University of Virginia School of Law

University of Virginia School of Law
Parent school University of Virginia
Established 1819
School type Public
Endowment US $ 425 million[1]
Parent endowment US $ 5.59 billion[2]
Dean Paul Mahoney
Location Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
Enrollment 1,078
Faculty 203
USNWR ranking 8
Bar pass rate 89.41%
Website law.virginia.edu
ABA profile officialguide.lsac.org

The University of Virginia School of Law (Virginia Law or UVA Law) was founded in Charlottesville in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson as one of the original subjects taught at his "academical village," the University of Virginia. Virginia Law is the fourth-oldest active law school in the United States (second oldest in the state after W&M). The law school offers the J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. degrees in law and hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers.

Virginia Law is perennially regarded as one of the 10 most prestigious law schools in the United States. U.S. News & World Report currently ranks Virginia Law 8th in the nation,[3] and in 2011 ranked Virginia Law as 6th among major law firm recruiters.[4] In the 2010 Super Lawyers Law School Rankings, Virginia Law ranks 4th in the nation.[5]

According to Virginia Law's ABA-required disclosures, 72.4% of the Class of 2013 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required non-school funded jobs nine months after graduation; and 16.2% were in positions funded by the law school itself.[6] A survey by the National Law Journal ranked Virginia Law fifth in the number of graduates hired by NLJ's top 250 firms in 2009.[7] Virginia Law also places high in clerkships, ranking behind only Harvard Law School and Yale Law School.[8]

The Princeton Review ranked Virginia Law as 1st in "Best Quality of Life" among the nation's law schools, along with 2nd in "Best Classroom Experience," 4th in "Best Professors," 5th in "Hardest to Get Into," and 7th in "Best Career Prospects"[9]

The Law School has 18,442 alumni in all 50 states, 63 foreign countries and several U.S. protectorates, and the Law School's alumni giving rate of more than 50 percent for the past seven years is among the highest of the nation's law schools.[10] Virginia Law recently completed an eight-year capital campaign, raising $173.9 million to enhance the student experience.[10]

The Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School operated by the United States Army is located next to UVA.

Admissions

The University of Virginia School of Law.
The University of Virginia School of Law.
Clay Hall and Caplin Pavilion
Clay Hall and Caplin Pavilion

Virginia Law is among the most selective law schools in the nation. For the class entering in the fall of 2014, 307 out of 5,246 J.D. applicants matriculated. The 25th and 75th LSAT percentiles for the 2014 entering class were 166 and 170, respectively, with a median of 169. The 25th and 75th undergraduate GPA percentiles were 3.57 and 3.93, respectively, with a median of 3.85.[11]

The Class of 2015 come from 43 states, the District of Columbia, three foreign countries, and 150 undergraduate institutions. The average age was 24 (with a range from 20 to 44). 55% of the class was male, 45% female, and 21% identified themselves as minority students. 66% of the class had work experience after college and 7% had graduate degrees.[12]

Cost of attendance

The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) for first-year law students at Virginia Law for the 2014-2015 academic year is $72,823 for Virginia residents and $75,823 for nonresidents. Costs for second- and third-year students are $70,823 for residents and $75,823 for nonresidents.[13] The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years, based on data from the 2013-2014 academic year, is $269,342 for residents; the estimated cost for non-residents is $287,233.[14]

Campus

Spies Garden
Spies Garden

Virginia Law receives virtually no funding from public coffers except for in-state student tuition subsidies.[15] The Law School instead depends upon the generosity of private donors, its substantial endowment (US $ 380 million[16]) and student tuition payments. In 1995-1997, the Law School used entirely donated funds to renovate and expand its buildings on the University's North Grounds to include the former facilities of the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration which built a new campus several hundred yards away. The Law School has an operating budget of US $ 61.3 million.[17]

The Arthur J. Morris Law Library holds more than 870,000 volumes, including substantial collections of federal, state, and international documents, manuscripts, archives, and online research databases.[18]

Student organizations

UVA Law Library.
UVA Law Library

The Law School maintains an extensive roster of student organizations, including chapters of the Federalist Society, the American Constitution Society and the St. Thomas More Society.

The Virginia Law Weekly, the Law School's student-run weekly newspaper, has been published since 1948. The paper has been cited in several court cases including the U.S. Supreme Court case Patterson v. New York. In addition to its news content, the VLW also contains student-submitted content which often includes humorous and creative pieces. The Law Weekly has won the American Bar Association's previous three "Best Newspaper Awards," in 2006, 2007, and 2008.[19]

Each spring over a hundred students write, direct and perform in The Libel Show, a comedy and musical theatre production that was first organized in 1904. Its performers roast Law School professors, student stereotypes and life in Charlottesville throughout each of its three nightly showings. Professors write and sing their response to the students' jokes at the penultimate performance.

Law journals

The Law School is host to 10 academic journals, including the Virginia Law Review, one of the most cited law journals in the country:[20]

Academics

The Law School's curricular programs include the programs in Law & Business and Law and Public Service , as well as programs in international law , legal and constitutional history , criminal law , human rights , race and law , environmental and land use law , immigration law , intellectual property , public policy and regulation , health law , law and humanities , and animal law .

The Law School also has programs that help students build skills, such as the legal writing program , courses in professional ethics , trial advocacy and public speaking , and other practical-skills courses .

Clinics

Supreme Court Clinic
Supreme Court Clinic

Among the more than 250 courses and seminars offered each year by the Law School, Virginia has 20 clinics:

Study abroad

Students may participate in eight international exchange programs:

In addition, the Law School offers rising third-year students the opportunity to obtain a dual degree from Sciences Po in Paris. Students who successfully complete this program earn a French law diploma (entitling them to sit for the French bar exam) and a J.D. degree from Virginia.

Students also may spend one semester abroad through the student-initiated study abroad program or as an external studies project. Each year one-credit courses are offered in Paris and Tel Aviv through the January Term.

Institutes and centers

The Law School includes several internationally known special programs directed by faculty members who are respected in their fields and often called upon by private and governmental organizations worldwide for their expertise.

Post-graduate employment

According to Virginia Law's official 2013 ABA-required disclosures, 96% of the Class of 2013 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation.[21] UVA's Law School Transparency under-employment score is 2.5%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2013 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation.[22]

Law firms

Virginia Law is fourth in the number of partners in the National Law Journal's top 100 firms,[23] and a survey by the NLJ found that the law school ranked fifth in the number of graduates hired by NLJ's top 250 firms in 2009.[7] Additionally, Virginia Law is second only to Harvard in the number of alumni serving as chief legal counsel at Fortune 500 companies.[24] Alumni from Virginia Law are also at 99 of the American Lawyer top 100 law firms (as of May 2014).[24] Virginia ranked second in the number of associates promoted to partner among the National Law Journal's top 250 firms in 2011,[25] and in a 2010 study by Stanford Graduate School of Business professors, Virginia ranked fifth in the number of lawyers at the top 300 U.S. law firms.[26]

Clerkships

From 2000 to 2010, Virginia Law had the fifth-highest placement of law clerks on the United States Supreme Court (tied with Columbia), surpassed only by Yale, Harvard Law School, University of Chicago and Stanford. Virginia is fourth in placing clerks on the U.S. Supreme Court from 2005 to 2012. Five alumni from the Classes of 2010-12 have clerked or are currently clerking for the U.S. Supreme Court.[24]

Notable alumni

Virginia Law maintains a list of prominent alumni.

Politics

Law

Academia

Media

Business

References

  1. ↑ "Facts & Statistics". Retrieved 2014-01-26.
  2. ↑ "UVa endowments remain strong despite poor national returns". Retrieved 2012-07-24.
  3. ↑ U.S. News & World Report Top Law Schools Rankings
  4. ↑ Law Firm Recruiters Rank Best Law Schools
  5. ↑ 2010 Super Lawyers Law School Rankings
  6. ↑ "Employment Summary for 2013 Graduates" (PDF).
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 National Law Journal Law Schools Report 2010
  8. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/07/us/politics/07clerkside.html?_r=0
  9. ↑ Princeton Review Law Rankings
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 http://www.law.virginia.edu/html/news/2012_sum/capital_campaign.htm
  11. ↑ Law School Admissions Council page on University of Virginia School of Law (note: must click through disclaimer page to see University of Virginia School of Law page).
  12. ↑ http://www.law.virginia.edu/html/prospectives/class15.htm
  13. ↑ "Tuition and Fees".
  14. ↑ "University of Virginia Profile".
  15. ↑ Law, Darden build on financial strengths: 06-27-2003
  16. ↑ "Facts & Statistics". Retrieved 2012-07-24.
  17. ↑ "2012-2013 Budget Summary All Divisions" (PDF). University of Virginia. 2012-06-08. Retrieved 2012-07-24.
  18. ↑ http://www.law.virginia.edu/html/insider/life_services.htm
  19. ↑ Virginia Law Weekly Wins ABA Best Newspaper Award for Second Year in a Row
  20. ↑ Law Journals: Submissions and Ranking
  21. ↑ "Employment Data for 2013 Graduates" (PDF).
  22. ↑ "University of Virginia Profile".
  23. ↑ UVA Fast Facts
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 UVA Law Facts and Statistics
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External links