Saint Louis University School of Law

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Saint Louis University School of Law
Image:Atrium_outside.jpg
Established: 1843
Type: Private
Religious affiliation: Roman Catholic - Jesuit
Dean: Jeffrey E. Lewis
Staff: 84
Students: 945
Location: Midtown,St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Campus: Urban
Website: http://law.slu.edu/


Saint Louis University School of Law [1] is one of the professional graduate schools of Saint Louis University. Opened in 1843, it is the first law school west of the Mississippi River. Located in St. Louis, Missouri, the school has been ABA approved since 1924 and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Housed in Morrissey Hall, the law school boasts the highest enrollment of law students in Missouri and offers both full time and part time programs. The school is also home to the Omer Poos Law Library which is one of the largest law libraries in the state of Missouri in terms of volumes held.[2]

The current dean is Jeffrey E. Lewis.

Contents

[edit] Degree programs

The Saint Louis University School of Law offers students a variety of options. Most students are enrolled in the full-time J.D. program. SLU Law has the only part-time J.D. program in St. Louis. The school also offers dual degree programs and an LL.M in Health Law.

[edit] Full Time Program

During their first year, full-time students are required to take 15 hours per semester to complete the core courses (torts, contracts, civil procedure, property, constitutional law I, criminal law, and legal research and writing) that provide a foundation in the law. After the first year, full-time upper-division students are required to take a seminar, a humanities course, a professional skills course and Legal Profession. Students select from more than 150 hours of upper-division course electives to complete the required 91 credit hours.

[edit] The Evening Program

The Evening Program at Saint Louis University School of Law provides an opportunity for working adults and those with day-time commitments to earn a law degree by attending classes three to four nights a week. Maintaining a balance between family, work and school requires dedication and effort. Students in this program earn their Juris Doctor degree in four to five years.

[edit] Dual Degree Programs

[edit] Unique Opportunities

[edit] Center for Health Law Studies [3]

Since its establishment over 20 years ago, the Center for Health Law Studies has earned the reputation as the nation’s leading health law program and is consistently listed as such by U.S. News & World Report. St. Louis is one of the country’s leading health care centers and is a prominent location for medical and biotechnology research. The Center has eleven full-time faculty who are prolific writers in law, medicine and ethical journals; they include the authors of the leading health law case book and treatise.

The Center offers the broadest range of health law courses taught by full-time faculty, including foundational and specialized health law courses each semester. Students interact with leading health law experts, academics and practitioners through the Center’s programs.

[edit] Center for International and Comparative Law [4]

The Center for International and Comparative Law promotes international legal scholarship within the law school. Faculty members teach pragmatic and theory based courses, such as public international law, international trade, multinational corporate responsibility, international tax, comparative law, immigration law, comparative criminal law, gender rights and international human rights. Speakers and practitioners are also invited to the school to provide further discussion and learning opportunities. Students are eligible to earn a certificate from the Center, as well as study abroad in Madrid, Berlin, Orleans, Paris, Bochum, and Cork.

[edit] The William C. Wefel Center for Employment Law

[edit] Clinics

The School of Law provides a broad array of opportunities for students to practice law while still in school through its clinical programs. Students have the opportunity to represent clients in court, prosecute criminal cases and serve as clerks for judges. They work in corporate offices and handle real estate matters. They can work for Habitat for Humanity, represent children and adults in family court matters, assist the homeless and elderly and participate in a variety of other legal experiences. Students learn how the law is applied in various contexts, gaining practical experience while they provide valuable legal service to low-income families, government agencies, and non-profit organizations. Students earn academic credit in all of the clinical offerings at the School of Law.

[edit] In-House Clinic

Students can represent abused children in juvenile court, litigate fair housing cases in federal court, conduct real estate closings for Habitat for Humanity or draft a will for elderly clients. Students are able to appear in court on cases under Missouri’s Student Practice Rule. A full-time faculty member supervises the in-house students.

[edit] Judicial Process Clinic

In this clinic, students spend a semester clerking for a federal or state judge either in Missouri or Illinois. Students perform legal research and analysis, help to draft orders and opinions and observe hearings and trials in the courtroom.

[edit] Criminal Public Defender Clinic

Students represent indigent criminal defendants while working in the St. Louis City Public Defender's Office during their spring semester. Students assist on felony cases, and under student practice rules, are able to handle misdemeanor trials, juvenile hearings and preliminary hearings and motions. Students in this Clinic enroll in the Advanced Criminal Procedure course that uses simulations to give students the experience of the entire trial process from arrest to sentencing.

[edit] Admissions

The middle 50% of the Fall 2007 entering class earned between a 3.24 and a 3.74 undergraduate G.P.A. and scored between a 154 and 159 on the LSAT. Last year, the school took in 2229 applications and admitted 1046 students.

[edit] New Building

The school recently unveiled plans for a new building. The school is currently attempting to raise the estimated $30-35 million necessary, with groundbreaking being estimated to being in 2010.

[edit] Rankings

In its 2009 publication, U.S. News & World Report ranked Saint Louis University School of Law 95th among the nation's "Top 100 Law Schools". For the fifth consecutive year, U.S.News & World Report has named Saint Louis University's health law program the best in the nation. [5]


[edit] Publications

  • Saint Louis University Law Journal [6]
  • Public Law Review [7]
  • Saint Louis University Journal of Health Law & Policy [8]
  • Saint Louis Brief [9]

[edit] Student organizations [10]

  • American Constitution Society [11]
  • American Trial Lawyers Association
  • Animal Law
  • A Real Community Here (ARCH)
  • Asian American Law Students Association (AALSA) [12]
  • Black Law Students' Association (BLSA) [13]
  • Christian Legal Society
  • Criminal Law Society
  • Employment Law Association
  • Environmental Law Society (ELS) [14]
  • Federalist Society
  • Health Law Association [15]
  • Hispanic Law Student Association
  • International Law Students' Association (ILSA) [16]
  • Older Wiser Law Students
  • OUTLAWS
  • Phi Alpha Delta (PAD)
  • Public Interest Law Group (PILG) [17]
  • Sports and Entertainment Law Association
  • St. Thomas More Society
  • Student Bar Association [18]
  • Student Intellectual Property Law Association
  • Veteran's Law Student Association
  • Women Law Students' Association

[edit] Notable faculty

  • Sandra H. Johnson, current, health law
  • Thomas L. Greaney, current, health law
  • Nicolas P. Terry, current, health law
  • Joel K. Goldstein, current, constitutional law, specialist in the Vice President of the United States
  • Stephen C. Thaman, current, criminal law
  • Isaak Dore, current, international law
  • Ann M. Scarlett, current, former clerk of Justice Thomas
  • Hon. Michael A. Wolff (1975-1998, current) [19]
  • Hauwa Ibrahim (Fall 2006)
  • Thomas Eagleton (2005-2006)
  • Joseph J. Simeone (1947-1972)
  • Hon. Theodore McMillian (1952-1972)
  • Richard J. Childress, former Dean 1969-1976
  • Alphonse G. Eberle, former Dean
  • J. Norman McDonough, former Dean 1953-1961
  • Charles B. Blackmar (1966-1982)
  • Eileen H. Searls
  • Vincent C. Immel (1958-2004), former Dean
  • John F.T. Murray, former Dean
  • Stanislaw Frankowski
  • Donald B. King,


[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District

  • Hon. Walter Bennick
  • Hon. Robert G. Dowd, Sr.
  • Hon. Carl R. Gaertner, 1948
  • Hon. Paul J. Simon
  • Hon. Kathianne Knaup Crane
  • Hon. Theodore McMillian, 1949
  • Hon. Joseph Stewart
  • Hon. Albert J. Stephan, Jr.
  • Hon. Robert O. Snyder

[edit] United States District Court, Eastern District of Missouri

  • Hon. Henry Edward Autrey, 1977
  • Hon. Clyde S. Jr Cahill, 1951
  • Hon. Edward Louis Filippine, 1957 [21]

[edit] United States District Court, Southern District of Illinois

  • Hon. Omer Poos

[edit] United States District Court, Central District of Illinois

  • Hon. Michael M. Mihm
  • Hon. Michael P. McCuskey

[edit] United States Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit

[edit] Trivia

  • Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas studied for his bar exam at the Omer Poos Law Library.
  • The first ABA law school in St. Louis to accept African-American students.

[edit] External links

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Schools of Saint Louis University