| Villanova University School of Law | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1953 |
| Type | Private |
| Religious affiliation | Roman Catholic (Augustinian) |
| Dean | John Gotanda |
| Location | Villanova Radnor Twp, Pennsylvania, US |
| Website | www.law.villanova.edu |
Villanova University School of Law is the law school of Villanova University, the oldest and largest Catholic University in Pennsylvania. Villanova was founded 150 years ago by the Augustinians, a prominent Roman Catholic teaching order. The University is located 25 minutes from Center City Philadelphia in the Main Line suburb of Villanova.
Opened in 1953, the School of Law is approved by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Approximately 720 students study full time in the J.D. program which offers more than 100 offerings including foundation courses, specialty offerings, drafting courses, clinical experiences, seminars, simulation courses and externships. The faculty /student ratio is 17:1.[1]
The school of law is ranked 84th in the 2011 edition of U.S. News & World Report's Best Graduate Schools.[2]
In November 2007, the Villanova School of Law began construction on a new building to house classrooms, offices, and research facilities.[3] The building was completed in August 2009. The new facility was built according to LEED standards and incorporate a park like setting with a walking trail.[4]
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Villanova offers a legal education designed to teach the rules of law and their application; to demonstrate how lawyers analyze legal issues and express arguments and conclusions; to inculcate the skills of the counselor, advocate, and decision maker; and to explore the ethical and moral dimensions of law practice and professional conduct.
The Villanova University School of Law and the Villanova School of Business offer a joint-degree program permitting simultaneous study for the Juris Doctor and the Master of Business Administration degrees. The Villanova School of Business is one of the few business schools in the nation whose Master of Business Administration and Department of Accountancy program have been approved by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. In the program, credit is given for certain courses by both the School of Law and the School of Business. Through this program, degrees may be completed in less time than it would take to obtain them separately.[5]
The Graduate Tax program is an interdisciplinary program led by Leslie M. Book conducted under the auspices of the Villanova University School of Law and Villanova’s School of Business. The program has over 30 courses, which are also available to JD candidates, who are able to enroll in LLM courses as well as participate in the joint JD/LLM program. [3] Business students participating in the Graduate Tax Program may earn a Master of Science in Taxation (MST) degree.
Beyond the skills of written and oral expression developed in the first-year writing program and the required upper-level moot court program, drafting, and seminar courses, Villanova University School of Law students acquire the fundamental skills of the practicing lawyer—including counseling, negotiation, advocacy, mediation, dispute resolution, conciliation, and mature judgment. Hands-on clinical opportunities allow students to apply classroom experiences to real-world client representation, often while performing public service. Clinical programs include Federal Tax; Civil Justice; Asylum, Refugee, and Emigrant Services; and Farmworkers Legal Aid.
The school also strives to provide leadership in information technology, law and psychology, taxation, and international law, among other fields .
The 2009 edition of U.S. News & World Report's "Best Graduate Schools" ranked Villanova Law[6]:
Fall 2010 Entering Class Profile**:
GPA:
LSAT:
Students of the Juris Doctor (JD) program are involved in preparing and publishing the Villanova Law Review, as well as other law journals. Members of the law review are selected on the basis of academic rank or through an open writing competition. The Villanova Law Review was first published in 1956.
The law journals are:
The Villanova Environmental Law Journal publishes both student and outside articles dealing with environmental issues. Students are selected for membership by an open writing competition. The Villanova Sports and Entertainment Law Journal contains articles prepared by practitioners and professors in sports and entertainment law as well as by students. Membership is earned by selection through an open writing competition.
Each year, second- and third-year students have the opportunity to practice lawyering skills through the Client Interviewing and Counseling Competition, the Reimel Moot Court Competition, and several outside moot court competitions.
In the law library, students have access to 130 computer workstations located in a computer lab and throughout the library’s stacks. There are an additional 40 computers dedicated to student usage throughout the remainder of the law school. In addition, all students with laptops can access Villanova University’s high-speed internet connection and all of the technology resources throughout the law school via wired and wireless connections. Finally, the law library contains more than 500,000 volume-equivalents in books and microforms, along with subscriptions to numerous legal databases to which students have ready access.
The mission of the Career Strategy and Advancement Office is to provide career planning education, recruitment programs, and individual counseling as the foundation for future career development and satisfaction of the students. The office's features and programs include three attorney-advisors, including a public service/pro bono specialist; an open-door policy, including a daily “on call” advisor for walk-ins and “quick questions”; small group workshops for 1Ls; dozens of career workshops and panel programs on topics ranging from interviews, résumés, and networking, to public interest careers, judicial clerkships, and a multitude of practice specialty areas; “Practice Specialty Expo,” which brings nearly 100 attorneys to the law school for a networking experience; recruitment programs throughout the year, including an array of employers in private practice (large and small firms), government, nonprofits, the judiciary, and corporations; special recruitment programs designed to enhance diversity in the profession; job fairs targeting unique geographic or practice preferences; and job search coaching for new graduates on the job market.
Pro bono programs, such as “Lawyering Together” and other projects, provide students with the opportunity to serve the disadvantaged while developing skills and positive relationships with practicing attorneys.[7]
Approximately 20% of the Villanova Law student body participates in the "Lawyering Together" program. Through the program, law students are matched with volunteer attorneys who assist clients referred through Philadelphia pro bono organizations.[8] The referring organizations include Senior Law Center, Philadelphia Volunteers for the Indigent Program (VIP) and the Support Center for Child Advocates.[9]
In July 2009, Villanova Law School Dean Mark Sargent resigned, citing medical and personal reasons.[10] A week later, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Sargent was connected with the solicitation of prostitution, although he was never charged.[11]
In February 2011, Villanova's newly appointed dean, John Gotanda, revealed in an e-mail to students and staff that a Law School committee had brought to his attention that the school had reported false data to the American Bar Association about incoming students' GPAs and LSAT scores for several years before 2010. The University began a comprehensive internal investigation and commissioned an independent audit by Ropes & Gray to determine the nature and scope of the false reporting.[12][13] Dean Gotanda worked with the ABA to make them aware of the situation and the Law School's response. Dean Gotanda reconfigured the admission reporting process and organizational structure. The ABA Journal has reported that at this point it appears that the reporting is limited to LSAT and GPA scores.[14]
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