Texas A&M University has appointed Robert B. Ahdieh as dean and holder of the Anthony G. Buzbee Endowed Dean’s Chair at its School of Law, located in Fort Worth.
US News and World Report has ranked the Texas A&M School of Law No. 60 of the 192 law schools it ranked on the 2021 Best Law Schools list. That’s up from No. 83 in last year’s ratings.
Robert B. Ahdieh, Dean & Anthony G. Buzbee Endowed Dean’s Chair at the Texas A&M University School of Law said the jump was the fourth biggest in the nation.
“Equally important, that jump will – far sooner than I think anyone would have predicted – put us into the same range as Baylor, SMU, and the University of Houston, producing a significant shake-up in the longstanding status quo,” Ahdieh said.
The Fort Worth school was tied in the rankings with the Pennsylvania State University law school in University Park, Pennsylvania.
“As we continue our efforts to build a world-class law school here in Fort Worth, we are pleased that our growing national and international reputation, our innovative curriculum, the caliber of our students, and their success on the bar exam and in the employment market are increasingly being reflected in the rankings. And the best is still ahead,” Ahdieh said.
Among other Texas schools, the University of Texas in Austin was ranked No. 16; Baylor University was ranked No. 50 in a tie with two other law schools; The Dedman School of Law at Southern Methodist University in Dallas and the University of Houston School of Law were tied at No. 56 with one other school; and the Texas Tech University law school in Lubbock was tied with six other schools at No. 111.
“In the coming years, we hope to continue to bring the best and brightest students – not only in law, but in healthcare, energy, finance, cybersecurity, and other heavily regulated industries – to Fort Worth, to offer them a top-notch education in law, regulation, and policy, and to thereby advance the economic growth and development of our city,” Ahdieh said.
The school – formerly the Texas Wesleyan School of Law before it was sold to the Texas A&M system – was first ranked in 2016 at No. 149. It was at No. 111 in 2017; No. 92 in 2018; No. 80 in 2019; and No. 83 in 2020.
– Paul K. Harral