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On July 1, 2011, Western New England College School of Law officially became Western New England University School of Law. The Massachusetts Board of Higher Education approved the change in March 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www1.wne.edu/news/index.cfm?selection=doc.2507&DCIid=14327 |title=Publications |publisher=Western New England College |accessdate=2011-04-18 }}</ref>
On July 1, 2011, Western New England College School of Law officially became Western New England University School of Law. The Massachusetts Board of Higher Education approved the change in March 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www1.wne.edu/news/index.cfm?selection=doc.2507&DCIid=14327 |title=Publications |publisher=Western New England College |accessdate=2011-04-18 }}</ref>

According to the law professor blog The Faculty Lounge, only 33.8% of the Class of 2012 was employed in full-time, long-term positions requiring bar admission, ranking 188th out of 197 law schools.<ref>Rosin, Gary. "Full Rankings: Bar Admission Required, Full-Time, Long Term", The Faculty Lounge, March 30, 2013. Retrieved on February 24, 2014, http://www.thefacultylounge.org/2013/03/-full-rankings-bar-admission-required-full-time-long-term.html. -- For the latest Employment Summary Reports from the American Bar Association, Section of Legal Education, see http://employmentsummary.abaquestionnaire.org/</ref>


==Programs==
==Programs==

Revision as of 13:36, 24 February 2014

Western New England University School of Law
Established1923
School typePrivate
Endowment48.6 Million USD[1]
DeanEric J. Gouvin
LocationSpringfield, Massachusetts, USA
Enrollment593
Faculty53
Bar pass rate72.02%[2]
Websitelaw.wne.edu

Western New England University School of Law (also known as Western New England Law) is a private, ABA-accredited law school in Western Massachusetts. Established in 1923, the law school has approximately 7,000 alumni who live and work across the United States and internationally. They include judges, attorneys practicing in large and small firms, and lawyers for corporations, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and various levels of government.

Western New England Law offers both full-time and part-time programs. A distinctive feature of the school is the personalized, student-centered approach to legal education and professional development. The first-year section size, purposely among the smallest in the country, promotes effective learning in a challenging but collegial and supportive setting.

History

S. Prestley Blake Law Center

Western New England College was established in 1919 as a branch of Northeastern University and began offering evening law classes. In 1923, the first seven law graduates were recognized. In 1951, Western New England College incorporated as its own institution. The full-time law program began in 1973. The S. Prestley Blake Law Center was first opened in 1978 at a cost of $3.4 million. The building is named after S. Prestley Blake, who made a substantial gift of $250,000 to the project. The law school underwent major renovations in 2007, including a new wing, lobby, and entrance. The project also saw the reconfiguration of several classrooms, creating smaller and more intimate learning environments.

On July 1, 2011, Western New England College School of Law officially became Western New England University School of Law. The Massachusetts Board of Higher Education approved the change in March 2011.[3]

According to the law professor blog The Faculty Lounge, only 33.8% of the Class of 2012 was employed in full-time, long-term positions requiring bar admission, ranking 188th out of 197 law schools.[4]

Programs

The primary aim of the law school is its J.D. program, where first year students are divided into three small sections of less than 60 people, providing approximately a 13:1 student-faculty ratio. The school also offers a part-time day or evening program. In addition, the law school has the following four joint-degree programs: J.D./M.B.A. and J.D./M.S.A. with the Western New England University College of Business; J.D./M.S.W. with Springfield College; and a J.D./M.R.P. with the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Undergraduates of Western New England University can take advantage of the "3+3 program," which allows certain students to complete a B.A. and a J.D. in six years.[5]

Western New England University School of Law

Concentrations

Responding to the ABA-commissioned McCrate Report analyzing the effectiveness of legal education, Western New England University introduced six concentrations beginning in the Fall 2008 term. Second and third-year students have the option to concentrate in the following fields: Business Law, Criminal Law, Estate Planning, Gender and Sexuality Studies, International and Comparative Law, Public Interest Law, or Real Estate. [6]

Clinics and Externships

The law school offers numerous clinical opportunities, where students can gain practical knowledge and develop professional skills under the supervision of experienced practitioners. The following clinics are currently offered: Criminal Law Clinic, Legal Services Clinic, Housing Clinic, International Human Rights Clinic, Real Estate Practicum, and the Small Business Clinic. Students also have the opportunity to gain practical legal experience for academic credit through offered or student-secured externships.[7]

The university's Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship also offers a resource for small business development in the greater Pioneer Valley region. The Small Business Clinic is the cornerstone program of the Center. The Clinic pairs students from the School of Law and College of Business to offer personal, professional legal assistance to entrepreneurs in the business start-up stage.[8]

LL.M. Programs

The law school offers the nation's only live, interactive online LL.M. programs, one in Estate Planning and Elder Law and one in Closely held Businesses.[9] There is also a full-time Estate Planning and Elder Law program, as well.

The Center for Gender and Sexuality Studies

Established in 2012, the Center for Gender & Sexuality Studies is a resource for the School of Law community, the greater legal community, and the general public. Its work focuses on issues relating to gender and sexuality, including civil rights issues affecting women and sexual minorities.[10]

Western New England Law Review

The Western New England Law Review publishes three issues per year. The editorial board consists of members of the School of Law who rank at or near the top 10 percent of their first-year class. The Law Review also permits a certain number of candidates who are put onto the law review based on the recommendation of their Legal Research and Writing professor at the end of their first year.

Moot Court

Western New England University School of Law has achieved success in numerous National Moot Court competitions, including the following:

  • First Place, Best Overall Team National Transactional Lawyering Meet, 2011
  • Best Brief and Best Oralist, Products Liability Moot Court Competition, 2011
  • First Place (National Champions) ABA Law Student Tax Challenge, 2010
  • Best Brief ABA Law Student Tax Challenge, 2010
  • First Place (National Champions) Products Liability Moot Court Competition, 2009
  • First Place, (National Champions) ABA Law Student Tax Challenge, 2008
  • Best Oralist, National First Amendment Moot Court Competition, 2005
  • First Place, National First Amendment Moot Court Competition, 2004
  • First Place, ABA National Negotiation Competition, 2001

Notable persons

Notable alumni

Notable faculty

  • Bridgette Baldwin - Worked as a Staff Attorney for the Criminal Defense Division of the Legal Aid Society of New York City, and later worked for the Bronx Defenders.
  • Amy B. Cohen - Harvard Law grad, Professor Cohen worked for Day, Berry & Howard LLP before joining the faculty in 1982.
  • Erin Buzuvis - Co-founder and contributor to the Title IX Blog, an interdisciplinary resource for news, legal developments, commentary, and scholarship about Title IX's application to athletics and education.
  • Howard Kalodner - Former law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter.
  • Arthur B. Leavens - Upon graduating from Harvard Law, Professor Leavens went on to work for Paul Weiss in NYC. He then worked for the Public Defender Service of the District of Columbia. In addition to teaching, he is also the Reporter for the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court's Standing Advisory Committee on the Rules of Criminal Procedure.
  • Jennifer Levi - One of the principal lawyers on the case of Goodridge v. Dept. of Public Health.
  • Sudha N. Setty - Columbia Law grad, she was a litigator with the New York firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell. Her scholarly publications address secrecy, separation of powers and rule of law issues in the comparative constitutional context.
  • Giovanna E. Shay - A Yale Law graduate, Professor Shay has worked for the Public Defender Service of the District of Columbia and was a Soros Justice Fellow at the ACLU. She also was a Clerk for the Connecticut Supreme Court. In addition to teaching, Professor Shay is serving as the Secretary of the Criminal Justice Section of the Association of American Law Schools.

References

  1. ^ Law School Almanac - 2008 Endowments retrieved on 6-6-2009.
  2. ^ "ABA Law School Data for Western New England University School of Law". ABA. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
  3. ^ "Publications". Western New England College. Retrieved 2011-04-18.
  4. ^ Rosin, Gary. "Full Rankings: Bar Admission Required, Full-Time, Long Term", The Faculty Lounge, March 30, 2013. Retrieved on February 24, 2014, http://www.thefacultylounge.org/2013/03/-full-rankings-bar-admission-required-full-time-long-term.html. -- For the latest Employment Summary Reports from the American Bar Association, Section of Legal Education, see http://employmentsummary.abaquestionnaire.org/
  5. ^ http://www1.law.wnec.edu/prospective/index.cfm?selection=doc.228
  6. ^ Fall 2008 Western New England College School of Law Perspectives alumni magazine, page 34
  7. ^ http://www1.law.wne.edu/academics/index.cfm?selection=doc.7602
  8. ^ http://www1.wne.edu/cie/
  9. ^ http://www1.law.wne.edu/llm/
  10. ^ http://www1.law.wne.edu/gender/

External links

See also

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