University of California, Irvine Law School Ranked 30th by US News

So reports this press release from the school:

The University of California, Irvine School of Law has been ranked by U.S. News & World Report No. 30 out of 198 fully accredited law schools in the country. This is the highest debut ranking of any new law school in the history of the U.S. News rankings. Additionally, UCI Law’s Clinical Program ranked No. 11, and UCI Law scored among the top 10 in student diversity, according to the U.S. News Diversity Index.

The press release also notes several statistics that may be under-emphasized in US News rankings, including Irvine's notable scholarly impact (ranked by one study as 7th among US law schools) and its clerkship placement -- ranking at third behind Yale and Stanford.

Other outlets have coverage on the most recent set of US News Rankings. For opinionated commentary, see Above the Law, and for commentators using this news as yet another excuse to say that law schools are in a "death spiral," see the Washington Post.