John Marshall Law School Law School

The John Marshall Law School, John Marshall Law School Law School History

John Marshall Law School was established in 1899 and is independent. The campus is in an urban area in Chicago. The primary mission of the law school is to provide students with an intellectually challenging foundation in legal principles and a rigorous background in lawyering skills. Students have access to federal, state, county, city, and local agencies, courts, correctional facilities, law firms, and legal aid organizations in the Chicago area. Housing for students is readily available and assistance is provided through the Admissions Office. All law school facilities are accessible to the physically disabled.

The John Marshall Law School, John Marshall Law School Law School Academics

In addition to the J.D., the law school offers the LL.M. and M.S. in intellectual property, taxation, real estate, employee benefits, and information technology. 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 degree may be earned: J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration).

The John Marshall Law School offers concentrations in corporate law, international law, litigation, tax law, advocacy and dispute resolution, business, estate planning, general practice, informatics, intellectual property, and real estate. In addition, clinics are open to students with at least 53 hours and prior approval. Clinics offer from 2 to 4 credits per semester and are with the Chicago Corporation Counsel, Fair Housing, Legal Aid Bureau, Illinois Attorney General, intellectual property law, judicial and legislative clerkships, Legal Aid Bureau, Public Defender, State’s Attorney of Cook County, Travelers and Immigrants Aid, and the U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Illinois. Seminars are worth 2 to 3 credits and are in the areas of banking, business planning, computers, constitutional law, counseling and negotiating, estate planning, information law, rights of prisoners, scientific evidence, intellectual property, taxation, and trial advocacy. Research programs, worth 1 to 2 credits, are open to students who have at least 59 hours. A scholarly paper must be produced from research supervised by a faculty member. Special interest groups are the Center for Information on Technology Law, Center for Intellectual Property Law, Fair Housing Legal Support Center, Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution, Center for Real Estate, Center for Tax and Employee Benefits Law, and Center for International Business and Trade Law. The most widely taken electives are Corporations, Estates and Trusts, and Commercial Law.

To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 90 total credits, of which 48 are for required courses. They must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.25 in the required courses. The following first-year courses are required of all students: Civil Procedure I, Constitutional Law I, Contracts I and II, Criminal Law, Lawyering Skills I and II, Property, and Torts. Required upper-level courses consist of Civil Procedure II, Constitutional Law II, Evidence, Lawyering Skills Drafting, Moot Court-Herzog, Professional Responsibility, and Trial Advocacy. All students must take clinical courses. The required orientation program for first-year students is 3 days for day students and 4 evenings for evening students entering with the August class, and 4 evenings for day and evening students entering with the January class. The program consists of both academic and administrative presentations.

To graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 2.25 and have completed 4 semesters of Lawyering Skills.

The John Marshall Law School, John Marshall Law School Law School Unique Programs

Library

The law library contains 353,737 hard-copy volumes and 55,710 microform volume equivalents, and subscribes to 5011 serial publications. Such on-line databases and networks as DIALOG, LEXIS, WESTLAW, NEXIS, CCALI, InfoTrac, Wilsondisc, OCLC, and DOLLY (the school’s on-line catalog) are available to law students for research. Special library collections include a U.S. government documents depository. The ratio of library volumes to faculty is 5280 to 1 and to students is 256 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 through special mailings and outreach to minority institutions. Requirements are not different for out-of-state students. Transfer students must have a minimum GPA of 2.75 and have attended an ABA-approved law school.

The John Marshall Law School, John Marshall Law School Law School Admissions

In the fall 2007 first-year class, 3019 applied, 1195 were accepted, and 344 enrolled. Fifteen transfers enrolled. The median GPA of the most recent first-year class was 3.2.

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and take the LSAT. The most important admission factors include life experience, LSAT results, and academic achievement. 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, TOEFL or TWE if applicable, a nonrefundable application fee of $60, and LSDAS report. Notification of the admissions decision is 2 to 5 weeks after their file is complete. The latest acceptable LSAT test date for fall entry is June. The law school uses the LSDAS.

The John Marshall Law School, John Marshall Law School Law School Financial Aid

About 85% 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 $56,670. Awards are based on need and merit. Required financial statement is the FAFSA. The aid application deadline for fall entry is June 1. First-year students are notified about their financial aid application at time of acceptance.

The John Marshall Law School, John Marshall Law School Law School Students

About 43% of the student body are women; 16%, minorities; 5%, African American; 7%, Asian American; 5%, Hispanic; and 1%, Native American. The majority of students come from Illinois (70%). The average age of entering students is 24; age range is 20 to 69. About 33% of students enter directly from undergraduate school, 14% have a graduate degree, and 40% have worked full-time prior to entering law school. About 8% drop out after the first year for academic or personal reasons; 80% remain to receive a law degree.

Student-edited publications are The John Marshall Law Review, the Journal of Computer and Information Law, the Review of Intellectual Property Law, and the student newspaper, Decisive Utterance. Teams are sent annually to more than 20 interscholastic moot court competitions. Law student organizations, local chapters of national associations, and campus organizations include Phi Alpha Delta, Phi Delta Phi, Delta Theta Phi, Student Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association-Law Student Division, ABA-Law Student Division, Asian and Pacific Island Law Students Association, Black Law Students Association, and Latino Law Students Association.

The law school operates on a traditional semester basis. Courses for full-time students are offered both day and evening and must be completed within 5 years. For part-time students, courses are offered both day and evening and Saturdays and must be completed within 6 years. New full- and part-time students are admitted in the fall and spring. There is an 8-week summer session. Transferable summer courses are offered.