School of Law

University of Miami, School of Law History

University of Miami School of Law was established in 1926 and is a private institution. The 260-acre campus is in an urban area 7 miles south of Miami. The primary mission of the law school is to teach students the craft as well as the theory of law, develop the research and writing skills necessary to the legal profession, and expose students to other skills necessary for effective professional service, such as client counseling, fact investigation, and trial skills. Students have access to federal, state, county, city, and local agencies, courts, correctional facilities, law firms, and legal aid organizations in the Coral Gables area and the legal institutions and firms of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and the Florida Keys. Facilities of special interest to law students include greater Miami, which is one of the most rapidly expanding legal communities in the country. It provides numerous opportunities for internships, clinical programs, and law clerking experiences. The law library is one of the largest legal research libraries in the southeast. Students also have access to the Otto G. Richte Library, the University of Miami’s main library, the libraries at the School of Medicine, and the School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. Housing for students is limited on campus but is available off-campus in the area, and roommate referral and apartment listings are supplied to admitted students. All law school facilities are accessible to the physically disabled.

University of Miami, School of Law Academics

In addition to the J.D., the law school offers the LL.M. and LL.M. in comparative law; tax; real estate; estate planning;. ocean and coastal; Inter-American and international. 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 in taxation), J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration), J.D./M.P.H. (Juris Doctor/Master of Public Health), and J.D/M.S. (Juris Doctor/Master of Marine Science).

The School of Law offers concentrations in corporate law, criminal law, entertainment law, environmental law, family law, international law, juvenile law, labor law, litigation, maritime law, securities law, sports law, tax law, and torts and insurance. Clinical placement is worth 6 credits and Litigation Skills I is a prerequisite. Students are placed in one of approximately 40 clinical internships in which they handle actual cases under the supervision of agency attorneys. There is a Children’s and Youth Law Clinic sponsored by the School of Law. Seminars providing intensive study, research, and writing opportunities in specialized areas are worth 2 credits and are open to second- and third-year students. In the Summer Public Interest Seminar Program, students are selected pursuant to an application and interview process. During the fall and spring semesters of each year, more than 100 law firms, public interest organizations and government agencies come to campus to interview students for summer internships. Though the majority of legal employers are from Florida and recruit for local offices (mainly Miami, Orlando, Palm Beach, Naples, Tampa, and Jacksonville), others also recruit for offices in other cities and states. Second- and third-year students are also able to take part in individual research projects, worth 1 to 3 credits. Special lecture series bring distinguished judges, scholars, and practicing attorneys from around the world to the campus. The 2008 summer abroad programs are separated into 2 segments and students who may wish to enroll in 2, 3-credit courses for a total of 6 credits are required to choose a program from each segment. The school also offers an intensive short-term workshop with law students from the University of Leipzig, this competitive 3-credit program, which meets in Miami in the winter and Leipzig in the spring, focuses on cutting edge international and comparative law. A full year research and writing program is taught by instructors in small group settings. The Professional Opportunities Program for Black Students offers a six-week internship in the chamber of federal, state, and county judges, the Florida Attorney General’s office, the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, the Broward State Attorney’s Office, and the Miami-Dade County Public Defender’s Office. The John Kozyak Minority Mentor Program and the Cuban American Bar Association Mentor Program provide minority students with an opportunity to interact with community judges and attorneys. A select group of entering students is chosen to participate in the James Weldon Johnson Institute. This is a 5-week summer fellowship program designed to develop participants’ legal, analytical, and writing skills. The Institute is held prior to the beginning of fall classes and all financial aspects are covered by grants. The most widely taken electives are Litigation Skills and Clinical Program, Civil Procedure II, and Evidence.

To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 88 total credits, of which 72 are for required courses. They must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 in the required courses. The following first-year courses are required of all students: a first-year elective, Civil Procedure I, Constitutional Law I, Contracts, Criminal Procedure, Elements, Legal Writing and Research I and II, Property, and Torts. Required upper-level courses consist of Legal Professions, Personal and Business Transactions, perspective courses, public law and process courses, and skills training. The required orientation program for first-year students is a 2-day formal program combined with a writing seminar and various activities organized by students.

In order to graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 2.0 and have completed the upper-division writing requirement. Many offerings in the upper division require substantial papers.

University of Miami, School of Law Unique Programs

Library

The law library contains 420,599 hard-copy volumes and 34,276 microform volume equivalents. Such on-line databases and networks as CALI, CIS Universe, Legal-Trac, LEXIS, LOIS, Mathew Bender, NEXIS, OCLC First Search, RLIN, WESTLAW, Wilsonline Indexes, and the law school’s home page – http://library.law.miami.edu are available to law students for research. Special library collections include Soia Mentschikoff papers and Everglades litigation files. Recently, the library became wireless. The ratio of library volumes to faculty is 5924 to 1 and to students is 304 to 1. The ratio of seats in the library to students is 1 to 2.

Special Consideration

The law school recruits minority and disadvantaged students by means of a committee reviewing all files, sending information to prelaw advisers at historically minority institutions, hosting diversity admissions fairs, and participating in recruiting events at historically black schools and locations at schools where minority population is strong; also, current minority students contact newly admitted minority students. Requirements are not different for out-of-state students. Transfer students must have one year of credit, have a minimum GPA of 3, have attended an ABA-approved law school, and have their LSAT and undergraduate performance reviewed.

University of Miami, School of Law Admissions

In the fall 2007 first-year class, 4615 applied, 2288 were accepted, and 489 enrolled. The median LSAT percentile of the most recent first-year class was 75; the median GPA was 3.64 on a scale of 4.0. The lowest LSAT percentile accepted was 25; the highest was 98.

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and take the LSAT. No specific undergraduate courses are required. Candidates are not interviewed.

The application deadline for fall entry is February 4. Applicants should submit an application form, LSAT results, TOEFL for foreign students, a nonrefundable application fee of $60, and 2 letters of recommendation. Graduates from foreign institutions must submit transcript evaluations. All students must possess a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent from a regionally accredited institution prior to the first day of classes. Notification of the admissions decision is on a rolling basis. The latest acceptable LSAT test date for fall entry is June. The law school uses the LSDAS.

University of Miami, School of Law Financial Aid

About 82% 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 $32,958; maximum, $53,904. Awards are based on need and merit, but the majority of scholarships are merit-based. Required financial statement is the FAFSA. The aid application deadline for fall entry is March 1. Special funds for minority or disadvantaged students include need-based scholarships and merit scholarships, both institutional and donor, including the Colson Scholarship Fund, Florida Bar Minority Scholarships, and the Spellman and Baker McKenzie scholarships. First-year students are notified about their financial aid application on a rolling basis as the files are complete.

University of Miami, School of Law Students

About 44% of the student body are women; 25%, minorities; 8%, African American; 4%, Asian American; and 15%, Hispanic. The majority of students come from Florida (33%). The average age of entering students is 24; age range is 20 to 54. About 66% of students enter directly from undergraduate school. About 2% drop out after the first year for academic or personal reasons.

Student-edited publications include the University of Miami Law Review; Inter-American Law Review; Business Law Review; International and Comparative Law Review; Psychology, Public Policy, and Law Journal: the newspaper Res Ispa Loquitur, the yearbook, Amicus Curiae, and Tax Law Chronicle. The Moot Court Board runs one of the nation’s largest mock trial competitions, involving more than 200 experienced lawyers. This organization also sponsors several local, state, and regional moot court competitions, as well as negotiation and client counseling competitions. Other competitions include International Moot Court. Law student organizations, local chapters of national associations, and campus organizations include ABA-Law Student Division, Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Hispanic Law Students Association, Hispanic Law Students, Entertainment and Sports Law Society, the Tax Law Society, Miami Law Women, and Public Interest Law Group.

The law school operates on a traditional semester basis. Courses for full-time students are offered both day and evening (evening courses offered after the first year only) and must be completed within 5 years. There is no part-time program. New students are admitted in the fall. There is a 7- 8-week summer session. Transferable summer courses are offered.