I always thought you had to be off your rocker to turn down a highly ranked law school for one in 100th place or lower on the US News & World Report list. I'd argue that it's even risky to consider law schools in the 50-100 range in this competitive job market—particularly if working in a big firm is your goal. That's not being snotty; it's just reality in a profession that fetishizes credentials.

But Howard University Law School defies conventional wisdom. Despite its humble ranking (No. 135 in 2014; No. 110 in 2015), its record in placing grads into coveted associate positions is impressive. The National Law Journal reports that Howard sent more than 21 percent of its grads to large firms. That's more than 26th-ranked Notre Dame University and 22-ranked George Washington University. (Howard is the only predominantly black law school out of six that is ranked by US News.)

At a time when all major law schools aggressively seek minority talent, a historically black institution such as Howard would seem to have diminishing relevance. Howard alums disagree; they say the school is more relevant than ever to promoting blacks and diversity in the profession.