Top law schools are much more likely to employ graduates of top ranked law schools than elite law firms, and the difference exists at both the junior and senior levels. We find no evidence that the graduates of top 5 law schools outperform grads of less prestigious schools in publications or citations. In the absence of a profit motive, academic hiring appears more likely to indulge a preference for pedigree, and by implication, this may explain other scholarly prejudices in the academy. (more)

Relative to law firms, law schools care more about the prestige of a lawyer’s school. Which makes sense if law schools sell credentialed impressiveness more than an increased ability to do real legal work.