It is very possible that the average Boyd admit is weaker than the average Harvard grad upon admission, but ends up equal to or stronger than the average Harvard grad at graduation because of a more rigourous legal writing program.
This is hilarious. You can take all the legal writing courses you want, but there is simply no substitute for hard work, brainpower, and the ability to reason properly. Most HLS students have, or are capable of utilizing, all three. HLS doesn't have to put undue emphasis on legal writing because their students are expected to know basic grammatical rules and how to write in an organized manner prior to attending the school.
By the way, don't rely on specialty rankings. They're a joke and no one takes them seriously. When you graduate and take on a real case, you'll quickly learn that general knowledge of a particular field of law will rarely give you the "upper hand" on an opponent. Cases boil down to issues. Someone that has no general knowledge on a particular area of the law can skip all of the useless knowledge by narrowing down the issues and focusing only on those issues.
*Caveat - There are some areas of the law where the law is so complex (i.e., bankruptcy) that a general knowledge of the field is virtually required. "Gaming law", as well as a host of other USNWR "specialties", do not fall into that category.
I'm glad you find it funny. Because I have represented REAL clients, as a CPA, and worked with both Ivy League grads from both law school and business schools, I think I know what I'm talking about. Coming out of an Ivy League school doesn't make you great. Some of the WORST advice I've every seen given to a client came from a Harvard attorney working on Wall Street. He was a well-educated moron who didn't know his a$$ from a hole in the ground. Of course, this is not indicative of all attorneys who graduate from Ivy League schools. However, I've worked with at least 30 different attorneys from a variety of different schools on a variety of different clients. In my experience, the best did not come from Ivy League or T14 schools.
I'll put my knowledge, experience, and background against any 2L or 3L anywhere on earth! I may not be stronger in every instance but there is no one who is hands down going to mop the floor with me. If you don't believe, I hope I see you in court someday.
I don't believe the ink on your degree defines you. I also don't believe that simply because someone chose to go to a particular school or even because they are smarter in certain respects, that they are better. That is very ignorant. Big used a basketball analogy. I'll use a fighting analogy because I am a fighter. NO ONE thought Matt Sera could beat GSP, who has the much better fighting pedigree. GSP got KTFO. NO ONE gave Buster Douglas a chance against Mike Tyson. Tyson got KTFO. NO ONE gave Ali a chance against Foreman. Foreman got KTFO. Oh, I also love football. The 1972 Dolphins had not one superstar on their defense. Yet, they are still the only team with a truly perfect season. Oh, and the Minnesota Vikings that same year had one of the best defensive front-lines in history. They never one even on Super Bowl with the Purple Peaple Eaters. Pedigree doesn't always matter. Tom Brady was drafted in the 6th Round. Ryan Lief, Todd Marinovich, Tim Couch, Jamarcus Russell, Andre Ware, Tim Tebow, Matt Leinart, and Alex Smith were all first round picks. Every last one of them are busters... not fit to play in the NFL.... all with decent or even great pedigrees.
I could go on and on. But I'll quit. Pedigree can be deceiving.