University of Maryland School of Law

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University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law
Parent school University of Maryland, Baltimore
Established 1816
School type Public
Dean Phoebe A. Haddon[1]
Location Baltimore, Maryland, USA
39°17′21″N 76°37′21″W / 39.2893°N 76.6224°W / 39.2893; -76.6224Coordinates: 39°17′21″N 76°37′21″W / 39.2893°N 76.6224°W / 39.2893; -76.6224
Enrollment 830[2]
Faculty
USNWR ranking 42nd (Tier 1)[3]
Website www.law.umaryland.edu
ABA profile ABA profile

The University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law (University of Maryland School of Law) is the second-oldest law school in the United States by date of establishment and third-oldest by date of first classes. The school is located on the campus of the University of Maryland, Baltimore in Downtown Baltimore's West Side. The school was founded in 1816 as the Maryland Law Institute and began regular instruction in 1824. Due to its location in downtown Baltimore, Maryland, Maryland Law is part of the District of Columbia–Baltimore legal and business communities.[4]

In 2003, the law school moved into a new, state-of-the-art facility at 500 West Baltimore Street on the west side of downtown Baltimore near the Inner Harbor and Oriole Park at Camden Yards.[5] In 2009, the School of Law appointed its ninth dean of the school, Phoebe A. Haddon,[1] who previously was a faculty member at Temple University Beasley School of Law, and is a national leader in legal education and an expert on jury participation, the courts and diversity.[6] In 2011, the law school received a $30 million donation from the W.P. Carey Foundation, which is the largest gift in the school's history. In response, the law school changed its name to the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. [7]

Maryland Law has been ranked in the top tier of American law schools by U.S. News & World Report, maintaining its position in the rankings over the years, currently ranked 42nd in the most recent 2012 edition.[3] The 2012 Rankings also gave Maryland top-10 standing in the categories of Clinical Training (#6), Environmental Law (#7), Heath Care Law (#3), Part-Time Program (#8) and Trial Advocacy (#8).[8] Additionally, Maryland ranks 22nd in the nation among public law schools.[9] The National Jurist recently named Maryland as a top-10 public interest law school in the nation.[10]

Maryland Law is fully accredited by the American Bar Association, is a member of the Association of American Law Schools, and has a chapter of the Order of the Coif.

Contents

[edit] Students, faculty, and alumni

UniversityofMarylandLawSchool 08 11.jpg

Approximately 830 students are enrolled at Maryland Law.[2] For a recent entering class of full-time students, the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile LSAT scores were 158/161/163, and the corresponding GPAs were 3.34/3.51/3.68.[11] They are diverse in age, gender, academic background, prior employment, and race, with more than 30% identifying themselves as persons of color.[12] There are more than 40 student organizations,[13] four specialized legal centers,[14] and five law journals.[15] Many resources are available to new students, including upper-class peer advisers, skill-enhancement sessions, a legal writing center,[16] and one-on-one academic counseling.[17]

Maryland Law faculty are national leaders in a wide range of subject areas, and they are available to support and advise students.[18] Smaller classes and a 12:1 student/faculty ratio enable close working relationships to develop in a professional and intellectually vibrant setting.

Students directly benefit from a broad network of Maryland Law alumni, who occupy positions of professional leadership throughout the state, region, and nation. Alumni act as mentors, volunteer judges, and adjunct faculty to help connect each student’s law school experience with the professional life of the surrounding legal community.

[edit] Academics

[edit] Curriculum

The rigorous core curriculum at Maryland Law includes Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Torts, Property, Contracts, and Criminal Law, as well as a two-semester course focusing on legal skills of analysis, research, writing, and oral argument.[19] These required courses form the basis for more specialized study through more than 150 elective courses, seminars, independent studies, simulations, clinics, and externships. Each student must also satisfy an advanced writing requirement by producing a substantial paper based on extensive research. Full-time day students generally complete the Juris Doctor curriculum in three years, and part-time evening students typically take four years.

[edit] Specialty programs

Maryland Law is home to several nationally recognized specialty programs.[20] These programs enable students to explore areas of particular interest through experiential learning and a specialized curriculum. Through clinics and externships, student organizations, conferences and symposia, and an extensive alumni network, students can immerse themselves in a wealth of specialized offerings to prepare for the demands of a particular area of law.

Three specialty programs — in Law and Health Care,[21] Environmental Law,[22] and Clinical Law[23] — have established national reputations for excellence. Each of these programs draws on the academic resources of Maryland Law's sister professional schools to provide a rich and interdisciplinary learning experience. Students may earn a legal certificate through the Environmental Law Program or the Law and Health Care Program.

Other specialty areas are no less rigorous and include the following:

  • Advocacy
  • Business Law[24]
  • Intellectual Property Law[25]
  • International and Comparative Law[26]
  • Legislation and Public Policy[27]
  • Women, Leadership & Equality[28]

Students can focus their studies in other areas as well, including criminal law, dispute resolution, family law/child advocacy, general practice, jurisprudence/legal history, labor/employment/administrative law, property/real estate/decedent’s estates law, public interest law/community development, and tax law.

[edit] Dual-degree programs

The law school offers several dual-degree options:[29]

[edit] Business

[edit] Public Policy

  • J.D./Master of Public Policy from the University of Maryland School of Public Policy[30]
  • J.D./Master of Public Management
  • J.D./Ph.D. in Public Policy through the University of Maryland Baltimore County School of Public Policy
  • J.D./Master of Community Planning through the University of Maryland Urban Studies and Planning Program

[edit] Health

[edit] Law and Society

[edit] The Maryland LL.M.

The Maryland LL.M. Program is a centerpiece of Maryland Law's commitment to promoting justice not only across the United States, but also around the world. Building on the law school's nationally recognized specialty programs, the LL.M. provides advanced legal education for lawyers and law students seeking to develop expertise in a specific area of study. It is an academically rigorous program designed for individuals from the U.S. and abroad who are eager to engage in scholarly explorations of pressing legal issues.[31]

[edit] Clinical Law Program

Through the Cardin Requirement, named after Maryland Law alumnus U.S. Senator Benjamin Cardin, each full-time day student gains hands-on legal experience by representing actual clients who would otherwise lack access to justice. Most students fulfill the Cardin Requirement through the nationally recognized Clinical Law Program,[23] which provides more than 110,000 hours of free legal services to Maryland’s poorest citizens each year.

The legal clinic is among the best and largest teaching law firms in the nation. Students work alongside senior faculty members on real-life cases, gaining a unique combination of theoretical knowledge and practical experience to prepare them for the demands of a career in law. More than 25 clinics[32] focus on a broad range of practice areas, including civil and criminal litigation, advice and counseling, and transactional work. Civil practice areas include environmental law, health, housing and community development, juvenile law and children, AIDS, and immigration. Criminal student attorneys often represent defendants in misdemeanor cases in Maryland’s district courts, as well as work in the School of Law's community justice efforts. In addition to in-house clinical work, students may gain experience in public and private nonprofit externships in the Baltimore-Washington region.

[edit] Initiatives

In addition to formal Programs and Centers, the Law School sponsors a variety of academic and public service initiatives. These initiatives enhance the educational and scholarly mission of the Law School and also serve the community.[33]

[edit] Leadership, Ethics and Democracy (LEAD) Initiative

In spring 2008, the Fetzer Institute made a three-year $1.6 million funding commitment to the School of Law to help it respond to these challenges and create a Leadership, Ethics and Democracy program (LEAD). Through this initiative, the School of Law seeks to help its students realize their leadership potential, develop good ethical and moral judgment and develop the cross-cultural competence they will need to practice law in today's global arena. Along the way, the students will discover how the law can be used to reinforce democracy and achieve justice.[34]

[edit] Legislation, politics, and public policy

The University of Maryland School of Law offers students a broad educational experience in the areas of legislation, public policy and public interest practice. Through a combination of traditional coursework, advanced legal research, in-house faculty supervised clinics, and externships, students will develop the knowledge and skills appropriate for employment with legislative bodies, governmental agencies, non-profit organizations or lobbying practices at all levels of government.[35]

[edit] Linking Law & the Arts

Collaborating with Baltimore's leading professional theater company to produce an original, dramatic presentation of the Brown v. Board of Education case in celebration of the historic decision's 50th anniversary. Bringing together a top Hollywood casting director, an actor from NBC's Homicide: Life on the Street, a playwright and a theater director for a fascinating panel discussion about non-traditional casting, illustrated by actors of different races, genders, and disabilities performing scenes in roles where they may not traditionally be considered. Hosting a national gathering of film scholars, critics, and law professors for a two-day conference, "The Impact of Film on Law, Lawyers and the Legal System," addressing the growing influence of contemporary film—features and documentaries—on culture and assessing the significance of inexpensive emerging media technologies for filmmakers and the general population. Any of these programs would be at home in a fine arts graduate program. But all have been staged by the University of Maryland School of Law, in conjunction with local arts organizations, as part of the innovative "Linking Law and Arts" series. The programs accomplish complementary goals, using theater and art to help address complex legal, social and public policy issues, while using the lens of law and society to help the public better understand theater and art.[36]

As part of their unique commitment to blending law and the arts, students and professors at the University of Maryland School of Law produced a short film in 2010 about the handling of war tribunals at Guantanamo Bay entitled "The Respose" starring Aasif Mandvi.[37]

[edit] Law School complex and library

The School of Law and the Thurgood Marshall Law Library occupy a state-of-the-art complex that supports the school’s programs integrating classroom and experiential learning. The facility opened in 2002 and contains three courtrooms, including the Ceremonial Moot Courtroom, where state and federal trial and appellate courts regularly sit in session to hear cases. Classrooms and courtrooms are equipped with the latest in educational technology, as well as wired and wireless Internet access for student use. In addition to their own notebook computers, students can use public computers located throughout the facility for writing and research.[38]

The Thurgood Marshall Law Library houses a collection of more than 495,000 volumes and equivalents accessible through the online catalog.[39] A staff of 23, including 11 librarians, provides customized reference and consulting services to faculty and students. In addition to LexisNexis and Westlaw, the library offers an extensive array of legal and non-legal Web-based electronic databases.

Contrary to the commonly accepted history, Thurgood Marshall was not denied entry to the University of Maryland. In fact he never applied, as it was then common practice to deny all African Americans admission to the University of Maryland. Marshall went on to attend law school at Howard University.

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] Governors

[edit] U.S. Senators

[edit] U.S. Congressmen

[edit] State Senators

[edit] State Delegates

[edit] Judges

[edit] Others

[edit] Publications

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Maryland Law | Phoebe A. Haddon
  2. ^ a b The University of Maryland School of Law
  3. ^ a b University of Maryland | Best Law School | US News
  4. ^ http://www.martindale.com/xp/Martindale/Professional_Resources/Law_Schools/schl0446.xml
  5. ^ Maryland Law | Karen Rothenberg
  6. ^ Maryland Law | Phoebe Haddon Named New Dean
  7. ^ of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law | Carey Foundation Donates $30M to UMDLaw
  8. ^ id.
  9. ^ Best Graduate Schools | Top Graduate Programs | US News Education
  10. ^ preLaw - Winter 2011
  11. ^ "UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SCHOOL OF LAW". Official ABA Data. https://officialguide.lsac.org/Release/SchoolsABAData/SchoolPage/SchoolPage_PDFs/ABA_LawSchoolData/ABA5814.pdf. Retrieved January 16, 2012. 
  12. ^ https://officialguide.lsac.org/Release/SchoolsABAData/SchoolPage/SchoolPage_PDFs/ABA_LawSchoolData/ABA5814.pdf
  13. ^ Maryland Law | Student Organizations
  14. ^ Maryland Law | Programs & Centers
  15. ^ Maryland Law | Journals
  16. ^ Maryland Law | Legal Writing Center
  17. ^ Maryland Law | Academic Achievement Program
  18. ^ The University of Maryland School of Law
  19. ^ Maryland Law | Academics
  20. ^ Maryland Law | Programs & Centers
  21. ^ Maryland Law | Law & Health Care Program
  22. ^ Maryland Law | Environmental Law Program
  23. ^ a b Maryland Law | Clinical Law
  24. ^ Maryland Law | Business Law
  25. ^ The University of Maryland School of Law
  26. ^ Maryland Law | International Law
  27. ^ Maryland Law | Legislation, Politics, and Public Policy
  28. ^ Maryland Law | Women, Leadership & Equality
  29. ^ Maryland Law | Dual Degrees
  30. ^ "Public Policy, University of Maryland". University of Maryland School of Public Policy. http://publicpolicy.umd.edu/. Retrieved 28 September 2011. 
  31. ^ Maryland Law | The Maryland LL.M
  32. ^ Maryland Law | Course Catalog Search
  33. ^ Maryland Law | Other Initiatives
  34. ^ Maryland Law | LEAD : Leadership, Ethics, and Democracy
  35. ^ Maryland Law | Legislation, Politics, and Public Policy
  36. ^ Maryland Law | Linking Law & the Arts
  37. ^ [1]
  38. ^ http://www.law.umaryland.edu/dept/it/notebook_requirement.asp
  39. ^ Thurgood Marshall Law Library | University of Maryland School of Law
  40. ^ "DISTRICT COURT OF MARYLAND: Philip N. Tirabassi". Maryland State Archives. http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdmanual/32dc/html/msa14456.html. Retrieved 2008-06-11. 
  41. ^ Martek | Production, Research of DHA Omega 3, Vegetarian DHA
  42. ^ MSBA.org - The Maryland State Bar Association, Inc
  43. ^ Law Offices of Arnold M. Weiner ... Complex Litigation, Baltimore, Maryland

[edit] External links
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