Stanford Law School soon joins the University of California and Yale University in abandoning traditional A-Fs. The new law school grading method will use a quota system both to recognize academic performance and shift students and professors away from obsessing about grades.

"It reduces the pursuit of grades as the chief concern of students - they're learning for the sake of learning, without choosing courses based on worries whether a professor is a tough grader or not," Stanford Law School Dean Larry Kramer told the San Jose Mercury News. "Students were too focused on grades, and choosing courses based on grades."

But don't expect most other law schools to follow suit, says legal recruiter Elaine Makris Williams of MS Legal Search. "Only the very top schools can afford to do this," says Williams. "Because Yale, Stanford and Berkeley are among the country's top schools, their graduates are highly recruited by employers. A graduate of a top-tier school is usually more sought after by employers than a ‘top grades' graduate of a lower-tier school." To interview Ms. Williams about trends in legal recruiting, contact Barry Pound at 800-559-4534 or barry@androvett.com.