Pennsylvania State University - Dickinson Law

This article is about Dickinson Law in Carlisle, Pa.. For Penn State Law at University Park, Pa., see Pennsylvania State University - Penn State Law.
Pennsylvania State University
Dickinson Law

Seal of the Pennsylvania State University

Seal of the Pennsylvania State University
Motto Practice Greatness
Established 1834
Type Public law school
Parent institution
 Pennsylvania State University
President Eric J. Barron
Dean Gary S. Gilden
Academic staff
 22 resident, 43 adjunct and visiting (both campuses)
Students 573 (unified enrollment with Penn State Law)
Location Carlisle, Pennsylvania, United States
40°11′58″N 77°11′50″W / 40.1994°N 77.1973°WCoordinates: 40°11′58″N 77°11′50″W / 40.1994°N 77.1973°W
Language English
Official name Dickinson School of Law
Designated October 20, 1949[1]

Penn State University - Dickinson Law, located in Carlisle, PA is one of two independent and fully accredited law schools of Pennsylvania State University. The Law School offers J.D. and LL.M. degrees in law and hosts visiting scholars. Named for Founding Father John Dickinson,[2] the Law School was opened by Judge John Reed in 1834, making it the seventh oldest law school in the United States and the oldest law school in Pennsylvania.

In 2000, Penn State and The Dickinson School of Law merged. Until 2014, Penn State’s Dickinson School of Law operated as a single law school with two campuses – one in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and one in Penn State's University Park campus. In the summer of 2014, Penn State received approval from the ABA to operate the two campuses as two distinct law schools (now known as Penn State Law and Dickinson Law), both of which share the history and achievement of The Dickinson School of Law.

U.S. News & World Report, in its 2014 edition of America's Best Graduate Schools, ranked Penn State Dickinson (both campuses combined) 71st among the nation's top 218 law schools.[3]

In the July 2013 Pennsylvania Bar Examination, 93.83% of first time test takers passed (both Penn State campuses combined); graduates of both campuses took the bar in 25 states and achieved an average first time pass rate of 91%; 16.67% of second time test takes passed and the overall passage rate for the school of law was 83.87%.[4] According to Penn State's 2013 ABA-required disclosures, 44.5% of the (combined) Class of 2013 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation, excluding solo practitioners.[5]

Lewis Katz Hall

Lewis Katz Hall, named in honor of the principal donor to the project, philanthropist and businessman, Lewis Katz, for his $15 million gift to the Law School. Completed in January 2010, the transition marks the end of a two-year, $52 million construction project which included the addition of the elegant, new Lewis Katz Hall which is completely interconnected with the University Park campus via the most advanced high-definition, digital audiovisual telecommunications system available.

The project included an extensive renovation of historic Trickett Hall, the Law School's home since 1918, which houses the Law School's library, named in honor of H. Laddie Montague, Jr., a prominent Philadelphia lawyer and trial attorney who has committed $4 million to the school. As a design companion to Penn State Law's Lewis Katz Building, Dickinson Law's Lewis Katz Hall was renovated and rebuilt to comply with LEED standards, the facilities feature state-of-the-art classrooms, a new courtroom/auditorium, an exterior courtyard, and an environmentally friendly vegetated green roof.

Curriculum

In 2014, Penn State’s Dickinson Law announced a revitalized curriculum in which students are required to participate in hands-on training, beginning in the first year of the program with client-intake interviews and culminating in 12 credits of experiential learning upon graduation. This is in addition to required courses that include two semesters of research and writing.

During their first year, 1Ls must complete courses in Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law, Property, Legal Argument and Factual Persuasion, and Torts. 1L's also take Practicing Law in a Global World: Context and Competencies I, Problem Solving I: The Lawyer and Client, and Problem Solving II: The Lawyer as Writer. Only two courses are required after completion of the first year: Problem Solving III: The Lawyer as Persuader and Practicing Law in a Global World: Context and Competencies II. Students' remaining credits are to be filled with electives and required upper-level experiential learning requirements, for example: a certified legal internship within one of the Law School’s four in-house legal clinics; an internship with a government, nonprofit or private office; or full immersion in the Semester-in-Practice program in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C. or an international venue.

Dickinson Law Programs

Law journals

Dickinson Law features three scholarly journals, including the Penn State Law Review, formerly the Dickinson Law Review. The Law Review was founded in 1897, and is one of the oldest continually published law school journals in the country.

Student organizations

The Law School maintains an extensive roster of student organizations, including:

The school also participates in a number of moot court competitions including the prestigious Willem C. Vis Moot Commercial Arbitration Moot Court, held each year in Vienna, Austria and the National Environmental Law Moot Court held at Pace University in White Plains, New York.

Students at Penn State’s Dickinson Law are active in intramural sports leagues, including flag football, basketball, and volleyball. Dickinson Law also sponsors a softball team that competes in a national tournament each spring along with nearly 1500 law students from across the country. Also, students have coached soccer, lacrosse, track, swimming, and field hockey teams at the nearby Dickinson College and other local youth leagues.

Employment

According to Penn State's official 2013 ABA-required disclosures, 44.5% of the (combined) Class of 2013 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation, excluding solo practitioners.[5] Penn State's Law School Transparency under-employment score is 37%, indicating the percentage of the (combined) Class of 2013 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation.[6]

ABA Employment Summary for 2013 Graduates[7]
Employment Status Percentage
Employed - Bar Passage Required
  
 51.5%
Employed - J.D. Advantage
  
 10.5%
Employed - Professional Position
  
 8.0%
Employed - Non-Professional Position
  
 2.5%
Employed - Undeterminable
  
 0.0%
Pursuing Graduate Degree Full Time
  
 2.5%
Unemployed - Start Date Deferred
  
 2.0%
Unemployed - Not Seeking
  
 0.0%
Unemployed - Seeking
  
 19.5%
Employment Status Unknown
  
 3.5%
Total of 200 Graduates

Costs

The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at the Law School for the 2014-2015 academic year is $60,932.[8] The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $240,101.[9]

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ "PHMC Historical Markers Search" (SEARCHABLE DATABASE). Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Retrieved 2014-01-25.
  2. ↑ "John Dickinson". Biography.com. Retrieved 2014-02-18.
  3. ↑ Pennsylvania State University (Dickinson) | Best Law School | US News. Grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com. Retrieved on 2014-06-17.
  4. ↑ http://www.pabarexam.org/bar_exam_information/bestats.htm
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "ABA Employment Summary - Class of 2013" (PDF).
  6. ↑ "Penn State University Profile".
  7. ↑ "Employment Summary for 2013 Graduates" (PDF).
  8. ↑ "Tuition and Related Expenses".
  9. ↑ "Penn State University Profile".
  10. ↑ "Pennsylvania Governor John Sydney Fine". National Governors Association. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  11. ↑ "FITZPATRICK, Michael G., (1963 - )". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  12. ↑ "GERLACH, Jim, (1955 - )". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  13. ↑ "Biographical Directory of Federal Judges Gibson, Kim R.". Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  14. ↑ "GLENN, Milton Willits, (1903 - 1967)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  15. ↑ "HAND, Thomas Millet, (1902 - 1956)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  16. ↑ "HEINER, Daniel Brodhead, (1854 - 1944)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  17. ↑ "Pennsylvania Governor Arthur Horace James". National Governors Association. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  18. ↑ "KANJORSKI, Paul E., (1937 - )". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  19. ↑ "MARINO, Thomas A., (1952 - )". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  20. ↑ Schackner, Bill (October 31, 2010). "Obituary: John C. Pettit / Former longtime Washington County district attorney". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
  21. ↑ "RIDGE, Thomas Joseph, (1945 - )". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  22. ↑ "SANTORUM, Richard John (Rick), (1958 - )". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  23. ↑ "SASSCER, Lansdale Ghiselin, (1893 - 1964)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  24. ↑ "Biographical Directory of Federal Judges: Vanaskie, Thomas Ignatius". Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved December 26, 2012.

External links