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Law School

Academics

In addition to the J.D., the law school offers the LL.M. 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. (Certificate in dispute resolution), J.D./M.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Arts in bioethics, international affairs, history, and philosophy), and J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration, Master of Business Administration in sports business).

The Law School offers concentrations in corporate law, criminal law, environmental law, family law, international law, juvenile law, labor law, litigation, sports law, tax law, torts and insurance, constitutional law, and intellectual property. In addition, clinical training is available through the Prosecutor Clinic, Defender Clinic, Unemployment Compensation Clinic, and Small Claims Mediation Clinic. Seminars provide students with an opportunity to work intensely under faculty supervision. Internships are available in both appellate and trial courts, including the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and the Milwaukee County Circuit Courts. Research programs provide students with an appreciation of the relationship of law to other disciplines, and an understanding of the process through which legal doctrine is formed as well as comparisons of the American legal system with other legal systems. Supervised field-work programs provide students with the opportunity to intern with a variety of governmental and public service agencies. There is an Academic Support Program for first-year students. The school actively recruits minority students. The most widely taken electives are Skills courses, upper-level electives in specific doctrinal areas, and clinical courses.

To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 90 total credits, of which 38 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, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law, Law and Ethics of Lawyering, Legal Writing and Research, Property, and Torts. Required upper-level courses consist of a Perspectives course, a process elective, a public law elective, a seminar, a workshop course, Advanced Legal Research, Evidence, The Law Governing Lawyers, and Trusts and Estates. The required orientation program for first-year students takes place in the days prior to the start of the semester and includes all aspects of law school. Students meet with professors and upper-class students in small groups.

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

Admissions

In the fall 2007 first-year class, 1843 applied, 772 were accepted, and 224 enrolled. Twenty-one transfers enrolled. The median LSAT percentile of the most recent first-year class was 73; the median GPA was 3.44 on a scale of 4.0.

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and take the LSAT, except for those admitted to Marquette Pre-law scholars. 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, LSAT results, transcripts, a personal statement, TOEFL for students from non-English speaking countries, a nonrefundable application fee of $50, 1 letter of recommendation, and accepted students must pay a nonrefundable $350 first tuition deposit and a $350 second tuition deposit; both are applied to the first semester tuition. 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.

Financial Aid

About 94% of current law students receive some form of aid. Awards are based on need and merit. Required financial statement is the FAFSA. The aid application deadline for fall entry is March 1. Special funds for minority or disadvantaged students include targeted scholarships. First-year students are notified about their financial aid application after acceptance but prior to enrollment if financial aid forms were filed in a timely fashion.

Students

About 44% of the student body are women; 12%, minorities; 3%, African American; 3%, Asian American; 4%, Hispanic; and 1%, Native American. The majority of students come from the Midwest (81%). The average age of entering students is 25; age range is 20 to 54. About 50% of students enter directly from undergraduate school and 11% have a graduate degree. About 2% drop out after the first year for academic or personal reasons; 98% remain to receive a law degree.

Students edit the Marquette Law Review, Marquette Sports Law Review, Marquette Intellectual Property Law Review, Marquette Elder’s Advisor, the Federation of Insurance and Corporate Counsel Quarterly, and the newspaper The Verdict. Moot court competitions include the Jenkins Moot Court Competition, sports law, and alternative dispute resolution competitions. National competitions include the National Moot Court, Philip C. Jessup International, Giles Rich Intellectual Property, and Sports Law Moot Court. Law student organizations, local chapters of national associations, and campus organizations include the Student Bar Association, Health Law Society, Environmental Law Society, Public Interest Law Society, Sports Law Society, Black Law Students Association, Delta Theta Phi, Phi Alpha Delta, and Phi Delta Phi.

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 4 years. For part-time students, courses are offered both day and evening and must be completed within 6 years. New full- and part-time students are admitted in the fall. There are two summer sessions, the first is 5 weeks, the second is 4 weeks. Transferable summer courses are offered.

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