Quinnipiac University School of Law
Encyclopedia
Quinnipiac University School of Law is the law school
of the Quinnipiac University
. The School is the youngest law school in the U.S. state
of Connecticut
, having received full accreditation
from the American Bar Association
in 1995. It is a member of the Association of American Law Schools
. It is currently ranked 107th by U.S. News & World Report
for 2011.
. The University of Bridgeport went through financial hardships in the early 1990s. The University of Bridgeport received financial assistance from the Professors World Peace Academy, (PWPA), an organization affiliated with the Reverend Sun Myung Moon. The law school decided that Rev. Moon was an unworthy associate and severed any legal relations with the University. In order for the law school to remain open it had to merge with a financially-sound university. The law school received bids to be taken over by nearby Sacred Heart University
, Fairfield University
, and Quinnipiac University
. The law school faculty
and students voted to merge with Quinnipiac University
because they felt it a more financially sound University than Sacred Heart. The law school retained the name University of Bridgeport Law School until the name was officially changed in the 1990s.
law school rankings placed Quinnipiac higher than past years. The 2008 ranking showed a marked improvement, with the law school moving up eight spots to #108 from the previous year. http://law.quinnipiac.edu/x555.xml
The Princeton Review, rated the School of Law as one of the nation’s outstanding law schools, featuring the school in the 2009 edition of “Best 174 Law Schools”. http://law.quinnipiac.edu/x495.xml
The Princeton Review’s editors praised Quinnipiac's wide variety of courses and small class size. "There are ample opportunities to study any legal subject which interests you." Classes are intimate and "the small size of the academic universe here at QUSL makes it nearly impossible for a student to be lost in the mix." http://law.quinnipiac.edu/x495.xml
Editors mentioned Quinnipiac's "outstanding" clinics and externship programs, which provide "plenty of hands-on practical learning." The editors also noted the law school's approachable and student-oriented faculty members. The book quoted one student who said, "To be able to sit down, one on one, with some of these people is mind-blowing."http://law.quinnipiac.edu/x495.xml
The university offers three degree
programs: The Juris Doctor
(J.D.), the J.D./Master of Business Administration
(MBA) double degree
program, and the Master of Laws
(LL.M) in health law
. Students may have concentration
s in civil advocacy and dispute resolution
, criminal law
and advocacy, family
and juvenile law, health law, intellectual property
, and tax
.
The law school has an enrollment of 388 students. The class of first-year law students was 47 percent male and 53 percent female, with an average age of 25. Eighteen percent of students were people of color
. The student-to-faculty ratio is 10 to 1, and the average class size is around 25. There are 37 full-time faculty members, and 35 adjunct instructors
per semester. Professors come not only from academia, but include several United States Supreme Court clerks, various state and federal law clerks, private practice attorneys, along with state and federal prosecutors.
Students have had externship
s in corporate counsel, criminal justice
, family and juvenile law, judicial, legal services, legislative, mediation
, public interest
, field placement II. There are in-house clinical programs
in civil, tax, advanced, evening, defense appellate, prosecution appellate. Other learning opportunities include summer study at Trinity College, Dublin
in Dublin, Ireland
and other opportunities to study abroad
.
The 25th–75th percentile
range of LSAT
scores is 158-160 for the day division (full time) program, and 152-156 for the evening division (part time) program. Tuition
for full-time students is $35,600 ($17,800 per semester). Tuition for part-time students is $1,400 per credit. Admitted applicants also automatically considered for merit-based grants
and scholarship
s that range from $3,000 per year to full tuition. Other financial aid is available. The Deans Fellowship is typically awarded to 8-10 students per year and covers full tuition.
Bar Passage Rate: The Class of 2008 achieved a 96 percent first-time pass rate on the Connecticut bar exam this past July.
Quinnipiac graduates bested the state-wide first-time pass rate of 88 percent. The Class of 2008 also fared well on bar exams in two additional states: New Jersey (100 percent) and Massachusetts (100 percent). http://law.quinnipiac.edu/x712.xml
The dean
of the law school is Brad Saxton. The school is fully accredited
by the American Bar Association
and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools
.
The Raymond E. Baldwin Award for Public Service is an award given for public service
in honor of Judge Raymond E. Baldwin
There are some 4,800 alumni
.
and the Library Administration and Management Association as one of the six most architecturally distinguished libraries in the country. The law library houses more than 425,000 volumes and offers wireless access throughout. An agreement with Yale Law School
allows students full use of their law library.
Located within the School of Law Center, the Grand Courtroom is designed as a place where students can conduct a mock trial before a judge and jury and make appellate arguments to a panel of judges. On several occasions it has hosted sessions of the Connecticut Supreme Court
and Connecticut Appellate Court. It also serves as a spacious lecture hall for guest speakers who visit the School of Law.
While each of these competition teams has enjoyed success over the years, the Society for Dispute Resolution has enjoyed the most success recently. Two times in three years the Society for Dispute Resolution has won the regional mediation competition, sending teams to the national competition.
Below is a list of some of the recent regional and national victories:
The Society for Dispute Resolution is also unlike the other competition teams in that it is not purely a competition team. Instead, the organization has a strong community service arm, and strives to have as many activities as possible that are available to the entire student population. This includes information events, social events, and more than one competition each year that is open to the entire student body.
The Society strives to keep the student body informed of new developments in the field of alternative dispute resolution. This is because over 90% of complaints filed are settled and never go to court. Negotiation, Mediation, Arbitration, and Client Counseling are areas of focus. A new and developing area is collaborative law.
The mission of the Mock Trial Society is to cultivate ethical and intellectual trial advocates whose excellence in courtroom presence and ability will be recognized on both regional and national levels. Through rigorous preparation for student trial advocacy competitions, the society's members gain a unique, invaluable courtroom education that will serve as a foundation for a successful legal career.
Members of the Mock Trial Society obtain a comprehensive understanding of the Federal Rules of Evidence and the Rules of Civil and Criminal Procedure. In addition, the society ensures that its members are properly trained in all areas of trial advocacy and courtroom etiquette by keeping all members apprised of traditional and modern trial techniques.
The Mock Trial Society hosts two competitions each fall, and attends two competitions in the spring competition season. In the fall of 2010, the Mock Trial Society will host its 10th Annual ABA sponsored Criminal Advocacy Competition. http://www.quabacomp.net/
Law school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
of the Quinnipiac University
Quinnipiac University
Quinnipiac University is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational university located in Hamden, Connecticut, United States at the foot of Sleeping Giant State Park...
. The School is the youngest law school in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, having received full accreditation
Educational accreditation
Educational accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met...
from the American Bar Association
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
in 1995. It is a member of the Association of American Law Schools
Association of American Law Schools
The Association of American Law Schools is a non-profit organization of 170 law schools in the United States. Another 25 schools are "non-member fee paid" schools, which are not members but choose to pay AALS dues. Its purpose is to improve the legal profession through the improvement of legal...
. It is currently ranked 107th by U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
for 2011.
History
The law school was formerly the University of Bridgeport Law School, part of the University of BridgeportUniversity of Bridgeport
The University of Bridgeport is a private, independent, non-sectarian, coeducational university located on the Long Island Sound in the South End neighborhood of Bridgeport, Connecticut. The University is fully Accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges...
. The University of Bridgeport went through financial hardships in the early 1990s. The University of Bridgeport received financial assistance from the Professors World Peace Academy, (PWPA), an organization affiliated with the Reverend Sun Myung Moon. The law school decided that Rev. Moon was an unworthy associate and severed any legal relations with the University. In order for the law school to remain open it had to merge with a financially-sound university. The law school received bids to be taken over by nearby Sacred Heart University
Sacred Heart University
Sacred Heart University is a Roman Catholic university located in suburban Fairfield, Connecticut, United States. Sacred Heart was founded in 1963 by the Most Reverend Walter W. Curtis, Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Sacred Heart University was the first Catholic university in...
, Fairfield University
Fairfield University
Fairfield University is a private, co-educational undergraduate and master's level teaching-oriented university located in Fairfield, Connecticut, in the New England region of the United States. It was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1942, and today is one of 28 member institutions of the...
, and Quinnipiac University
Quinnipiac University
Quinnipiac University is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational university located in Hamden, Connecticut, United States at the foot of Sleeping Giant State Park...
. The law school faculty
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
and students voted to merge with Quinnipiac University
Quinnipiac University
Quinnipiac University is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational university located in Hamden, Connecticut, United States at the foot of Sleeping Giant State Park...
because they felt it a more financially sound University than Sacred Heart. The law school retained the name University of Bridgeport Law School until the name was officially changed in the 1990s.
Academics
The most recent annual U.S. News & World ReportU.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
law school rankings placed Quinnipiac higher than past years. The 2008 ranking showed a marked improvement, with the law school moving up eight spots to #108 from the previous year. http://law.quinnipiac.edu/x555.xml
The Princeton Review, rated the School of Law as one of the nation’s outstanding law schools, featuring the school in the 2009 edition of “Best 174 Law Schools”. http://law.quinnipiac.edu/x495.xml
The Princeton Review’s editors praised Quinnipiac's wide variety of courses and small class size. "There are ample opportunities to study any legal subject which interests you." Classes are intimate and "the small size of the academic universe here at QUSL makes it nearly impossible for a student to be lost in the mix." http://law.quinnipiac.edu/x495.xml
Editors mentioned Quinnipiac's "outstanding" clinics and externship programs, which provide "plenty of hands-on practical learning." The editors also noted the law school's approachable and student-oriented faculty members. The book quoted one student who said, "To be able to sit down, one on one, with some of these people is mind-blowing."http://law.quinnipiac.edu/x495.xml
The university offers three degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
programs: The Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
(J.D.), the J.D./Master of Business Administration
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
(MBA) double degree
Double degree
A double-degree program, sometimes called a combined degree, conjoint degree, dual degree, or simultaneous degree program, involves a student's working for two different university degrees in parallel, either at the same institution or at different institutions , completing them in less time than...
program, and the Master of Laws
Master of Laws
The Master of Laws is an advanced academic degree, pursued by those holding a professional law degree, and is commonly abbreviated LL.M. from its Latin name, Legum Magister. The University of Oxford names its taught masters of laws B.C.L...
(LL.M) in health law
Health law
Health Law is the federal, state, and local law, rules, regulations and other jurisprudence affecting the health care industry and their application to health care patients, providers and payors, and vendors to the health care industry, including without limitation the relationships among...
. Students may have concentration
Concentration
In chemistry, concentration is defined as the abundance of a constituent divided by the total volume of a mixture. Four types can be distinguished: mass concentration, molar concentration, number concentration, and volume concentration...
s in civil advocacy and dispute resolution
Dispute resolution
Dispute resolution is the process of resolving disputes between parties.-Methods:Methods of dispute resolution include:* lawsuits * arbitration* collaborative law* mediation* conciliation* many types of negotiation* facilitation...
, criminal law
Criminal law
Criminal law, is the body of law that relates to crime. It might be defined as the body of rules that defines conduct that is not allowed because it is held to threaten, harm or endanger the safety and welfare of people, and that sets out the punishment to be imposed on people who do not obey...
and advocacy, family
Family law
Family law is an area of the law that deals with family-related issues and domestic relations including:*the nature of marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships;...
and juvenile law, health law, intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
, and tax
Tax law
Tax law is the codified system of laws that describes government levies on economic transactions, commonly called taxes.-Major issues:Primary taxation issues facing the governments world over include;* taxes on income and wealth...
.
The law school has an enrollment of 388 students. The class of first-year law students was 47 percent male and 53 percent female, with an average age of 25. Eighteen percent of students were people of color
Person of color
Person of color is a term used, primarily in the United States, to describe all people who are not white. The term is meant to be inclusive among non-white groups, emphasizing common experiences of racism...
. The student-to-faculty ratio is 10 to 1, and the average class size is around 25. There are 37 full-time faculty members, and 35 adjunct instructors
Professors in the United States
In the U.S., "Professors" commonly occupy any of several positions in academia, typically the ranks of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor or Full Professor....
per semester. Professors come not only from academia, but include several United States Supreme Court clerks, various state and federal law clerks, private practice attorneys, along with state and federal prosecutors.
Students have had externship
Externship
Externships are experiential learning opportunities, similar to internships, offered by educational institutions to give students short practical experiences in their field of study. In medicine it may refer to a visiting physician who is not part of the regular staff...
s in corporate counsel, criminal justice
Criminal justice
Criminal Justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts...
, family and juvenile law, judicial, legal services, legislative, mediation
Mediation
Mediation, as used in law, is a form of alternative dispute resolution , a way of resolving disputes between two or more parties. A third party, the mediator, assists the parties to negotiate their own settlement...
, public interest
Public interest
The public interest refers to the "common well-being" or "general welfare." The public interest is central to policy debates, politics, democracy and the nature of government itself...
, field placement II. There are in-house clinical programs
Legal clinic
The phrase legal clinic may refer to any private, nonprofit law practice serving the public interest. In the academic context, these law school clinics provide hands-on experience to law school students and services to various clients. Academic Clinics are usually directed by clinical professors...
in civil, tax, advanced, evening, defense appellate, prosecution appellate. Other learning opportunities include summer study at Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
in Dublin, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and other opportunities to study abroad
Study abroad
Studying abroad is the act of a student pursuing educational opportunities in a country other than one's own. This can include primary, secondary and post-secondary students...
.
The 25th–75th percentile
Percentile
In statistics, a percentile is the value of a variable below which a certain percent of observations fall. For example, the 20th percentile is the value below which 20 percent of the observations may be found...
range of LSAT
Law School Admission Test
The Law School Admission Test is a half-day standardized test administered four times each year at designated testing centers throughout the world. Administered by the Law School Admission Council for prospective law school candidates, the LSAT is designed to assess Reading Comprehension,...
scores is 158-160 for the day division (full time) program, and 152-156 for the evening division (part time) program. Tuition
Tuition
Tuition payments, known primarily as tuition in American English and as tuition fees in British English, Canadian English, Australian English, New Zealand English and Indian English, refers to a fee charged for educational instruction during higher education.Tuition payments are charged by...
for full-time students is $35,600 ($17,800 per semester). Tuition for part-time students is $1,400 per credit. Admitted applicants also automatically considered for merit-based grants
Grant (money)
Grants are funds disbursed by one party , often a Government Department, Corporation, Foundation or Trust, to a recipient, often a nonprofit entity, educational institution, business or an individual. In order to receive a grant, some form of "Grant Writing" often referred to as either a proposal...
and scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
s that range from $3,000 per year to full tuition. Other financial aid is available. The Deans Fellowship is typically awarded to 8-10 students per year and covers full tuition.
Bar Passage Rate: The Class of 2008 achieved a 96 percent first-time pass rate on the Connecticut bar exam this past July.
Quinnipiac graduates bested the state-wide first-time pass rate of 88 percent. The Class of 2008 also fared well on bar exams in two additional states: New Jersey (100 percent) and Massachusetts (100 percent). http://law.quinnipiac.edu/x712.xml
The dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
of the law school is Brad Saxton. The school is fully accredited
Educational accreditation
Educational accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met...
by the American Bar Association
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools
Association of American Law Schools
The Association of American Law Schools is a non-profit organization of 170 law schools in the United States. Another 25 schools are "non-member fee paid" schools, which are not members but choose to pay AALS dues. Its purpose is to improve the legal profession through the improvement of legal...
.
The Raymond E. Baldwin Award for Public Service is an award given for public service
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
in honor of Judge Raymond E. Baldwin
Raymond E. Baldwin
Raymond Earl Baldwin was a United States Senator, the 72nd and 74th Governor of Connecticut.-Biography:Born in Rye, New York, he moved to Middletown, Connecticut in 1903 and attended the public schools. He graduated from Wesleyan University in Middletown in 1916, and entered Yale University...
There are some 4,800 alumni
Alumnus
An alumnus , according to the American Heritage Dictionary, is "a graduate of a school, college, or university." An alumnus can also be a former member, employee, contributor or inmate as well as a former student. In addition, an alumna is "a female graduate or former student of a school, college,...
.
Facilities
The 50000 square feet (4,645.2 m²), two-level Law Library is recognized by the American Institute of ArchitectsAmerican Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
and the Library Administration and Management Association as one of the six most architecturally distinguished libraries in the country. The law library houses more than 425,000 volumes and offers wireless access throughout. An agreement with Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
allows students full use of their law library.
Located within the School of Law Center, the Grand Courtroom is designed as a place where students can conduct a mock trial before a judge and jury and make appellate arguments to a panel of judges. On several occasions it has hosted sessions of the Connecticut Supreme Court
Connecticut Supreme Court
The Connecticut Supreme Court, formerly known as the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors, is the highest court in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. The seven justices sit in Hartford, across the street from the Connecticut State Capitol...
and Connecticut Appellate Court. It also serves as a spacious lecture hall for guest speakers who visit the School of Law.
Student Competition Teams
Quinnipiac University School of Law boast several student competition teams, including a Mock Trial Society, Moot Court Society, and Society for Dispute Resolution.While each of these competition teams has enjoyed success over the years, the Society for Dispute Resolution has enjoyed the most success recently. Two times in three years the Society for Dispute Resolution has won the regional mediation competition, sending teams to the national competition.
Below is a list of some of the recent regional and national victories:
- ABA Client Counseling 2008 Won Region, Advanced to National Competition
- ABA Mediation Advocacy 2008 Won Region, Advanced to National Competition
- ABA National Mediation Advocacy 2008, Won National Competition
- ABA Mediation Advocacy 2010 Won Region, Advanced to National Competition
- St. Johns FINRA Competition, Won Mediation Competition
- ABA Client Counseling 2011 Won Region, Advanced to National Competition
The Society for Dispute Resolution is also unlike the other competition teams in that it is not purely a competition team. Instead, the organization has a strong community service arm, and strives to have as many activities as possible that are available to the entire student population. This includes information events, social events, and more than one competition each year that is open to the entire student body.
The Society strives to keep the student body informed of new developments in the field of alternative dispute resolution. This is because over 90% of complaints filed are settled and never go to court. Negotiation, Mediation, Arbitration, and Client Counseling are areas of focus. A new and developing area is collaborative law.
The mission of the Mock Trial Society is to cultivate ethical and intellectual trial advocates whose excellence in courtroom presence and ability will be recognized on both regional and national levels. Through rigorous preparation for student trial advocacy competitions, the society's members gain a unique, invaluable courtroom education that will serve as a foundation for a successful legal career.
Members of the Mock Trial Society obtain a comprehensive understanding of the Federal Rules of Evidence and the Rules of Civil and Criminal Procedure. In addition, the society ensures that its members are properly trained in all areas of trial advocacy and courtroom etiquette by keeping all members apprised of traditional and modern trial techniques.
The Mock Trial Society hosts two competitions each fall, and attends two competitions in the spring competition season. In the fall of 2010, the Mock Trial Society will host its 10th Annual ABA sponsored Criminal Advocacy Competition. http://www.quabacomp.net/