Washington College of Law

American University Washington College of Law
File:WashLaw.jpg
Parent school	American University
Established	1896
School type	Private
Dean	Claudio Grossman
Location	Washington, D.C., United States 38.9454°N 77.095°W / 38.9454; -77.095
Enrollment	1,658 (1483 JD, 160 LLM, 15 SJD)
Faculty	Full-time: 58

American University Washington College of Law (WCL) is the law school of American University. It is located on Massachusetts Avenue in the Spring Valley neighborhood of northwest Washington. WCL is ranked 50th among law schools by U.S. News & World Report. The school is accredited by the American Bar Association.

History

WCL was founded in 1896 by Ellen Spencer Mussey and Emma Gillett in response to a lack of legal educational opportunities for women in the region. Mussey herself learned the law by apprenticeship at her husband's law offices. She was rejected by several schools in the area, including the National University School of Law, which later merged into the George Washington University Law School, because "women did not have the mentality for the law." Gillette however, found admission at Howard University School of Law, and graduated in 1883. She passed the bar in the District of Columbia the same year. Additionally, she became first woman to be appointed notary public by the President of the United States. Mussey and Gillett began teaching in Mussey's law offices after they were approached by three women who wished to study with them. With its first graduating class, the Washington College of Law became the first law school to be founded by women, and also the first law school to graduate an all-female class. The "single-sex" education did not last long however: Mussey's male law clerk enrolled in 1897. WCL officially became part of American University in 1949.

Rankings

WCL is well known for its Clinical, International Law, Trial Advocacy, and Intellectual Property programs, which are ranked 2nd, 5th, 11th, and 16th in the nation, respectively, by U.S. News & World Report. U.S. News ranks it 50th in the nation overall. In 2007-08, WCL was recognized as the most diverse top-tier law school in the Washington, D.C. area, and the third most diverse among top-tier law schools in the nation in U.S. News' index of diversity recognized. Its master of laws (LL.M.) program ranks 13th nationally in the 2008 AUAP rankings.

WCL is also known for its strong programs in both human rights and public interest work. WCL offers grant money through the Equal Justice Foundation for students working in the public sector and offers special loan repayment assistance programs.

Enrollment

WCL enrolls 1,646 students, 58 percent of whom are female. For the 2008 admissions cycle, WCL received 8,845 applications for 474 available seats in the Juris Doctor program. The admissions rate was 21%.[1] The 2009 incoming class had a median undergraduate GPA of 3.41 and a median LSAT of 163 (out of 180), a score which is higher than roughly 90 percent of all test-takers nationwide. WCL ranks 9th in racial diversity among top law schools. All 50 United States and over 60 foreign countries are represented.

Degrees offered

WCL offers the Juris Doctor (J.D.), Master of Laws (LL.M.) in either international law or constitutional law, and Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) degrees. Additionally, students can enroll in one of several dual degree programs offered at WCL, including a J.D./M.A. program with the School of International Service, J.D./M.B.A. and L.L.M/M.B.A programs with the Kogod School of Business, and J.D/M.P.P and L.L.M./M.P.P. with the School of Public Affairs.

Campus

The campus is located in the northwest edge of Washington, D.C., near the Maryland state line. It lies within the boundaries of a residential neighborhood. WCL's six-story building is located at 4801 Massachusetts Avenue, with another set of offices located down the street at 4910 Massachusetts Avenue.

Programs and centers

• Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
• Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian law
• Clinical Program
• Externship Program
• Health Law Project
• Humphrey Fellowship Program (Fulbright Exchange)
• Center for International Arbitration
• International Legal Studies Program (ILSP)
• International Visiting Scholars Program
• Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project
• National Institute of Military Justice
• National Institute of Corrections/WCL Project on Addressing Prison Rape
• Office of Public Interest
• Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property
• Program on International and Comparative Environmental Law
• Program on Law & Government
• Special Events & Continuing Legal Education
• Trial Advocacy Program
• UNROW Human Rights Impact Litigation Clinic
• War Crimes Research Office
• Women & International Law Program
• Women & the Law Program

WCL participates in several popular study abroad and student exchange programs with universities around the world, including a semester-long program with the School of Law at City University of Hong Kong.

In 2002, the Jessup Moot Court Team was the top ranked team in the United States and Third in the World.

Publications

• Administrative Law Review
• The Alternative Dispute Resolution Newsletter
• The American Jurist
• The American University International Law Review (which publishes ASIL's annual Grotius Lecture).
• The American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law
• The American University Law Review
• The American University Business Law Review
• The Criminal Law Brief
• The Human Rights Brief
• The Intellectual Property Brief
• The Modern American
• National Security Law Brief
• Sustainable Development Law & Policy
• Health Law & Policy Brief
• Legislation & Policy Brief

Notes and Recognitions

• Administrative Law Review is the official publication of the American Bar Association Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice.
• In 2005, the ABA recognized "The Business Law Brief" (since renamed to The American University Business Law Review) as the "Magazine of the Year."
• On several occasions, the ABA has recognized The American Jurist as the "Best Law Student Magazine."

Notable current and former faculty

• Kristine Huskey
• Paul Williams
• Michael Tigar
• Jamie Raskin
• Judith A. Winston
• Gregory Stanton
• Michael W. Carroll
• Claudio Grossman

Notable alumni

• Ilan Berman, Vice President of the American Foreign Policy Council
• Robert Byrd, former United States Senator. (D-WV)
• John Dean, White House Counsel to President Richard M. Nixon and key Watergate scandal figure
• Tom Goldstein, co-founder of the firm Goldstein and Howe, and co-founder of Scotusblog.
• Kim Guadagno (class of 1983), first female sheriff of Monmouth County, New Jersey and first ever Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey
• Henry E. Hudson, judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, and the first judge to rule against the Obama administration's health care reform law
• Manjaagiin Ichinnorov - Mongolian human rights activist
• Joe Johns, CNN correspondent based in the Washington, D.C. Bureau.
• Joseph T. Kelliher- an American energy executive and former chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
• Juliane Kokott, German Advocate General at the Court of Justice of the European Communities (EJC) and Professor at the University of St. Gallen
• Rick Lazio, former Congressman (R-NY) and lawyer.
• Thomas Downey, former Congressman (D-NY) and head of Downey McGrath Group.
• Gerald Bruce Lee, Federal district judge.
• Roy Lee, film producer (The Departed and The Ring)
• M. Peter McPherson, special assistant to President Gerald Ford, head of USAID under President Ronald Reagan, president of Michigan State University from 1993 to 2004, and Chairman of Dow Jones beginning in 2007.
• Sophia A. Nelson, Attorney and Political Commentator.
• Alice Paul, notable suffragist.
• Kirill Reznik, State Delegate (D-Md), Maryland House of Delegates.
• Dan Slater, Vice Chair of the Colorado Democratic Party.
• Ed Tapscott, Head coach of the Washington Wizards NBA team.
• Hugo Teufel III, Former Chief Privacy Officer of the Department of Homeland Security.
• Reggie Walton, Federal district judge.
• Juan Mari Brás, Puerto Rico political leader.
• Judith Sheindlin, TV judge "Judge Judy" (although she later transferred to the New York Law School)

External links

• Washington College of Law website
• Washington College of Law faculty listing