Interamerican University of Puerto Rico School of Law

Last updated
Inter American University of Puerto Rico School of Law
Interamerican University of Puerto Rico Faculty of Law Logo 2014-04-27 16-28.jpg
Established1961 (63 years ago)
School type Private
Dean Julio Fontanet Maldonado
Location San Juan, Puerto Rico
Bar pass rate29% (General Bar in 2018), 41% (Notarial Bar in 2018) [1]
Website www.derecho.inter.edu
ABA profile Inter American University School of Law

The Inter American University of Puerto Rico, Faculty of Law (Spanish: Facultad de Derecho de la Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico) is the school of law of the Inter American University of Puerto Rico, a private co-educational corporation accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (Commission on Higher Education), the Puerto Rico Council of Higher Education, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Department of Education. The School of Law is approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) and is located in San Juan, the capital city of Puerto Rico. Since its founding, the School of Law has succeeded in meeting the needs of the legal profession, in particular, and Puerto Rico's society in general. [2]

Contents

Student body

The incoming class for academic year 2012–2013 was composed of 128 students. The student body comes mainly from Puerto Rico, although applicants from the mainland are encouraged to apply.

Facilities

The law school has developed its library into a center of access to traditional library services as well as computerized legal research services. In 1993, the school was relocated to a new building that features seven classrooms equipped with air conditioning, accessibility for students with disabilities, state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment, seminar rooms, a library, a legal clinic, faculty offices, a conference room, a lounge, a Continuing Legal Education Program office, Inter American School of Law Review offices, student organization offices, administrative offices, a chapel, a student center, a cafeteria, a bookstore, an auditorium with a seating capacity of 310, parking, and more. The site has been landscaped to achieve a sense of serenity and beauty compatible with the building's functions. In January 1990, the library signed a collaboration agreement to establish a consortium with the law school library of the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico and the library of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico, with the purpose of coordinating collection development and sharing its resources through an automated bibliographic network, interlibrary loans, and telecommunication services.

Curriculum

The Juris Doctor (J.D.) program covers three years in the day division and four years in the evening division. Candidates must complete a minimum of 92 credit hours with a GPA of at least 2.00 to qualify for graduation. Inter American University Faculty of Law offers a three-week preparation course to be taken during the summer on a compulsory basis by students admitted to the school. Students who enter law school must be willing to make a heavy commitment. For its part, Inter American University is willing to provide the best possible professional educational experience through the careful recruitment of a first-rate faculty, the development of a progressive curriculum, and a willingness to create new and exciting programs of clinical studies and research.

Admissions

Proficiency in Spanish is essential to the program. Applicants must have a minimum grade-point average of 2.5, an immunization certificate (for students ages 21 and below), and a police department certificate of good conduct; those seeking admission may also be required to appear for a personal interview. Candidates are required to take the Examen de Admisión a Estudios de Posgrado (EXADEP), the Aptitude Test for Graduate Education, and the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). Students should attain a 575 minimum score on the EXADEP and a minimum score of 130 on the LSAT. Application forms and other relevant information concerning the EXADEP may be obtained from Educational Testing Service, American International Plaza, 250 Muñoz Rivera Avenue, Suite 315, Hato Rey, PR 00918. In 2015, Interamerican began a J.D in English program.[ citation needed ] The purpose of the program was to attract students from the United States.[ citation needed ]

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. [3] 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. [3] 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. [3] In 2022, the council gave the school a three-year extension for bar pass compliance. [4] In early 2024, based on statistics for 2021 graduates, the school had a two year passrate of just 65.84%. [5]

Housing

The university does not provide housing for law students. However, the areas surrounding the School of Law contain many private houses, apartments, and condominiums for rent.

Activities

Student organizations include the student council, an organization that represents the student body and participates in matters of administrative policy related to students' interests. Council representatives serve on various faculty committees as well as the university senate and the board of trustees. Other student organizations are the Law Student Division of the American Bar Association; the Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity (composed not only of law students, but also of distinguished honorary members who are supreme court justices, federal district court judges, and prominent attorneys); the National Association of Law Students; the Women Law Students Association; United Students Forging an Environmental Consciousness; the Law Student Division of the Inter American Federation of Lawyers; the Association of Trial Lawyers of America; the Hispanic National Bar Association; the Federal Bar Association; the Student's Cooperative Bookstore; the Sports Law Association and the Hispanic Notarial Bar Association. The Inter American School of Law Review is the official publication of the School of Law. [6] Its members work under the supervision of an editorial board of four students chosen on the basis of merit and dedication to the Law Review and an academic advisor who is a faculty member appointed by the dean.

Clinical programs

The faculty's Legal Aid Clinical Program is integrated with the Community Law Office through a combined effort of the US Legal Services Corporation and Inter American University. Law students are provided with the opportunity to learn skills such as interviewing, negotiation, counseling, fact gathering and analysis, legal research and drafting, decision making about alternative strategies, and preparation for trial and field practice. They also represent clients before administrative agencies and courts under the close supervision of the program's staff attorney-professors, pursuant to the rules of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico. Students also gain practical experience by serving with Puerto Rico Legal Services, Inc.; the San Juan Community Law Office, Inc.; the Legal Aid Society of Puerto Rico; the district attorney's offices; and the Environmental Quality Board.

Career services

The mission of the Career Placement Office is to prepare students and alumni for the legal job market by encouraging them to conduct self-assessments in an effort to focus their job searches, as well as to educate students and alumni on their legal and nonlegal options in today's competitive legal market. This is accomplished through a variety of services including, but not limited to, individual counseling, group seminars, self-assessment materials, interviewing programs, a career resource library, and the alumni network.

Continuing education

The Continuing Legal Education (CLE) program offers advanced courses and seminars concerning different fields of law that may be of interest to practicing lawyers as well as to the community in general. The CLE program enjoys a good reputation and has been able to develop a consistent course offering, primarily in the following categories: courses designed for specialists; refresher courses for experienced lawyers; courses designed to provide information in nontraditional areas or stimulated by recent legislation, decisions, or agency rulings; and courses designed to develop lawyering skills.

Cost and financial aid

As of the date this report was published, the cost per credit is $485. Once admitted, the student pays $125 to reserve a place in the class and $435 for the preparatory course that takes place in July. There is a deferred payment plan and financial aid options that include the Federal Direct Loan Program, Stafford Loan, the Commonwealth Education Fund, the State Student Incentive Grants program, the Federal Work-Study Program, and alternative loans for the regular academic program as well as for bar study (Alternative Bar Loans). The university also has an Honor Scholarship program for law students based on academic accomplishment and financial need.

Notable alumni

Related Research Articles

A bar association is a professional association of lawyers as generally organized in countries following the Anglo-American types of jurisprudence. The word bar is derived from the old English/European custom of using a physical railing to separate the area in which court business is done from the viewing area for the general public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Admission to the bar in the United States</span> Registration to practice law in a US jurisdiction

Admission to the bar in the United States is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in the jurisdiction. Each U.S. state and jurisdiction has its own court system and sets its own rules and standards for bar admission. In most cases, a person is admitted or called to the bar of the highest court in the jurisdiction and is thereby authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction. Federal courts, although often overlapping in admission standards with states, set their own requirements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Bar Association</span> American association of lawyers

The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students; it is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation of model ethical codes related to the legal profession. As of fiscal year 2017, the ABA had 194,000 dues-paying members, constituting approximately 14.4% of American attorneys. In 1979, half of all lawyers in the U.S. were members of the ABA. The organization's national headquarters are in Chicago, Illinois, and it also maintains a significant branch office in Washington, D.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus</span> Public land-grant research university in San Juan, Puerto Rico

The University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus is a public land-grant research university in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is the largest campus in the University of Puerto Rico system in terms of student population and it was Puerto Rico's first public university campus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interamerican University of Puerto Rico</span> Private Christian university founded in 1912 in San Germán, Puerto Rico

The Inter American University of Puerto Rico is a private Christian university with its main campus in San Germán, Puerto Rico. It also has campuses in Aguadilla, Arecibo, Barranquitas, Bayamón, Fajardo, Guayama, Ponce, and San Juan. The university also has three professional schools: School of Optometry, School of Law, and the School of Aeronautics. The Inter offers academic programs in 11 teaching units. It was founded in San Germán in 1912. The San Germán campus is also the home to the Inter American School, a private co-educational college-preparatory school.

New England Law | Boston is a private law school in Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded as Portia School of Law in 1908 and is located in downtown Boston near the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.

<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">Southwestern Law School</span> Private law school is Los Angeles, California

Southwestern Law School is a private law school in the Mid-Wilshire neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and enrolls nearly 1,000 students. Its campus includes the Bullocks Wilshire building, an art deco National Register of Historic Places landmark built in 1929. Southwestern is an independent law school with affiliation to the undergraduate program at California State University, Northridge.

<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">Legal education in the United States</span>

Legal education in the United States generally refers to a graduate degree, the completion of which makes a graduate eligible to sit for an examination for a license to practice as a Lawyer. Around 60 percent of those who complete a law degree typically practice law, with the remainder primarily working in business or government or policy roles, where their degrees also confer advantages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Law school</span> Institution specializing in legal education

A law school is an institution, professional school, or department of a college or university specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a judge, lawyer, or other legal professional within a given jurisdiction. Depending on the country, legal system, or desired qualifications, the coursework is undertaken at undergraduate, graduate, or both levels.

<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.

<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.

The University of Kansas School of Law is the law school of the University of Kansas, a public research university in Lawrence, Kansas. The University of Kansas Law School was founded in 1893, replacing the earlier Department of Law, which had existed since 1878. The school has more than 60 faculty members and approximately 315 students. The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools.

<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 of Duquesne University is a private Catholic university law school 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">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.

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 Puerto Rico School of Law</span> Graduate school program of University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus

The University of Puerto Rico School of Law is a law school in Puerto Rico. It is one of the professional graduate schools of University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, the only law school in the University of Puerto Rico System and the only public law school in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1913 at its present site in Río Piedras, which at the time was an independent municipality and is now part of the City of San Juan. The School of Law has been accredited by the American Bar Association since 1945 and by the Association of American Law Schools since 1948.

The Facultad de Derecho Eugenio Maria de Hostos was a law school located in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. The School was founded by Fernando Bayrón, Juan Mari Brás and Carlos Rivera Lugo in 1995. The institution lost its ABA accreditation, and then the Puerto Rico Supreme Court also withdrew the accreditation due to school's economical difficulties. After having granted degrees to 900 alumni, Hostos closed in 2013, when the last commencement ceremony had only eight graduates, out of ten students in their final semester. The Eugenio Maria de Hostos Law School aspired to achieve the development of a legal professional who was also responsive to the needs of their communities and who would embrace the Hostos educational philosophy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bar examination in the United States</span> Exam to become a lawyer

In the United States, those seeking to become lawyers must normally pass a bar examination before they can be admitted to the bar and become licensed to practice law. Bar exams are administered by states or territories, usually by agencies under the authority of state supreme courts. Almost all states use some examination components created by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE). Forty-one jurisdictions have adopted the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE), which is composed entirely of NCBE-created components.

References

  1. ↑ http://derecho.inter.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Student-Achivements-Dashboard-april-2019-1.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  2. ↑ Law School Admission Council, LSAC. "School Detail Information". LSAC. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  3. 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.
  4. ↑ "3 law schools dinged for low bar pass rates". Stephanie Francis Ward, ABA Journal, December 14, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  5. ↑ "New bar passage stats show several law schools below ABA cutoff". Debra Cassens Weiss, ABA Journal, March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  6. ↑ Inter Law. "Revista Jurídica". Inter School of Law. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  7. ↑ "Alejandro García Padilla Biography". Puerto Rico Senate. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  8. ↑ "Biografía – Hon. Jenniffer A. González Colón" (in Spanish). House of Representatives of Puerto Rico . Retrieved 2015-12-23.
  9. ↑ "District of Puerto Rico". Offices of the United States Attorneys. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  10. ↑ "Hon. THOMAS RIVERA SCHATZ". www.senadopr.us. Archived from the original on 29 August 2009. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  11. ↑ Insisten en renuncia de Wanda Vázquez: Líder cameral dice que este paso ayudaría a la jefa de Justicia a demostrar su integridad. Archived March 3, 2020, at the Wayback Machine Ayeza Díaz Rolón. EL VOCERO November 30, 2018. Accessed March 3, 2020.

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.