College of Law

University of Toledo-Main Campus, College of Law History

University of Toledo College of Law was established in 1906 and is a public institution. The 210-acre campus is in a suburban area west of downtown Toledo, adjacent to Ottawa Hills. The primary mission of the law school is to create a diverse intellectual environment that prepares students to engage in the legal practice of their choice, enhances the college’s national and regional reputation for academic excellence, fosters a spirit of community, individual attention and professional values, and encourages participation in the life of the university, region, and state. Students have access to federal, state, county, city, and local agencies, courts, correctional facilities, law firms, and legal aid organizations in the Toledo area. Students are placed in prosecutor offices and public interest offices throughout the U.S. Facilities of special interest to law students include a state-of-the-art moot courtroom, which is available for trial practice and appellate advocacy programs, renovated classrooms, and the wireless Web. Housing for students consists of living accommodations located near the campus. The university assists students in finding housing. All law school facilities are accessible to the physically disabled.

University of Toledo-Main Campus, College 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 degrees may be earned: J.D./M.A.C.J. (Juris Doctor/Master of Arts in Criminal Justice), J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration), J.D./M.P.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Public Administration), and J.D./M.S.E. (Juris Doctor/Master of Science in engineering).

Students must take 14-16 credits in their area of concentration. The College of Law offers concentrations in criminal law, environmental law, intellectual property law, international law, and labor law. In addition, clinical programs include the College of Law Legal Clinic, Criminal Law Practice programs, the Domestic Violence Clinic, and the Dispute Resolution Clinic. These are offered to all upper-level students for 2 to 6 hours of credit. Upper-level units are required for graduation; offered to all upper-class students for 1 or 2 practical or research credits. Internships are available anywhere in the U.S. through the Criminal Law Practice programs and the Public Service Externship Program, which offers field experience in the chambers of a federal judge or magistrate or state appellate judge. Individual research programs allow students to develop their own research projects, which are pursued in consultation with a faculty adviser. The Cannon Lecture Series and the Stranahan National Issues Forum have hosted individuals of national prominence who provide the college and general public with timely discussions of legal and policy issues. Teaching assistants and tutors are available. The most widely taken electives are Administrative Law, Business Associations, and Federal Taxation.

To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 89 total credits, of which 42 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: Civil Procedure I and II, Constitutional Law I, Contracts I and II, Criminal Law, Legal Research, Writing, and Appellate Advocacy I and II, Property I and II, and Torts. Required upper-level courses consist of Constitutional Law II, Evidence, and Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility. The required orientation program for first-year students lasts 2 days.

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

University of Toledo-Main Campus, College of Law Unique Programs

Library

The law library contains 352,839 hard-copy volumes and 137,000 microform volume equivalents, and subscribes to 3371 serial publications. Such on-line databases and networks as CALI, CIS Universe, Legal-Trac, LEXIS, NEXIS, WESTLAW, Index Master, Ohio Capital Connection, CCH, and BNA are available to law students for research. Special library collections include significant holdings of primary materials for the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and primary and secondary materials for studying international law. The library is a federal depository. Recently, the library modernized circulation, reference, and library entrance areas. The ratio of library volumes to faculty is 12,167 to 1 and to students is 650 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 through Minority Preview Day, Minority Law Days, mailings, e-mails and law forums. Requirements are not different for out-of-state students. Transfer students must have attended an ABA-approved law school and be in good standing at the previous school.

University of Toledo-Main Campus, College of Law Admissions

In the fall 2007 first-year class, 1098 applied, 373 were accepted, and 197 enrolled. Nine transfers enrolled. The median LSAT percentile of the most recent first-year class was 74; the median GPA was 3.6 on a scale of 4.0. The lowest LSAT percentile accepted was 52; the highest was 97.

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, and undergraduate curriculum. No specific undergraduate courses are required. Candidates are not interviewed.

The application deadline for fall entry is July 1. Applicants should submit an application form, LSAT results, transcripts, a nonrefundable application fee of $40, 2 letters of recommendation, and they should indicate preference for full- or part-time study. Accepted applicants must submit a $75 nonrefundable deposit, which is credited toward tuition. Notification of the admissions decision is on a rolling basis. The latest acceptable LSAT test date for fall entry is June. The law school uses the LSDAS.

University of Toledo-Main Campus, College of Law Financial Aid

About 89% 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 $28,083; maximum, $57,561. Awards are based on need and merit. Required financial statement is the FAFSA. The aid application deadline for fall entry is July 1. First-year students are notified about their financial aid application at time of acceptance.

University of Toledo-Main Campus, College of Law Students

About 41% of the student body are women; 7%, minorities; 2%, African American; 3%, Asian American; 3%, Hispanic; and 1%, Native American. The majority of students come from Ohio (54%). The average age of entering students is 25; age range is 22 to 63. About 42% of students enter directly from undergraduate school and 10% have a graduate degree. About 6% drop out after the first year for academic or personal reasons; 94% remain to receive a law degree.

Students edit the University of Toledo Law Review, and the student/newspaper, No Holds Bar Review. The Moot Court program helps build skills in the arts of brief writing and oral advocacy through participation in national and intra-school competitions, such as the Charles W. Far-off Intra-School Competition. Competitions are managed by a student Moot Court Board. Other competitions include Family Law, Constitutional Law, and Jessup International Law. Law student organizations, local chapters of national associations, and campus organizations include Student Bar Association, Outlaw, Health Law Association, ACLU, Federalist Society, BLSA, HLSA, Delta Theta Phi, Phi Alpha Delta, Inns of Court, Environmental Law, Public Interest Law Association, Women Law Students Association, and Labor and Employment Law Association.

The law school operates on a traditional semester basis. Courses for full-time students are offered both day and evening as well as Saturday and must be completed within 5 years (suggested). For part-time students, courses are offered both day and evening and Saturday and must be completed within 6 years (suggested). New full- and part-time students are admitted in the fall. There is a 9-week summer session. Transferable summer courses are offered.