School of Law

Fordham University, School of Law History

Fordham University School of Law was established in 1905 and is a private institution. The 8-acre campus is in an urban area in the Lincoln Center area of New York City. The primary mission of the law school is to offer a complete legal education, providing students with an understanding of legal doctrine and a solid foundation of analytical reasoning, lawyering skills, and professional values that they use in law practice or law-related professions; to contribute to the development of the law; and to serve the wider community. Students have access to federal, state, county, city, and local agencies, courts, correctional facilities, law firms, and legal aid organizations in the New York area. Lincoln Center, with its many cultural attractions, is nearby. Facilities of special interest to law students include the law school and attached buildings, which include a 250-seat amphitheater, 2 cafeterias, a student activities center, student journal offices, a counseling center, a bookstore, 2 computer centers, and a chapel. Housing for students is available in a 250-bed, 20-story university residence hall connected to the law school, or within the immediate neighborhood or greater metropolitan area. All law school facilities are accessible to the physically disabled.

Fordham University, School of Law 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 13 credits may be applied. The following joint degrees may be earned: J.D./M.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Arts in international political economy), J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration), and J.D./M.S.W. (Juris Doctor/Master of Social Work).

The School of Law offers concentrations in corporate law, criminal law, entertainment law, environmental law, family law, international law, juvenile law, labor law, litigation, maritime law, media law, securities law, sports law, tax law, torts and insurance, European Community law, trial advocacy, public interest law, and professional responsibility. Clinics, which are open to upper-class students who have satisfied prerequisites, include Criminal Defense, Immigration Law, and Community Economic Development. Seminars, usually worth 2 or 3 credits, are also open to upper-class students; a selection of recent offerings includes Advanced Copyright Law, Civil Rights, and Environmental Law. After the first year, students may participate in a broad range of actual practice settings in federal and state courts, administrative agencies, prosecutors’ and defenders’ offices, and nonprofit agencies for 2 credits. Research is done through the Stein Institute of Law and Ethics Research fellowships and the Crowley International Human Rights Program. Field work may be undertaken in the Crowley International Human Rights Program and in the noncredit Pro Bono program, where students assist in preparing cases under the direction of attorneys from the Legal Aid Society and various public agencies and nonprofit organizations through Fordham’s Public Interest Center. Special lecture series include John F. Sonnett Lectures by distinguished judges and litigators; Stein Lectures in ethics and professional responsibility; Noreen E. McNamara Lectures by outstanding women in the profession; and Robert L. Levine Lectures by distinguished legal scholars. Students may study abroad for up to 1 year for up to 24 credits in approved subjects. The law school operates a summer program in Dublin and Belfast and SKKU in South Korea. The noncredit Academic Enrichment Program provides training in briefing cases, study strategies, and exam-taking techniques. The school contributes to the CLEO program. The Student Bar Association funds several student-run minority organizations. Public service programs include a nonlegal community service project; advocacy projects for battered women, low-income tenants, and unemployed individuals; and student-funded fellowships for summer work at public interest organizations. The most widely taken electives are Income Taxation, New York Practice, and Evidence.

To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 83 total credits, of which 39 are for required courses. They must maintain a minimum GPA of 1.9 in the required courses. The following first-year courses are required of all students: Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Justice, Legal Process, Legal Writing and Research, Property, and Torts. Required upper-level courses consist of Corporations and Partnerships and Professional Responsibility. The required orientation program for first-year students is a 2-day general orientation program and a 1-week legal process course. There are separate orientation programs for legal writing, library use, career planning, university resources, and clinical programs.

To graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 1.9 and have completed the upper-division writing requirement.

Fordham University, School of Law Unique Programs

Library

The law library contains 384,966 hard-copy volumes and 241,265 microform volume equivalents, and subscribes to 4880 serial publications. Such on-line databases and networks as CALI, CIS Universe, DIALOG, Dow-Jones, Infotrac, Legal-Trac, LEXIS, LOIS, NEXIS, OCLC First Search, RLIN, WESTLAW, and Wilsonline Indexes are available to law students for research. Special library collections include an EEC collection and a federal documents depository. The ratio of library volumes to faculty is 5274 to 1 and to students is 239 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 by means of attendance at forums and law fairs, LSDAS Candidate Referral Service, alumni assistance, and current minority students contacting accepted minority applicants. 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 fulfill a 2-year residency requirement at Fordham.

Fordham University, School of Law Admissions

Some figures and information in the above capsule and in this profile are from an earlier year. In a recent first-year class, 6866 applied, 1493 were accepted, and 483 enrolled. Twenty-six transfers enrolled. The median LSAT percentile of a recent first-year class was 93; the median GPA was 3.56 on a scale of 4.0. The lowest LSAT percentile accepted was 62; the highest was 99.

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and take the LSAT. 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 June 30. Applicants should submit an application form, LSAT results, transcripts, TOEFL if the student is from a non-English-speaking country, a nonrefundable application fee of $70, and a personal statement. LSAT results and transcripts should be submitted through LSDAS. Notification of the admissions decision is 6 to 8 weeks after the application is complete. The latest acceptable LSAT test date for fall entry is February. The law school uses the LSDAS.

Fordham University, School of Law Financial Aid

About 78% of a recent year’s law students received some form of aid. The average annual amount of aid from all sources combined, including scholarships, loans, and work contracts, was $31,340; maximum, $56,120. Most awards are based on need; approximately 10% are based on merit. Required financial statement is the FAFSA. Check with the school for current deadlines. Special funds for minority or disadvantaged students include funds contributed by benefactors of the school. Also, some funds are specifically allocated to assist these groups. First-year students are notified about their financial aid application after acceptance, when their file is complete.

Fordham University, School of Law Students

About 47% of the student body are women; 26%, minorities; 6%, African American; 11%, Asian American; 8%, Hispanic; and 1%, Native American. The majority of students come from the Northeast (73%). The average age of entering students is 24; age range is 20 to 52. About 31% of students enter directly from undergraduate school, 19% have a graduate degree, and 50% have worked full-time prior to entering law school. About 2% drop out after the first year for academic or personal reasons; 98% remain to receive a law degree.

Students edit the Fordham Law Review, Fordham Urban Law Journal, Fordham International Law Journal, Fordham Environmental Law Journal, Fordham Entertainment, Mass Media, Intellectual Property Journal, and Fordham Journal of Corporate and Financial Law. Moot court competitions include the intramural William Hughes Mulligan and the I. Maurice Wormser and the interschool Irving R. Kaufman Securities Law Competition. Teams also compete at the National Moot Court, Jessup International Law, Craven Constitutional Law, Cardozo Entertainment Law, National Trial Advocacy, National Tax, and National Products Liability competitions. There are approximately 40 student-run organizations at the law school, including the Student Bar Association, Fordham Law Women, and Stein Scholars. There are local chapters of the Federalist Society, National Lawyers Guild, BLSA, LALSA, APALSA, and Phi Alpha Delta. Campus clubs include Habitat for Humanity, Equal Justice Works, and the Sports Law 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 3 years. For part-time students, courses are offered both day and evening and must be completed within 4 years. New full- and part-time students are admitted in the fall. There is an 8-week summer session. Transferable summer courses are offered.