Villanova University School of Law

Infobox_University


name = Villanova University School of Law
established = 1953
type = Private
affiliation = Roman Catholic (Augustinian)
dean = Mark A. Sargent
city = Villanova
Radnor Twp
state = Pennsylvania
country = USA
website= [http://www.law.villanova.edu/ www.law.villanova.edu] |

Villanova University School of Law is a private American law school located in Villanova, Pennsylvania, just outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, adjacent to the main campus of Villanova University.

Adjacent to the university campus is Philadelphia’s Main Line. The law school is at the approximate midpoint of east coast legal centers in New York and Washington and only 20 minutes by commuter rail from the center of Philadelphia.

Opened in 1953, the school is approved by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Students are graduates of more than 124 colleges and universities; many have significant work experience outside of the law. The student-faculty ratio is 18 to 1. The school is current ranked 60th in the 2008 edition of U.S. News & World Report's Best Graduate Schools. [cite web|url=http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/law/lawindex.php|title=U.S. News and World Report Law School Rankings|accessdate=2007-04-02] The 2006 entering class has a median GPA of 3.44 and a median LSAT of 162.

In November 2007, the Villanova School of Law began construction on a new building to house classrooms, offices, and research facilities. [cite web|url=http://www.villanova.edu/communication/news.htm?page=lawschool.htm|title=Official Press Release|accessdate=2007-10-26] . The building is scheduled to be completed in August 2009. It will be build according to LEED standards and incorporate a park like setting with a walking trail. The location will be roughly 20 yards to the east of the location of the present building.

Degrees Awarded

*J.D.
*J.D./M.B.A. with School of Business
*J.D./Ph.D. in Law and Psychology with Drexel University Health Sciences
*J.D./LL.M. in Law and Taxation
*LL.M. in Taxation

Juris Doctor (JD)

Villanova offers a legal education designed to teach the rules of law and their application; to demonstrate how lawyers analyze legal issues and express arguments and conclusions; to inculcate the skills of the counselor, advocate, and decision maker; and to explore the ethical and moral dimensions of law practice and professional conduct.

Joint JD/MBA Program

The Villanova University School of Law and the Villanova College of Commerce and Finance offer a joint-degree program permitting simultaneous study for the Juris Doctor and the Master of Business Administration degrees. The Villanova College of Commerce and Finance is one of the few colleges of business in the nation whose Master of Business Administration and Department of Accountancy program have been approved by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. In the program, credit is given for certain courses by both the School of Law and the College of Commerce and Finance. Through this program, degrees may be completed in less time than it would take to obtain them separately.

Joint JD/PhD Program in Law and Psychology

In cooperation with Drexel University, the Villanova University School of Law offers an integrated program in law and psychology leading to a Juris Doctor from Villanova and a PhD in clinical psychology from Drexel University. Villanova offers the only program in the country with a PhD component in clinical psychology, which is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association. The program has three major purposes—(1) to produce lawyer-psychologists who can participate in the development of mental health policy in the legislature and the courts; (2) to develop scientist-practitioners who will produce legally sophisticated social science research to assist the legal system in making better, more empirically based decisions; and (3) to educate highly trained clinicians who can contribute to the advancement of forensic psychology in such areas as criminal law, domestic relations, and civil commitment.

LLM in Taxation

This interdisciplinary program is conducted under the auspices of the Villanova University School of Law and Villanova’s College of Commerce and Finance. The program enriches the tax curriculum available to JD candidates, who are able to enroll in LLM courses, as well as participate in the joint JD/LLM program.

Special Programs

Beyond the skills of written and oral expression developed in the first-year writing program and the required upper-level moot court program, drafting, and seminar courses, Villanova University School of Law students acquire the fundamental skills of the practicing lawyer—including counseling, negotiation, advocacy, mediation, dispute resolution, conciliation, and mature judgment. Hands-on clinical opportunities allow students to apply classroom experiences to real-world client representation, often while performing public service. Clinical programs include Federal Tax; Civil Justice; Asylum, Refugee, and Emigrant Services; and Farmworkers Legal Aid.

The school also strives to provide leadership in information technology, law and psychology, taxation, and international law, among other fields.

Rankings and honors

The 2008 edition of U.S. News & World Report's "Best Graduate Schools" ranked Villanova Law [cite web|url=http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/law/lawindex.php|title=U.S. News and World Report Law School Rankings|accessdate=2007-04-02] :
*60th in the country overall
*7th in the country (tie) in Legal Writing
*18th in the country (tie) in Tax Law

Student Activities

The Villanova Law Review is a scholarly journal prepared and edited by law students. Members are selected on the basis of academic rank or through an open writing competition. The Villanova Environmental Law Journal publishes both student and outside articles dealing with environmental issues. Students are selected for membership by an open writing competition. The Villanova Sports and Entertainment Law Journal contains articles prepared by practitioners and professors in sports and entertainment law as well as by students. Membership is earned by selection through an open writing competition.

Each year, second- and third-year students have the opportunity to practice lawyering skills through the Client Interviewing and Counseling Competition, theReimel Moot Court Competition, and several outside moot court competitions. Student organizations include Asian-Pacific American Law Students, Black Law Students Association, Civil Rights Law Society, Corporate Law Society, Criminal Law Society, Environmental Law Society, Family Law Society, Gay-Straight Alliance, Health Law Society, Intellectual Property Protection Society, International Law Society, Jewish Law Students Association, Latin American Law Student Association, Justinian Society, Phi Delta Phi, Public Interest Law Society, St. Thomas More Society, South Asian Law Students Association, Sports and Entertainment Law Society, Tax Law Society, and Women’s Caucus.

Library and Physical Facilities

In the law library, students have access to 130 computer workstations located in a computer lab and throughout the library’s stacks. There are an additional 40 computers dedicated to student usage throughout the remainder of the law school. In addition, all students with laptops can access Villanova University’s high-speed internet connection and all of the technology resources throughout the law school via wired and wireless connections. Finally, the law library contains more than 500,000 volume-equivalents in books and microforms, along with subscriptions to numerous legal databases to which students have ready access.

Career Strategy and Advancement

The mission of the Career Strategy and Advancement Office is to provide career planning education, recruitment programs, and individual counseling as the foundation for future career development and satisfaction of the students. The office's features and programs include three attorney-advisors, including a public service/pro bono specialist; an open-door policy, including a daily “on call” advisor for walk-ins and “quick questions”; small group workshops for 1Ls; dozens of career workshops and panel programs on topics ranging from interviews, résumés, and networking, to public interest careers, judicial clerkships, and a multitude of practice specialty areas;“Practice Specialty Expo,” which brings nearly 100 attorneys to the law school for a networking experience; recruitment programs throughout the year, including an array of employers in private practice (large and small firms), government, nonprofits, the judiciary, and corporations; special recruitment programs designed to enhance diversity in the profession; job fairs targeting unique geographic or practice preferences; and job search coaching for new graduates on the job market. Pro bono programs, such as “Lawyering Together” and other projects, provide students with the opportunity to serve the disadvantaged while developing skills and positive relationships with practicing attorneys.

ee also

*Villanova University
*Law School
*Juris Doctor

External links

* http://www.law.villanova.edu/ School of Law site
* http://www.law.villanova.edu/alumni/ Alumni site
* http://www.law.villanova.edu/studentservices/studentlife/gavelgazette/ The Gavel Gazette student newspaper
* http://www.villanova.edu/ Official Villanova University site

Notes and references