School of Law

Case Western Reserve University, School of Law History

Case Western Reserve University School of Law was established in 1892 and is a private institution. The 128-acre campus is in an urban area 4 miles east of downtown Cleveland. The primary mission of the law school is to prepare leaders in the practice of law, public and community service, and commerce; to provide enlightenment to the legal profession and the larger society; and to foster an accessible, fair, and reliable system of justice. Students have access to federal, state, county, city, and local agencies, courts, correctional facilities, law firms, and legal aid organizations in the Cleveland area. Cleveland is home to many of the nation’s top law firms and Fortune 500 companies. Facilities of special interest to law students are the state-of-the-art computer laboratory and moot court room, along with a legal clinic that operates as a law firm within the law school setting. Affordable housing is available nearby. All law school facilities are accessible to the physically disabled.

Case Western Reserve University, School of Law Academics

In addition to the J.D., the law school offers the LL.M. and LL.M. in U.S. and Global Legal Studies. Students may take relevant courses in other programs and apply credit toward the J.D.; a maximum of 9 credits may be applied. The following joint degrees may be earned: J.D./M.A (Juris Doctor/Master of Bioethics), J.D./M.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Arts in legal history), J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration), J.D./M.D. (Juris Doctor/Doctor of Medicine), J.D./M.N.O. (Juris Doctor/Master of Nonprofit Management), J.D./M.P.H. (Juris Doctor/Master of Public Health), J.D./M.P.S. (Juris Doctor/Master of Political Science), J.D./M.S. (Juris Doctor/Master of Science in Biochemistry), and J.D./M.S.S.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Science in social work).

Students must take 15 credits in their area of concentration. The School of Law offers concentrations in corporate law, criminal law, international law, litigation, health law, law technology, and public law. In addition, clinical courses provide students with the opportunity to sit first chair and represent clients in a variety of cases. A wide range of seminars is limited to 12 students and range from copyright in the Digital Millennium to Wrongful Convictions. Judicial externships with federal district and circuit court judges are available to selected students for 3 credits. Supervised research with faculty is worth 2 credit hours, and is offered to second- and third-year students. Field work is also available for credit through the Coast Guard Defense Lab and the Terrorism Prosecution Lab. Special lecture series include the Klatsky Seminar in Human Rights and the Distinguished Intellectual Property Lecture. A study-abroad program is available in Russia, Canada, Mexico, and Australia. An academic assistance program offers tutorial assistance to first- and second-year students, primarily on exam technique and general writing skills. The school is actively involved in the recruitment of students who will enhance the diversity of the student body and legal profession. In addition to an extensive recruitment travel, there is an annual Minority Scholars Day. The most widely taken electives are Evidence, Business Associations, Criminal Procedure, Wills and Trusts.

To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 88 total credits, of which 39 are for required courses. They must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.33 in the required courses. The following first-year courses are required of all students: a Perspectives course, CASE ARC: CORE I and II, Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law, Property, and Torts. Required upper-level courses consist of a substantial research paper, CASE ARC: CORE III and FPS, and Professional Responsibility. More than 50 clinical course positions are available to third-year students. The required orientation program for first-year students is an intensive week-long orientation that includes 17 hours of instruction in the innovative CASE ARC Integrated Lawyering Skills Program.

In order to graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 2.33, have completed the upper-division writing requirement, CASE ARC Integrated Lawyering Skills Program, and Professional Responsibility.

Case Western Reserve University, School of Law Unique Programs

Library

The law library contains 307,071 hard-copy volumes and 104,733 microform volume equivalents, and subscribes to 968 serial publications. Such on-line databases and networks as CALI, CIS Universe, Infotrac, Legal-Trac, LEXIS, LOIS, Mathew Bender, NEXIS, OCLC First Search, WESTLAW, Wilsonline Indexes, Academic Universe, HeinOnline, JSTOR, NetLibrary, and BNA are available to law students for research. Special library collections include U.S. government documents depository and Canadian government documents depository. The library was recently completely remodeled and the physical facilities and the network connections upgraded, including multimedia technology and wireless access. The ratio of library volumes to faculty is 5483 to 1 and to students is 437 to 1.

Special Consideration

The law school recruits minority and disadvantaged students by means of attendance at law school fairs likely to be attended by minority and disadvantaged students, financial assistance, the Pre-Law Conference for People of Color, and co-sponsoring of the Midwest Minority Recruitment Fair. 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 have performed very well at the school from which they are transferring.

Case Western Reserve University, School of Law Admissions

In the fall 2007 first-year class, 2330 applied, 832 were accepted, and 248 enrolled. Twenty-three transfers enrolled. The median GPA of the most recent first-year class was 3.39.

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 April 1. Applicants should submit an application form, a nonrefundable application fee of $40, a personal statement, resume, and LSDAS Report. Notification of the admissions decision is between January 1 and May 1. The latest acceptable LSAT test date for fall entry is February. The law school uses the LSDAS.

Case Western Reserve University, School of Law Financial Aid

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, is $36,052; maximum, $51,855. Awards are based on need. Required financial statements are the FAFSA and either copies of the student’s previous year’s federal tax return or a student’s statement of income (if the student was not required to file a tax return) if selected for verification by FAFSA. The aid application deadline for fall entry is May 1. Special funds for minority or disadvantaged students include leadership grants which may be offered to candidates with outstanding academic credentials, whose interesting backgrounds will enhance the quality of the student body. First-year students are notified about their financial aid application approximately 4 weeks after the aid application is complete and the student has been admitted.

Case Western Reserve University, School of Law Students

About 42% of the student body are women; 18%, minorities; 4%, African American; 9%, Asian American; and 1%, Hispanic. The majority of students come from Ohio (39%). The average age of entering students is 25; age range is 21 to 49. About 32% of students enter directly from undergraduate school and 16% have a graduate degree.

Students edit the Case Western Reserve Law Review, Health Matrix: The Journal of Law-Medicine, Journal of International Law, Canada-United States Law Journal, the Internet Law Journal, and the newspaper The Docket. Students compete in the local Dean Dunmore Moot Court competition; the National Moot Court, held regionally and in New York; Niagara, Canada-U.S. relations; and the local Jessup competition sponsored by the International Law Society. Other competitions include the Jonathan M. Ault Mock Trial in Houston. Law student organizations, local chapters of national associations, and campus organizations include Big Buddies, the Student Intellectual Property Law Association, the Student International Law Association, the Student Health Law Association, Phi Delta Phi, Women’s Law Association, and J. Reuben Clark Law 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 3 years. There is no part-time program. New full- and part-time students are admitted in the fall. There is a 6-week summer session. Transferable summer courses are offered.