Texas Wesleyan University School of Law
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Texas Wesleyan University School of Law | |
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| Established: | 1989 |
| Type: | Private |
| Dean: | Cynthia Fountaine |
| Faculty: | 33 |
| Students: | 785 |
| Location: | Fort Worth, Texas, USA |
| Website: | http://www.law.txwes.edu |
Texas Wesleyan University School of Law is a private ABA-accredited law school founded upon the mission to provide excellence in legal education, emphasizing service to a diverse student body, the profession, and the community. Located in downtown Fort Worth, Texas, the law school offers the J.D. degree through its full-time, part-time, and evening programs.
Founded in 1989, Texas Wesleyan University School of Law began as the DFW School of Law in Irving, Texas. The law school was acquired by Texas Wesleyan University in 1992 and became the Texas Wesleyan University School of Law. The school moved to its current location in downtown Fort Worth in July 1997.
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[edit] Academics
Many law students at Texas Wesleyan enter the law school directly from their undergraduate institutions. There are also a large number of students seeking a legal education at a later stage in their lives. Coming from a variety of professional backgrounds such as accounting, real estate, education, health services, and finance, the student body at Texas Wesleyan University School of Law is rich in personal experiences and diversity.
The juris doctor degree is conferred upon students who satisfactorily complete a 90-hour course of study and a 30-hour pro bono requirement.
In keeping with its mission to provide excellence in legal education and emphasizing service to its diverse student body, the legal profession and its community, the law school requires each of its students to perform 30 hours of law-related pro bono service through the equal justice program. The program ensures students will have the opportunity to practice legal skills in a real-world setting prior to graduation, and it imparts to students the value that Texas Wesleyan University School of Law places on giving back to the community.
[edit] Experiential Programs
Through programs such as the Texas Wesleyan Law Fellowship and the externship program, Texas Wesleyan University School of Law encourages students to gain real-world legal experience prior to graduation.
The Texas Wesleyan Law Fellowship is a student-run organization that awards fellowships to students working in public interest organizations each summer. Traditionally, these types of organizations do not pay summer interns or clerks, so the fellowship helps ease the financial burden on students who want to complete a public interest internship in lieu of a paid clerkship. Previous recipients have worked for organizations such as Legal Aid of Northwest Texas, Catholic Charities, SafeHaven of Tarrant County, and the Federal Public Defender’s Office.
The externship program at Texas Wesleyan University School of Law enables students to work with practicing attorneys for academic credit and provides supervision for practice in trial and appellate courts, federal and state government entities, and public interest organizations. Students perform legal tasks and apply their academic studies to real cases, gaining valuable insight into the operation of legal institutions. Externships help develop legal experience in areas such as interviewing, researching, drafting, negotiating, counseling clients, and/or alternative dispute resolution.
[edit] Programs and Services
The law clinic at Texas Wesleyan University School of Law is a law office operated by law students, attorneys, and a faculty supervisor. The clinic focuses on family law, children’s issues, social security, and SSI disability. Working collaboratively with SafeHaven and the Lena Pope Home, the law clinic is able to offer legal services to members of the community who may not otherwise be able to afford representation.
Texas Wesleyan University School of Law is also home to the Wesleyan Innocence Project , a student-run organization whose members investigate claims of innocence made by inmates in Texas and elsewhere. Founded in 2005, the Wesleyan Innocence Project has made local and national news for its contributions in several of Texas’ recent exonerations.
The Wesleyan Innocence Project works in conjunction with the Innocence Project of Texas, an organization composed of similar groups from a number of Texas’ law schools and undergraduate institutions. The Wesleyan Innocence Project is also a member of the national Innocence Network.
The Texas Wesleyan Law Review is a student-run organization whose primary purpose is to publish a review intended to encourage scholarly criticism and analysis of legal issues of interest to practitioners and law students. The law review is published no less than two times per academic year.
[edit] State Bar Passage Rate
Statistics for the July 2007 Bar Exam[1]:
| School | PASS RATE | Number Took | Number Passed | Number Failed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Wesleyan University | 91.14% | 158 | 144 | 14 |
| Baylor | 97.85% | 93 | 91 | 2 |
| St. Mary's | 86.57% | 201 | 174 | 27 |
| South Texas | 91.12% | 259 | 236 | 23 |
| SMU | 92.44% | 172 | 159 | 13 |
| Texas Tech | 91.01% | 178 | 162 | 16 |
| Texas Southern | 65.32% | 124 | 81 | 43 |
| University of Houston | 91.83% | 257 | 236 | 21 |
| University of Texas | 89.55% | 287 | 257 | 30 |
