University of Connecticut School of Law

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University of Connecticut School of Law
Established: 1921
Type: Public
Postgraduates: 621
Location: Hartford, Connecticut, USA
Website: [1]

The University of Connecticut School of Law (commonly known as UConn Law) is the only public law school in Connecticut and one of only two in New England. The school was recently ranked forty-sixth (46) out of the 190 American Bar Association-accredited law schools in the United States by U.S. News & World Report.[1] The law school is in Hartford, Connecticut, though the main campus of the University of Connecticut is in Storrs.

Contents

[edit] Background

Founded in 1921, the Law School is accredited by the American Bar Association, and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Its campus is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The campus' gothic-style buildings, constructed in 1925 (except for the new library, which was completed in 1996), housed the Hartford Seminary until 1981. The recently-constructed law library is one of the largest law-school libraries in the United States.[citation needed] Two miles from the center of Hartford, the school is located in a neighborhood of large Victorian homes, where many students, staff, and faculty live. The campus is just a few minutes away from the State Capitol, courts and agencies, and the offices of Hartford's law firms and corporations.

[edit] History

The University of Connecticut School of Law (Starr Hall)
The University of Connecticut School of Law (Starr Hall)

George William Lillard and his wife Caroline Eiermann Lillard founded the Hartford College of Law. When the doors opened on October 25, 1921, the College was unaccredited and the students would earn a certificate at the completion of their studies. The faculty consisted of James E. Rhodes, Allan K. Smith, John J. Burke, James W. Knox, and Roger Wolcott Davis. Night classes were held in rented rooms at the Hartford Wire Works located on 94 Allyn Street in Hartford.

In February of 1921, the College moved to the Hartford Life Insurance Company Building at the corner of Asylum and Ann Streets Building at the corner of Asylum and Ann Streets. The second year classes were held on the top floor of the Hartford-Connecticut Trust Company located on the corner of Main and Pearl Streets.

In 1924, the first graduating consisted of just six members. J. Agnes Burns '24 was the first graduate admitted to the Connecticut Bar and would be the first woman to plead before the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors on March 4, 1925.

In July of 1925, the Connecticut General Assembly granted the College of Law a special charter under Special Act, 1925, Senate Bill No. 190-292 as a private educational institution. The next year saw the College move to the Graybar building at 51 Chapel St. in Hartford. In 1933, the Lillards conveyed all their financial interest in the corporation to a Board of Trustees. On September 18th of that year the College was approved by the American Bar Association and accredited by the Examining Committee of the Connecticut Bar Association.

In 1934, the Charter was amended so the College of Law could be organized as a non-profit educational corporation. In 1940, the College of Law for the first time was able to purchase property at 39 Woodland Street and would remain there for the next twenty-four years.

On June 1, 1943 the Connecticut General Assembly authorized a five-year lease of the College of Law and Insurance to the University of Connecticut, and on September 1, 1948, the Board of Trustees gave the deed conveying full title to President Jorgensen of the University of Connecticut.

In 1947, the Board of Student Editors started to contribute to the Connecticut Bar Journal published by the State Bar Association. Twelve years later, the Board of Student Editors became the Connecticut Law Review and continued to prepare a section of the Connecticut Bar Journal. In 1968, Dean Howard Sacks announced that the Connecticut Law Review would become an independent publication. Subsequently the Connecticut Journal of International Law (1985), Connecticut Insurance Law Journal (1995), and the Connecticut Public Interest Law Journal (2000) began publication.

In 1960, the Student Bar Association (SBA) was founded. It was established to administer the Honor Code, sponsor the school's participation in the National Moot Court Competition, plan social and informal educational activities, and participate in regional and national conferences of the American Law Student Association. Some of the later student organizations that were established on campus were: the Connecticut Moot Court Board, Adlai E. Stevenson Society of International Law Chapter (1966), Legal History Society (1968), Black American Law Student Association Chapter (1969), Law Women's Association (1972), Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity (1972), Environmental Law Society (1976), National Lawyer's Guild (1976), Gay Law Student Association (1980), Health and Social Services Law Association (1981), and the Hellenic Association (1992).

In 1961, The Starr Report, a student newspaper edited by the SBA and the Alumni Association, was published periodically during the academic year. Other student newspapers followed: Legal Realist (1968-74), Pocket Part (1974-1984), News (1985-1988), University of Connecticut Law School News (1984), J.D. (1989), Public Forum (1995-1998), University of Connecticut School of Law Newsletter (2000), Dicta (2000), and Pro Se (2006-present).

On May 1st, 1964, the new building on Trout Brook Drive in West Hartford was dedicated, where the Law School was relocated. Dean Hopkins accepted the building that had physical facilities designed for the purpose of a law school for the first time in its history. In 1966, a National Moot Court Competition was established on campus and in 1966 the law school began to participate in the prestigious Phillip C. Jessup International Law Moot Competition.


In 1969, the legal clinics began as a 14-credit course for third year students in criminal law. Additional clinics were initiated later: Judicial Clerkship (1975), Mental Health Law (1976), Civil Rights (1979), Labor Relations (1981), Legislative, Administrative Law, Mediation (1994), Tax (1999), Asylum & Human Rights (2002), Civil Appellate Litigation (2002), and Intellectual Property (2007).

In 1972, Constance Belton Green ‘72 is the first African-American woman to graduate from the law school. Bessye Bennett ‘73 was the first African-American woman admitted to the Bar in the State of Connecticut.

On June 1st, 1978, Governor Ella Grasso authorized $6 million for the purchase and renovation of the 27.5 acre campus of the Hartford Seminary. The campus included six gothic buildings, designed by Charles Coffen and built during 1922-1926. The move to this campus would not take place until 1984 under Dean Phillip I. Blumberg.

In 1996, the Law School celebrated its 75th anniversary and dedicated the new Law Library building with speaker Justice Stephen Breyer.

[edit] Academics

[edit] Clinical education

Clinical education is available but not required. UConn Law students have an opportunity to enroll in clinics following their first year. The following clinics were offered to J.D. students for the 2007-2008 year:

  • Asylum and Human Rights
  • Tax
  • Criminal Trial
  • Criminal Appellate
  • Mediation
  • Intellectual Property

All students can also receive Law School credit for work in externship placements. Externships are available in health law, environmental law, poverty law, women's rights, and other areas. Clinical externships are available at the Connecticut legislature and with members of the state and federal judiciary as well. Clinical placements are also available at two public interest law firms that are located on the Law School campus, the Center for Children's Advocacy and the Connecticut Urban Legal Initiative.

[edit] Certificate Programs

UConn Law offers certificates in the following areas:

  • Intellectual Property
  • Tax Studies
  • Law & Public Policy
  • Human Rights

[edit] L.L.M. Programs

  • Insurance
  • U.S. Legal Studies

[edit] Library

Dedicated in 1996, the library houses more than 450,000 volumes in a 120,000-square-foot (11,000 m²) facility, making it one of the largest law libraries in the country. There are 400 individual study carrels, 14 study rooms, computer laboratories, a rare book and manuscript center, a student lounge, periodical reading rooms and more than 70,000 linear feet of shelving. Collections include federal and state statues as well as judicial opinions, treatises and other primary sources. There are substantial collections of international legal materials, U.S. government publications, and insurance law materials. The library is currently being renovated and will be completed in June 2009.

[edit] Journals

There are four scholarly journals edited on campus: the Connecticut Law Review, the Connecticut Public Interest Law Journal, the Connecticut Insurance Law Journal, and the Connecticut Journal of International Law.

[edit] Alumni

[edit] Deans of the School of Law

  1. 1933—1934 Thomas A. Larremore
  2. 1934—1942 Edward Graham Biard
  3. 1942—1946 Laurence J. Ackerman
  4. 1946—1966 Dr. Bert Earl Hopkins
  5. 1967 Cornelius J. Scanlon
  6. 1967—1972 Howard R. Sacks
  7. 1972—1974 Francis C. Cady
  8. 1974—1984 Phillip I. Blumberg
  9. 1984—1990 George Schatzki
  10. 1990—2000 Hugh C. MacGill
  11. 2000—2006 Nell Jessup Newton
  12. 2006—2007 Kurt Strasser (interim)
  13. 2007— Jeremy Paul

[edit] Faculty

Paul Bader
Loftus Becker
Robin Barnes
Bethany Berger
Paul Schiff Berman
Robert L. Birmingham
Deborah Calloway
Anne Daily
Laura Dickinson
Kaaryn Gustafson
Mark Janis
Richard Kay
Hugh MaGill
Thomas Morawetz
Leonard Orland
Richard Parker
Richard Pomp
Peter Siegelman
James Stark
Steven Utz
Robert Whitman
Steven Wilf

[edit] Statistics

Class of 2010 profile

  • Applications 2,852
  • Acceptance Rate 17%
  • First Year Students Enrolled 230
  • Total J.D. Students Enrolled 621
  • Women 50%
  • Minorities 23%
  • Median LSAT 162
  • Median GPA 3.46
  • Day Division 25th-75th percentiles LSAT 160/164
  • Day Division 25th-75th percentiles GPA 3.24/3.65
  • Average Age 25

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/law/brief/lawrank_brief.php - last visited May 16, 2007

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Law schools in Connecticut

Litchfield Law School • Quinnipiac University School of Law • University of Connecticut School of Law • Yale Law School •