| University of Connecticut School of Law |
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|---|---|
| Established | 1921 |
| Type | Public |
| Endowment | $52 million |
| Dean | Jeremy R. Paul |
| Academic staff | 120 |
| Postgraduates | 621 |
| Location | Hartford, Connecticut, USA |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Website | http://www.law.uconn.edu |
The University of Connecticut School of Law (commonly known as UConn Law) is the only public law school in Connecticut and one of only four 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 and is considered a Tier 1 school by U.S. News & World Report[1] and 33rd overall in the annual 2009 Judging the Law Schools rankings.[2] The law school is in Hartford, Connecticut, though the main campus of the University of Connecticut is in Storrs. Considered a Public Ivy, the University of Connecticut is a member of the Big East Conference and is considered one of the leading research universities in the United States.[3]
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Founded in 1921, the Law School is accredited by the American Bar Association, and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. The campus is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Its gothic-style buildings, constructed in 1925 (except for the new library, which was completed in 1996), housed the Hartford Seminary until 1981. UConn Law has repeatedly been ranked the top public law school in New England by U.S. News and World Report,[4][5] and the University of Connecticut is also ranked among the top 20 public research universities nationally.[6]
In addition to the Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree, the law school offers several joint degrees, including the J.D./LL.M. (Juris Doctor/Master of Laws, Insurance Law), J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration), J.D./M.L.S. (Juris Doctor/Master of Library Science), J.D./M.P.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Public Affairs Administration), J.D./M.P.H. (Juris Doctor/Master of Public Health), and J.D./M.S.W. (Juris Doctor/Master of Social Work). UConn Law offers the only LL.M in insurance law in the United States.[7] The faculty are known particularly for their strength in insurance law and intellectual property law.[8]
The law school has approximately 620 students and a student:faculty ratio of 11:1. Entering first-year students join small discussion-based courses of only 20-30 students. Students may pursue concentrations in corporate law, criminal law, environmental law, family law, intellectual property law, international law, juvenile law, labor law, litigation, tax law, torts and insurance, legal theory, information technology law, property and land, child advocacy, and policy.
In addition, clinics provide hands-on, practical training to upper-level students who earn up to 10 credits for their work; strong and widely recognized asylum and human rights, criminal law, appellate, child advocacy, immigration, intellectual property, and tax clinics are available. Seminars in a multitude of different substantive areas are available to upper-level students for about 3 credits. Internships, and field work are available to upper-level students. Research positions are open to upper-level students under the direction of a faculty adviser.
The Law Library contains 645,754 hard-copy volumes and 222,856 microform volume equivalents, and subscribes to 5,704 serial publications. The facility, 120,000-square-foot (11,000 m2), is 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 feet (21,000 m) of shelving. Collections include federal and state statutes 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 recently underwent a $21 million renovation, and reopened in June 2009.[9]
The Law Library works closely with the University of Connecticut Libraries, which form the largest public research collection in the state of Connecticut. The main library is the Homer D. Babbidge Library, formerly the Nathan Hale Library, at the Storrs campus, which underwent a $3 million renovation that was completed in 1998, making it then the largest public research library in New England.[10] The Storrs campus is also home to the university's Music and Pharmacy libraries, as well as the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, home to the university's archives and special collections, including university records, rare books, and manuscript collections. Each of the regional campuses also have their own libraries, including the Jeremy Richard Library at UConn-Stamford and the Trecker Library in West Hartford. These libraries are tied into the Babbidge library through a shared catalogue.
The Babbidge-based collection, which places UConn among the top 30 universities in the nation for both library holdings and funding, contains more than 2.5 million print volumes; approximately 2,500 current print periodicals; more than 35,000 unique electronic journals available through the eJournal locator;[11] 2.8 million units of microform; 180,000 maps at the Map and Geographic Information Center (New England's largest public map collection); thousands of electronic books; and an array of free electronic information sources. The UCL also license approximately 265 electronic search databases,[12] many of which contain the full-text of research journals, monographs, and historic documents. Additionally, UConn is the home of the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research, which is the world's most comprehensive survey and public opinion data library.[13]
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. The Connecticut Law Review is the oldest, largest, and most active student-run publication at the School of Law. Five times per year, the organization publishes a high quality journal of interest to the general legal community. The journal has a circulation that spans all 50 states as well as 19 foreign countries. Members of Connecticut Law Review are responsible for the entire production process from article selection and editing through the layout of the final copy.
Class of 2012 profile [14]
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