University of Akron School of Law
Encyclopedia
The University of Akron School of Law is the law school
at the University of Akron
in Akron
, Ohio
, USA. Offering both the J.D.
and LL.M.
degrees, it was founded in 1921 as the Akron School of Law and merged with the University of Akron in 1959, becoming fully accredited by the American Bar Association
in 1961. Since 1921, the school has produced over 6,000 graduates who have gone on to careers in the private and public sectors, including several notable judges and politicians. Located across from E.J. Thomas Hall
on University Avenue, the University of Akron School of Law is housed in the C. Blake McDowell Law Center on the northwest portion of the University of Akron campus. It also houses the Joseph G. Miller and William C. Becker Institute for Professional Responsibility and The University of Akron Center for Constitutional Law, one of only four constitutional law
centers established by Congress
in the United States
. In 2004, the school was ranked second in the National Jurist and the Pre-Law Insider magazines as a best value law school. In 2010, U.S. News & World Report ranked the school's trial advocacy program as seventh best in the nation.
, criminal
, intellectual property
, international
, labor and employment
, litigation
, public law, and tax law
.
programs, listed below:
The joint degree programs allow credit from classes to count towards both a Master's degree
and to the Juris Doctor. In most cases, a joint JD/MA program can be completed in four years.
in intellectual property in Ohio, and is one of 22 such programs in the United States. A study conducted by IDEA – The Intellectual Property Law Review, ranks Akron’s IP program curricular offerings as tied for fifth in the nation. The law school also publishes the Akron Intellectual Property Journal which is a "scholarly legal publication of The University of Akron C. Blake McDowell Law Center that produces an annual volume of two issues for use by scholars, practitioners, and judges." The Akron Intellectual Property Journal is part of the Akron Law Review, which in 2010, was ranked #39 out of over 200 ABA-accredited and major foreign general, student-edited journals on the Washington and Lee impact rankings (based in citations per issue). This is the fifth consecutive year the Akron Law Review was in the top 50.
Each Spring, The University of Akron School of Law hosts the Richard C. Sughrue Symposium On Intellectual Property Law and Policy, featuring many known scholars and practitioners within the field of Intellectual Property. Known past speakers include Robert Stoll, Commissioner for Patents at the USPTO and Chief Judge Paul R. Michel.
Notable Intellectual Property Department Faculty:
Jeffrey M. Samuels is the Director of The Center for Intellectual Property Law and Technology and the David L. Brennan Professor of Law. Professor Samuels served as the assistant commissioner of patents and trademarks of the United States Patent and Trademark Office from November 1987 to January 1993.
Professor Samuels is also on the advisory board of BNA's Patent, Trademark and Copyright Journal and the World Intellectual Property Report.
Jay Dratler, is the Goodyear Professor of Intellectual Property at The University of Akron School of Law. He is the principal author of a two-volume treatise, Intellectual Property Law: Commercial, Creative, and Industrial Property (1991), the sole author of another two-volume treatise, Licensing of Intellectual Property (1994), and the principal author of a one-volume treatise, Cyberlaw: Intellectual Property in the Digital Millennium (2000). A Fulbright Fellow, Professor Dratler received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in physics from the University of California (San Diego), and a J.D. degree from Harvard Law School.
LSAT
score and GPA of the 117 full-time students entering in fall 2009 were 156 and 3.45, respectively. Twenty-four states
as well as China
and Vietnam
were represented in the class entering in fall 2009.
The plan calls for the demolition of the Buckingham Building in order to accommodate the two-story, 95600 square feet (8,881.5 m²) project.
, Ohio congresswoman
Betty Sutton
received her J.D. from Akron law. In 2006, she defeated Craig L. Foltin
for Ohio's 13th congressional district
and was successfully re-elected in 2008. In the 110th Congress
, Sutton was a member of the United States House Committee on the Judiciary
, and in the 111th Congress
, Sutton is a member of the United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce
.
The current mayor
of Akron
, Ohio
, Don Plusquellic
, received his J.D. from Akron law and was a private practice
attorney
at the time of his election in 1987.
More than 160 graduates of the law school have gone on to serve in state and federal judicial positions, and several of them have attained high repute. Alice M. Batchelder
received her J.D. from Akron in 1971 and is the longest current serving federal judge
on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
, having been appointed by George H.W. Bush in 1991.
Deborah L. Cook
received her J.D. from Akron in 1978. Having previously served as a justice for the Supreme Court of Ohio
from 1995 to 2003, she was appointed by George W. Bush
in 2003 to serve on the Sixth Circuit alongside Batchelder. They were both touted by the media as possible nominations of George W. Bush for the Supreme Court
, and Cook was seen as a possible McCain
appointment, had he been elected President
.
Among the school's graduates who have gone on to be United States district court
judge
s are James S. Gwin
, Peter C. Economus
, Samuel H. Bell
, and John R. Adams
.
Law school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
at the University of Akron
University of Akron
The University of Akron is a coeducational public research university located in Akron, Ohio, United States. The university is part of the University System of Ohio. It was founded in 1870 as a small college affiliated with the Universalist Church. In 1913 ownership was transferred to the City of...
in Akron
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, USA. Offering both the J.D.
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...
and LL.M.
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...
degrees, it was founded in 1921 as the Akron School of Law and merged with the University of Akron in 1959, becoming fully accredited 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...
in 1961. Since 1921, the school has produced over 6,000 graduates who have gone on to careers in the private and public sectors, including several notable judges and politicians. Located across from E.J. Thomas Hall
E.J. Thomas Hall
The University of Akron E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall is a performing arts hall, located at 198 Hill Street, in Akron, Ohio, on the University of Akron's campus.-History:...
on University Avenue, the University of Akron School of Law is housed in the C. Blake McDowell Law Center on the northwest portion of the University of Akron campus. It also houses the Joseph G. Miller and William C. Becker Institute for Professional Responsibility and The University of Akron Center for Constitutional Law, one of only four constitutional law
Constitutional law
Constitutional law is the body of law which defines the relationship of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the legislature and the judiciary....
centers established by Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 2004, the school was ranked second in the National Jurist and the Pre-Law Insider magazines as a best value law school. In 2010, U.S. News & World Report ranked the school's trial advocacy program as seventh best in the nation.
Curriculum
The University of Akron School of Law admits traditional three year J.D. students, part-time J.D. students, and also students for the LL.M. Within the J.D. program, Akron Law students can also choose to specialize in one of eight areas of law, which include businessCommercial law
Commercial law is the body of law that governs business and commercial transactions...
, criminal
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...
, 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...
, international
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
, labor and employment
Labour law
Labour law is the body of laws, administrative rulings, and precedents which address the legal rights of, and restrictions on, working people and their organizations. As such, it mediates many aspects of the relationship between trade unions, employers and employees...
, litigation
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
, public law, and tax law
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...
.
Joint degree programs
The School of Law also offers five joint degreeDouble 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...
programs, listed below:
- Juris Doctor/Master of Business AdministrationMaster of Business AdministrationThe 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...
- Juris Doctor/Master of Taxation
- Juris Doctor/Master of Public AdministrationMaster of Public AdministrationThe Master of Public Administration is a professional post-graduate degree in Public Administration. The MPA program prepares individuals to serve as managers in the executive arm of local, state/provincial, and federal/national government, and increasingly in nongovernmental organization and...
- Juris Doctor/Master of Science and Management in Human Resources
- Juris Doctor/Master of Applied Politics
The joint degree programs allow credit from classes to count towards both a Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
and to the Juris Doctor. In most cases, a joint JD/MA program can be completed in four years.
Intellectual property program
The school's program in intellectual property, managed by The Center for Intellectual Property Law and Technology, is of note as it is one of two programs to offer the LL.M.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...
in intellectual property in Ohio, and is one of 22 such programs in the United States. A study conducted by IDEA – The Intellectual Property Law Review, ranks Akron’s IP program curricular offerings as tied for fifth in the nation. The law school also publishes the Akron Intellectual Property Journal which is a "scholarly legal publication of The University of Akron C. Blake McDowell Law Center that produces an annual volume of two issues for use by scholars, practitioners, and judges." The Akron Intellectual Property Journal is part of the Akron Law Review, which in 2010, was ranked #39 out of over 200 ABA-accredited and major foreign general, student-edited journals on the Washington and Lee impact rankings (based in citations per issue). This is the fifth consecutive year the Akron Law Review was in the top 50.
Each Spring, The University of Akron School of Law hosts the Richard C. Sughrue Symposium On Intellectual Property Law and Policy, featuring many known scholars and practitioners within the field of Intellectual Property. Known past speakers include Robert Stoll, Commissioner for Patents at the USPTO and Chief Judge Paul R. Michel.
Notable Intellectual Property Department Faculty:
Jeffrey M. Samuels is the Director of The Center for Intellectual Property Law and Technology and the David L. Brennan Professor of Law. Professor Samuels served as the assistant commissioner of patents and trademarks of the United States Patent and Trademark Office from November 1987 to January 1993.
Professor Samuels is also on the advisory board of BNA's Patent, Trademark and Copyright Journal and the World Intellectual Property Report.
Jay Dratler, is the Goodyear Professor of Intellectual Property at The University of Akron School of Law. He is the principal author of a two-volume treatise, Intellectual Property Law: Commercial, Creative, and Industrial Property (1991), the sole author of another two-volume treatise, Licensing of Intellectual Property (1994), and the principal author of a one-volume treatise, Cyberlaw: Intellectual Property in the Digital Millennium (2000). A Fulbright Fellow, Professor Dratler received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in physics from the University of California (San Diego), and a J.D. degree from Harvard Law School.
Honors to Law program
The University of Akron School of Law recently began a new program whereby undergraduate Honors students at the University of Akron can receive undergraduate admission to the law school. Benefits of the program include mentoring by law faculty and students as well as visiting a law school class at least once per semester. In order to stay in the program students must maintain a 3.4 GPA and score at or above the anticipated median LSAT score of the next class of entering full-time law students.Admission statistics
The acceptance rate at Akron Law in fall 2009 for full-time students was 37.7%, or 581 offers of admission out of 1,541 applicants. The medianMedian
In probability theory and statistics, a median is described as the numerical value separating the higher half of a sample, a population, or a probability distribution, from the lower half. The median of a finite list of numbers can be found by arranging all the observations from lowest value to...
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,...
score and GPA of the 117 full-time students entering in fall 2009 were 156 and 3.45, respectively. Twenty-four states
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...
as well as China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
were represented in the class entering in fall 2009.
New building
Trustees at the University of Akron have approved $540,000 in design fees to construct a new facility to house the School of Law. The new facility, which would cost $23.6 million in total, would be funded with $10 million in donations and tuition and $13.6 million in state money. While the plan is not yet set in stone, Martin Belsky, the dean of the law school, has said that "I believe it's 90 percent sure" that the construction will occur.The plan calls for the demolition of the Buckingham Building in order to accommodate the two-story, 95600 square feet (8,881.5 m²) project.
Alumni
After graduating from Kent State UniversityKent State University
Kent State University is a public research university located in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university has eight campuses around the northeast Ohio region with the main campus in Kent being the largest...
, Ohio congresswoman
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
Betty Sutton
Betty Sutton
Betty Sue Sutton is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. She is a member of the Democratic Party.The district includes most of the western and southern suburbs of Cleveland, and includes North Royalton, Akron, Lorain, Elyria, Strongsville, Avon and Cuyahoga Falls.-Early life and...
received her J.D. from Akron law. In 2006, she defeated Craig L. Foltin
Craig L. Foltin
L. Craig Foltin is a Republican politician who served as mayor of Lorain, Ohio from 2000 to 2007. At the age of 32, Foltin upset incumbent Joe Koziura 51.5% to 48.5% in 1999 to win the Mayoral seat in the City of Lorain where Democrats outnumber Republicans five to one. Kozuira had previously won...
for Ohio's 13th congressional district
Ohio's 13th congressional district
The 13th congressional district of Ohio is represented by Representative Betty Sutton, who defeated Republican Craig L. Foltin on Nov. 7, 2006. It was formerly represented by Sherrod Brown...
and was successfully re-elected in 2008. In the 110th Congress
110th United States Congress
The One Hundred Tenth United States Congress was the meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, between January 3, 2007, and January 3, 2009, during the last two years of the second term of President George W. Bush. It was composed of the Senate and the House of...
, Sutton was a member of the United States House Committee on the Judiciary
United States House Committee on the Judiciary
The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, also called the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, administrative agencies and Federal law enforcement...
, and in the 111th Congress
111th United States Congress
The One Hundred Eleventh United States Congress was the meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government from January 3, 2009 until January 3, 2011. It began during the last two weeks of the George W. Bush administration, with the remainder spanning the first two years of...
, Sutton is a member of the United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce
United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce
The Committee on Energy and Commerce is one of the oldest standing committees of the United States House of Representatives. Established in 1795, it has operated continuously—with various name changes and jurisdictional changes—for more than 200 years...
.
The current mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Akron
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, Don Plusquellic
Don Plusquellic
Donald L. Plusquellic is the current mayor of Akron, Ohio. First elected in 1987, he became the 59th Mayor of Akron after previously serving 13 years on Akron City Council...
, received his J.D. from Akron law and was a private practice
Practice of law
In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiations and court proceedings such as lawsuits, and is applied to the professional services of a lawyer or attorney at law, barrister,...
attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
at the time of his election in 1987.
More than 160 graduates of the law school have gone on to serve in state and federal judicial positions, and several of them have attained high repute. Alice M. Batchelder
Alice M. Batchelder
Alice Moore Batchelder is an American attorney and jurist. She currently is chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and was considered by President George W. Bush as a potential nominee for a U.S. Supreme Court seat that ultimately went to Justice Samuel Alito. Her...
received her J.D. from Akron in 1971 and is the longest current serving federal judge
United States federal courts
The United States federal courts make up the judiciary branch of federal government of the United States organized under the United States Constitution and laws of the federal government.-Categories:...
on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* Eastern District of Kentucky* Western District of Kentucky...
, having been appointed by George H.W. Bush in 1991.
Deborah L. Cook
Deborah Cook (judge)
Deborah L. Cook is a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, based in Akron, Ohio.- Background :...
received her J.D. from Akron in 1978. Having previously served as a justice for the Supreme Court of Ohio
Supreme Court of Ohio
The Supreme Court of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a chief justice and six associate justices, each serving six-year terms...
from 1995 to 2003, she was appointed by George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
in 2003 to serve on the Sixth Circuit alongside Batchelder. They were both touted by the media as possible nominations of George W. Bush for the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
, and Cook was seen as a possible McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
appointment, had he been elected President
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
.
Among the school's graduates who have gone on to be United States district court
United States district court
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, equity, and admiralty. There is a United States bankruptcy court associated with each United States...
judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
s are James S. Gwin
James S. Gwin
James S. Gwin is a United States federal judge.Born in Canton, Ohio, Gwin graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Louisville, Ohio and received an A.B. from Kenyon College in 1976 and a J.D. from the University of Akron School of Law in 1979. He was in private practice in Canton, Ohio...
, Peter C. Economus
Peter C. Economus
Peter C. Economus is a United States federal judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.Economus was born in Youngstown, Ohio. He received a B.A. from Youngstown State University in 1967, and received a J.D. from the University of Akron School of Law in 1970...
, Samuel H. Bell
Samuel H. Bell
Samuel H. Bell is a former United States federal judge.Born in Rochester, New York, Bell was the only child of Marie Bell and Samuel Bell. The family moved to Akron, Ohio, where Bell attended Buchtel High School before going to the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio. He graduated from Wooster...
, and John R. Adams
John R. Adams
John Randell Adams is a United States federal judge.Adams was born in Orrville, Ohio, and received a B.S. from Bowling Green State University in 1978, followed by a J.D. from University of Akron School of Law in 1983. He was a law clerk to W. F. Spicer of the Ohio Court of Common Pleas from 1983...
.
External links
- Official University of Akron School of Law website
- Official University of Akron website
- The University of Akron Constitutional Law website
- The University of Akron Joseph G. Miller and William C. Becker Institute for Professional Responsibility website
- The University of Akron Center for Intellectual Property Law and Technology
- The University of Akron School of Law profile at Law School Numbers