Every number on Atlas-Legis comes from an official public disclosure. No estimates, no scraped rankings sites, no synthesized averages. Here is exactly where each data point originates.
The ABA requires every accredited law school to publish a Standard 509 Information Report each year. These are the official, audited disclosures schools file with the ABA — not self-reported marketing copy. Atlas-Legis downloads the PDF for each of the 194 ABA-accredited schools and parses the following fields directly from the document.
Data vintage: Atlas-Legis uses the 2025 cycle 509 reports, reflecting the entering class of fall 2024. The ABA publishes updated reports each December; this site will be refreshed after each annual release.
Separate from the 509 reports, the ABA collects and publishes Employment Summary Reports for each graduating class, typically released in the spring following graduation. These reports track employment outcomes at ten months post-graduation — the standard measurement point used across all law schools.
Atlas-Legis pulls this data directly from the ABA's downloadable Excel summary file, which covers all 194 accredited schools. All percentages displayed on the site are computed dynamically from raw counts using total graduates as the denominator — not just graduates whose employment status is known — to ensure honest, apples-to-apples comparisons.
Denominator note: Many law school ranking sites compute employment rates using only graduates with known employment status, which inflates the figures. Atlas-Legis uses total graduates as the denominator so that schools with large proportions of unknown-status graduates do not appear artificially better than peers. This is the more conservative, more honest calculation.
Numerical rankings and the three-tier classification used on Atlas-Legis (T14, Tier 2, Tier 3) are derived from the US News Best Law Schools rankings. The T14 label refers to the fourteen schools that have historically occupied the top fourteen positions; the current list reflects the 2025 rankings.
Tier and rank data is used solely to help users contextualize schools on the map. Atlas-Legis does not endorse any particular ranking methodology and encourages users to weigh multiple factors when evaluating schools.
Atlas-Legis is an independent research tool and is not affiliated with the American Bar Association, US News & World Report, or any law school. All data displayed is sourced from public disclosures and is provided for informational purposes only.
Data is refreshed annually following ABA publication cycles. Individual school figures may change between releases. Always verify current information directly with each school before making application decisions.