Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law

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The Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law is an ABA accredited law school located in Orlando, Florida. The school is an academic college of Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida. The school's mission is to educate students to become responsible lawyers, trained to assume an active role in the legal community. At Barry Law, students are trained to act in strict accord with the highest ethical standards and to exercise their professional skills competently, with sensitivity to the needs and concerns of their clients.

Students at Barry Law have many opportunities to experience the “law-in-action” concept, both in the classroom and through practical application. Small classes foster a collegial student/professor relationship and enable the School of Law to provide legal education at its best.

Barry Law offers a three-year daytime program structured for full-time students. The School of Law also offers a four-year extended studies program in the evening to accommodate working adults or anyone who, for whatever reason, is unable to pursue three full-time years of study toward a law degree.

Contents

[edit] History

The current school of law was originally established as one of the three colleges of the University of Orlando (originally chartered under the name of Florida Technological University), the other two schools being graduate programs in business and education, the university had no undergraduate students.[1] The founder and first president of the University of Orlando was Neil R. Euliano who was at the time the owner of the for-profit Florida Technical College based in Orlando. [2] Mr. Euliano, who had operated for-profit trade schools starting in 1982, established the non-profit University of Orlando in 1993 and its law school in 1995. The University of Orlando started its inaugural law school class on Sept. 18 1995. The first year the law school had only evening and weekend courses and a full time faculty of four professors.[3] The charter class began their studies at the the for-profit Florida Technical College's campus.

The law school applied for A.B.A. accreditation in 1998. The A.B.A. visited the law school campus on March 1, 1998. Later in March 1998, the board of trustees removed the law school's Dean, Wallace M. Rudolph and appointed Stanley M. Talcott, a faculty member, as the law school's third dean. [4] In July of 1998 the A.B.A. denied the law school's application for accreditation.

Mr. Euliano resigned from the University of Orlando in September of 1998, after a consultant concluded that its law school would stand a better chance of getting accredited if he left. Mr. Euliano, was advised that his dual role as the school's main financial backer and the university's president may be as a conflict of interest. The dean of the university's business school, Dr. James L. Chase, was appointed to serve as the university's interim president.[5]

Mr. Euliano began approaching several institutions about buying the University of Orlando. Among the schools Mr. Euliano solicited were Barry University, the University of Central Florida and Rollins College.[6] In December of 1998, Barry University of Miami Shores, Florida announced its intent to acquire University of Orlando by March 15 1999. In March of 1999 the law school was renamed Barry University of Orlando School of Law, the University of Orlando's board of trustees was disbanded and a new board of trustees was appointed for the law school. The University of Orlando graduate business school was dissolved and the graduate school of education was folded into Barry University's School of Adult and Continuing Education.

Sister Peggy Albert, O.P. assistant president of Barry University moved from Barry's Miami Shores campus to Orlando, where she served as the law school's chief administrator.[7]

On January 15, 2000 Barry University of Orlando School of Law had its first commencement of 17 graduates.[8]

Barry University of Orlando School of Law reapplied for accreditation and received a new A.B.A. inspection in October 1999. On February 17 2001 the A.B.A. Council for the Section on Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar rejected the school's second accreditation bid. On June 4, 2001, the A.B.A.'s Council for the Section on Legal Education refused Barry's request to reconsider the application that they, the council, rejected in February, 2001.[9]

The Law School was fully incorporated into Barry University and became Barry University School of Law. The A.B.A. agreed to reconsider the October 2000 application[10] however on December 3rd 2001 the A.B.A. again rejected the school's accreditation. At this time the law school was renamed the Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law. On February 2, 2002 the American Bar Association's Council for the Section on Legal Education voted to grant Barry University School of Law provisional accreditation.[11] The accreditation was ratified by a formal vote of approval from the A.B.A. House of Delegates on February 5th, 2002.

On July 1, 2003 former Florida Coastal School of Law Dean J. Richard Hurt became the dean of Barry University's Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law.[12]

On December 2, 2006 the Council for the Section on Legal Education voted to grant Barry University, Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law full accreditation.[13]

[edit] Degree Information

The School of Law offers the Juris Doctor (JD) degree. All students in the program must complete 90 semester-hours of study in areas that are essential to the understanding and practice of law.

Barry University combines traditional and innovative teaching methods to provide a dynamic, professional program. The JD curriculum is designed to develop students' analytical ability, communication skills, and understanding of the codes of professional responsibility and ethics that are central to the practice of law. The faculty utilizes a variety of teaching methods, including simulations and role-playing. Courses designed to develop and refine writing abilities are required. Seminars and advanced courses provide close interaction with faculty.

[edit] Law School Curriculum

The School of Law combines traditional and innovative teaching methods to provide a dynamic, professional program. The J.D. curriculum is designed to develop students’ analytical ability, communication skills, and understanding of the codes of professional responsibility and ethics that are central to the practice of law. The faculty utilizes a variety of teaching methods, including simulations and role-playing. Courses designed to develop and refine writing abilities are required. Seminars and advanced courses provide close interaction with faculty. Barry School of Law offered the first law school course in Earth Jurisprudence during the Spring term 2007, by Professor Sister Patricia Siemen, Esquire, Director of the Center for Earth jurisprudence and adjunct faculty.

[edit] Clinics (Children and Families)

Barry Law School offers an in-house clinical opportunity for students in the Children and Families Clinic (CFC). The CFC focuses on advocacy for children in the areas of delinquency, dependency, mental health and education law. All students in the CFC are certified as legal interns by the Florida Supreme Court. Certification as a legal intern enables the law student, under the CFC professor (who is a licensed attorney), to provide actual representation to indigent clients. The In-House Clinical Programs expect to expand in the near future to include clinical opportunities for students interested in a variety of legal areas.

[edit] Student Organizations

  • AALSA (Asian-American Law Students Association)
  • AAJ (American Association for Justice)
  • AMIN (American Muslim Interfaith Network)
  • BLSA (Black Law Students Association)
  • Barry Law Review
  • Caribbean Law Students Association
  • CRA (Civil Rights Association)
  • DTP (Delta Theti Phi)
  • EJW (Equal Justice Works)
  • ESLS (Entertainment Sports Law Society)
  • Federalist Society
  • HALSA (Hispanic American Law Students Association)
  • IP (Intellectual Property)
  • Justinian Society
  • Moot Court Board
  • Oratorical Society
  • PAD (Phi Alpha Delta)
  • PILI (Public Interest Law Institute)
  • Radio Club
  • STAT (Student Trial Advocacy Team)
  • St. Thomas More Society
  • SBA (Student Bar Association)
  • WLA (Women's Lawyer Association)
  • ISC Intramural Sports Club

[edit] Barry University Law Review

Barry University Law Review is a scholarly law journal edited and published annually by students of the School of Law. Issues of the Law Review typically contain articles of current legal interest authored by law professors, judges, practitioners, and student members. Law students perform all editing on articles contained in the journal.

As part of the curriculum of the Law School, students receive academic credit for their work on the Law Review. Ordinarily, only top law students are selected to be members of the Law Review staff. Law firms, judges, and legal scholars recognize the scholarly achievement and hard work required of those students as the pinnacle of a law student's resume. Many times each year the highest courts in America are persuaded by and in fact quote articles published in law reviews.

[edit] Moot Court Board

Barry University Moot Court Board is an invitational organization composed of upper-class students selected on the basis of academic achievement and oral advocacy skills. Membership on the Board is designed to strengthen the skills needed for trial and appellate brief writing and oral advocacy. Members of the Moot Court Board also work with first-year Legal Writing students in preparation for their oral arguments, and prepare an intra-school competition for new applicants to the Board. Members receive credit for participation in Board activities and competitions.

Members have competed and won praise in inter-school competitions open to law students from all over the United States. The Board has also sponsored a Law Day intra-school demonstration for members of the Bar and the general public, and hopes to become involved in local public school programs in oral advocacy.

[edit] Trial Team

The Trial Team is designed to give students real-world training in trial skills while still in law school. These skills, exhibited by team members in competition, carried the Barry University School of Law to the Final Four out of 223 teams nationwide in the Association of Trial Lawyers of America Trial Team Competition in April, 2005. To advance to that point, Barry defeated, in regional and then national championship round competition, several past national champions. In the Final Four semi-final round, Barry was one point on one judge’s scorecard away from advancing to the final round.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Mangan, Katherine S. (8 January 1999), Barry U. Hopes to Buy Troubled U. of Orlando, United States: The Chronicle of Higher Education, p. A54 
  2. ^ Mangan, Katherine S. (17 April 1998), Law School Founded by a Trade-School Owner Struggles for Accreditation; Some professors and students question the management of the University of Orlando, United States: The Chronicle of Higher Education, p. A45 
  3. ^ Vielmetti, Bruce (28 August 1995), “Law schools set to open in Orlando and Jacksonville”, St. Petersburg Times: 11 
  4. ^ Powers, Scott (12 January 1999), “Former Dean takes law school to court; Wallace Rudolph has filed a lawsuit against the University of Orlando, which fired him last year”, Orlando Sentinel: D1 
  5. ^ Mangan, Katherine S. (02 October 1998), “President of U. of Orlando Quits, Hoping to Help Its Law School Win Accreditation”, The Chronicle of Higher Education: A43 
  6. ^ James, Joni (29 December 1998), “Barry University will buy beleaguered law school”, The Orlando Sentinel: D1 
  7. ^ Gold, Scott (18 March 1999), “Barry Purchase of Law school nearly final, officials say”, The Sun-Sentinel: 5B 
  8. ^ Padilla, Maria T. (15 January 2000), “Students get diplomas; School's grade not in; the 17 graduates cannot take the Florida bar examination until the school is accredited.”, The Orlando Sentinel: D1 
  9. ^ Powers, Scott (5 June 2001), “Barry Law School is dealt major setback; The Orlando law school lost another round in its quest for A.B.A. accreditation”, Orlando Sentinel: A1 
  10. ^ “End guessing game; our position: an agreement between the A.B.A. and Barry Law School serves both well.”, Orlando Sentinel: A14, 18 July 2001 
  11. ^ Powers, Scott (3 February 2002), “Law school gets bar's ok spirits soared as faculty and students learned Barry won its long battle for accreditation”, The Orlando Sentinel: B1 
  12. ^ Kormanik, Beth (28 February 2003), “Florida Coastal dean takes post at Barry University”, The Florida Times-Union: B-5 
  13. ^ Pudlow, Jan (01 January 2007), “Making the grade: Barry U., FIU granted full ABA accreditation; Barry University, Florida International University get license from American Bar Association”, Florida Bar News: 1