School of Law

University of Dayton, School of Law History

University of Dayton School of Law was established in 1974 and is a private institution. The 110-acre campus is in an urban area 1 mile south of downtown Dayton. The primary mission of the law school is to enroll a diverse group of women and men who are intellectually curious, who possess self-discipline, and who are well motivated, and to rigorously educate them in the substantive and procedural principles of public and private law. Students have access to federal, state, county, city, and local agencies, courts, correctional facilities, law firms, and legal aid organizations in the Dayton area. Area corporations regularly employ students in their legal departments; some students are interns with the Ohio Supreme Court. Facilities of special interest to law students include the School of Law and University cafeterias, recreation areas, computer laboratories, child care, health services, and approximately 80 university-owned apartments within 2 blocks of the School of Law. Housing for students is convenient and readily available both on campus and off campus. University and private housing is within 5 to 15 minutes from the School of Law. All law school facilities are accessible to the physically disabled.

University of Dayton, School of Law Academics

Students may take relevant courses in other programs and apply credit toward the J.D.; a maximum of 6 credits may be applied. The following joint degree may be earned: J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration).

The School of Law offers concentrations in corporate law, criminal law, litigation, tax law, intellectual property, patent law, and computer/cyberspace law. In addition, clinics worth 5 credits are available to any third-year student who possesses an intern’s license. Seminars are open to any student with upper-level standing. Topics include constitutional law, civil rights law, and poverty law. An internship in the area of patent law is open to upper-level students who have taken a patent law course. Externships are available in Law and Technology as well as Health Care Law. Research programs may be undertaken with individual law faculty members. Second- and third-year law students are able to act as law clerks to area judges for 3 credits. Special lecture series include the Law and Technology Symposium and the Honorable James J. Bilvary Symposium on Law, Religion, and Social Justice. The voluntary Academic Excellence Program is designed to assist first-year students from educationally or economically disadvantaged backgrounds and is conducted by law faculty and upper-level teaching assistants for no credit. The Dean of Students is also available for individual consultations. A summer clerkship program, in conjunction with the Dayton Bar Association, is intended to provide summer legal employment for some minority students. The Thurgood Marshall Society provides mentors for minority students. The most widely taken electives are Evidence, Tax, and Corporations.

To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 87 total credits, of which 36 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: Constitutional Law I, Contracts I and II, Legal Profession I and II, Legislation, Property, and Torts I and II. Required upper-level courses consist of Constitutional Law II, Legal Profession III, and Professional Responsibility. The required orientation program for first-year students is a 3-day program primarily aimed at introducing students to the structure of their course of studies, to administrative matters such as registration and notebook computer setup, and to provide them with an opportunity to gather in social settings to establish relationships with fellow students, faculty, and staff.

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

University of Dayton, School of Law Unique Programs

Library

The law library contains 295,590 hard-copy volumes and 713,783 microform volume equivalents, and subscribes to 4676 serial publications. Such on-line databases and networks as CALI, CIS Universe, LEXIS, NEXIS, WESTLAW, and Ohio LINK are available to law students for research. Recently, the library opened the Zimmerman Law Library, which offers data and power outlets at each seat; students are able to access the Law School Network and on-line research services from 500 different locations within the library. The ratio of library volumes to faculty is 10,557 to 1 and to students is 615 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 means of targeted mailings, recruiting at undergraduate schools, meeting with targeted student organizations, and some scholarship aid. 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. Applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, with class rank and the school attended being primary considerations.

University of Dayton, School of Law Admissions

Some figures and information in the capsule and in this profile are from an earlier year. Check with the school for the most current information. In a recent first-year class, 1685 applied, 775 were accepted, and 183 enrolled. Three transfers enrolled. The median LSAT percentile of a recent first-year class was 51; the median GPA was 3.03 on a scale of 4.0. The lowest LSAT percentile accepted was 28; the highest was 88.

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

The priority application deadline for fall entry is May 1. Applicants should submit an application form, LSAT results, transcripts, 2 letters of recommendation, and a personal statement. Notification of the admissions decision is within 4 to 6 weeks of application completion. The latest acceptable LSAT test date for fall entry is February. The law school uses the LSDAS.

University of Dayton, School of Law Financial Aid

Awards are based on need and merit. Required financial statement is the FAFSA. Check with the school for current deadlines. Check with the school for current deadlines. Special funds for minority or disadvantaged students include Legal Opportunity Scholarships, used to diversify the class. First-year students are notified about their financial aid application at time of acceptance.

University of Dayton, School of Law Students

About 43% of the student body are women; 13%, minorities; 4%, African American; 6%, Asian American; and 3%, Hispanic. The majority of students come from the Midwest (71%). The average age of entering students is 25; age range is 21 to 60. About 55% of students enter directly from undergraduate school, 8% have a graduate degree, and 45% have worked full-time prior to entering law school. About 4% drop out after the first year for academic or personal reasons; 73% remain to receive a law degree.

Students edit the University of Dayton Law Review and the student newspaper, Equitable Relief. Students typically participate in moot court competitions including bankruptcy law, patent law, and international law. The School of Law also hosts the Carl A. Stickel National Cybercrimes Moot Court competition. There is also a mock trial competition. Students also compete in the intercollegiate National Trial Competition. Law student organizations include the Public Interest Law Organization, Cyberspace Law Association, and the Women’s Caucus. There are local chapters of the Student Bar Association, Thomas More Society, and Black Law Students Association. Other law student organizations include Phi Alpha Delta, Community First, and the Intellectual Property 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 students are admitted in the fall. There is a 6-week summer session. Transferable summer courses are offered.