School of Law

Hofstra University, School of Law History

Hofstra University School of Law was established in 1970 and is a private institution. The 240-acre campus is in a suburban area 25 miles east of New York City. The primary mission of the law school is to prepare students for success in the practice of law by combining rigorous intellectual discussion with hands-on training in the skills required to excel in today’s competitive legal environment. Students have access to federal, state, county, city, and local agencies, courts, correctional facilities, law firms, and legal aid organizations in the Hempstead area. Facilities of special interest to law students are all university facilities, including the university library center, athletic facilities, cultural programs, and social events. Housing for students is on and near campus in suite and apartment style residence halls. Many law students also rent houses or apartments within a short commuting distance from the university. All law school facilities are accessible to the physically disabled.

Hofstra University, School of Law Academics

In addition to the J.D., the law school offers the LL.M. The following joint degrees may be earned: J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration) and J.D./M.S. (Juris Doctor/Master of Science in taxation).

The School of Law offers concentrations in corporate law, criminal law, environmental law, family law, international law, juvenile law, labor law, litigation, securities law, tax law, torts and insurance, constitutional law, and health law. In addition, students may enroll in the Housing Rights, Criminal Justice, Child Advocacy, Mediation, Not-For-Profit Organizations, Securities Arbitration, or Political Asylum clinics. Each are worth 6 credits. Upper-class students may choose from a large number of 2- to 3-credit seminars. First-year students take 1 required substantive course in a small section of 25 to 30 students. Students may enroll in the Externship Program for 3 credits; they may work for judges or in nonprofit or government agencies, dealing with civil and criminal matters. Faculty-supervised independent study is worth from 2 to 6 credits. The law school offers special problems seminars, in which 3 to 5 students work closely with a professor in a tutorial setting on a topic of current interest. In addition, the law school offers an extensive Pro Bono Student Volunteer Program, in which more than 400 students have donated their efforts to assist attorneys and other agencies with cases. Through the Unemployment Action Center, students provide assistance to unemployed persons seeking benefits. A Visiting Scholar Program brings to the law school a distinguished scholar for a visit of 3 to 4 days; the visiting scholar teaches classes, gives a lecture, and meets informally with students and faculty. Annually scheduled lectures involve experts in bankruptcy law, family law, legal ethics, and health law, as well as features by distinguished jurists, scholars, and practitioners. The law school offers summer programs in Nice, France, in cooperation with the University of Nice Law School, in Sydney, Australia in cooperation with the University of New South Wales Faculty of Law, and in Sorrento, Italy in conjunction with Naples University. A winter study abroad in Curacao is also available. Hofstra law students may also participate in a seminar abroad with any other E.A.C.L.E. institution. An exchange program with Soochow University (China) will be available shortly. Students must meet with the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs with any request for student tutorial support services. Incoming students may be selected by the tutorial committee to participate in a voluntary enhancement program taught by faculty. The Director of Multicultural Student Affairs is responsible for minority student affairs, minority recruitment and admissions, the coordination of the law school’s Enhancement Program and the coordination of the Dwight L. Greene Scholarship Program. Specific initiatives to support the students of color include: an Open House for minority applicants, Law Day for admitted students of color, a Minority Student Orientation Program for incoming students, a first-year reception, mentoring programs, and other programs throughout the year. Chapters of BALSA, LALSA, and APALSA are very active at the law school. The most widely taken electives are Business Organizations; Criminal Procedure; and Wills, Trusts and Estates.

To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 87 total credits, of which 39 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: Appellate Advocacy, Civil Procedure I and II, Contracts I and II, Criminal Law, Introduction to International & Comparative Law, Legal Writing and Research, Property, and Torts I and II. Required upper-level courses consist of Constitutional Law I and II, Lawyer’s Ethics or Ethics and Economics of Law Practice, and Upper-class writing requirements I and II. The required orientation program for first-year students is a 3-day program that includes legal method classes taught by faculty members, general lectures, panels concerning student services, and social activities. “Continuing orientation” is available throughout the year.

In order to graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 2.0, have completed the upper-division writing requirement, and completed 2 upper-level writing requirements.

Hofstra University, School of Law Unique Programs

Library

The law library contains 550,765 hard-copy volumes and 1,823,120 microform volume equivalents, and subscribes to 1200 serial publications. Such on-line databases and networks as CALI, CIS Universe, DIALOG, Infotrac, Legal-Trac, LEXIS, LOIS, NEXIS, WESTLAW, Child Law Practice, AccessUN, ADRworld, Berkeley, CIAO, CILP, Legal Trac, LLMC, NLRB, RIA, and Smart CLIP are available to law students for research. Special library collections include records and briefs of U.S. Supreme Court cases (1832 to the present) and of the New York Court of Appeals and Appellate Division; federal depository materials; and all U.N. documents (1976 to the present) on microfiche. Additional microfiche holdings are the ABA archival collection (1878 to the present) and the archival collection of the American Law Institute. Recently, the library installed additional group study rooms, new carpeting and furniture on the main floor, and additional compact shelving. The ratio of library volumes to faculty is 13,769 to 1 and to students is 537 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 student, faculty, graduate, and administrator visits to a diverse range of institutions to increase the number of law students from traditionally excluded groups. Scholarships are also available. 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.

Hofstra University, School of Law Admissions

In the fall 2007 first-year class, 5232 applied, 1991 were accepted, and 386 enrolled. Figures in the above capsule and in this profile are approximate. Twenty-four transfers enrolled in a recent year. The median LSAT percentile of the most recent first-year class was 71; the median GPA was 3.3 on a scale of 4.0. The lowest LSAT percentile accepted was 8; the highest was 99.

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and take the LSAT. The most important admission factors include academic achievement, LSAT results, and general background. No specific undergraduate courses are required. Candidates are not interviewed.

Applicants should submit an application form, LSAT results, transcripts, a non refundable application fee, and 1 letter of recommendation. Notification of the admissions decision is on a rolling basis. The latest acceptable LSAT test date for fall entry is February, generally. The law school uses the LSDAS. Check with the school for current application deadlines.

Hofstra University, School of Law Financial Aid

In a recent year about 80% 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, was $35,000. Awards are based on need and merit. Required financial statements are the FAFSA and Need Access application. Check with the school for current application deadlines. First-year students are notified about their financial aid application at time of acceptance.

Hofstra University, School of Law Students

About 47% of the student body are women; 26%, minorities; 7%, African American; 7%, Asian American; and 6%, Hispanic. The average age of entering students is 24; age range is 19 to 70. About 53% of students enter directly from undergraduate school, 10% have a graduate degree, and 46% have worked full-time prior to entering law school. About 11% drop out after the first year for academic or personal reasons; 89% remain to receive a law degree.

Students edit the Hofstra Law Review, Hofstra Labor and Employment Law Journal, Family Court Review, Journal or International Business and Law, and the law school student newspaper, Conscience. Teams compete annually in the following national competition; the National Moot Court Competition, the Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Labor & Employment Law Competition, the Conrad L. Duberstein Competition and the Phillip Jessup International Law Competition. Students also participate in the Nassau County Bar Association’s Long Island Moot Court Competition sponsored by the Nassau Academy of Law and also intramural competitions sponsored by the Hofstra Law School Moot Court Association. Law student organizations include the Corporate Law Society, Hofstra Law Women, and The International Law Society. There are local chapters of Asian-Pacific American Law Students Association, Black American Law Students Association, Latino American Law Students Association, and Phi Alpha Delta. Hofstra University supports more than 100 student cultural, media, sports, creative, service, and politically and socially active clubs.

The law school operates on a traditional semester basis. Courses for full-time students are offered days only and must be completed within 3 years. For part-time students, courses are offered days only and must be completed within 4 years. New full- and part-time students are admitted in the fall. There is a 7-week summer session. Transferable summer courses are offered.