Florida A&M University College of Law

Last updated
Florida A&M University
College of Law
Parent school Florida A&M University
Established1949
School type Public
Dean Diedré A. Keller
Location Orlando, Florida, U.S.
Enrollment529 [1]
Faculty72 (40 full-time, 32 part-time) [1]
USNWR ranking147th-193rd (bottom 25%) [2]
Bar pass rate67.2% (Florida bar exam, July 2024 first-time takers) [3]
Website www.law.famu.edu
FAMU College of Law Logo.png

Florida A&M University College of Law or FAMU College of Law is an ABA-accredited law school in Orlando, Florida, United States. It is part of Florida A&M University.

Contents

History

On December 21, 1949, a division of law was established at the then Florida A&M College and the first class was admitted in 1951. The legislature established the school because no "separate but equal" state-supported law school existed for African-Americans at that time. [4] The school's enrollment was limited to African-American male students[ failed verification ] and was located in Tallahassee, Florida. [4] The FAMU law school was closed through a vote by the Florida legislature in 1965, with the funds transferred to a new law school at formerly all-white Florida State University; vindictiveness for FAMU activism in support of desegregation was a factor. [5] In 1966 the institution lost the right to admit students after a decision by the Florida Board of Control, and two years later, in 1968, the last students graduated. Fifty-seven students graduated from the school between 1954 and 1968. [6]

The 2000 Florida Legislature unanimously passed legislation establishing a College of Law for Florida A&M University to be located in Orlando and on June 14, 2000, Governor Jeb Bush signed the bill into law. The legislation included three conditions: the school was required to serve "historically underrepresented communities"; it had to open by 2003; and it had to earn ABA accreditation within five years. The College of Law admitted its first class in 2002. [4]

The American Bar Association (ABA) granted the Florida A&M University College of Law provisional approval in August 2004, which allowed its first graduates to take the bar exam while the law school continued to work toward meeting ABA standards.[ citation needed ]

LeRoy Pernell, who was dean of the law school at Northern Illinois University, was recruited as the new dean in 2007. He fired a number of faculty and recruited 19 new faculty members. Under Pernell, the law school created its Center for International Law and Justice, and became the only historically black college accepted into the International Association of Law Schools. [4] Full ABA accreditation was achieved in July 2009. [7]

Today, the College of Law occupies its own 160,000-square-foot (15,000 m2) building at 201 Beggs Avenue in downtown Orlando. The four-story building was designed by Rhodes+Brito Architects of Orlando. The College of Law has an onsite law library that is open to the public. [8] The new building opened to students in 2005. Of the 1,807 who applied to the school in 2009, 630 were accepted and 234 enrolled. [4] [9] Seventy-seven percent of the entering class were Florida residents, and 42% were white students.

Employment and bar passage

According to Florida A&M's 2016 ABA-required disclosures, 34.7% of the Class of 2015 obtained full-time, long-term, bar passage required employment ten months after graduation, excluding solo practitioners. [10] [ needs update ] Of the Florida A&M Law alumni who took the Florida bar exam for the first time in July 2019, 61.1% passed. [11]

On May 15, 2020, the council of the American Bar Association’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar met remotely and determined this school and nine others had significant noncompliance with Standard 316. [12] This Standard was revised in 2019 to provide that at least 75% of an accredited law school’s graduates who took a bar exam must pass one within two years of graduation. [12] The school was asked to submit a report by Feb. 1, 2021; and, if the council did not find the report demonstrated compliance, the school would be asked to appear before the council at its May, 2021 meeting. [12] On February 26, 2021, the ABA’s council posted that the school was now in compliance with the standard. [13]

Costs

The cost of tuition at Florida A&M for the 2016–2017 academic year is $14,131.66 (Residents) and $34,034.59 (Non-Residents) for their full-time day program. The part-time evening program's tuition is $10,028.92 (Residents)and $24,153.58 (Non-Residents). [14] According to Law School Transparency, an in-state student who uses student loans to finance their entire cost of attendance (tuition, fees, living expenses, etc.) will graduate from Florida A&M with $147,411 in student loan debt, including interest. [15] An out of state student who uses student loans to finance their entire cost of attendance will leave Florida A&M College of Law with approximately $218,834 in student loan debt, including interest. [15] Approximately 79.2% of students pay full sticker price, meaning they do not receive a scholarship or other grant aid. [16]

Law Library

Florida A&M University College of Law has an onsite law library that is open to the public. [17] "The primary mission of the Florida A&M University College of Law Library is to enhance study, learning, research, and service conducted at the College of Law by providing present and future resources and services to meet the informational needs of its faculty, students, and staff. The secondary mission of the Law Library is to contribute a valuable community service by providing public access of its collections to the local legal community and to the general public." [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Massachusetts School of Law</span> Public law school in Massachusetts, US

The University of Massachusetts School of Law is a public law school in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. The only public law school in Massachusetts, it is the successor to Southern New England School of Law, a private law school that donated its campus and its assets to the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and part of the University of Massachusetts system.

Thomas Jefferson School of Law (TJSL) is a private law school in San Diego, California. It offers a Juris Doctor and two Master of Laws programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Appalachian School of Law</span> Private law school in Grundy, Virginia

The Appalachian School of Law (ASL) is a private law school in Grundy, Virginia. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and offers a three-year Juris Doctor degree to approximately 128 full-time students. The school was founded in 1994 and admitted its first class of students in August 1997. ASL was started and brought to Buchanan County, Virginia as a tool of economic development for the region. ASL emphasizes professional responsibility and alternative dispute resolution in its curriculum and requires students to complete 25 hours of community service per semester in order to graduate. Each student is also required to complete an externship before graduation. According to ASL's 2021 ABA-required disclosures, 31% of the Class of 2020 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation. ASL was also the site of a triple homicide that took place on January 16, 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whittier Law School</span> Former law school of Whittier College

Whittier Law School was a law school in Costa Mesa, California founded in 1966. The law school was part of Whittier College, a private institution. After several years being ranked among the poorest-performing law schools in the United States based on bar passage rate and job placement, Whittier Law School announced in April 2017 that it would no longer be admitting students and would discontinue its legal program, becoming the first law school with full accreditation by the American Bar Association (ABA) to shut down in at least 30 years. Since the school's closure, transcript requests are now handled by Whittier College.

Mississippi College School of Law is an American Bar Association accredited law school. MC Law is one of two law schools in the state of Mississippi, and is the only law school in the capital city of Jackson, Mississippi. The school is a professional school of Mississippi College, founded in 1826.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlanta's John Marshall Law School</span> Private for-profit law school in Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Atlanta's John Marshall Law School (AJMLS) is a private for-profit law school in Atlanta, Georgia. It was founded in 1933 and named for John Marshall, the fourth chief justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. AJMLS is accredited by the American Bar Association.

The Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University is a law school located in Hempstead, New York, on Long Island, affiliated with Hofstra University. Founded in 1970 and accredited by the ABA in 1971, the school offers a JD, a joint JD/MBA degree, and LL.M degrees in American law and family law. It also offers online LL.M and MA degrees in Health Law & Policy, an online LL.M in American Law, and an online MA in American Legal Studies. The Law School is on the southern portion of the 244-acre (0.99 km2) Hofstra University campus. The school was renamed to the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University in September 2011.

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">Florida Coastal School of Law</span> For-profit law school in Jacksonville, Florida

Florida Coastal School of Law was a private for-profit law school in Jacksonville, Florida. It was established in 1996 and was the last operating of three for-profit law schools of the InfiLaw System owned by Sterling Partners. Because of funding and accreditation issues, the school closed its doors in 2021. U.S. News & World Report ranks Coastal Law 147-193, its lowest law school ranking. In July 2022, the school had the lowest Florida bar passage rate of all Florida law schools, at 31%.

The University of Idaho College of Law is the law school of the University of Idaho. Its main location is in Moscow, and a second campus is in the state capital of Boise. As of the entering class of 2017–18, students may take all three years of instruction at either location. The UI College of Law was established in 1909, has been a member of the Association of American Law Schools since 1914, and has been accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) since 1925. In the 2023 rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked Idaho Law at #142 of ABA-accredited law schools in its annual law school rankings.

The Valparaiso University Law School was the law school of Valparaiso University, a private university in Valparaiso, Indiana. Founded in 1879, the school was accredited by the American Bar Association in 1929 and admitted to the Association of American Law Schools in 1930. In October 2016, the ABA censured the school for admitting applicants who did not appear capable of satisfactorily completing the school's program of legal education and being admitted to the bar. One year later, the school suspended admissions and shut down after the last class graduated in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arizona Summit Law School</span> Defunct law school in Phoenix, Arizona

The Arizona Summit Law School was a for-profit law school in Phoenix, Arizona, that operated from 2005 to 2018. The law school was known until 2013 as the Phoenix School of Law, and was a part of the InfiLaw System of independent, for-profit law schools, which includes Florida Coastal School of Law and Charlotte School of Law, owned by Sterling Partners.

The Thurgood Marshall School of Law (TMSL) is an ABA-accredited law school at Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas. It awards Juris Doctor and Master of Law degrees. Thurgood Marshall School of Law is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and Association of American Law Schools.

The Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law is located in Orlando, Florida. The school is an academic college of Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida. Barry Law offers various programs for full-time and part-time students, including a three-year daytime program and a four-year extended studies program in the evening for working students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law</span> Private law school in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States

The Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law is a private law school in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1976, the law school is one of six graduate programs offered by Campbell University. The school is named after its founder, Norman Adrian Wiggins, former President and Chancellor of Campbell University, and creator of the institution's law division. Originally housed on the main campus of Campbell University in Buies Creek, the school moved to a newly constructed facility in downtown Raleigh in September, 2009.

Charlotte School of Law was an independent for-profit college in Charlotte, North Carolina, established in 2006. It was provisionally accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) in 2008, and fully accredited in 2011. However, the ABA placed the school on probation in 2016, resulting in the school's closure the following year. While Charlotte Law served the community through expungement programs and restitution self-help clinics, it was also criticized for alleged mismanagement and compliance issues, which were later found to be true. Charlotte Law was owned by the InfiLaw System.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Toledo College of Law</span> Public law school in Toledo, Ohio, US

The University of Toledo College of Law is the law school at the University of Toledo, and is located on the university's main campus in a residential neighborhood in western Toledo, Ohio. The school is fully accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools.

Cooley Law School (Cooley) is a private law school in Lansing, Michigan, and Riverview, Florida. It was established in 1972. At its peak in 2010, Cooley had over 3,900 students and was the largest US law school by enrollment; as of the Spring of 2022, Cooley had approximately 500 students between its two campuses. In November 2020, Western Michigan University's board of trustees voted to end its affiliation with Cooley, which began in 2014, with disassociation effective November 5, 2023. As of 2024, Cooley has failed to reach the 75% two year bar passage required of ABA Standard 316 for continued accreditation. Multiple media outlets have labeled Cooley the "worst law school in America".

The InfiLaw System was a for-profit consortium of three independent law schools in the United States. It was owned by Sterling Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm, and was headquartered in Naples, Florida. Charlotte School of Law in Charlotte, North Carolina and Arizona Summit Law School in Phoenix closed, the latter after losing ABA accreditation. InfiLaw relinquished its ownership of Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville, Florida in April 2021, with that entity closing its doors after its Summer, 2021 term.

LeRoy Pernell is a former dean of the Northern Illinois University College of Law and Florida A&M University College of Law.

References

  1. 1 2 "Standard 509 Disclosure".
  2. ↑ "Florida A&M University". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
  3. ↑ https://www.floridasupremecourt.org/content/download/788827/file/09-20-2021-FBBE-Full-Press-Release.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Kay, Julie (Jan 1, 2010). "Saving the School". American Bar Association Journal. Retrieved 2009-12-31.
  5. ↑ Kathleen Haughney and Aaron Deslatte, "Scott, FAMU rift only the latest incident in rocky 50-year relationship", (Fort Lauderdale) Sun-Sentinel, December 24, 2011, http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2011-12-24/news/fl-famu-history-filled-with-tension-20111224_1_famu-board-famu-president-james-ammons-rick-scott Archived 2015-06-09 at the Wayback Machine , retrieved 6/4/2015.
  6. ↑ "History FAMU College of Law". Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2009-12-31.
  7. ↑ "FAMU College of Law". Florida Agriculture & Mechanical University.
  8. ↑ "FAMU Law Library". Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University. Retrieved 2015-03-09.
  9. ↑ "1L Class Profile". Archived from the original on 2010-02-03. Retrieved 2009-12-31.
  10. ↑ "Employment Summary for 2015 Graduates" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-04-11.
  11. ↑ https://www.floridabarexam.org/__85257bfe0055eb2c.nsf/52286ae9ad5d845185257c07005c3fe1/53ef72befcb1d3ec852584770066a147 [ bare URL PDF ]
  12. 1 2 3 "10 law schools are out of compliance with bar passage standard, ABA legal ed section says". Stephanie Francis Ward, ABA Journal, May 28, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  13. ↑ "4 more law schools found to be in compliance with ABA's new bar passage standard". Stephanie Francis Ward, ABA Journal, March 1, 2021. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Tuition & Financial Aid". Archived from the original on 2016-12-02. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
  15. 1 2 "Student Loan Debt".
  16. ↑ "FAMU Law LST".
  17. ↑ "FAMU Law Library". Florida A&M University College of Law.
  18. ↑ Anderson, Lorelle. "LibGuides: FAMU Law Library: About". library.famu.edu.
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.