Texas Tech University School of Law
| Texas Tech University School of Law | |
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| Established | 1967 |
|---|---|
| School type | Public School |
| Dean | Darby Dickerson |
| Location | Lubbock, Texas, USA |
| Enrollment | 671 |
| Faculty | 36 |
| USNWR ranking | 117[1] |
| Bar pass rate | 95.45% |
| Annual tuition | $17,351 |
| Website | www.law.ttu.edu |
The Texas Tech University School of Law is an ABA-accredited law school located on the campus of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. Known nationally for their continual success in trial advocacy competitions, the school focuses on forming practical lawyers who are ready to practice law upon matriculation. Additionally, the school is known for its great value to students, with National Jurist Magazine rating the school in the top 20 best value law schools for the past three consecutive years.[2] The school was also ranked #3 for most accessible professors by the Princeton Review in 2011.[3] Additionally, the school historically ranks at or near the number one position in the Texas Bar Examination results, with a 90% average passage rate for the last 16 years.
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[edit] Bar Exam Performance
In 2000, Texas Tech University School of Law had a 100% bar passage rate for first-time exam takers for the February 2000 Bar Examination.[4] Most recently, Texas Tech University School of Law led all Texas law schools on the July 2009 Bar Examination, with a first-time pass rate of 94.52 percent.[5]
[edit] Curriculum
The Texas Tech University school of law prides itself on matriculating practical lawyers who are ready for the practice of law upon graduation. One way the school accomplishes this is through their wide array of courses. Below are the required courses for all students who attend Texas Tech School of Law:
[edit] First-year courses
Civil Procedure: A general survey using federal court procedure as a model, including jurisdiction of courts, pleading, disposition without trial, joinder of claims and parties, effects of judgments, and appellate review.
Constitutional Law: A study of the federal judiciary’s doctrine and practice of judicial review, judicial power, and jurisdiction of the courts, the power of Congress to regulate commerce, the power of the states to regulate commerce, and the protection of private rights, privileges, and immunities under the Constitution, which includes the substantive rights of freedom of enterprise, freedom of expression, freedom of religion, and freedom from discrimination.
Contract Law: A study of the enforceability of promises, the creation of contractual obligations, performance and breach, the impact of the contract on the legal relationships of nonparties, and the examination of contract doctrine in three settings: personal service, sales of goods, and construction contracts.
Criminal Law: Inquiry into the sources and goals of the criminal law, limitations on the state’s power to define criminal liability, general principles of liability and defenses, and the characteristics of particular crimes.
Legal Practice I: An introduction to the legal system covering case briefing, case synthesis, and statutory analysis, as well as principles and practice of legal writing, client interviewing, client counseling, negotiations, and legal bibliography and research.
Legal Practice II: Instruction in legal method, including case and statutory analysis, through objective and persuasive legal writing and oral argument. Instruction in the sources and use of materials for legal research, including computer-assisted research, and in legal citation. Written assignments include letters, memoranda, and briefs. Introduction to dispute resolution processes including mediation, arbitration, settlement conferences, mini-trials, and summary jury trial. The Texas Tech School of Law is one of the only law schools in America where students negotiate and draft a contract in their first year.
Property Law: An introduction to the law of personal property and real property, including estates and other interests in land, real property marketing and conveyancing, and landlord and tenant problems.
Tort Law: Standards and principles governing legal liability for intentional and unintentional invasions of interests of person and property.
[edit] Advanced Required Courses
Business Entities: A study of business organizations (including partnership, limited partnership, and other unincorporated business forms) and business corporations; the factors affecting the selection of the form of a business enterprise; the nature of corporate entities; and the promotion, organization, activities, financing, management, and dissolution of business corporations.
Commercial Law: A study of the financing and distribution of goods from manufacturer to ultimate consumer, with special emphasis given to the financing of sales transactions (Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code) and to the processes for payment of sales-generated obligations (Articles 3, 4, and 5 of the Uniform Commercial Code).
Criminal Procedure: Survey of procedures applicable in the criminal justice system from arrest through post-conviction remedies.
Evidence Law: An examination of the problems of proof, including study of the admission and exclusion of information on the basis of relevancy, economy, policy and protection of the individual or the state, examination of witnesses, substitutes for evidence, and procedural considerations.
Income Taxation: A basic understanding of both the concepts related to the federal income taxation of individuals, and how those concepts are reflected in complex statutes and regulations.
Professional Responsibility: Provides a basic foundation for dealing with ethical and professional responsibility problems that practitioners encounter. Students examine the duties, roles, and responsibilities of practicing attorneys. Discussion focuses on applying ethics rules and avoiding grievances and professional malpractice claims.
Wills and Trusts: A study of the transfer of property by descent, wills, testamentary substitutes, and trusts, including a study of construction problems.
[edit] Grading Policy
Following the tradition of most American law schools, Texas Tech determines the grade for each course a student takes by administering one final exam which counts for the entirety of the student's grade. The professor may, however, manipulate the final grade for low attendance or class performance.
Texas Tech utilizes a grading distribution in their courses that compares each student's performance in relation to the other students in the same course. This means that while a grade may appear low on a transcript, it does not necessarily mean the student performed poorly, rather, the student did not out-perform his or her peers.
| First Year Distribution | Advanced Distribution |
|---|---|
| A 10% | A 15% |
| B+ 15% | B+ 20% |
| B 25% | B 30% |
| C+ 25% | C+ 20% |
| C 15% | C 10% |
| D+, D, F 10% | D+, D, F 5% |
| MEAN: 2.70 | MEAN: 2.95 |
| MEDIAN: C+ | MEDIAN: B |
[edit] Trial Advocacy Program
The Texas Tech School of Law has a widely-recognized trial advocacy program run by faculty member Rob Sherwin. Throughout the years, the law school has won a plethora of awards. Some of the school's most recent awards include the following:
- 2011 Regional Champion: Texas Young Lawyers Association's National Trial Competition
- 2011 Regional Champion: Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition
- 2011 National Champion: National Moot Court Competition
- 2010 and 2005 International Champion: International Negotiation Competition
- 2009-10 and 2007-08 National Champion: American Bar Association Arbitration Competition
- 2009 and 2008 National Champion: National Latino/a Law Student Association Moot Court Competition
- 2009 and 2008 Texas Champion: Texas Young Lawyers Association State Moot Court Competition
- 2009-10 National Finalist: American Bar Association Negotiation Competition
- 2009-10 National Semifinalist and Regional Champion: National Moot Court Competition
- 2010 National Semifinalist and Regional Champion: American Bar Association National Appellate Advocacy Competition
- 2010 National Semifinalist: Conrad B. Duberstein National Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition
- 2010 Regional Champion: Texas Young Lawyers Association National Trial Competition
- 2009 National Finalist: National Entertainment Law Moot Court Competition
- 2009 National Finalist: Illinois Appellate Lawyers National Moot Court Competition
[edit] Centers
- Center for Biodefense, Law and Public Policy
- Center for Military Law and Policy
- Center for Water Law and Policy
[edit] Degree and certificate programs
- J.D.
- Joint programs
- J.D./MBA
- J.D./MPA
- J.D./M.S. in Agriculture and Economics
- J.D./M.S. in Accounting
- J.D./M.S. in Biotechnology
- J.D./M.S. in Crop Science/Horticulture/Soil Science/Entomology
- J.D./M.S. in Environmental Toxicology
- J.D./M.S. in Personal Financial Planning
- Law and Science Certificate Program
- Business Law Certificate Program
- Legal Practice Program
[edit] Publications
- Texas Tech Law Review
- Texas Bank Lawyer
- Texas Tech Administrative Law Journal
- Estate Planning and Community Property Law Journal
[edit] Notable Alumni
Jeff Wentworth '71: Sitting member of the Texas State Senate for the 25th District. Wentworth assumed office in the Senate in 1993 after a five year service in the Texas House of Representatives.
Phil Johnson '75: Sitting member of the Texas Supreme Court and former chief justice of the 7th Court of Appeals.
Robert Junell '76: Serves as a judge for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.
John Smithee '76: Serves in the Texas House of Representatives for District 86.
Karen Tandy '77: Nominated by President George W. Bush as the first female head of the Drug Enforcement Agency, and now works as the Senior Vice President of public affairs and communications for Motorola.
Walter Huffman '77: Served as the Judge Advocate General for the United States Army from 1997 until 2001. From 2002 until 2009, Huffman served as the dean for the law school. Presently, Huffman is a professor of law at Texas Tech.
Matthew D. Orwig '84: Nominated by President George W. Bush as U.S. Attorney, and served the Eastern District of Texas in that position until 2007. He now serves as the managing partner of SNR Denton's Dallas office.
Mark Lanier '84: Recognized as one of "The Decade's Most Influential Journal" by The National Law Journal and serves on the law school's Foundation Board. In 2008, Mark and his wife Becky financed a $6 million 34,000-square-foot (3,200 m2) addition to the law school, complete with an auditorium, conference rooms, career development center, and the most technologically-advanced courtroom in the nation.[6]
William Mateja '86: Served as Senior Counsel to U.S. Deputy Attorneys General. He also served for the President's Corporate Fraud Task Force while also overseeing the Justice Department's white collar, health care fraud, and corporate fraud efforts. He now works for Fish & Richardson, the 109th largest law firm in the United States.
Brian Loncar '87: Established the leading personal injury law firm in Texas and rose to become one of the most recognized names in Texas litigation.
Joseph Heflin '93: Served in the Texas House of Representatives for District 85 from 2007-2011.
Stephanie Hall '97: Currently the Senior Counsel for Valero's environmental safety and regulatory affairs in San Antonio, Texas.
[edit] References
- ^ http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/school-of-law-03153
- ^ "Top 20 Best Value Law Schools". http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/cypress/prelaw_2010fall/#/24.
- ^ "Most Accessible Professors". http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2010/12/2010-princeton-review.html.
- ^ "Law Grads Best In Texas On Bar Exam". Texas Tech University System. http://today.ttu.edu/2009/11/law-grads-best-in-texas-on-bar-exam/. Retrieved 2009-12-21.
- ^ "Law Grads Best In Texas On Bar Exam". Texas Tech University System. http://today.ttu.edu/2009/11/law-grads-best-in-texas-on-bar-exam/. Retrieved 2009-12-21.
- ^ Lanier Professional Development Center
[edit] External links
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