The Paul M. Hebert Law Center again ranked in the top 100 U.S. law schools, according to the 2011 U.S. News and World Report Best Graduate Schools.The Law School placed No. 80 in the survey, a five-spot decrease from last year.”It is my job to make the Law School better and never have us rest on our laurels. Now that we are firmly ensconced in the Top 100, I would like to see our rank move higher,” said Law School Chancellor Jack Weiss. The pass rate on the bar exam and employment rate of students after graduation are strong factors in the University’s ranking, he said.”The employment rate is particularly strong given the serious deterioration of jobs for lawyers in other states,” Weiss said. Weiss said funding plays an important role in remaining competitive. Scores will not rise without proper funding, he said. “Given the limitations … we are doing exceptionally well,” Weiss said.He said while necessary, rankings are imprecise and subjective.”The rankings game is somewhere between voodoo and witchcraft, and I don’t want to bet our future on it,” Weiss said.Schools are ranked by averaging various factors and computing a raw score.The University’s raw score decreased by one point this year, Weiss said.U.S. News and World Report reviews 188 law schools but only gives rankings for the first 100.The University earned its highest ranking in last year’s report.The Law School ranked No. 75 in 2009, a 13-place rise from No. 88 in 2008 — one of the highest moves in the country, according to the University Law Center Web site.The Law Center moved into the top 100 rankings in 2004.Other SEC schools also ranked on the list — Vanderbilt ranked No. 17, Florida State University ranked No. 54 and the University of Georgia ranked No. 60.—Contact Grace Montgomery at [email protected]