New England School of Law Law School

New England School of Law, New England School of Law Law School History

New England School of Law was established in 1908 and is independent. The campus is in an urban area in Boston. The primary mission of the law school is to provide the opportunity for quality legal education and ethical training to men and women, especially those who might otherwise not have that opportunity. Students have access to federal, state, county, city, and local agencies, courts, correctional facilities, law firms, and legal aid organizations in the Boston area. Boston is the state capital, and as such offers many opportunities to law students. Facilities of special interest to law students are the Clinical Law Office, a school-sponsored neighborhood law office that provides clinical training and assists low-income litigants, and other clinical programs with the attorney general, Massachusetts Revenue Department, and other agencies. Housing for students is not available on campus; however, assistance is provided for finding housing and roommates. About 98% of the law school facilities are accessible to the physically disabled.

New England School of Law, New England School of Law Law School Academics

In addition to the J.D., the law school offers the LL.M. Students may take relevant courses in other programs and apply credit toward the J.D.; a maximum of 6 credits may be applied.

The New England School of Law offers concentrations in corporate law, criminal law, environmental law, family law, international law, litigation, and tax law. In addition, clinics are available to second- and third-year day division students and third- and fourth-year evening division students for 2 to 6 credits. All upper-class students may take electives for 2 to 3 credits. Final-year students may undertake research programs for a 2 credit maximum per year. The New England School of Law, in cooperation with 3 other law schools, sponsors 6 summer abroad programs and 3 semester abroad programs. Students may spend a summer studying in Prague, Chile, Denmark, Ireland, London, or Malta. Students may also spend a summer studying in the Netherlands, or at the University of Paris X in Nanterre. The school will accept credit for courses taken in any summer-abroad program approved by the American Bar Association. A tutorial program, the Academic Excellence program is offered. A noncredit remedial research and writing program is open to first-year students. Noncredit minority programs are open to all students. The most widely taken electives are Wills, Estates and Trusts, Business Organization and UCC: Sales.

To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 86 total credits, of which 43 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, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Legal Methods, Property, and Torts. Required upper-level courses consist of Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure I, Evidence, and Law and Ethics of Lawyering. The required orientation program for first-year students is a 2-day full-time, 3-day part-time program with panel discussions on legal issues and lectures on the legal process, how to brief a case, and the procedures of a civil case.

In order to graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 2.0, have completed the upper-division writing requirement, and 86 credits.

New England School of Law, New England School of Law Law School Unique Programs

Library

The law library contains 357,068 hard-copy volumes and 782,580 microform volume equivalents, and subscribes to 1991 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, RLIN, WESTLAW, Wilsonline Indexes, CD-ROMs, the Internet, JSTOR, and BNA are available to law students for research. Special library collections include women and the law, Portia Law School archives, a Massachusetts continuing legal education depository, Massachusetts and New England-area publications, media, and all standard legal research materials such as court reports, statutes, treatises, restatements, and legal periodicals. Recently, the library added laptops (16) available for student checkout; 70 workstations available for use in the library; new furniture for the main reading room, compact shelving, new furniture, 3 additional group study rooms on 2nd floor, and upgraded multifunction space with installed multimedia equipment. The ratio of library volumes to faculty is 9650 to 1 and to students is 326 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 attendance at minority recruitment fairs as well as recruitment at institutions and cities with large minority populations; participation in CLEO and CRS searchers through LSAC; connecting minority applicants with minority alumni and current students; and scholarships. Requirements are not different for out-of-state students. Transfer students must have one year of credit and have a minimum average of C+ and have a dean’s letter of good standing.

New England School of Law, New England School of Law Law School Admissions

In the fall 2007 first-year class, 3109 applied, 1777 were accepted, and 379 enrolled. Three transfers enrolled. The median LSAT percentile of the most recent first-year class was 49; the median GPA was 3.27 on a scale of 4.0. The lowest LSAT percentile accepted was 27; the highest was 96.

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and take the LSAT. Minimum acceptable GPA is 2.0 on a scale of 4.0. The most important admission factors include motivation, GPA, and LSAT results. No specific undergraduate courses are required. Candidates are not interviewed.

The application deadline for fall entry is March 15. Applicants should submit an application form, LSAT results, transcripts, a nonrefundable application fee of $65, 2 letters of recommendation, a personal statement, and the LSDAS Report. Notification of the admissions decision is on a rolling basis. The latest acceptable LSAT test date for fall entry is February. The law school uses the LSDAS.

New England School of Law, New England School of Law Law School Financial Aid

About 87% 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 $30,162; maximum, $47,895. Awards are based on need and merit. Required financial statements are the FAFSA the institutional application, and federal tax returns. The aid application deadline for fall entry is April 10. Special funds for minority or disadvantaged students include the MacLean Grant for disadvantaged students and the Jacqueline Lloyd Grant for minority students. First-year students are notified about their financial aid application at time of acceptance.

New England School of Law, New England School of Law Law School Students

About 55% of the student body are women; 11%, minorities; 2%, African American; 5%, Asian American; and 2%, Hispanic. The majority of students come from Massachusetts (44%). The average age of entering students is 25; age range is 21 to 64. About 13% drop out after the first year for academic or personal reasons; 87% remain to receive a law degree.

Students editNew England Law Review, New England Journal on Criminal and Civil Confinement, and the student newspaper, Due Process. Other publications include the New England Journal of International and Comparative Law. Students participate in an annual in-house Honors Moot Court Competition and Trial Competition. Other competitions include the National Appellate Moot Court Competition, National Trial Competition, National Tax Moot Court, Jessup International Moot Court, Environmental Moot Court, Frederick Douglass Moot Court, and occasionally the ABA Appellate Advocacy Competition. Student organizations include the Student Bar Association, Public Interest Law Association and Minority Students Association. There are local chapters of the ABA-Law Student Division, Phi Alpha Delta, and Phi Delta Phi. 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 must be completed within 6 years. New full- and part-time students are admitted in the fall. There is an 8-week summer session. Transferable summer courses are offered.