Shepard Broad College of Law
| Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Established | 1974 |
| School type | Private |
| Parent endowment | US $47.6 million |
| Dean | Jon Garon |
| Location | Davie, Florida, USA |
| Enrollment | 927 |
| Faculty | 60 full time, 8 CSP instructors, 111 adjunct[1] |
| USNWR ranking | Tier 4 |
| Bar pass rate | 81.8% (July '13)[2] |
| Website | nsulaw.nova.edu/ |
Shepard Broad College of Law (also referred to as NSU Law and Nova Law) is the law school of Nova Southeastern University, housed in the Leo Goodwin, Sr. Hall, located on the school's main campus in Davie, Florida in the United States. The school offers full-time day and part-time evening programs.
According to Nova's 2013 ABA-required disclosures, 58.6% of the Class of 2013 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation, excluding solo practitioners.[3]
History
Founded in 1974, the school is named after lawyer and philanthropist Shepard Broad, in recognition of his counsel, community leadership, and financial support. The law building is named after the Leo Goodwin, Sr., also an entrepreneur and philanthropist who was committed to the advancement of education and research. The school received approval by the American Bar Association in 1975.[4]
Admissions & Employment Statistics
Official data from the American Bar Association describes the Shepard Broad College of Law as a private school with a student/faculty ratio of 14.1:1, requiring 90 credit hours to graduate. The median LSAT score is 150 for full-time students.[5] The median GPA is 3.26 for full-time students and 3.03 for part-time students. J.D. Attrition for 1Ls is 22.7%.
[6] Nova's pass rate for first-time takers of the Bar exam is 83.3%, significantly higher than the statewide average of 77.6%. Of the 2013 class, Nova states that 81% of students are employed (not necessarily as attorneys), 16% are unemployed, and 3% are pursuing graduate degrees.[6] According to Nova's official 2013 ABA-required disclosures, 58.6% of the Class of 2013 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation, excluding solo practitioners.[3] Nova's Law School Transparency under-employment score is 24.7%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2013 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation.[7]
Costs
The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at Nova for the 2013-2014 academic year is $60,924. The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $229,876.[8]
Programs
NSU Law offers the J.D. degree in the traditional three-year program, or in a four-year, part-time evening program for working professional students. Additionally, the school offers various joint-degree programs:
- J.D./M.B.A.
- J.D./M.I.B.A
- J.D./M.Acc
- J.D./M.Tax.
- J.D./M.P.A
- J.D./M.S. in Computer Information Systems
- J.D./M.S. or Ph.D. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution
- J.D./M.U.R.P. in Urban and Regional Planning
Non-Lawyers Graduate Programs
- M.S. in Education Law
- M.S. in Employment Law
- M.S. in Health Law
Certificate Programs
- Health Law
- International Law
Clinical Programs
- Children and Families
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Veterans
Externship Programs
- Business Practice
- Criminal Justice
- Environmental and Land Use
- International Practice
- Personal Injury Litigation
International Programs
International Dual-Degree programs are available with Roma Tre University for Italy, Charles University in Prague for Czech Republic, and University of Barcelona for Spain. The program enables students to earn degrees in both common law and civil law, and lead to licensure in multiple jurisdictions.
First Year Curriculum
The mandatory first year curriculum consists of the following ABA-required courses:
- Fall Semester
- Contracts (Common law, Restatement (Second) of Contracts)
- Criminal law (Common law and Model Penal Code)
- Torts (Common law, Restatement (Second) of Torts and Restatement (Third) of Torts)
- Legal Research and Writing I (Legal research, use of a law library, LexisNexis, and Westlaw; and legal writing, including objective analysis and legal citation)
- Winter Semester
- Civil procedure (Federal Rules of Civil Procedure)
- Constitutional law I (United States Constitution, with emphasis on the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments)
- Property (Common law and Restatement (Second) of Property)
- Legal Research and Writing II (Legal research, use of a law library, LexisNexis, and Westlaw; and legal writing, including persuasive analysis and legal citation)
Extracurricular activities
- Nova Law Review, the law school's flagship publication
- International Law Student's Association Journal of International and Comparative Law
- Moot Court Society, the law school's moot court program
- Jessup Moot Court Team, the law school's international law moot court team
- Nova Trial Association, the law school's mock trial competition program
Facilities
Leo Goodwin Sr. Hall, which houses the College of Law, has two courtrooms, recently upgraded with state-of-the-art technology, and is used by students in the school's trial advocacy and moot court programs as well as by the National Institute for Trial Advocacy and state appellate court judges.
Law Library and Technology Center
The law library's collection is housed on three floors in a 43,000 square foot facility.[9] The first floor houses the library's state collection and various Florida journals and periodicals, as well as the microfiche room. The first floor is also home to the library's Technical Services department and the International Programs department. The second floor contains the Circulation and Reference desks where visitors can find Study Guides, current periodicals and Reserved materials. The rest of the floor holds the Tax, Federal, Treaties, and General Collections. The second floor is also home to librarian and administrative offices. The third floor has the library's Burris Collection, admiralty materials, offices of the Nova Law Review, the IT department, and is home to the library's Federal and United Nations selective Depository.[9] The Law Library and Technology Center became a selective U.S. Federal depository in 1982 and it collects approximately 15% of the publications that are available through the program and they offer online access to the resources as well. The Library has also been a U.N. depository of English language materials since 1997 and they offer access to both print and electronic resources.
Past and Present Deans
Peter W. Thornton, J.D. (Born 1919-Died 2009) (Founding Dean 1974-1975)
Ovid Lewis, J.D. (Born 1932-Died 2011)
Roger Abrams, J.D.
Joseph Harbaugh, J.D.
Athornia Steele, J.D.
Elena Langan, J.D. (Interim Dean, September 2013 - July 2014)[10]
Jon Garon, J.D. (July 2014 – Present)[11]
References
- ^ "Faculty and Staff - Shepard Broad College of Law". Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law. December 20, 2013. Retrieved 2013-12-20.
- ^ "Florida Bar Exam Results". Retrieved 2013-10-07.
- ^ a b "Employment Summary for 2013 Graduates" (PDF).
- ^ "Approval by Year". American Bar Association.
- ^ Official ABA Data
- ^ a b http://nova.lawschoolnumbers.com/
- ^ "Nova Southeastern University Profile".
- ^ "Nova Southeastern University Profile".
- ^ a b Nova Southeastern University. "Law Library & Technology Center". Retrieved 12 September 2013.
- ^ http://www.nsulaw.nova.edu/faculty/profiles.cfm?pageid=189
- ^ "(Press Release) Nova Southeastern University Names Jon Garon, J.D., as Dean of the Shepard Broad College of Law | NSU News Room". nsunews.nova.edu. Retrieved 2015-06-08.
External links