University of Houston Law Center

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

University of Houston Law Center
Motto "Lex"
Latin: "Law"
Established 1947
School type Public
Dean Dean Ray Nimmer
Location Houston, Texas, USA
Enrollment 1103
Faculty 130[1]
USNWR ranking No. 55
Bar pass rate 91.83% [2]
Annual tuition In-State: $15,992
Out-of-State: $22,372
Homepage www.law.uh.edu
The O'Quinn Law Library entrance (center) and Bates Law Building (right) at the University of Houston Law Center.
The O'Quinn Law Library entrance (center) and Bates Law Building (right) at the University of Houston Law Center.

The University of Houston Law Center (colloquially, The Law Center) is a professional graduate school at the University of Houston. It is a public American Bar Association accredited law school awarding Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.) and Master of Laws (L.L.M.) degrees. Founded in 1947, the Law Center is one of three accredited law schools located in the city of Houston.

Contents

[edit] History

The University of Houston Law Center was founded in 1947 as Bates College of Law with an inaugural class consisting of 28 students and a single professor.[3] The law school was housed in several locations on campus in its first few years—including temporary classrooms and the basement of the M. D. Anderson Library.[3] The College of Law moved into its current facilities—located at the northeast corner of campus—shortly following its groundbreaking in 1969.[3]

In June 2001, Tropical Storm Allison struck the University of Houston devastating its campus.[4] The O'Quinn Law Library was decimated by the storm—losing over 174,000 books and its microfiche collection—when the entire lower level was engulfed under nine feet of water. [5] The entire loss has been replaced with the assistance of FEMA funds and the library has reopened with the same size collection and expanded electronic resources.

In 2005, the University of Houston Law Center opened its facilities to Loyola University New Orleans College of Law after it was severely damaged in Hurricane Katrina. The law center hosted 320 of the Loyola's 800 students, all taught by 31 Loyola law professors, allowing classes to continue at the Law Center, rather than canceling the semester and severely hampering the first-year's students education. [6]

[edit] Rankings

The Law Center ranked 55th (Tier 1) of almost 200 accredited schools nationally in the 2008 U.S. News & World Report Annual Survey.[7] The Law Center is one of only 23 of the nearly 200 U.S. law schools offer multiple top-ranked specialty programs, and one of only eight public institutions on that short list. [8] The Law Center's Health Law concentration is currently ranked second in the nation. [9] The Intellectual Property concentration ranks number seven in the country.

[edit] Class profile

Class of 2007[10] Full-time Part-time
Applications 3009 317
Admitted 869 78
Entering Class Size Target 250 50
Median LSAT 162 158
Median GPA 3.59 3.43
25th/75th Percentile LSAT 159/165 154/162
Average Age 24 30

[edit] Curriculum

"The mission of the University of Houston Law Center is to build upon the strengths of the nation’s fourth-largest city by providing an affordable, top-quality legal education to the future leaders of a free society.

We will develop the professional lives of students and practicing lawyers through caring and challenging teaching of both theory and practice, cutting-edge research in a wide variety of disciplines, and active participation in the resolution of difficult issues facing the city of Houston, the state of Texas, the nation, and the world." [11]

Since 2004, 50 Law Center faculty members have published 79 books, 197 articles and 45 book chapters.[12]

[edit] J.D. program

The J.D. program encompasses 90 semester hours, divided into full-time and part-time sections. The full-time section starts in August and is a three-year course, while the part-time section begins in May and is a four-year course. Entering full-time students are placed into one of three sections with around 90 students each. Entering part-time students are place into evening section of about 60-75 students.[13]

The Law Center utilizes progressive and innovative approaches in its J.D. program.[14] The first year, 30 hours, introduces students to the study of law and includes traditional first-year subjects with a modern approach—incorporating practical skills to reinforce legal theory.[15] Students get to choose their three-hour elective course in statutory or regulatory interpretation.[15]

[edit] LL.M. programs

The Law Center offers six LL.M. areas of concentration:

[edit] Joint degrees

The University of Houston Law Center offers three joint degrees programs combining a J.D with a M.B.A., Master of Arts, or M.S.W. Joint degrees are also available with other institutions: University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health (J.D./M.P.H.); the University of Texas Medical Branch (J.D./PhD in Medical Humanities); Sam Houston State University (JD / PhD in Criminal Justice); and Baylor College of Medicine (J.D./M.D.).

[edit] Institutes

The Law Center also has various specialized institutes

[edit] Blakeley Advocacy Institute

The Blakely Advocacy Institute is a national leader in improving the efficacy of the legal profession and justice system by merging substantive law and lawyering skills to enhance the local, national and international legal communities. [16] The Law Center’s advocacy teams have earned top honors in major international, national and regional competitions, including: International Champions at the 2006 International Commercial Mediation Competition; National Champions and Best Speaker at the 2006 John R. Brown Admiralty Competition; Regional Champions at the 2006 National Trial Competition; Best Speaker at the 2006 HNBA National Moot Court Competition; and National Champions at the 2004 National Trial Competition. [17]

[edit] Center for Children, Law & Policy

The Center for Children, Law & Policy is a legal think-tank engaged in legal and interdisciplinary scholarship, advocacy and teaching to advance the interests of children through public policy.

[edit] Center for Consumer Law

Sponsors annual conferences on teaching consumer law, semi-annual “People Law School” programs for members of the Houston community, a consumer help line for the Houston region, and a consumer clinic. Publishes a journal on consumer, commercial and related law.

[edit] Criminal Justice Institute

[edit] Health Law & Policy Institute

The Health Law & Policy Institute, established in 1978, is one of the top health-law programs in the country—ranked among the top three in the country for the last ten years Health Law programs were ranked. [18]

[edit] Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Institute

A unique blend of academic disciplines and private sector support studying the various interactions between environmental issues, energy and natural resources, and the law.

[edit] Institute for Higher Education Law and Governance

The IHELG's purpose is the stimulation of an international consciousness among higher education institutions concerning issues of higher education law and the provision of documentation and analysis relating to higher education development.

[edit] Institute for Intellectual Property and Information Law

The IPIL is recognized worldwide for the strength of its faculty, curriculum and students. Its contributions to the study of law have earned both respect and an enduring reputation for quality. It is consistently ranked at or near the top 5.

[edit] O'Quinn Law library

The O'Quinn Law Library is one of the region’s leading legal research facilities. As a U.S. government depository, the library receives and makes available all federal government publications in selected subject areas. Special subject libraries for health law and higher education law, along with the Frankel Rare Books Library, round out the UH Law Center’s hard-copy collections. The law library has also emerged as a model of receiving, processing, and serving the rapidly increasing number of materials available only in digital form. [15]

In June 2001, Tropical Storm Allison struck the University of Houston devastating its campus.[19] The O'Quinn Law Library's holdings were decimated—over 174,000 books and its microfiche collection—when the entire lower level was engulfed under nine feet of water. [20] The entire loss has been replaced with the assistance of FEMA funds and the library has reopened with the same size collection and expanded electronic resources.

[edit] Student life

[edit] Statistics

The total enrollment for the Law Center is 1007 students.[1] Minority students comprise 26.5% of the student population[1] The student/faculty ratio is 15.9:1 and 93.2% of students are employed within nine months of graduation[1] The median starting salary is $85,215 a year.[21] 55.8% of the law students receive grant assistance to pay for their education.[1]

[edit] Publications

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e Official ABA Data Sheet. Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
  2. ^ July 2007 Texas Bar Examination Statistics Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
  3. ^ a b c UH Through Time - Colleges - UH Law Center
  4. ^ After Allison: UH overcomes the wrath of Tropical Storm Allison. Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
  5. ^ University Of Houston O'Quinn Law Library Eligible For $21.4 Million In FEMA Funds To Replace Books. Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
  6. ^ The Compassion of Neighbors, The Devotion of Community: Exiled School of Law Thrives During Challenging Times. Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
  7. ^ US News & World Report 2008 Law School Rankings. Retrieved on 2008-3-28.
  8. ^ Welcome from Dean Raymond T. Nimmer. Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
  9. ^ US News & World Report 2008 Law School Rankings: Healthcare Law. Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
  10. ^ Why Choose UH Law Center? Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
  11. ^ The University of Houston Law Center: Strategic Plan. Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
  12. ^ 2004-2007 Faculty Scholarship Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
  13. ^ J.D. Program Overview Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
  14. ^ Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools. Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
  15. ^ a b c 2007 Law Center Admissions BrochureRetrieved on 2007-11-15.
  16. ^ Blakeley Home Page. Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
  17. ^ Law Center Award Banners. Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
  18. ^ Health Law & Policy Insitute Brocure. Retrieved on 2007-11-16.
  19. ^ After Allison: UH overcomes the wrath of Tropical Storm Allison. Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
  20. ^ University Of Houston O'Quinn Law Library Eligible For $21.4 Million In FEMA Funds To Replace Books. Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
  21. ^ Welcome from Dean Raymond T. Nimmer. Retrieved on 2007-11-16.
  22. ^ Citation Ranking of Tax Journals (1999-2006). Retrieved on 2007-11-15.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
University of Houston
Academics Go Coogs!
Athletics
Campus
Student Life

The Daily Cougar • The Houstonian • Student Video Network • KUHF 88.7 FM • Houston PBS • Student Government Association • Notable Cougars
Traditions
v • d • e
University of Houston System
Universities
Health Science Center
Teaching Centers
Media