of Law is one of the architectural “bests” in the world. (Photo: Wikipedia.)

The collegiate academic year is still relatively fresh. Football games are still being played, and most mid-term exams have yet to be taken, but the “best” and “worst” lists are already out.

The one list getting a great deal of attention these days comes from Washington Monthly magazine. It identifies the “worst” colleges in the country, based on several types of criteria (primarily academic and cost related). While those educational institutions have little to do with facilities management, here is the link for anyone who may be curious.

However, there is a higher education list story that IS facilities management related—and it’s a much more upbeat story. Best Choice Schools has released its list of the “50 Most Impressive Law School Buildings in the World” with criteria that include architectural excellence, design, and functionality.

Law school buildings throughout history have inspired respect and reverence for the study of law, and some on the list are well over 100 years old. One is the University of Virginia School of Law, which was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson.

Other buildings on the list project bold and innovative designs, such as the Singapore Management University School of Law, which is made of multiple tiers of glass and live greenery. Several law schools were featured for energy efficiency and overall sustainability. One such building is the Law Court Building at University of Hertfordshire in the U.K., which boasts a rainwater harvesting system and a BREEAM Excellent rating.

Following is the complete list of 50 of the world’s most impressive law school buildings as selected by Best Choice Schools:

50. University of Wisconsin Law School: Madison, Wisconsin, USA
49. CUNY School of Law: Long Island City, New York, USA
48. Yale Law School, Sterling Law Building: New Haven, Connecticut, USA
47. University of Sydney Faculty of Law: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
46. University of Pittsburgh School of Law, Barco Law Building: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
45. Stanford Law School William H. Neukom Building: Stanford, California, USA
44. Fordham University School of Law: New York, New York, USA
43. University of Baltimore School of Law, John and Frances Angelos Law Center: Baltimore, Maryland, USA
42. University of Connecticut School of Law: Hartford, Connecticut, USA
41. Duke University School of Law, Star Commons: Durham, North Carolina, USA
40. UC Berkeley School of Law, South Addition: Berkeley, California, USA
39. Hengeler Mueller Library of Bucerius Law School: Hamburg, Germany
38. Marquette University Law School, Eckstein Hall: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
37. Loyola Law School: Los Angeles, California, USA
36. Columbia Law School, Jerome L. Greene Hall: New York, New York, USA
35. Thomas M. Cooley Law School: Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA
34. University of Washington School of Law, William H. Gates Hall: Seattle, Washington, USA
33. Edge Hill University, Department of Law and Criminology: Ormskirk, West Lancashire, UK
32. Florida State University College of Law Advocacy Center: Tallahassee, Florida, USA
31. University of Virginia School of Law: Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
30. Harvard Law School, Wasserstein Hall: Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
29. Northwestern University School of Law, Levy Mayer Hall/Cloister Gardens: Evanston, Illinois, USA
28. University of Texas School of Law, Connally Center for the Administration of Justice: Austin, Texas, USA
27. New York Law School: New York, New York, USA
26. Cleveland-Marshall College of Law of Cleveland State University: Cleveland, Ohio, USA
25. Syracuse University College of Law: Syracuse, New York, USA
24. University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphries School of Law: Memphis, Tennessee, USA
23. Penn State University, Dickinson School of Law, Lewis Katz Building: University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
22. Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, Lawrence W. Inlow Hall: Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
21. Mississippi College School of Law: Jackson, Mississippi, USA
20. UCLA School of Law, Hugh and Hazel Darling Law Library: Los Angeles, California, USA
19. Boston University School of Law, Sumner M. Redstone Building: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
18. George Washington University Law School: Washington D.C., USA
17. Singapore Management University School of Law, Li Ka Shing Library: Singapore
16. University of Michigan Law School, South Hall: Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
15. New York University School of Law, Furman Hall: New York, New York, USA
14. Faculty of Law, University of Oxford, St. Cross Building: Oxford, UK
13. University College of London Faculty of Laws, Bentham House: London, UK
12. University of Toronto Faculty of Law, Flavelle House: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
11. Monash University Law Chambers: Clayton, Victoria, Australia
10. University of Iowa College of Law, Boyd Law Building: Iowa City, Iowa, USA
9. University of Colorado Law School, Wolf Law Building: Boulder, Colorado, USA
8. The School of Law, University of Hertfordshire, Law Court Building: Hatfield, Hertfordshire, UK
7. William and Mary Law School, Henry C. Wolf Law Library: Williamsburg, Virginia, USA
6. Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Arizona State University: Tempe, Arizona, USA
5. School of Law, University of Leeds, The Liberty Building: Leeds, UK
4. Southwestern Law School, Bullocks Wilshire: Los Angeles, California, USA
3. Thomas Jefferson School of Law: San Diego, California, USA
2. The School of Law, University of Northumbria at Newcastle, City Campus East: Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
1. Durham Law School: Durham, UK

Which list did you check out first, facility managers?