Law School

Drake University, Law School History

Drake University Law School was established in 1865 and is a private institution. The 120-acre campus is in an urban area 5 miles northwest of downtown Des Moines. The primary mission of the law school is to provide students with the opportunities to benefit from hands-on learning experiences and to gain the skills needed to be successful in whatever career path they choose in any geographic location. Students have access to federal, state, county, city, and local agencies, courts, correctional facilities, law firms, and legal aid organizations in the Des Moines area. There are legal clinics, insurance companies, corporate offices, and internships. Facilities of special interest to law students are the Constitutional Law Resource Center; Agricultural Law Center, Neal and Bea Smith Law Center, the school’s legal clinic, a national training center for public service attorneys, and the Legislative Practice Center. Housing for students consists of university-owned and privately-owned apartments located within walking distance of the campus; housing is also available in city suburbs just 15 minutes from campus. About 99% of the law school facilities are accessible to the physically disabled.

Drake University, Law School Academics

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./M.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Arts in political science), J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/ Master of Business Administration), J.D./M.P.A. (Juris Doctor/ Master of Public Administration), J.D./M.S. (Juris Doctor/ Master of Science in agricultural economics), J.D./M.S.W. (Juris Doctor/ Master of Social Work), and J.D./Pharm.D. (Juris Doctor/Doctor of Pharmacy).

The Law School offers concentrations in corporate law, criminal law, environmental law, family law, international law, juvenile law, labor law, litigation, securities law, tax law, torts and insurance, agricultural law, constitutional law, and public interest law. In addition, the law school’s clinical programs include the General Civil Practice Clinic, Criminal Defense Clinic, Elder Law Clinic, and the Middleton Children’s Rights Clinic. Generally, students must have completed 45 hours of classroom credit prior to enrolling; however, prerequisites vary. To enroll in seminars, students must have completed 30 hours with a 2.0 GPA. Generally, 1 to 3 hours of credit may be granted for a seminar course. Internships are available in administrative law, the legislature, the judiciary, insurance, environmental law, securities, probate, health law and others. Credit varies from 1 to 4 credit hours and prerequisites vary. Independent research may be undertaken for 1 to 3 credit hours and is graded on a credit/no credit basis. Special lecture series include the Constitutional Law Resource Center Speaker Series and the Dwight D. Opperman Lecture in Constitutional Law. Drake offers a 4-week summer abroad program in Nantes, France worth up to 6 credits; credit may also be accepted from programs offered by other law schools. The Academic Support Program is offered to all students. In addition, the Legal Writing Tutorial Services are led by an English professor and are offered to all students, while second- and third-year students offer tutorial services to first-year students and to upper-level students in Evidence. Special interest group programs include the Summer Institute in Constitutional Law and the Summer Institute in Agricultural Law. The most widely taken electives are Trial Advocacy, Client Representation and Litigation, and Advanced Client Representation and Litigation.

To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 90 total credits, of which 41 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: Civil Procedure I and II, Constitutional Law I, Contracts I and II, Criminal Law, Legal Research, Writing, and Appellate Practice, Property, and Torts. Required upper-level courses consist of Advanced Legal Writing, Constitutional Law II, Evidence, and Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility. All students who have completed 45 hours of class may take the clinical courses as electives. The required orientation program for first-year students is 3 days and includes a formal welcome, registration instructions, law school tour, fee payment session, small group meetings, computer training, sessions on professionalism, and the noncredit Introduction to Law course.

In order to graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 2.0, have completed the upper-division writing requirement, and completed 6 semesters for residence credit and 90 hours for academic credit, and have satisfied the advanced writing requirement through either independent study or course work.

Drake University, Law School Unique Programs

Library

The law library contains 325,000 hard-copy volumes and 114,444 microform volume equivalents, and subscribes to 3255 serial publications. Such on-line databases and networks as CALI, CIS Universe, DIALOG, Infotrac, Legal-Trac, LEXIS, LOIS, NEXIS, OCLC First Search, WESTLAW, and RIA Checkpoint are available to law students for research. Special library collections include a government depository; agricultural, tax, computer, and constitutional law collections; Neal Smith Congressional Archives; National Bar Association Archives. Recently, the library completed a $8.5 million, 70,000-square foot library. In addition to the on-line catalog and automated circulation system, the library provides computer access with several computer laboratories and Ethernet connections throughout the library, at carrels, tables, and study rooms, including Internet access from any student workstation in the library. A wireless network is accessible throughout the library and law school. The ratio of library volumes to faculty is 10,157 to 1 and to students is 759 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 targeted efforts at nationally identified feeder schools for students of color, the use of the Candidate Referral Service (CRS), and an on-campus recruitment event. Requirements are not different for out-of-state students. Transfer students must have one year of credit, have attended an ABA-approved law school, and generally, students must rank in the upper half of their current law school class and have certification of good academic standing and eligibility to re-enroll at that school.

Drake University, Law School Admissions

In the fall 2007 first-year class, 1204 applied, 592 were accepted, and 148 enrolled. Seven transfers enrolled. The median GPA of the most recent first-year class was 3.35.

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

The application deadline for fall entry is April 1. Applicants should submit an application form, LSAT results, transcripts, TOEFL (for international students), a nonrefundable application fee of $40, 2 letters of recommendation are recommended, and a personal statement. Notification of the admissions decision is within 4 to 6 weeks after the file is completed. The latest acceptable LSAT test date for fall entry is June. The law school uses the LSDAS.

Drake University, Law School Financial Aid

About 98% of current law students receive some form of aid. The maximum annual amount of aid from all sources combined, including scholarships, loans, and work contracts, is $40,725. Awards are based on need and merit. Loans are offered on the basis of need. The school offers numerous scholarships, some based on merit; some on merit and need. Required financial statement is the FAFSA. The aid application deadline for fall entry is March 1. Special funds for minority or disadvantaged students include Law Opportunity scholarships, which are awards for entering students from educationally or economically disadvantaged backgrounds who demonstrate need. First-year students are notified about their financial aid application some time after admission and before a seat deposit is required.

Drake University, Law School Students

About 45% of the student body are women; 13%, minorities; 6%, African American; 4%, Asian American; 2%, Hispanic; and 1%, Native American. The majority of students come from the Midwest (80%). The average age of entering students is 24; age range is 21 to 50. About 49% of students enter directly from undergraduate school and 8% have a graduate degree. About 8% drop out after the first year for academic or personal reasons; 92% remain to receive a law degree.

Students edit the Drake Law Review and the Drake Journal of Agricultural Law. Moot court teams are sent to the C. Edwin Moore Appellate Advocacy, National Moot Court, and National Appellate Advocacy competitions. Other competitions include the National Mock Trial Competition, Client Counseling Competition, Negotiations Competition and Environmental Moot Court. Law student organizations, local chapters of national associations, and campus organizations include the Student Bar Association, Drake Law Women, International Law Society, Student Bar Association, Delta Theta Phi Law Fraternity, American Bar Association-Student Division, Order of Barristers, and American Trial Lawyers Association.

The law school operates on a traditional semester basis. Courses for full-time students are offered days only and must be completed within 6 years. For part-time students, courses are offered days only and must be completed within 6 years. New full- and part-time students are admitted in the fall and summer. There is a 7-week summer session. Transferable summer courses are offered.