War II struck Brooklyn Law School especially hard, and by 1943 enrollment was down to 174 students. St. Lawrence University, which until then operated Brooklyn Law School and conferred its degrees, decided to shut down the school. Alumni organized and negotiated the repurchase of the school's assets, ensuring that Brooklyn Law School would operate as an independent institution. Rankings New York Law Journal readers voted Brooklyn Law School as the #2 Best Overall Law School in 2017 and 2018. New York Law Journal readers voted Brooklyn Law School as the #2 General LL.M. Program in 2017 and 2018. Business Insider ranked Brooklyn Law School as one of the “Best Law Schools in the Northeast” in 2016. Billboard Magazine listed Brooklyn Law School in the Top Schools of the Top Music Lawyers in 2017. Hollywood Reporter listed Brooklyn Law School in the Top 12 Entertainment Law Schools in 2017. The 2016 Leiter Report ranked Brooklyn Law School's faculty 26th in the nation for having the highest percentage of most-cited tenured professors. The 2017 Leiter Report ranked Brooklyn Law School's faculty 30th in the nation for “scholarly excellence.” The 2021 edition of U.S. News & World Report ranked Brooklyn Law School as the 83rd overall best law school The 2022 edition of U.S. News & World Report ranked Brooklyn Law School as the 81st overall best law school. The 2023 edition of U.S. News & World Report ranked Brooklyn Law School as the 98th (tie) overall best law school. Bar passage rate and career prospects In 2017, 78.6% of the law school's first-time test takers passed the bar exam, placing the law school as the 8th-highest among New York's 15 law schools. Of 369 graduates in 2016, nine months after graduation 323 were employed. Alumni live in 49 states and over 25 countries after graduation. The law school was ranked 46th of all law schools nationwide by the National Law Journal in terms of sending the highest percentage of 2018 graduates to the largest 100 law firms in the US (9%). In 2013, 94% of the law school's first-time test takers passed the New York bar exam, third-best among New York's 15 law schools. In 2012, five Brooklyn Law School graduates filed a class action lawsuit, which was dismissed the following year, alleging consumer fraud and common law fraud. As part of a series of identical lawsuits against law schools nationwide, the