Salmon P. Chase College of Law

Northern Kentucky University, Salmon P. Chase College of Law History

Northern Kentucky University Salmon P. Chase College of Law was established in 1893 and is a public institution. The 300-acre campus is in a suburban area 7 miles southeast of Cincinnati. The primary mission of the law school is to train competent lawyers and to enable students to gain proficiency in specific areas of the law. Students have access to federal, state, county, city, and local agencies, courts, correctional facilities, law firms, and legal aid organizations in the Highland Heights area. The school is located in a major metropolitan area that provides a wide variety of opportunities for law students. Facilities of special interest to law students include a government law center that provides a clinical program with opportunities for students to gain practical legal experience through internships with local government and state agencies throughout Kentucky. Housing for students is available on campus in the Residential Village, including suites and apartments, computer rooms, a store, a dining hall, dormitories, and numerous apartments close to campus. About 95% of the law school facilities are accessible to the physically disabled.

Northern Kentucky University, Salmon P. Chase College of Law Academics

The following joint degree may be earned: J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration).

Students must take 15 credits in their area of concentration. The Salmon P. Chase College of Law offers concentrations in labor law and tax law. In addition, students may earn academic credit while working under the supervision of licensed practicing attorneys in specialized externship clinics such as the Kentucky Innocence Project, the Constitutional Litigation Clinic, and the Local Government Law Center. Externships are also available in the areas of intellectual property, criminal prosecution, criminal defense, labor law, children’s law, and in government agencies and offices. The Chase Local Government Law Center clinical internship allows students to research and draft answers to questions from local governments, to participate in the drafting of model ordinances for cities and counties, and to be involved in the development and production of local government practice guides on matters ranging from criminal law to land use and zoning. Seminars include Business, Technology, and Regulation; Constitutional Law Seminar, and Criminal Law/Justice Seminar. An active supervised independent research program is offered. Public policy research opportunities are available through the in-house Local Government Law Center. The Law Review sponsors a national symposium annually. Chase’s Student Success Initiatives Program provides a wide range of workshops, one-on-one help with writing or question and answer sessions provided by Chase faculty. The Student Success Initiative Program also addresses remedial issues. Individual assistance is available from Chase’s legal writing specialist, recent graduates, and the law school faculty. Professional and social activities, as well as special tutorial assistance are available in conjunction with the Black Lawyers Association of Cincinnati (BLAC) and the Cincinnati Bar Association/BLAC Lawyers’ Association Roundtable. A variety of programs throughout the year are sponsored by the Chase Public Interest Group, Student Bar Association, International Law Society, and National Women’s Law Caucus. The most widely taken electives are Alternative Dispute Resolution, Modern Real Estate Transactions, and Employment Discrimination.

To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 90 total credits, of which 61 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: Basic Legal Skills I and II, Civil Procedure I and II, Contracts I and II, Introduction to Legal Studies, Property I and II, and Torts I and II. Required upper-level courses consist of Constitutional Law I and II, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Evidence, and Professional Responsibility. Students are allowed to use a maximum of 12 non-classroom hours of credit toward graduation. The required orientation program for first-year students consists of Introduction to Legal Studies, which is a 2-week 1-credit required course that takes place before the Fall semester begins. Introduction to Legal Studies focuses on the skills needed in the first semester of law school such as case briefing and participation in the Socratic method. Information about law school requirements and student services such as Career Development and Student Success Initiatives, student organizations, and professionalism matters, is provided as well. Introduction to Legal Studies continues through the Fall semester with both required and optional meetings on matters such as outlining and exam answering. It also provides small group study opportunities led by upper-level law students.

In order to graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 2.0 and have completed the upper-division writing requirement.

Northern Kentucky University, Salmon P. Chase College of Law Unique Programs

Library

The law library contains 332,151 hard-copy volumes and 171,482 microform volume equivalents, and subscribes to 2301 serial publications. Such on-line databases and networks as CALI, CIS Universe, Legal-Trac, LEXIS, Mathew Bender, OCLC First Search, WESTLAW, Kentucky Virtual Library, BNA-Online, CCH Online, and HeinOnline are available to law students for research. Special library collections include Kentucky Appellate Court Briefs. Recently, the library added more group study rooms and enhanced free network printing. The ratio of library volumes to faculty is 12,775 to 1 and to students is 612 to 1. The ratio of seats in the library to students is 1 to 3.

Special Consideration

The law school recruits minority and disadvantaged students through minority career graduate school fairs, contacts with members of the school’s Black Law Students Association and through the Law School Admission Council’s Candidate Referral Service. In addition, the law school offers a variety of scholarships for students demonstrating diversity. Requirements are not different for out-of-state students. Transfer students must have a minimum GPA of 3.0, have attended an ABA-approved law school, and must be in good standing and eligible to continue study, and must provide an official transcript documenting acceptably high-quality performance.

Northern Kentucky University, Salmon P. Chase College of Law Admissions

In the fall 2007 first-year class, 991 applied, 458 were accepted, and 204 enrolled. Six transfers enrolled. The median LSAT percentile of the most recent first-year class was 57; the median GPA was 3.23 on a scale of 4.0. The lowest LSAT percentile accepted was 20; the highest was 94.

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 May 1. Applicants should submit an application form, LSAT results, transcripts, a nonrefundable application fee of $40, answers to all applicable essay questions, and 2 letters of recommendation submitted through the LSDAS. A $150 acceptance deposit must be submitted after an offer has been made and a $300 registration deposit is required preceding enrollment. Notification of the admissions decision is on a rolling basis. The latest acceptable LSAT test date for fall entry is February, but will consider June scores. The law school uses the LSDAS.

Northern Kentucky University, Salmon P. Chase College of Law Financial Aid

About 75% 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 $19,848; maximum, $45,864. Awards are based on need and merit, with a number of scholarships based on merit, need, or a combination of both. Required financial statement is the FAFSA. The aid application deadline for fall entry is March 1. Special funds for minority or disadvantaged students include scholarship funds for minority and disadvantaged students. First-year students are notified about their financial aid application at time of acceptance after processing the aid application.

Northern Kentucky University, Salmon P. Chase College of Law Students

About 44% of the student body are women; 6%, minorities; 4%, African American; 1%, Asian American; 1%, Hispanic; and 1%, Native American. The majority of students come from Kentucky (64%). The average age of entering students is 24; age range is 20 to 48. About 22% of students enter directly from undergraduate school and 14% have a graduate degree. About 6% drop out after the first year for academic or personal reasons; 94% remain to receive a law degree.

Students participate in a variety of moot court competitions at numerous locations, including the Evan A. Evans Constitutional Law Moot Court Competition, August A. Rendigs Jr. National Moot Court Competition, and the Robert F. Wagner National Labor and Employment Law Moot Court Competition. Other competitions include the National Trial Advocacy Competition, Kentucky Association of Trial Attorneys Trial Competition, Jerome Prince Memorial Evidence Moot Court Competition, National Criminal Justice Trial Advocacy Competition, William W. Daniel National Invitational Mock Trial Competition, and the Kentucky Mock Trial Competition. Law student organizations, local chapters of national association, and campus organizations include the Chase Public Interest Group, Legal Association of Women, Black Law Students Association, Phi Alpha Delta, American Constitution Society, Federalist Society, International Law Students Association, Intellectual Property Society, and the Chase Latino Law Association.

The law school operates on a traditional semester basis. Courses for full-time students are offered days only with some electives being offered on Saturdays and must be completed within 3 <1/2> years. For part-time students, courses are offered both day and evening and Saturdays and must be completed within 5 years. New full- and part-time students are admitted in the fall. There is a 2 or 8-week summer session. Transferable summer courses are offered.