School of Law

Rutgers University-Newark, School of Law History

Rutgers University/Newark School of Law was established in 1908 and is a public institution. The 11-acre campus is in an urban area in the city of Newark, 8 miles southwest of New York City. The primary mission of the law school is to prepare students for professional practice by offering high-quality education in all fields of law, as well as to preserve and expand knowledge as part of a national community of legal scholars, and to serve the public by working to achieve social justice through law. Students have access to federal, state, county, city, and local agencies, courts, correctional facilities, law firms, and legal aid organizations in the Newark area. Also nearby are the American Civil Liberties Union and public interest organizations. Facilities of special interest to law students are the federal courts and county and state court complexes, which are located in downtown Newark, the Newark Museum and Public Library, and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, which is located just a few blocks away. The Center For Law and Justice is a technologically advanced building, and its courtroom is periodically used for hearing oral arguments by the state appellate court. Housing for students is available on campus—a third of students live on campus. Most students live in nearby communities. All law school facilities are accessible to the physically disabled.

Rutgers University-Newark, School of Law Academics

Students may take relevant courses in other programs and apply credit toward the J.D.; a maximum of 12 credits may be applied. The following joint degrees may be earned: J.D./M.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Arts in criminal justice, political science), J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration), J.D./M.C.R.P. (Juris Doctor/Master in City and Regional Planning), J.D./M.D. (Juris Doctor/Doctor of Medicine), J.D./M.S.W. (Juris Doctor/Master of Social Work), and J.D./Ph.D (Juris Doctor/Doctor of Philosophy).

The School of Law offers concentrations in corporate law, criminal law, entertainment law, environmental law, family law, international law, juvenile law, labor law, litigation, media law, securities law, sports law, tax law, torts and insurance, constitutional law, health law, and intellectual property. In addition, students can earn up to 8 credits per semester for clinics. Clinics are open only to upper-level students, and some require students to be in their final year. Clinics include Constitutional Rights, Women’s Rights, Environmental Law, Urban Legal, Federal Tax, Special Education, Women and Aids, Domestic Violence, Child Advocacy Project, and Transactional Law/Community Development. Some 20 seminars are offered each semester for 2 credits each. They are open to all upper-level students and offer the opportunity to write a substantial legal paper that meets the writing requirement. Upper-level students with grades of B- or better may engage in internships with state or federal magistrates, justices, or judges for 3 credits; they are supported by a weekly in house seminar. Externships are available with the Attorney General’s office, the Security and Exchange Commission, and the National Labor Relations Board. An Intellectual Property Externship is also offered. Students may assist full-time faculty members in their research for 2 or 3 credits. Independent research may be undertaken by upper-level students for 2 or 3 credits with faculty permission. Special lecture series include Miller, Stoffer, and Weintraub lectureships, which are given annually. Students may enroll for up to 12 credits in an ABA/AALS sponsored semester-abroad program. Approximately 25 students engage in this study, from China to Greece and at the University of Leiden-Holland. First-year students are tutored by upper-level students with good grades; tutors may earn 2 credits. The Minority Student Program is dependent on socio-economic status, regardless of race. The school also has programs on behalf of women, minority groups, and gay and lesbian groups. The most widely taken electives are Evidence, Business Associations, and Copyright.

To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 84 total credits, of which 34 to 35 are for required courses. They must maintain a minimum GPA of 1.67 in the required courses. The following first-year courses are required of all students: a required freshman elective, Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law, Legal Research and Writing I and II, Property, and Torts. Required upper-level courses consist of an upper-level writing requirement and Professional Responsibility. All students may elect to choose among extensive in-house clinical programming. The required orientation program for first-year students is 3 days and covers Professional Responsibility registration, student services, health and safety issues, an Introduction to Legal Research course, and provides opportunities to meet upper-class students and all student organization representatives.

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

Rutgers University-Newark, School of Law Unique Programs

Library

The law library contains 353,600 hard-copy volumes and 163,600 microform volume equivalents, and subscribes to 3120 serial publications. Such on-line databases and networks as DIALOG, LEXIS, NEXIS, RLIN, and WESTLAW are available to law students for research. Special library collections include depositories for U.S. and New Jersey documents. Recently, the library installed INNOPAC, an automated serials and acquisition system and on-line public access catalog. The ratio of library volumes to faculty is 6429 to 1 and to students is 432 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 participation in LSAC forums, participation in Puerto Rican Legal Defense Fund Law Day, visits to historically black colleges, black, Latino, and Asian law days, and contact with high school and college students. The Minority Student Program is open to disadvantaged students of all races. Requirements are not different for out-of-state students. Transfer students must have one year of credit, have a minimum GPA of 3.0, have attended an ABA-approved law school, and have a letter of good standing.

Rutgers University-Newark, School of Law Admissions

In the fall 2007 first-year class, 3519 applied, 930 were accepted, and 263 enrolled. Twenty-five transfers enrolled. The median LSAT percentile of the most recent first-year class was 75; the median GPA was 3.33 on a scale of 4.0. The highest LSAT percentile was 99.

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and take the LSAT. The most important admission factors include academic achievement, LSAT results, and GPA. 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 personal statement, a nonrefundable application fee of $60, 1 letter of recommendation sent to law services, and LSAT results and transcripts sent through the LSDAS. 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.

Rutgers University-Newark, School of Law Financial Aid

About 76% of current law students receive some form of aid. Awards are based on need and merit, although most financial aid and scholarships are awarded on the basis of need. Limited merit scholarships and a number of need and merit scholarships are also available. Required financial statement is the FAFSA. The aid application deadline for fall entry is March 1. Special funds for minority or disadvantaged students consist of the Ralph Bunche Fellowships, which yield tuition remission and a stipend; the C. Clyde Ferguson Scholarships, which yield full in-state tuition and housing for New Jersey residents; Marie Slocum Scholarship; Judge Herbert Tate, Sr. Scholarship; Judge John Dios Scholarship; and other scholarships. First-year students are notified about their financial aid application several weeks after an offer of admission.

Rutgers University-Newark, School of Law Students

About 43% of the student body are women; 38%, minorities; 13%, African American; 12%, Asian American; 10%, Hispanic; and 1%, Native American. The majority of students come from the Northeast (90%). The average age of entering students is 27; age range is 21 to 55. About 40% of students enter directly from undergraduate school, 23% have a graduate degree, and 34% have worked full-time prior to entering law school. About 2% drop out after the first year for academic or personal reasons; 97% remain to receive a law degree.

Students edit the Rutgers Law Review, Computer and Technology Law Journal, Women’s Rights Law Reporter, Race and the Law Review, Bankruptcy Law Journal, Alternative Dispute Resolution Journal, and < Rutgers Law Record. Students compete in the Nathan Baker Mock Trial, David Cohn Moot Court, and the ABA Negotiations competitions. Students participate in approximately 25 to 30 writing competitions, among them the Nathan Burkan Copyright Competition. Law student organizations, local chapters of national associations, and campus organizations include Student Bar Association, Public Interest Law Foundation, Federalist Society, Student Lawyers Guild, Association of Black Law Students, Intellectual Property Law Society, Medicine and Health Law Society, Women’s Law Forum, and International Law Students Society.

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 a 7-week summer session. Transferable summer courses are offered.