School of Law

Pace University: Pleasantville/Briarcliff, School of Law History

Pace University School of Law was established in 1976 and is a private institution. The 12-acre campus is in a suburban area in White Plains, New York. The primary mission of the law school is to permit students the flexibility to build their own program of legal study on the foundation of basic legal principles and skills. Students have access to federal, state, county, city, and local agencies, courts, correctional facilities, law firms, and legal aid organizations in the White Plains area. Major state courts for the New York State Ninth Judicial District, county courts, county government, and the district attorney’s office are within walking distance. Facilities of special interest to law students include a 12-acre campus with a classroom building that joins 4 other buildings, including the library, cafeteria, and faculty offices. The Judicial Institute of the State of New York, an innovative center for judicial education, is housed in a state-of-the-art facility at Pace. Housing for students includes an on-campus residence hall, providing single rooms. The university also assists students in locating off-campus accommodations close to campus. All law school facilities are accessible to the physically disabled.

Pace University: Pleasantville/Briarcliff, School of Law Academics

In addition to the J.D., the law school offers the LL.M., S.J.D., and Environmental Law/LL.M. Comparative Law. Students may take relevant courses in other programs and apply credit toward the J.D.; a maximum of 10 credits may be applied. The following joint degrees may be earned: J.D./M.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of women’s studies with Sarah Lawrence College), J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration with Pace University), J.D./M.E.M. (Juris Doctor/Master of Environmental Management with Yale School of Forestry), J.D./M.P.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Public Administration with Pace University), and J.D./M.S. (Juris Doctor/Master of Environmental Policy with Bard College).

The School of Law offers concentrations in corporate law, criminal law, environmental law, family law, intellectual property law, international law, juvenile law, labor law, litigation, maritime law, securities law, tax law, torts and insurance, health, land use, and real estate. In addition, the Barbara C. Salken Criminal Justice Clinic (6 credit hours over 2 semesters) offers actual representation of clients in criminal court; an intensive seminar in criminal practice; and representation of post-conviction “innocence cases.” Students will investigate and, if warranted, litigate post-conviction cases that present a colorable claim of innocence. The Environmental Litigation Clinic (6 credits) represents public interest environmental groups bringing citizen enforcement actions in state and federal courts on a variety of environmental and land use issues. The major client of the clinic is the Riverkeeper, Inc. Amicus curiae briefs in significant national environmental litigation are also prepared. In addition to the casework, 2 weekly seminars focus on substantive environmental law and on lawyering skills encountered in major civil litigation. The clinic, developed by Professor Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., has been a model for other environmental clinics across the country. The Investor Rights Clinic (2 credit hours over 2 semesters) helps small investors whose financial losses are not significant enough for representation by the private bar. Student lawyers prepare and conduct arbitrations before the New York Stock Exchange or the National Association of Securities Dealers and try to negotiate fair settlements for their clients. Seminars include Advanced Family Law, International Human Rights, and In-House Counsel. Students may work as interns in prosecutors’ or public defenders’ offices or municipal attorney’s offices, or may help income taxpayers in cases involving the Internal Revenue Service. A Judicial Administration Internship course allows students to do field research on problems in the criminal justice system. Outstanding third-year students may be eligible for clerkships with federal and state judges. Research assistant positions are available for students to work with faculty members. The school hosts 5 academic lectures each year: Dyson Lecture, Garrison and Kerlin Lecture in Environmental Law, Blank Lecture on Ethics, Hopkins Lecture, and Sloan Lecture on International Law. A semester at the University of London’s Faculty of Laws is available each spring for second- and third-year students as well as visiting students from other ABA-accredited institutions. Tutorial programs include the Academic Support Program and the Dean’s Scholar Program. Special programs focus on environmental concerns and the legal issues surrounding them. In addition, the Women’s Justice Center provides legal training in the area of public interest. The most widely taken electives are Family Law, Environmental Law, and International Law.

To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 88 total credits, of which 38 are for required courses. They must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.3 in the required courses. The following first-year courses are required of all students: Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Professional Responsibility, Property I, and Torts. Required upper-level courses consist of electives from 18 course programs of more than 70 courses, Federal Income Tax I, upper level skills requirement, upper level writing requirement and upper level skills requirements. Students can register for a maximum of 13 clinical credit hours if they wish to test for the New York bar exam.The required orientation program for first-year students consists of a full week prior to the beginning of classes, with substantive law courses that emphasize briefing techniques and lectures.

In order to graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 2.3 and have completed the upper-division writing requirement.

Pace University: Pleasantville/Briarcliff, School of Law Unique Programs

Library

The law library contains 389,357 hard-copy volumes and 62,176 microform volume equivalents, and subscribes to 1398 serial publications. Such on-line databases and networks as CALI, CIS Universe, DIALOG, Infotrac, Legal-Trac, LEXIS, LOIS, NEXIS, OCLC First Search, RLIN, and WESTLAW are available to law students for research. Special library collections include collections on environmental law, international law with an emphasis on international environmental law, human rights law, international trade and business law, a selective U.S. government depository, and David Sive and Law School Archives. Recently, the entire library was renovated. There is a new computer lab and additional and improved student seating. The wireless network was upgraded. The ratio of library volumes to faculty is 9734 to 1 and to students is 509 to 1. The ratio of seats in the library to students is 1 to 1.

Special Consideration

The law school recruits minority and disadvantaged students by hosting a Law Day for minority students each year and visiting historically black colleges. Since 1999, Pace Law has co-hosted the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund Program. There are diversity pages on the Prospective Student pages to aid applicants in the admission/financial aid process and to provide contact with our minority network. Requirements are not different for out-of-state students. Transfer students must have one year of credit, have attended an ABA-approved law school, and a maximum of 30 transfer credits from state approved law schools.

Pace University: Pleasantville/Briarcliff, School of Law Admissions

In the fall 2007 first-year class, 3149 applied, 1138 were accepted, and 265 enrolled. Seven transfers enrolled. The median LSAT percentile of the most recent first-year class was 62; the median GPA was 3.43 on a scale of 4.0. The lowest LSAT percentile accepted was 30; the highest was 98.

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 LSAT results, GPA, personal interview, work experience, academic achievement, and diversity. No specific undergraduate courses are required. Candidates are interviewed.

The application deadline for fall entry is March 1. Applicants should submit an application form, LSAT results, transcripts, a personal statement, a nonrefundable application fee of $65, 2 letters of recommendation, a personal statement, and TOEFL or TWE test scores if applicable. 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.

Pace University: Pleasantville/Briarcliff, School of Law Financial Aid

About 90% 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 $30,000; maximum, $57,186. Awards are based on need and merit. Required financial statement is the FAFSA. The aid application deadline for fall entry is February 1. Special funds for minority or disadvantaged students include diversity scholarship/grant funds for first-year students in an effort to provide financial assistance for those who are underrepresented in the legal community. First-year students are notified about their financial aid application at time of acceptance from March 15 through August 30.

Pace University: Pleasantville/Briarcliff, School of Law Students

About 59% of the student body are women; 15%, minorities; 3%, African American; 9%, Asian American; 3%, Hispanic; and 12%, did not disclose. The majority of students come from the Northeast (83%). The average age of entering students is 25; age range is 18 to 60. About 6% drop out after the first year for academic or personal reasons; 84% remain to receive a law degree.

Students edit the Pace Law Review, the Pace Environmental Law Review, the Pace International Law Review, the student newspaper Hearsay, and the Pace International Student Essay Conpetition. The Moot Court Committee sponsors the required competition for first-year students and an advanced competition for second- and third-year students, and sends teams to national and international competitions. These include the National Environmental Moot Court, International Criminal Moot Court, and Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration moot competitions. Other competitions include Client Counseling, sponsored by the American Bar Association, Environmental Law, National Moot Court, Unified Moot Court, Frederick Douglass Moot Court, International Environmental Moot Court, and Pace/Gray’s Inn Moot Court competitions. Student organizations include the Student Bar Association, Women’s Association of Law Students, and the Environmental Law Society. Phi Alpha Delta has a local chapter. Other organizations include International Law Society, Health Law Society, and Latino/Black Law Students Organization.

The law school operates on a traditional semester basis. Courses for full-time students are offered days only and during the first year. and must be completed within minimum 3 years. For part-time students, courses are offered both day and evening and must be completed within minimum 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.