School of Law

Rutgers University-Camden, School of Law History

Rutgers University/Camden School of Law was established in 1926 and is a public institution. The 25-acre campus is in an urban area adjacent to the Center City district of Philadelphia. The primary mission of the law school is to provide a dynamic program of professional training, distinguished legal scholarship, and service to the bar and community. Students have access to federal, state, county, city, and local agencies, courts, correctional facilities, law firms, and legal aid organizations in the Camden area. Facilities of special interest to law students include computer laboratories, e-mail accounts, Internet connections, and on-line legal research. Housing for students is available in a 6-story apartment complex that houses 248 students in 62 graduate apartments. Off-campus housing on the Delaware River is also available. About 90% of the law school facilities are accessible to the physically disabled.

Rutgers University-Camden, School of Law 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./D.O. (Juris Doctor/Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine), J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration), J.D./M.C.R.P. (Juris Doctor/Master of City and Regional Planning), J.D./M.D. (Juris Doctor/Doctor of Medicine), J.D./M.P.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Public Administration), J.D./M.P.A.P. (Juris Doctor/Master of Public Affairs and Politics), and J.D./M.S.W. (Juris Doctor/Master of Social Work).

The School of Law offers concentrations in corporate law, criminal law, environmental law, family law, international law, labor law, litigation, tax law, health law, and public interest law. In addition, clinics include a Small Business Counseling Clinic and a Gender-Equity in Education Clinic, each worth 3 credits, and a Civil Practice Clinic. The Pro Bono/Public Interest program enables students to represent clients, under the supervision of attorneys, in domestic violence, immigration, and bankruptcy cases, and to conduct mediations in local courts. All students take at least 1 course each semester with a significant writing component to complete the advanced writing requirement. The school conducts an extensive externship program, worth 6 credits, for third-year students in good academic standing with members of the judiciary and various public agencies. Third-year students may take independent study for 1 to 2 credits in each of their last 2 semesters, under the supervision of a faculty member. The annual state Constitution Law Lecture and Corman Distinguished Lecture bring nationally known scholars and jurists to the law school. Students can attend other law schools’ study-abroad programs. No-credit tutorial programs are offered on an individual basis for students in need. Workshops on study techniques, test taking, and individual subject review are available for all students. An extensive Academic Success Program is also available. Programming for minority students is sponsored by student groups and supported by the administration and faculty. The most widely taken electives are Evidence, Commercial Law, and Business Organizations.

To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 84 total credits, of which 32 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, Criminal Law, Legal Research and Writing, Moot Court I, Property, and Torts. Required upper-level courses consist of elective courses with writing components and Professional Responsibility. The required orientation program for first-year students is 2 days prior to the start of classes; there is a briefing on reading and analyzing cases, library usage, legal writing, professional responsibility, and general study techniques, as well as an introduction to computer usage and student organizations and social events.

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

Rutgers University-Camden, School of Law Unique Programs

Library

The law library contains 440,000 hard-copy volumes and 127,000 microform volume equivalents, and subscribes to 1953 serial publications. Such on-line databases and networks as CALI, LEXIS, NEXIS, and WESTLAW are available to law students for research. Special library collections include a historical collection of Soviet and Eastern European legal matters and a U.S. government depository library. Recently, the library added a computer room and court web sites (the only access in New Jersey for New Jersey administrative court cases). The ratio of library volumes to faculty is 11,000 to 1 and to students is 555 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 mail, student organizations, interviews, campus visits, and law forums. Requirements are not different for out-of-state students. Transfer students must have one year of credit and have attended an ABA-approved law school.

Rutgers University-Camden, School of Law Admissions

In the fall 2007 first-year class, 2173 applied, 657 were accepted, and 235 enrolled. Forty-seven transfers enrolled. The median LSAT percentile of the most recent first-year class was 85; the median GPA was 3.45 on a scale of 4.0. The lowest LSAT percentile accepted was 45; the highest was 98.

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and take the LSAT. Minimum acceptable LSAT percentile is 45 and minimum acceptable GPA is 2.5 on a scale of 4.0. The most important admission factors include LSAT results, GPA, and general background. 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, a nonrefundable application fee of $50, and 2 letters of recommendation. Notification of the admissions decision is on a rolling basis. The latest acceptable LSAT test date for fall entry is June. The law school uses the LSDAS.

Rutgers University-Camden, School of Law Financial Aid

About 92% 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 $26,500. Awards are based on need and merit. Required financial statements are the FAFSA. The aid application deadline for fall entry is March 1. Special funds for minority or disadvantaged students include funds that are available from state, university, and school programs. First-year students are notified about their financial aid application at time of acceptance.

Rutgers University-Camden, School of Law Students

About 41% of the student body are women; 20%, minorities; 6%, African American; 7%, Asian American; 6%, Hispanic; 1%, Native American; and 1%, foreign. The majority of students come from New Jersey (50%). The average age of entering students is 25; age range is 21 to 45. About 31% of students enter directly from undergraduate school, 6% have a graduate degree, and 52% have worked full-time prior to entering law school. About 3% drop out after the first year for academic or personal reasons; 96% remain to receive a law degree.

Students edit the Rutgers Law Journal, the Rutgers Journal of Law and Public Policy, and the Rutgers Journal of Law and Religion. A highlight of the upper-level curriculum is the Judge James A. Hunter III Advanced Moot Court Program. Other moot court competitions include the National Moot Court Competition and Jessup International Moot Court Competition. Other competitions include the Gibbons National Criminal Procedure Moot Court Competition, Admiralty Moot Court Competition, National Black Law Students Association Frederick Douglass Competition, National Latino Law Students Association Moot Court Competition, and the Environmental Moot Court Competition. Law student organizations include the Student Bar Association, Association for Public Interest Law, and the Francis Deak International Law Society. There are local chapters and clubs of all major national law student organizations, including Phi Alpha Delta law fraternity, Women’s Law Caucus, Black Law Students Association, Hispanic Students Association, Student Bar Association, Latino Law Students Association, and Asian/Pacific American Students Association.

The law school operates on a traditional semester basis. Courses for full- and part-time students are offered both day and evening and must be completed within 5 years. New full-time students are admitted in the fall; part-time, fall and summer. There is a 7-week summer session. Transferable summer courses are offered.