Drake Law Review is tied for 30^th place in a field of more than 1,500 journals in the Washington & Lee (W&L) Law Journal Rankings. The ranking reflects the number of court decisions that have cited the Law Review during the five-year period from 2018-2022. Drake Law Review has ranked in the top 50 most-cited law reviews every year but two since 2003.

Maintained by the W&L Law Library, the rankings are a world-recognized resource for identifying and comparing law journals by subject, country of publication, or rank across several categories relevant to scholars and publishers. The ranking for case citations includes more than 660 student-edited journals.

Drake Law Review’s exemplary articles, notes, and lectures are academically and practically relevant to professors, judges, practitioners, and law students. The Law Review is consistently recognized as one of the top student-published law journals in the nation. This case citation ranking is one indication of how helpful the articles are to the judiciary in writing opinions.

Professor Keith Miller, faculty advisor to the Law Review, attributes the ranking to the tradition of excellence that is passed from one year’s staff to the next. “All current and former staff members should be proud of this recognition of their commitment to making the Law Review an outstanding resource for the courts, and the professional and academic communities,” Miller said. “Congratulations to all the current members and to the alumni of the Law Review.”

To learn more, visit the Drake Law Review website here: www.drakelawreview.org/.

Taylor Johnson, Law School

Drake University Law School earned an A ranking for child and family law in preLaw magazine, placing Drake among the top 28 law schools in the nation for this field. This is the sixth year in a row that Drake Law received recognition for excellence in child and family law.

The publication based the rankings on the law schools’ offerings in family law, including clinical programs, certificates, externships, and courses. The results are reported in preLaw’s Back to School 2023 issue.

For two decades, the Joan & Lyle Middleton Center for Children’s Rights has stood as the foundation of Drake University’s esteemed children’s rights program. It has consistently taken the lead at local, statewide, and national levels in enhancing child welfare and juvenile justice systems through its commitment to training, advocacy, and litigation. Within the Middleton Center for Children’s Rights, the Children’s Rights Clinic plays a pivotal role, equipping law students with the skills and knowledge necessary for fulfilling and prosperous careers in child advocacy.

The issue highlighted Drake Law School’s newest student organization, the Youth Law Society. This organization was formed to serve and engage with children in the community. The Youth Law Society helps high school students complete forms for federal student aid. Members also volunteer to read with local elementary school students. Plans for the fall include professional networking events and a guest speaker who will talk about the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision involving the Indian Child Welfare Act.

“Drake Law is great place for students interested in juvenile or family law practice to get the mentorship and practical training they need to hit the ground running upon graduation,” Professor Nickole Miller said. “I am proud of the work student attorneys in the Children’s Rights Clinic are doing to protect and expand the rights of children and youth through direct legal representation in court and administrative proceedings, systemic advocacy work, and community education projects.”

Read the full issue online (for the Youth Law Society highlight, visit pages 10/11 and for family law rankings, see page 44).

Taylor Johnson, Law School

Drake University Law School earned an A+ ranking for human rights law in preLaw magazine, placing Drake among the top ten law schools in the nation for this field.

The publication based the rankings on law schools’ offerings in human rights law, including clinical programs, certificates, externships, partnerships, and courses. The results are reported in preLaw’s Back to School 2023 issue.

The issue highlights the collaboration between Drake Law School and attorneys from Dentons Davis Brown to organize an LGBTQ+ legal clinic. The clinic offered guidance to members of the LGBTQ+ community, addressing concerns such as legal name changes, sex designation changes, and health care provisions such as powers of attorney.

Breanna Young, attorney at Dentons Davis Brown and former adjunct professor at Drake Law School said, “We saw a real need to step up and help empower and protect people by helping them get their legal documents in place.”

Read the full issue online. (page 39)

Taylor Johnson, Law School