Henderson & Morriss (HM)
Rankings Datasets
(Last updated, July 29, 2007)
This website is meant to facilitate
rigorous, comprehensive, and transparent empirical analysis of law schools and
legal education. To further this
objective, we are posting, in ready-to-use format, the entire 2008 ABA Official
Guide dataset (base HM dataset).
Here are the advantages of
using this dataset:
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It is in a ready-to-use
format. Although the same underlying
data are available in Excel on the ABA website, the
total number of variables (378) exceeds the maximum 256 columns in Excel. The base HM dataset has been fully joined
into a single SPSS and STATA flat file.
We also labeled all 378 variables.
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The data includes a
helpful variable
key to find your way around the data, plus a rudimentary
codebook in Excel.
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Researchers who use the
base HM dataset will have heightened credibility because other researchers with
be able replicate and check results. All
stakeholders, including students and law school administrators, will benefit
from more reliable data analysis.
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We will provide
additional datafiles that can be easily added to the
base HM dataset. For example, we will
provide geographic metropolitan coding for all ABA-approved law schools [added
July 29, 2007]. These codes, which use
the U.S. Census Bureau standards, will identify which law schools are located
in Greater New York City, Greater Chicago, Greater Los Angeles, etc.
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We will correct and
update the files on this website.
Here are the base files:
2008
2008
Here are useful
supplemental data files:
Metropolitan Statistical Areas for
Metropolitan Statistical Areas for
Here is
documentation on the data files:
Variable Key for base set [PDF]
(note that A1" on key = "v_1" in dataset, "2" =
"v_2", "3" = "v_3", etc.)
Code Book (rudimentary) [Excel]
Documentation Log [PDF]
(documents corrections and transformations of data)
Explanatory text on
variables [PDF]
(section on ABA-Approved Law Schools from the 2008 Official Guide)
Caveat: Although we used computerized
processes wherever possible, this dataset required human effort to
construct. Therefore, there may be
problems and shortcomings that will show up as people get deeply into the
data. Please communicate those problems
to us so they can be corrected and publicized.
This website is meant to encourage collaborative and respectful research
norms.
If you have any questions or corrections, please contact
William D. Henderson via email. Thank you and enjoy!