The Williams S. Richardson School of Law was ranked 80th among the nation’s 144 top-tier law schools, according to U.S. News & World Report rankings for graduate schools released Tuesday.

That’s a big improvement from last year, when the school was ranked 106th.

“Our dramatic rise in the rankings is just one indicator of our many successes, including of our dedication to helping our students find legal employment — a factor that was weighted more heavily this year,” said Richardson Law School Dean Avi Soifer, in a news release.

In presenting its latest rankings, U.S. News noted that students weighing options about choosing a law school should look not only at the rankings, but also at many other key characteristics, including “location, price, course offerings, and faculty expertise.”

Meanwhile, the John A. Burns School of Medicine primary care program was ranked 66th in the nation, tied with the University of California-Irvine, University of Connecticut, University of Florida and West Virginia University medical schools.

In research, JABSOM was ranked 82nd, tied with the medical schools at Creighton University and the Texas A&M Health Science Center.

U.S. News rankings of professional school programs in business, education, engineering, law and medicine are based on both expert opinion and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school’s faculty, research and students.