University of Miami School of Law

The University of Miami School of Law, founded in 1926, is the law school of the University of Miami, located in Coral Gables, Florida, in the United States.

Curriculum

Due to the size of the faculty, the University of Miami School of Law is able to provide an extensive curriculum selection for second and third year students. First year students take a series of required courses designed to provide a basis for understanding the theory and substance of the law while exploring the political, commercial, and social dimensions of legal institutions. In addition to the required courses, first year students also are permitted to choose one elective in their second semester.

Law students at the University of Miami have the opportunity to combine their J.D. degrees with master's degrees in business administration, public health or marine affairs. There is also a joint J.D./LL.M. program as well where students can complete both degrees in seven semesters in the areas of Taxation, International Law and Ocean and Coastal Law. The law school also offers the following graduate programs leading to a master of laws (LL.M.) degree in taxation, estate planning, real property, comparative law, inter American law, international law and ocean and coastal law.

Faculty

The University of Miami's School of law boasts a distinguished faculty. Notable faculty members include:

*Susan Haack
*Stephen K. Urice
*Bruce Winick

tudents

The University of Miami School of Law has a total student body of approximately 1,250. The 75th LSAT and G.P.A. percentiles for the 2007 entering class were 160 LSAT and 3.64 grade point average. The 25th LSAT and G.P.A. percentiles for the 2007 entering class were 155 LSAT and 3.23. grade point average. The 2007 entering class of 489 was made up of 44% women, 24% minority and 64% out-of-state students. As of the 2007-2008 academic school year, the tuition (excluding fees and room and board) was $34,136.

tudent activities and programs

The University of Miami's School of Law offers participation in a multitude of student activities. The Student Bar Association, ("S.B.A."), serves as the law school's student government and works closely with the faculty and administration to improve student life on the campus. The S.B.A. also acts as a conduit to the American Bar Association and the school's SBA President along with the elected A.B.A. Representative serve as delegates to the national convention of S.B.A. Presidents and A.B.A. Representatives at the A.B.A. annual meeting.

The school offers students the opportunity to participate on the [http://studentorgs.law.miami.edu/moot_court_board/ Charles C. Papy, Jr. Moot Court Board] which hosts a Negotiation Competition, Mock Trial Competition, Fall and Spring C. Clyde Atkins Advanced Moot Court Competitions, and the John T. Gaubatz 1L Competition, and participates in numerous inter-school competitions across the nation. The Board has been requested to host the American Bar Association’s Regional Negotiation Competition in November 2008 and has been ranked as the sixth best Moot Court Board in the country.

The University of Miami School of Law also offers extensive [http://www.law.miami.edu/publicinterest/ "Public Interest Programs"] and opportunities, including the [http://www.law.miami.edu/ceps/ "Center for Ethics and Public Service"] that offers in-house clinics and educational programs including the "Children and Youth Law Clinic", "Community Health Rights Education Clinic", and "Corporate & Professional Responsibility Program". The [http://personal.law.miami.edu/hope/about_hope/main_about.html HOPE Public Interest Resource Center] at the University of Miami School of Law gives students the opportunity to get involved in over 25 different projects each year, reaching various underserved and at-risk populations locally, nationally and abroad.

The school also offers three official joint degree programs and seven [http://www.law.miami.edu/admissions/llm/ LL.M.] programs for post-graduate-level law study. The [http://www.law.miami.edu/aap/ "Academic Achievement Program"] and the "James Weldon Johnson/Robert H. Waters Program" provide participating students additional tools to succeed in law school. Other special programs at the law school include four [http://www.law.miami.edu/summer-abroad/ "Summer Abroad Programs"] , one each in London, England and Spain and two involving multiple European nations (Greece, Italy, and London) and (Greece, Italy, and Barcelona, Spain).

The University of Miami School of Law is the host of the "Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning", the nation’s leading conference for estate planning professionals. The law school also hosts an annual symposium for psychology, public policy and law.

Alumni and job placement

The University of Miami School of Law boasts more than 20,000 alumni practicing law throughout the United States and nearly eighty countries around the world.

The job placement rate for graduates of the University of Miami School of Law has matched or exceeded the national job placement rate for the past six years. Within nine months of graduation, slightly more than 90% of the Class of 2006 was employed and nearly 4% of the class was enrolled in a full-time graduate degree program. Most of the 2006 graduates – 69.5% – are working in law firms. Other graduates are working in federal, state and local government agencies (12.5%); corporations, banks and other corporate entities (7%); public interest organizations (5.5%); and academia (1.5%). Four percent of the graduates are clerking with federal and state court judges. Furthermore, 78% of the Class of 2006 began their legal careers in the Southeast, 9% moved West, 8% moved to the Northeast, 5% moved to the Midwest, and South/Central area of the country. Fact|date=October 2007

Notable Alumni

*Roy Black, J.D.
*Xavier Cortada , J.D. "Iron Arrow"
*Daryl Jones, J.D. 1987. ("SBA President 86-87") "Iron Arrow"
*Judge Caroll J. Kelly, J.D. 1989. ("SBA President 88-89")
*Justice R. Fred Lewis , J.D. "Iron Arrow"
*Alex Penelas, J.D. "Iron Arrow"
*Don West, Jr., J.D. 2000. ("SBA President 99-00") "Iron Arrow"

Campus

The University of Miami School of Law is located on the campus of the [http://www6.miami.edu/UMH/CDA/UMH_Main/ University of Miami] in Coral Gables, just 6 miles southeast of Miami, the 46th largest city in the nation. The Coral Gables campus offers access to its law library and the University of Miami's Otto Richter Library. Law students also have access to a state-of-the art campus-based Wellness Center, a student Health Center, the University of Miami's Lowe Art Museum, numerous campus-based dining areas, and all of the other amenities typically found on the campus of a major university.

Journals

The law school publishes four law reviews:
*The [http://currentstudents.law.miami.edu/law-review/"University of Miami Law Review"]
*The [http://currentstudents.law.miami.edu/business-law-review/"Business Law Review"]
*The [http://currentstudents.law.miami.edu/ialr/index.html"Inter-American Law Review"] (focusing on U.S.-Latin American legal issues)
*The [http://currentstudents.law.miami.edu/iclr/ "International & Comparative Law Review"]

The [http://studentorgs.law.miami.edu/pschology_public_policy_and_the_law/ "Psychology, Public Policy, and Law"] is an inter-disciplinary law journal that is published quarterly by the law school and the American Psychological Association.

Application information

*Application information for the Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree is available online at: [http://www.law.miami.edu/admissions/jd/#appprocess University of Miami School of Law Admissions] .
*Applications and other admission forms are available online at: [http://www.law.miami.edu/admissions/forms/ University of Miami School of Law Applications and Forms] .
*Prospective students may also want to note the University of Miami Law School's "29 Critical Questions to Ask", which is available online at: [http://www.law.miami.edu/admissions/29questions.html "29 Critical Questions to Ask"] .

External links

* [http://www.law.miami.edu/ University of Miami School of Law Official Web Site] .