The University of Massachusetts School of Law (also known as UMass Law) is a public law school located in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. It is the successor to Southern New England School of Law, a private law school that donated its campus and its assets to the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. As of December 6, 2016, UMass Law is fully accredited by the American Bar Association. According to University of Massachusetts School of Law's 2016 ABA-required disclosures, 39.6% of the Class of 2016 obtained full-time, long-term, bar-required employment nine months after graduation. U.S. News & World Report ranks its part-time program No. 61 in the United States.
UMass Law received the 2017 Public Service Award from the Massachusetts Bar Association, recognizing the law school for "its commitment to providing an excellent, affordable and accessible legal education."
The first-time bar passage rate for the July 2016 bar exam was 69.4%, and the overall rate was 50.9%.
History
Founding
A plan to convert private law school Southern New England School of Law (SNESL) into a public law school for the University of Massachusetts system was first proposed in early 2004. The plan would establish the first public law school in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and only the fifth public law school in New England. The Trustees of the University of Massachusetts system voted in favor of the proposal in December 2004, but the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education rejected it in early 2005 as fiscally unsound.
The proposal was brought again in October 2009, when Southern New England School of Law offered to donate real estate, facility, technology and library assets to UMass Dartmouth for the purpose of creating a public law program in Massachusetts. These assets had an estimated value of more than $22 million and would be the second largest donation in the 146-year history of the University of Massachusetts system. The University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees approved the plan on December 9, 2009 and the Commonwealth's Board of Higher Education did likewise on February 2, 2010.
The first class matriculated in August 2010.
Later developments
In June 2012, the School of Law received provisional accreditation from the American Bar Association after an eight-year quest by SNESL and UMSOL.
At a time of declining nationwide enrollment in legal education, UMass Law has stabilized its enrollment at about 75 incoming students per year for the last three years, and applications and the quality of applicants as measured by LSAT scores have increased.
Justice Bridge
In August, 2014, UMass Law launched Justice Bridge, a legal incubator in downtown Boston, providing reduced-fee legal services to clients of modest means. UMass Law also opened a second Justice Bridge location in New Bedford.
3+3 Programs
UMass Law announced 3+3 programs, under which students can earn an undergraduate and law degree in six rather the normal seven years, with UMass Dartmouth, UMass Boston, UMass Lowell, and Fitchburg State University.
Commonwealth Fellows Program
In December, 2014, UMass Law launched the Commonwealth Fellows Program. Under the program, students who are Massachusetts residents or have attended a Massachusetts public college or university as an undergraduate, and who score at least 152 on the LSAT and have an undergraduate grade of point average of at least 3.0, receive an automatic tuition discount of $5000 per year.
Public Interest Law Fellowships
Up to 25 entering UMass Law students each year are awarded Public Interest Law Fellowships. The Fellowship, which includes a 50% scholarship for both tuition and fees, is designed to train students for careers in public service. Fellowship recipients commit to practice public interest law for at least four years after graduation.
Speakers
On March 1, 2013, Attorney General Eric Holder addressed students and faculty at UMass Law about executive and legislative efforts to combat gun violence.
On May 19, 2014, Governor Deval Patrick served as the Commencement speaker for the 2014 graduating class at UMass Law. During the commencement ceremony, Governor Patrick received the Chancellor’s Medal for outstanding service to the commonwealth.
On May 18, 2015, attorney and national legal analyst Rikki Klieman gave the Commencement address, telling the Class of 2015 "making a living is not the same as making a life." She received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.
On May 16, 2016, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants addressed the Class of 2016, telling the graduates they were "blazing the path for the entire profession of law." Chief Justice Gants received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.
On May 15, 2017, Morris Dees, co-founder and chief legal counsel for the Southern Poverty Law Center, gave the Commencement address to the Class of 2017. Dees received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.
Post-Graduation Employment Statistics
According to UMass Law's official 2016 ABA-required disclosures, 39.6% of the Class of 2016 obtained full-time, long-term, bar-required employment nine months after graduation. UMass Law's Law School Transparency under-employment score is 28.3%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2016 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation.
Bar Passage Rate
Costs
The cost of tuition, fees, and health insurance at UMass Law for the Fall 2016 semester is $26,466 for full-time in-state students and $34,618 for full-time out-of-state students. The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $162,311.
See also
- Southern New England School of Law, the predecessor institution
References
External links
- Official website
