School of Law

University of Connecticut, School of Law History

University of Connecticut School of Law was established in 1921 and is a public institution. The 21-acre campus is in an urban area 100 miles southwest of Boston. The primary mission of the law school is to provide a legal education of high quality, serve the state and the bar, and prepare students to practice law in any jurisdiction. Students have access to federal, state, county, city, and local agencies, courts, correctional facilities, law firms, and legal aid organizations in the Hartford area. Housing for students is ample and affordable in the surrounding areas; there are no on-campus housing facilities.

University of Connecticut, School of Law Academics

In addition to the J.D., the law school offers the LL.M. Students may take relevant courses in other programs and apply credit toward the J.D.; a maximum of 6 credits may be applied. The following joint degrees may be earned: J.D./L.L.M. (Juris Doctor/Master of Laws, Insurance Law), J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration), J.D./M.L.S. (Juris Doctor/Master of Library Science), J.D./M.P.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Public Affairs Administration), J.D./M.P.H. (Juris Doctor/Master of Public Health), and J.D./M.S.W. (Juris Doctor/Master of Social Work).

The School of Law offers concentrations in corporate law, criminal law, environmental law, family law, intellectual property law, international law, juvenile law, labor law, litigation, tax law, torts and insurance, legal theory, information technology law, property and land, child advocacy, and policy. In addition, clinics provide hands-on, practical training to upper-level students who earn up to 10 credits for their work; strong and widely recognized asylum and human rights, criminal law, appellate, child advocacy, immigration, intellectual property, and tax clinics are available. Seminars in a multitude of different substantive areas are available to upper-level students for about 3 credits. Internships, and field work are available to upper-level students. Research positions are open to upper-level students under the direction of a faculty adviser. Special lecture series include Intellectual Property Teas; Law Review Symposia; and various human rights, international, diversity, and insurance law series. Study abroad is open to upper-level students for 1 semester in various countries, including England, the Netherlands, Ireland, France, Germany, Korea, Israel, Italy, or Puerto Rico. Exchange programs in environmental law with the University of Vermont Law School and University of London are also available. Students having academic difficulty meet weekly with a faculty or student tutor to review case briefing, writing, legal analysis, and exam techniques. No credit is granted. An academic support program is offered for students that includes 1 mini-course designed to introduce case briefing, writing, and legal analysis. No credit is granted. Special interest group programs include the Tax Law Certificate Program, the Intellectual Property Certificate Program, the Certificate in Law and Public Policy, and the Certificate in Human Rights. The most widely taken electives are Evidence, Intellectual Property, and International Law.

To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 86 total credits, of which 36 are for required courses. They must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.3 in the required courses. The following first-year courses are required of all students: Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law, Lawyering Process, Moot Court, Property, Statutory/Regulatory Class, and Torts. Required upper-level courses consist of Legal Profession and the upper-class writing requirement. The required orientation program for first-year students is a 3-day event including presentations by the dean, faculty members, financial aid, and career services offices, as well as facility tours and a lawyering process introduction.

To graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 2.3 and have completed the upper-division writing requirement.

University of Connecticut, School of Law Unique Programs

Library

The law library contains 545,754 hard-copy volumes and 222,856 microform volume equivalents, and subscribes to 5704 serial publications. Such on-line databases and networks as CALI, CIS Universe, Infotrac, Legal-Trac, LEXIS, LOIS, Mathew Bender, OCLC First Search, WESTLAW, Wilsonline Indexes, and more than 200 others are available to law students for research. Special library collections include a federal depository, Connecticut materials, an international collection, and an insurance law collection. Recently, the library installed a wireless network, established a popular reading collection, and replaced all of the PCs in its 2 computer labs. The ratio of library volumes to faculty is 12,994 to 1 and to students is 823 to 1. The ratio of seats in the library to students is 1 to 1.

Special Consideration

The law school recruits minority and disadvantaged students by means of Bar associations, an annual Minority Law Day sponsored by BLSA, ALSA, SALSA, and LLSA students, and contacts with various minority undergraduate student organizations, centers, and advisers. Requirements are not different for out-of-state students. Transfer students must have one year of credit, have attended an ABA-approved law school, should be within the top 10% of their class, and must show compelling reasons for transfer.

University of Connecticut, School of Law Admissions

In the fall 2007 first-year class, 2824 applied, 426 were accepted, and 216 enrolled. Ten transfers enrolled. The median LSAT percentile of the most recent first-year class was 90; the median GPA was 3.47 on a scale of 4.0. The highest LSAT percentile was 99.

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and take the LSAT. The most important admission factors include LSAT results, GPA, and writing ability. No specific undergraduate courses are required. Candidates are not interviewed.

The application deadline for fall entry is March 1. Applicants should submit an application form, LSAT results, transcripts, a personal statement, a nonrefundable application fee of $30, 2 letters of recommendation, and a r

University of Connecticut, School of Law Financial Aid

About 85% of current law students receive some form of aid. The average annual amount of aid from all sources combined, including scholarships, loans, and work contracts, is $21,954; maximum, $52,592. Awards are based on need; some loans are non-need-based. Required financial statements are the FAFSA and institutional financial aid application. The aid application deadline for fall entry is March 1. Special funds for minority or disadvantaged students include several grants that are awarded each year to entering students from economically and educationally disadvantaged backgrounds who demonstrate promise. First-year students are notified about their financial aid application at time of acceptance.

University of Connecticut, School of Law Students

About 53% of the student body are women; 20%, minorities; 6%, African American; 6%, Asian American; 6%, Hispanic; 1%, Native American; and 1%, South Asian students as well as mixed race background. The majority of students come from Connecticut (52%). The average age of entering students is 25; age range is 20 to 63. About 40% of students enter directly from undergraduate school, 23% have a graduate degree, and 60% have worked full-time prior to entering law school. About 1% drop out after the first year for academic or personal reasons; 95% remain to receive a law degree.

Students edit the Connecticut Law Review, Connecticut Journal of International Law, Connecticut Insurance Law Journal, Connecticut Intellectual Property Notes, and the Public Interest Law Journal. Moot court competitions include the Alva P. Loiselle, William H. Hastie, and Willem Vis International Moot Court. Other competitions include the National Appellate Advocacy Competition, Family Law Competition, Craven Competition, and National Moot Court Competition. A wide range of intellectual, political, social, and special interest organizations and activities are available to students, including the Student Bar Association, Black, Latino, South Asian, Asian, and Women’s Law Students Associations, and Public Interest Law Group. Among many others, there are local chapters of the Federalist Society, the American Constitution Society, the National Lawyers Guild, the Tax Law Society, the Connecticut Alliance of International Lawyers, and the Intellectual Property and Technology Law Society.

The law school operates on a traditional semester basis. Courses for full-time students are offered both day and evening after the first year and must be completed within 5 years. For part-time students, courses are offered both day and evening and must be completed within 6 years. New full- and part-time students are admitted in the fall. There is a 4<1/2>-week summer session. Transferable summer courses are offered.