KU law faculty among nation’s most productive legal scholars


Faculty scholarship infographic

LAWRENCE – The University of Kansas School of Law ranks 48th overall and 22nd among public law schools nationally for scholarly impact, according to a new study.

The study, conducted by a team at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minnesota, measures scholarly impact based on law journal citations to the work of tenured faculty members over the past five years. KU Law climbed 16 spots in the 2018 rankings, which are updated every three years.

In hitting this mark, KU Law beat out several peer law schools, including Iowa, Georgia, Boston College, Washington & Lee, Missouri, Florida, Brigham Young and Alabama.

“While law journal citations to tenured faculty work represent just one way to demonstrate the value of scholarship, we are proud of the thought leadership KU Law faculty provide in their areas of expertise,” said Stephen Mazza, dean of the law school. “Coupled with our excellence in teaching and service, this ranking points to a well-rounded faculty whose work benefits law students, the legal academy, policymakers and the public.”

In 2017 alone, the KU Law faculty released four books and nine book chapters with prominent legal publishers such as West, Thomson Reuters and Bloomberg. They also placed nearly 50 articles in the Boston College Law Review, Minnesota Law Review, Stanford Environmental Law Journal and other high-profile publications. The Council on Foreign Relations, Duke University, United States Conference of Chief Justices and National Environmental Law Institute were among the places KU Law faculty made more than 100 presentations domestically and overseas in 2017.

Beyond these contributions, KU Law faculty are routinely called upon to provide expertise and context to Kansas legislators considering law and policy changes. They serve on boards, committees, councils and other bodies that provide direct benefit to residents across the state of Kansas, and they teach continuing legal education programs throughout the state, ensuring practicing attorneys are equipped with the most up-to-date knowledge as they serve their clients.


Infographic: Scholarly impact ranking source: Sisk, et al., “Scholarly Impact of Law School Faculties in 2018: Updating the Leiter Score Ranking for the Top Third” (Aug. 13, 2018). Scholarship, teaching and service data includes figures for all tenure, tenure-track and clinical law faculty. Scholarship totals are for calendar year 2017. Teaching data covers 2010-2018. Service occurred from 2008-2018.