Columbus School of Law

Last updated

The Catholic University of America
Columbus School of Law
Catholic University of America logo.png
MottoDeus Lux Mea Est - God Is My Light
Parent school Catholic University of America
Established1898 by the Knights of Columbus [1]
School type Private law school
Dean Stephen C. Payne
Location Washington, D.C., U.S.
38°56′10″N76°59′49″W / 38.936°N 76.997°W / 38.936; -76.997
Enrollment406 [2]
Faculty86 (29 full-time; 57 non-full-time) [2]
USNWR ranking94th (2024) [3]
Bar pass rate89% [4]
Website law.edu
ABA profile ABA Required Disclosures

The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law is the law school of the Catholic University of America, a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C., United States.

Contents

More than 400 Juris Doctor students attend Catholic Law. Incoming classes are typically composed of about 150 students, including day and evening programs. [2] Around 1,500 students apply annually. [2] According to Catholic Law's 2023 ABA-required disclosures, 92% of 2022 graduates obtained full-time, long-term employment requiring bar passage ten months after graduation. [5]

History

Catholic University of America began offering instruction in law in 1895, as part of its decision to open "faculties for the laity." [1] The department was turned into an official school in 1898. [1]

In 1919, the Knights of Columbus founded an educational program known as Columbus University which provided an evening education program for Catholic war veterans returning from World War I. This institution was closely affiliated with Catholic University and shared faculty at both institutions' Washington, D.C., locations. In 1954, Columbus University (then consisting only of an evening law school) merged with Catholic University's law school to form the Columbus School of Law.[ citation needed ]

The law school has been accredited by the Association of American Law Schools since 1921 [6] and the American Bar Association since 1925. [7] Catholic University's law school has established a progressive history of inclusion.[ citation needed ] Its first African-American student was enrolled in 1902; its first female student in 1922.[ citation needed ]

Rankings

In the 2023 "Best Law Schools" edition of U.S. News & World Report , the Columbus School of Law is ranked 94th. [3] Its part-time program is ranked 38th. [3]

Student body

As of October 2021[ needs update ], Catholic Law enrolled 406 J.D. students, including 161 first-year students. Catholic Law received 1493 applications for 2021 enrollment and offered admission to 593, an acceptance rate of 40%. Among its first-year class, the median LSAT score was 158 and median undergraduate GPA was 3.5. [2]

Of Catholic Law's 406 students[ needs update ] enrolled in October 2021, 283 (70%) attended full-time and 123 (30%) attended part-time. According to the U.S. News & World Report, 60% of the student body was female and 40% male. In addition, the student body was 68% white, 10% Hispanic, 6% Black or African American, 5% Asian, less than 1% Pacific Islander and American Indian, 5% two or more races, 5% unknown race, and 1% international. [3]

In the 2013–2014 academic year, Catholic Law admitted 161 students and enrolled a total of 519 students. [8] The law school had the third largest drop in enrollment between the 2010–2011 academic year and 2013–2014 academic year, with enrollment falling 39.5%. [9]

Over 30 student organizations are active on campus. [10] The school has a moot court program with teams practicing in international law, communications law, labor law, constitutional law, securities law, national security, and a trials competition. [11] The moot court team holds an annual inter-school competition between 1Ls called SoapBox. [12]

Costs

During the 2021-2022 academic year[ needs update ], annual tuition and fees were $56,040 for full-time J.D. students and $38,690 for part-time J.D. students. The annual estimated total cost of attendance for J.D. students not living with their parents, which includes tuition and fees, living expenses, transportation expenses, book expenses, and miscellaneous personal expenses, was $85,840 for full-time students and $68,490 for part-time students. [13] Between 2015 and 2019, the average annual increase in tuition and fees at Catholic Law was 2.86%. [14] In addition, in the 2020–21 academic year, 98% of part-time students and 100% of full-time students received a scholarship or grant from Catholic Law. [2]

Employment outcomes

According to Catholic Law's official 2021 ABA-required disclosures, the first-time bar passage rate of 2020 graduates was 89%. [4] Within nine months of graduation, 59% of 2021 graduates obtained full-time, long-term employment requiring bar passage; 23% obtained employment in full-time, long-term positions where having a J.D. was preferred; 2% obtained employment in other full-time, long-term professional positions; and the remaining 16% either obtained short-term positions or part-time positions, did not obtain employment, or did not report their employment status. [5] None of those jobs were school-funded positions. [5] Graduates who obtained full-time, long-term positions within nine months of graduation became employed in a variety of contexts, including approximately 4% in federal judicial clerkships, 15% in state and local judicial clerkships, 24% in government, 29% in private practice, 21% in business and industry, 6% in public interest, and 1% in education. Geographically, most of Catholic Law's 2021 graduates who became employed within nine months of graduation were hired to work in Washington, D.C., followed by Virginia and Maryland. [5]

Catholic Law ranked 150th out of the 201 ABA-approved law schools in terms of the percentage of 2013 graduates with non-school-funded, full-time, long-term, bar-passage-required jobs nine months after graduation. [15]

Academics

Curriculum

Columbus School of Law Columbus School of Law CUA.JPG
Columbus School of Law

Catholic University's J.D. program can be completed over three years of full-time day study or four years of part-time evening study. The first-year curriculum is prescribed for all students. The day-division curriculum consists of seven required courses totaling 29 credit hours. [16] Evening-division students are required to complete the same basic courses within the first two years of their law school career. Revised for 2013, the curriculum is designed to strengthen first-year doctrinal courses, to support the development of practice-area concentrations, and to emphasize training that will help graduates transition to the real world of practice.

The upper-division curriculum comprises several requirements, courses that are strongly recommended, and elective options. Catholic Law students must complete a minimum of 84 credits to earn the J.D. degree. Required upper division courses include Constitutional Law II, Professional Responsibility, Professional Skills, and Upper-Level Writing. [16] The law school is developing a Transition-to-Practice requirement for students. This requirement is expected to be fulfilled by taking either a clinical course or a capstone course. Foundational courses for all areas of legal practice—and thus strongly recommended for all upper-class students—include Evidence, Corporations, and Criminal Procedure.

To respond to increasing demand for specialized legal services, the Law School has developed practice-area concentrations for upper division students in Civil Litigation, Criminal Litigation, Family Law, Intellectual Property, Labor and Employment Law, and Securities Regulation. [17]

Degrees offered

In addition to the J.D. program, the school offers LL.M. programs in Law & Technology, Securities Law, and Comparative and International Law. [18]

The school also offers an LL.M. program in American law with the Faculty of Law and Administration of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland. [19] It allows Jagiellonian law students and students enrolled in the CUA-JU LL.M. program to study the essential substantive and procedural elements of the legal system of the United States.

The school offers a M.L.S. degree program, which enhances the ability of professionals to work with lawyers and legal issues, to gain a deeper knowledge of a particular legal field, and to understand laws and regulations. Students can choose to concentrate in the fields of Compliance and Corporate Responsibility, Employment and Human Resources, or Intellectual Property. Alternatively, students may choose a General U.S. Law option, which provides a broad overview of the law and legal practice.

Faculty

As of the 2020–2021 academic year[ needs update ], Catholic Law had 86 faculty members, including 29 full-time faculty members and 57 non-full-time faculty members. [2] The law school's student-faculty ratio was 7.1 to 1. [3]

Institutes and programs

Catholic Law offers five opportunities for specialized legal study; four of them are certificate-granting. [17] The programs are designed to give students the opportunity to pursue a specified concentration of courses. Each institute accepts approximately 15 students each academic year. They are:

Experiential learning

Founded in 1969, Columbus Community Legal Services offers four legal clinics that offer students hands-on learning. The Columbus Community Legal Services clinics include the General Practice Clinic; the Families and the Law Clinic; Advocacy for the Elderly; and the Consumer Protection Clinic. [20] In addition, the school offers the Criminal Prosecution Clinic, the Immigration Litigation Clinic, the Innocence Project Clinic and Clemency Project, the Virginia Criminal Defense Clinic, and an SEC Student Observer Program. [21]

The Columbus School of Law has an extensive legal externship program through which about 200 upper-class students per year earn course credits during the fall, spring, and summer semesters by working in nonprofit organizations; federal, state, and local government agencies; Congress; and for judges, law firms, trade associations, and corporations in the D.C. area. [22]

Publications

The Columbus School of Law has two student-edited law journals: [23]

Campus

The Columbus School of Law is located on the campus of the Catholic University of America, and law students have access to many of the same services and facilities as undergraduate students. Completed in 1994, the law school building contains the Kathryn J. DuFour Law Library, the Walter A. Slowinski and Haislip and Yewell Courtrooms, and the three-story Keelty Atrium. The building is located in the Brookland neighborhood of Washington, D.C., and is a five-minute walk from the Brookland-CUA metro station.

Notable alumni

Congress

Federal government

Federal judiciary

State government

Business

Non-profit

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanford Law School</span> Law school of Stanford University, California, U.S

Stanford Law School (SLS) is the law school of Stanford University, a private research university near Palo Alto, California. Established in 1893, Stanford Law had an acceptance rate of 6.28% in 2021, the second-lowest of any law school in the country. Paul Brest currently serves as Interim Dean.

The University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law is the law school of the University of Maryland, Baltimore and is located in Baltimore City, Maryland, U.S. Its location places Maryland Law in the Baltimore-Washington legal and business community. Founded in 1816, it is one of the oldest law schools in the United States.

The Boston University School of Law is the law school of Boston University, a private research university in Boston. Established in 1872, it is the third-oldest law school in New England, after Harvard Law School and Yale Law School. Approximately 630 students are enrolled in the full-time J.D. degree program and about 350 in the school's five LLM degree programs. BU Law was one of the first law schools in the country to admit students to study law regardless of race or gender.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law</span> Law school of Yeshiva University in New York

The Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law is the law school of Yeshiva University in New York City. Founded in 1976 and now located on Fifth Avenue near Union Square in Lower Manhattan, the school is named for Supreme Court Justice Benjamin N. Cardozo. Cardozo graduated its first class in 1979. An LL.M. program was established in 1998. Cardozo is nondenominational and has a secular curriculum, in contrast to some of Yeshiva University's undergraduate programs. Around 320 students begin the J.D. program per year, of whom about 57% are women. In addition, there are about 60–70 LL.M. students each year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American University Washington College of Law</span> Private law school in Washington, D.C., US

The American University Washington College of Law is the law school of American University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It is located on the western side of Tenley Circle in the Tenleytown section of northwest Washington, D.C. The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and a member of the AALS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Maine School of Law</span>

The University of Maine School of Law is a public law school in Portland, Maine. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and is Maine's only law school. It is also part of the University of Maine System. The school's current dean is Leigh Saufley, who assumed the post in 2020. Until 1972 the School of Law was located at 68 High Street, Portland. In 1972, the School of Law moved to the University of Maine School of Law Building, which is adjacent to the University of Southern Maine's Portland campus. In 2023, the Law School moved to 300 Fore Street, on the waterfront of downtown Portland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capital University Law School</span> Private law school in Columbus, OH, US

Capital University Law School is an ABA-accredited private law school located in downtown Columbus, Ohio, United States. The law school is affiliated with Capital University, the oldest university in Central Ohio and one of the oldest and largest Lutheran-affiliated universities in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albany Law School</span> Private law school in Albany, New York

Albany Law School is a private law school in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1851 and is the oldest independent law school in the nation. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and has an affiliation agreement with University at Albany that includes shared programs. The school is located near New York's highest court, federal courts, the executive branch, and the state legislature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Williams University School of Law</span>

Roger Williams University School of Law is the law school of Roger Williams University, a private university in Bristol, Rhode Island. It is the only law school in Rhode Island. It was the first graduate degree program established by the university, then Roger Williams College, in 1993. The School of Law has been accredited by the American Bar Association since 1997 and has been a member of the Association of American Law Schools since 2006. It is one of a handful of law schools within the United States that offer a focus in Maritime Law. Roger Williams University School of law offers guaranteed clinical hands-on experience. It is also the lowest priced ABA accredited private law school in the Northeast, at a tuition of $44,834 for the 2023-2034 year. RWU Law also offers a second experiential campus in the heart of Providence, Rhode Island. There were 179 students enrolled as first-year students in 2022.

The University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law is the law school of the University of the District of Columbia, a public historically black land-grant university in Washington, D.C. It is named after David A. Clarke and was established in 1986 when, in response to a local grassroots campaign, the Council of the District of Columbia decided to take over assets of the Antioch School of Law, whose parent institution Antioch University had decided to close it in the face of increasing financial problems. The new school was named the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Tulsa College of Law</span> Law school of the private University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma

The University of Tulsa College of Law is the law school of the private University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma. For 2023, U.S. News & World Report ranked the University of Tulsa College of Law at No. 111 among all law schools in the United States. It is the only law school in the Tulsa Metropolitan Area and northeastern Oklahoma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico School of Law</span> Law school in Ponce, Puerto Rico founded in 1961

The Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico School of Law is the law school of the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico, a private Roman Catholic university with its main campus in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It was established in 1961.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gonzaga University School of Law</span> Law school in Washington, U.S.

The Gonzaga University School of Law is the professional school for the study of law at Gonzaga University. Established in 1912, the Jesuit-affiliated law school has been fully accredited by the American Bar Association since 1951, and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Louis University School of Law</span> Law school in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.

Saint Louis University School of Law, also known as SLU Law, is the law school affiliated with Saint Louis University, a private Jesuit research university in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has been American Bar Association approved since 1924 and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law</span> Graduate school at Arizona State University

The Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law is the law school at Arizona State University in Phoenix, Arizona. The school is located in the Beus Center for Law and Society on ASU's downtown Phoenix campus. Created in 1965 as the Arizona State University College of Law upon recommendation of the Arizona Board of Regents, with the first classes held in the fall of 1967. The school has held American Bar Association accreditation since 1969 and is a member of the Order of the Coif. The school is also a member of the Association of American Law Schools. In 2006, the law school was renamed in honor of Phoenix resident, Stanford graduate, and retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University</span> Law school of Duquesne University

The Thomas R. Kline School of Law is the law school of Duquesne University, a private Catholic university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is approved by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Dean April M. Barton joined the school in 2019 as its 13th dean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of St. Thomas School of Law</span>

The University of St. Thomas School of Law is the law school of University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is one of three law schools in Minneapolis–Saint Paul. It currently enrolls 434 students. St. Thomas Law is accredited by the American Bar Association. It is also a member of The Association of American Law Schools. Founded in 1999, the School of Law graduated its first class in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tulane University Law School</span> Law school in New Orleans, Louisiana, US

Tulane University Law School is the law school of Tulane University. It is located on Tulane's Uptown campus in New Orleans, Louisiana. Established in 1847, it is the 12th oldest law school in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howard University School of Law</span> Law school in Washington, DC

Howard University School of Law is the law school of Howard University, a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is one of the oldest law schools in the country and the oldest historically black law school in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wake Forest University School of Law</span> Private law school in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, US

Wake Forest University School of Law is the law school of Wake Forest University, a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Established in 1894, Wake Forest University School of Law is an American Bar Association (ABA) accredited law school and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS). The current dean is Andrew R. Klein.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Columbus School of Law: History". Columbus School of Law. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "The Catholic University of America 2022 Standard 509 Information Report" (PDF). Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Catholic University of America" . Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  4. 1 2 "Catholic University of America 2021 Bar Passage Report" (PDF). American Bar Association. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Employment Summary for 2022 Graduates" (PDF). Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  6. ↑ "AALS Member and Fee-Paid Schools". AALS. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Alphabetical School List". ABA. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  8. ↑ "The Catholic University of America 2013 Standard 509 Information Report" (PDF). Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Cooley, NYLS have largest enrollment declines since 2010-2011". National Jurist. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  10. ↑ "CUA Law Student Organizations". Columbus School of Law. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Moot Court". Columbus School of Law. Archived from the original on November 30, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  12. ↑ "SoapBox". Columbus School of Law. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Cost of Attendance". Columbus School of Law. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Catholic University of America Profile". Law School Transparency. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  15. ↑ Leichter, Matt. "Class of 2013 Employment Report". The Law School Tuition Bubble. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  16. 1 2 "Course Requirements, First-Year Courses". Columbus School of Law. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  17. 1 2 "Certificate Programs and Concentrations". Columbus School of Law. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  18. ↑ "LL.M. Program". Columbus School of Law. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  19. ↑ "LL.M. Program offered by CUA in cooperation with Jagiellonian University". Columbus School of Law. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Columbus Community Legal Services". Columbus School of Law. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  21. ↑ "Clinics and Practical Training". Columbus School of Law. Archived from the original on July 16, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  22. ↑ "Legal Externships". Columbus School of Law. Archived from the original on February 5, 2013. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  23. ↑ "Journals". Columbus School of Law. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  24. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "CUA Law Notable Alumni". Columbus School of Law. Archived from the original on July 24, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  25. ↑ Charlene Barshefsky "Dedication," Catholic University Law Review, Volume 47, Issue 3, Spring 1998, Article 2.
  26. ↑ Flint, Peter. "John Harold Fanning Dies at 73; A Chief of Labor Relations Board". New York Times. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  27. ↑ "Biographical Profile for Martin Connor". Vote NY. Archived from the original on January 9, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  28. ↑ "Kelly Murphy-D runs against Alan Livingston-R, for House District 125 seat". Press Herald. September 29, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  29. ↑ "Retired Judge Charles Pomeroy dies", Waterville Morning Sentinel (December 30, 1993), p. 7.
  30. ↑ Connecticut Reports (1965), volume 152, p. 758-759.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.