School of Law - Bloomington

Indiana University-Bloomington, School of Law - Bloomington History

Indiana University School of Law at Bloomington was established in 1842 and is a public institution. The 1931-acre campus is in an urban area 50 miles southwest of Indianapolis. The primary mission of the law school is to provide its graduates with a rich combination of legal reasoning and practical lawyering skills in a collegial and supportive culture characterized by constant open interaction among students and between students and faculty. Students have access to federal, state, county, city, and local agencies, courts, correctional facilities, law firms, and legal aid organizations in the Bloomington area. Facilities of special interest to law students includes a separate off-campus building for the operation of its clinics, allowing students to meet and serve their clients in a typical law firm environment. The School of Law is 100% wireless, allowing students to access the Internet and conduct legal research everywhere. A recent renovation of the law school building has provided new classrooms, law journal offices, and additional office space for the growing size of the faculty. Housing for students includes excellent on-campus housing as well as a variety of affordable private housing units in the neighborhood adjacent to the law school. All law school facilities are accessible to the physically disabled.

Indiana University-Bloomington, School of Law - Bloomington Academics

In addition to the J.D., the law school offers the LL.M., M.C.L., S.J.D., and Ph.D. (Law and Social Science). 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 journalism), J.D./M.A. or M.S. (Juris Doctor/Master of Arts or Master of Science in telecommunications), J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration), J.D./M.B.A.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration in accounting), J.D./M.P.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Professional Accountancy), J.D./M.S. (Juris Doctor/Master of Science in library and information sciences), and J.D./M.S.E.S. (Juris Doctor/Master of Science in environmental science).

The School of Law at Bloomington offers concentrations in corporate law, criminal law, entertainment law, environmental law, family law, intellectual property law, international law, juvenile law, labor law, litigation, maritime law, media law, securities law, sports law, tax law, torts and insurance, communications law, Internet law, and cybersecurity. In addition, second and third-year students may enroll (with varying credits given) in any of the 11 clinics offered including the Elmore Entrepreneurship Law Clinic, the Conservation Law Clinic, and the Community Legal Services Clinic. 10 to 14 seminars worth varying credit are offered each semester for second and third-year students. Recent seminar offerings include Counterinsurgency and the Law, Voting Rights, and Biotechnological Innovation and the Law. Internships are available during all 3 years of law study with a variety of public agencies, nonprofit organizations, faculty members and public interest groups for a varying number of credits. The School of Law sponsors guest lecturers on a near-weekly basis throughout the year including a program of Jurists-in-Residence in which distinguished legal practitioners present one or more lectures and participates in classes. Student’s may study abroad in Poland, Germany, France, Spain, China, Hong Kong, New Zealand, and England. Summer law study programs are offered in London, Oxford, Paris, Dublin, Florence, and Barcelona. There is no formal remedial program, but there is a voluntary Academic Enhancement Program with group instruction and one-on-one instruction available. The Law School participates in the Indiana Conference for Legal Education Opportunity. Minority students find support and enrichment of the law school experience from the Black Law Students Association, the Latino Law Students Association, and the Asian Pacific Islander Law Students Association. The most widely taken electives are Business Law, Intellectual Property and Trial Practice/Litigation.

To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 88 total credits, of which 31 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, Legal Research and Writing I and II, Property, The Legal Profession, and Torts. All students must take clinical courses. The required orientation program for first-year students is a 2-day orientation program immediately preceding the beginning of classes. Law school policies and procedures, academic regulations, course requirements, and special services (career planning and educational assistance) are discussed.

In order to graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 2.3, have completed the upper-division writing requirement, and must be in residence in an approved law school for 6 semesters of full-time study.

Indiana University-Bloomington, School of Law - Bloomington Unique Programs

Library

The law library contains 449,617 hard-copy volumes and 1,642,727 microform volume equivalents, and subscribes to 9905 serial publications. Such on-line databases and networks as CALI, CIS Universe, DIALOG, Dow-Jones, Infotrac, Legal-Trac, LEXIS, LOIS, Mathew Bender, NEXIS, OCLC First Search, WESTLAW, Wilsonline Indexes, GPO Access, HeinOnline, BNA Library, CCH Library, and Making of Modern Law are available to law students for research. Special library collections include being a depository for records and briefs of the U.S. Supreme Court, Indiana Court of Appeals, and Indiana Supreme Court. Additionally, the library is a selective depository for U.S. government publications and houses a rare books and archives collection. Recently, the library added a new rare book and archives room as well as additional study space for students. Additional wireless transmitters were installed increasing the reliability of the wireless system. Printing capabilities were significantly upgraded. The library continues to strengthen its already extensive electronic research collection by adding resources such as the BNA Electronic Library and the CCH Electronic Library. The ratio of library volumes to faculty is 9774 to 1 and to students is 725 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 participating in law fairs and private visits at historic minority colleges and universities as well as in major urban areas. Also by participating in activities of minority-focused organizations such as the National Society of Black Engineers. 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 have a superior law school record, have credentials comparable to the class in which they wish to transfer (in terms of LSAT score and GPA), and provide reasons for transfer. Space availability is also a factor in the acceptance decision.

Indiana University-Bloomington, School of Law - Bloomington Admissions

In the fall 2007 first-year class, 2517 applied, 978 were accepted, and 214 enrolled. Two transfers enrolled. The median LSAT percentile of the most recent first-year class was 91; the median GPA was 3.4 on a scale of 4.0. The lowest LSAT percentile accepted was 13; the highest was 99.

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and take the LSAT. The most important admission factors include LSAT results, GPA, academic achievement, and faculty letters of recommendation attesting to excellent research and writing skills, and demonstrated leadership skills. No specific undergraduate courses are required. Candidates are not interviewed.

Applicants should submit an application form, LSAT results, transcripts, a personal statement, a nonrefundable application fee of $35, 2 letters of recommendation, a residence form included in the application packet (required of all applicants regardless of residence), and a resume (recommended). Notification of the admissions decision is early December until class is filled. The latest acceptable LSAT test date for fall entry is December or earlier is preferred. However, scores from the February test are acceptable. In some years, even June test-takers gain admission. The law school uses the LSDAS.

Indiana University-Bloomington, School of Law - Bloomington Financial Aid

About 95% 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 $40,990; maximum, $48,900. Awards are based on need and merit. The basis of award varies by type of award. Required financial statement is the FAFSA. The aid application deadline for fall entry is March 1. Special funds for minority or disadvantaged students include Education Opportunity Fellowships, which reduce nonresident tuition to the resident level and outside private donor scholarships for disadvantaged students. The law school participates in the Indiana Conference for Legal Education Opportunity, which provides scholarships and other programs for minority or disadvantaged students. First-year students are notified about their financial aid application at time of admission for scholarships and mid-June for loan packages.

Indiana University-Bloomington, School of Law - Bloomington Students

About 39% of the student body are women; 18%, minorities; 8%, African American; 5%, Asian American; and 5%, Hispanic. The majority of students come from Indiana (41%). The average age of entering students is 25; age range is 20 to 53. About 42% of students enter directly from undergraduate school, 10% have a graduate degree, and 48% have worked full-time prior to entering law school. About 1% drop out after the first year for academic or personal reasons; 99% remain to receive a law degree.

Students edit the Indiana Law Journal, Federal Communications Law Journal, Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies, and the student newspaper, Indiana Daily Student. Students participate in the Sherman Minton Moot Court Competition, Jessup International Moot Court Competition, and Telecommunications Moot Court Competition. Other competitions include the Trial Practice Competition and Negotiations Competition. Student organizations include the Environmental Law Society, International Law Society, and the Public Interest Law Foundation. Local chapters of national associations include the American Constitution Society, Federalist Society for Law and Public Studies, and Amnesty International.

The law school operates on a traditional semester basis. Courses for full-time students are offered days only and must be completed within 3 years. A small number of advanced courses are taught in the early evening. These courses are taught by practicing attorneys and judges whose schedules do not permit teaching during the normal class day. There is no part-time program. New students are admitted in the fall and summer. There is a 5-week summer session. Transferable summer courses are offered.