University of Cincinnati College of Law
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| University of Cincinnati College of Law |
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| Motto: | Juncta Juvant ("Strength in Unity") |
| Established: | 1833 |
| Type: | Public (state university) |
| Dean: | Louis D. Bilionis |
| Students: | 385 |
| Location: | Cincinnati, Ohio, USA |
| Campus: | Urban |
| Website: | http://www.law.uc.edu |
The University of Cincinnati College of Law is the fourth oldest continually running law school in the United States and a founding member of the Association of American Law Schools. It was started in 1833 as the Cincinnati Law School. Then-dean and future 27th President of the United States, William Howard Taft (1880), merged it with the University of Cincinnati in 1896.
The school is one of only five American law schools, along with Yale Law School, Harvard Law School, Columbia Law School, and the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, to have produced both a President of the United States (William Howard Taft) and a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (both Taft and Willis Van Devanter). Incidentally, the school has also produced a Vice President of the United States, Charles G. Dawes, as well as numerous governors and U.S. congressmen.
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[edit] Overview
[edit] Faculty
The UC College of Law's faculty includes several leading scholars in their fields. The faculty consists of 29 full-time employees and 27 part-time employees, creating one of the lowest student to faculty ratios in the country, 9.6: 1. There are 10 endowed UC College of Law professorships currently. In 2005, the school announced the appointment of Louis Bilionis as Dean and Nippert Professor of Law at the University of Cincinnati College of Law. Bilionis was formerly the University of North Carolina School of Law's first Samuel Ashe Distinguished Professor of Constitutional Law.
[edit] Admissions
Admission to the College is very competitive. In 2007, there were 1,293 applications, 454 admissions, and 120 matriculations. UC Law offers a full-time, day program only. Enrollment for the First Year Class is limited to 135 students. Total enrollment is limited to 385 students. According to 2007 data, the median LSAT is a 161 and the median GPA is a 3.63. The 75th percentile for LSAT/GPA is a 162/3.87 respectively, while the 25th percentile for LSAT/GPA is a 157/3.39 respectively. There are 53 undergraduate schools represented in the 2007 incoming class and 147 undergraduate institutions represented for all classes combined. In terms of diversity, 21% of the students come from minority backgrounds and about one-half of the student population is female.
The bar passage rate for first time Ohio bar examinees in 2006 was 93%[1], the highest in Ohio. In 2005, 96% of students are employed within 9 months post graduation. About 46% of graduates went into private practice firms and 15% did judicial clerkships; 65% are employed in Ohio.[2]
[edit] Tuition/Financial Aid
Tuition and fees for the 2007-08 academic year was $18,962 for a resident and $33,104 for a non-resident. After one year students are able to apply for residency and obtain the in-state tuition rate. On average, a student will receive a $6,000/year scholarship.
[edit] Rankings
In the most recent U.S. News & World Report rankings of top law schools (2009), UC Law was ranked 52nd in a tie with Arizona State University (O'Connor) and the University of Tennessee. From 1995 to 2002, UC Law was ranked in the top tier (top 50) of U.S. law schools by U.S. News & World Report. Law professor and scholar Brian Leiter has other law school ranking insights--Brian Leiter's Rankings.
[edit] Deans of the College of Law
| Dean | Years Served |
|---|---|
| Timothy Walker | 1833–1843 |
| William S. Groesbeck | 1844–1869 |
| Charles L. Telford | |
| Maskell S. Curwen | 1850–1868 |
| Rotated among faculty | 1869–1875 |
| Rufus King | 1875–1880 |
| Jacob D. Cox | 1880–1897 |
| William H. Taft | 1897–1900 |
| Gustavus H. Wald | 1900–1902 |
| William P. Rogers | 1902–1916 |
| Albert B. Benedict | 1916–1926 |
| Merton L. Ferson | 1926–1946 |
| Frank S. Rowley | 1946–1952 |
| Roscoe L. Barrow | 1952–1965 |
| Claude S. Sowle | 1965–1969 |
| Samuel S. Wilson | 1969–1970 1973* 1974–1978 |
| Edward A. Mearns, Jr. | 1970–1973 |
| Victor E. Schwartz | 1973–1974* |
| Jorge L. Carro | 1978–1979* |
| Gordon A. Christenson | 1979–1989 |
| Joseph P. Tomain | 1989–1990* 1990–2005 |
| Louis D. Bilionis | 2005–present |
*Acting
[edit] Library Services
The Robert S. Marx Library has 422,146 volumes with 196,995 titles and a full-time staff of 8 employees. The library also has two computer labs and a wireless network that is accessible throughout the College of Law building.
[edit] Clinics, Publications, and Student Activities
UC Law is home to several journals including the Human Rights Quarterly, University of Cincinnati Law Review, the Immigration and Nationality Law Review, and The Freedom Center Journal (FCJ), a joint publication between the law school and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
The College of Law also offers a Moot Court program.
UC Law offers a variety of legal clinics and special programs. The Center for Professional Development works to develop students' legal research and writing capacities. The Lois and Richard Rosenthal Institute for Justice/Ohio Innocence Project works to free actually innocent inmates. UC's Corporate Law Center develops students understanding of corporate law. The Glenn M. Weaver Institute of Law and Psychiatry provides UC Law students, mental health providers, and others opportunity to examine the legal and psychiatric systems and their implications for criminals and the justice system. [3] Through the Center for Practice in Negotiation and Problem Solving students and practitioners can enhance their negotiation and problem-solving skills.
The College also offers a joint degree in law and Women's Studies.
[edit] Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights
The Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights was established in 1979 to educate and train human rights lawyers and to promote and protect human rights in the international arena. It is the oldest endowed international human rights program for American law schools.[4]
The UMI emphasizes three areas: teaching, research and service. Students have the opportunity to participate in externships that can take them around the world-standing with human rights groups around the world fighting injustice; serving as election observers in South Africa; and, working to strengthen women's rights in foreign countries.
At the core of the UMI is the Human Rights Quarterly, recognized as the leading academic journal in the human rights field. The Quarterly covers the range of human rights matters encompassed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Published by The Johns Hopkins Press, the Human Rights Quarterly is edited by the Institute's Director, Professor Bert B. Lockwood of the University of Cincinnati, College of Law.
[edit] University of Cincinnati Law Review
UC Law publishes the University of Cincinnati Law Review (founded 1927) which was the first law journal published by an Ohio law school. The Law Review is a quarterly publication produced by second and third-year law students. Each year, approximately 30 students are invited to join the Law Review as Associate Members.
[edit] The Moot Court Honor Board
UC Law's Moot Court Honor Board hosts two competitions throughout the academic year.[1] One is the LexisNexis Moot Court Competition, an entirely intramural competition held in the fall that serves as the basis for selecting new members to the Board. The second is the August A. Rendigs, Jr., National Product Liability Moot Court Competition held in the spring, which is open to law schools throughout the country. In addition, the Board sends teams of competitors to many regional and national moot court competitions. As of Spring 2008, a number of teams had success at their respective competitions.
[edit] The Center for Corporate Law
The Center for Corporate Law encourages the development of law students' and the legal and business communities' understanding of the issues involving corporate law. By developing programs to educate and train students, as well as provide assistance to attorneys, the Center positively impacts the legal and business communities-in Ohio, Northern Kentucky, and Indiana and the world. Established in the 1980s, the Center addresses issues of central concern to corporate attorneys, such as the fiduciary duties of managers, the relationship between managers and shareholders, and the relationship of the corporation to society. Central to its activities is the annual Corporate Law Symposium, which provides an opportunity for scholars, practitioners and law students from across the country to exchange ideas, debate issues, and discuss ongoing research and scholarship on current topics in the field.
[edit] Center for Practice in Negotiation and Problem Solving
The Center for Practice in Negotiation and Problem Solving was founded to enhance professional education for negotiations and problem solving. The Center's seminars, forums, workshops and courses draw upon work from a variety of disciplines, including law, behavioral science, and decision-science.
[edit] Lois and Richard Rosenthal Institute for Justice/Ohio Innocence Project
The Lois and Richard Rosenthal Institute for Justice/Ohio Innocence Project works for positive social and legal change in Ohio, Northern Kentucky, Indiana, and beyond. Founded in the aftermath of the racial strife and civil unrest that shook Cincinnati to its core in April 2001, the RIJ/OIP seeks to make a difference in the lives of wrongly convicted criminals, in government rulings, or in the community.
The RIJ/OIP focuses on research project and reports, the Ohio Innocence Project, and the Speakers Series. Participants engage in public policy research, working with UC law professors on issues that affect law and justice-from racism to race relations, from the environment to economics. The Ohio Innocence Project serves as "freedom fighters," working to free the wrongly convicted. UC Law's program has freed three wrongly convicted persons to date. The Speakers Series provides an opportunity to engage the public, politicians, and others on issues affecting urban justice.
The Lois and Richard Rosenthal Institute for Justice was founded by Gabriel J. Chin, Professor of Law, University of Arizona College of Law and Joseph P. Tomain, Dean Emeritus and Wilbert and Helen Ziegler Professor of Law, University of Cincinnati Law School.
Professor Mark A. Godsey, Associate Professor of Law, University of Cincinnati, serves as the Faculty Director. Professor Jenny Carroll serves as the OIP Academic Director.
The Lois and Richard Rosenthal Institute for Justice/Ohio Innocence Project is supported by Cincinnati and Ohio philanthropists.
[edit] Location
The College of Law is located in Cincinnati, Ohio which is the 56th largest city in the United States--List of United States cities by population, while the Cincinnati-Middletown metropolitan area is the 25th largest in the country by population--United States metropolitan areas. The Greater Cincinnati area is home to over 685 law firms. Notably, Cincinnati's downtown is the site for the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit courthouse, and also the courthouse for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.
Furthermore, Cincinnati is home to 10 Fortune 500 companies including being the headquarters for Procter & Gamble, Fifth Third Bank, GE Aviation, Federated Department Stores and Kroger.
In their annual list, the Partners for Livable Communities has continued to name Cincinnati as one of the top ten most livable cities in the United States.
[edit] Notable alumni
| Name | Year of Graduation | Notable Accomplishments |
|---|---|---|
| John D. Altenburg | 1973 | Major General and military lawyer (U.S. army ret.) appointed authority for military commissions covering detainees at Guantanamo |
| Helen Elsie Austin | 1930 | A U.S. Foreign Service Officer and the first black woman to graduate from UC Law |
| William M. Barker | 1967 | Chief Justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court |
| Michael R. Barrett | 1977 | District Judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio |
| Sandra Beckwith | 1968 | Chief Judge and the first woman to sit on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio |
| Theodore “Ted” Berry | 1931 | First African-American mayor of Cincinnati, has been called "Mr. Cincinnati", advisor to Martin Luther King Jr. and pivotal attorney in the Civil Rights Movement for the NAACP |
| Joseph Gurney Cannon | attended, 1859 | U.S. Congressman and Representatives (1903-1911) |
| Samuel Fenton Cary | 1837 | U.S. Congressman representing Ohio in the U.S. House of Representatives (1867-1869), United States Vice Presidential candidate, prohibitionist |
| Stan Chesley | 1960 | Nationally recognized attorney of Waite, Schneider, Bayless & Chesley Co., L.P.A., well-known for his expertise with class action lawsuits; has been referred to as "The Prince of Torts" |
| Norton Parker Chipman | 1859 | Chief JAG Prosecutor at Andersonville, Secretary of the District of Columbia, U.S. Congressman, Author, and First Presiding Justice of the California Third District Court of Appeal |
| Donald D. Clancy | 1948 | Former U.S. Congressman representing Ohio in the House of Representatives (1961-1977) and former mayor of Cincinnati |
| James Beauchamp Clark | 1875 | U.S. Congressman and Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (1911-1919) |
| Cris Collinsworth | 1991 | Former wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals and current television sportscaster for Fox |
| Charles G. Dawes | 1886 | 30th Vice President of the United States (1925-1929) and Nobel Peace Prize recipient |
| Joe Deters | 1982 | Ohio State Treasurer (1999-2005), Prosecuting Attorney of Hamilton County, Ohio (2005-present) |
| Richard P. Ernst | 1880 | U.S. Senator from Kentucky (1921-1927) |
| Judson Harmon | 1870 | Attorney General of the United States (1895-1897), Governor of Ohio (1909-1913) |
| John D. Holschuh | 1951 | Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio |
| Miller Huggins | Manager of the New York Yankees, member of the Baseball Hall of Fame [5] | |
| Charles Keating | 1948 | Founding partner of Keating, Muething & Klekamp; appointed to one of Richard Nixon's Presidential Commissions |
| William J. Keating | U.S. Congressman in the House of Representatives (1971-1974);partner of Keating, Meuthing & Klekamp | |
| Joseph P. Kinneary | 1935 | ret. Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, The Joseph P. Kinneary U.S. Courthouse dedicated in 1998 |
| Nicholas Longworth | 1894 | U.S. Congressman and Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (1925-1931) |
| Charlie Luken | 1976 | U.S. Congressman and mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio (1984-1991, 1999-2006) |
| Harold G. Maier | 1963 | International Law Scholar; former Counselor on International Law, U.S. Department of State |
| William "Billy" Martin | 1976 | Prominent defense attorney of Washington D.C.; represented Marcia Lewis during the Lewinsky scandal, the parents of Chandra Levy, former Atlanta mayor Bill Campbell, former NBA player Jayson Williams, and most recently NFL Quarterback Michael Vick |
| Lawrence Maxwell, Jr. | 1875 | United States Solicitor General (1893-1895) |
| Edwin P. Morrow | 1902 | Governor of Kentucky (1919-1923) |
| Edward F. Noyes | 1858 | Governor of Ohio (1872-1874) |
| Atlee Pomerene | 1886 | Lieutenant Governor of Ohio (1910-1911) and United States Senator (1911-1923) |
| Todd Portune | 1983 | Cincinnati City Council (1993-2000); Hamilton County Commissioner (2000-Present) |
| William S. Richardson | Former Chief Justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court (1966 - 1982); The University of Hawaii's William S. Richardson School of Law is named after him for his dedication to its establishment | |
| Thomas M. Rose | 1973 | District Judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio |
| David M. Smolin | 1986 | children's/human rights activist and law professor at Cumberland School of Law, Director of The Center for Biotechnology, Law and Ethics. |
| Bob Taft | 1976 | Governor of Ohio (1999-2007) |
| William Howard Taft | 1880 | 27th President of the United States (1909-1913), 10th Chief Justice of the United States (1921-1930) and United States Solicitor General (1890-1892) |
| Willis Van Devanter | 1881 | Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court (1911-1937) |
| Donald C. Wintersheimer | 1959 | Kentucky Supreme Court Justice (1982 - Present) |
[edit] Trivia
The school's apex was the period from 1925 to 1929. During this time, UC Law alumni had significant influence in all three branches of the federal government. Charles G. Dawes was Vice President (and therefore also President of the Senate), Nicolas Longworth was Speaker of the House of Representatives, and William Howard Taft was Chief Justice of United States. Incidentally during this time, alumnus Miller Huggins managed the New York Yankees to World Series championships in 1927 and 1928.
[edit] References
- ^ Office of Bar Admissions
- ^ http://officialguide.lsac.org/OFFGUIDE/pdf/aba1833.pdf
- ^ The Glenn M. Weaver Institute of Law and Psychiatry, http://www.law.uc.edu/academics/weaver_index.shtml
- ^ History of the Urban Morgan Institute, http://www.law.uc.edu/academics/morgan_history.shtml
- ^ HickokSports.com - Biography - Miller Huggins
[edit] External Links
[edit] Websites and journals
- University of Cincinnati College of Law
- University of Cincinnati Law Review
- About the Human Rights Quarterly
- Immigration and Nationality Law Review
- About the Freedom Center Journal
- Securities Lawyer's Deskbook
- University of Cincinnati College of Law Student Bar Association
- University of Cincinnati College of Law Moot Court Honor Board
[edit] Professor blogs
- Professor Timothy K. Armstrong's Info/Law Blog
- Professor Barbara Black's Securities Law Blog
- Professor Paul Caron's Tax Law Blog
- Professor Jacob Katz Cogan's International Law Reporter
- Professor Mark A. Godsey's Criminal Law Blog
- Professor S. Elizabeth Malloy's Health Law Blog
- Joseph Hodnicki's Law Librarian Blog
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