University of Pittsburgh School of Law

University of Pittsburgh School of Law
Parent school University of Pittsburgh
Established 1895
School type Public
Dean William M. Carter Jr.
Location Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Enrollment 526
Faculty 109
Website law.pitt.edu

The University of Pittsburgh School of Law (sometimes referred to as Pitt Law) was founded in 1895. It became a charter member of the Association of American Law Schools in 1900. Its primary home facility is the Barco Law Building. The school offers four degrees: Master of Studies in Law, Juris Doctor, Master of Laws for international students, and the Doctor of Juridical Science. The school offers several international legal programs, operates a variety of clinics, and publishes several law journals.

According to University of Pittsburgh School of Law's 2015 ABA-required disclosures, 68.4% of the Class of 2015 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation.[1]

History

Cathedral of Learning

The law department was founded in 1843 and is one of 17 schools constituting the University of Pittsburgh.[2][3] The first four law degrees were conferred in 1847.[4] Classes were held in a stone building at Third Street until the building was destroyed in the fire of 1845 and were then held in the university's building on Duquesne Way until that building was burned in 1849. Classes were continued after the second fire in the basement of the Third Presbyterian Church until the universities first law professor, Walter H. Lowrie, was elected to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in 1851 and forced him to abandon his teaching at the school.[4] This, along with the fires that destroyed many of the university's facilities and resources, disrupted the development of the School of Law.

Although various attempts were made to reestablish law instruction beginning in 1862, a permanent law school was not established until 1895. The university at that time was named the Western University of Pennsylvania, but despite this, the law school was originally named the Pittsburgh Law School, a name it held until 1918.[5] The Pittsburgh Law School became a charter member of the Association of American Law Schools in 1900.

The first classes in the permanently established school were conducted in the orphans' court rooms in the old Allegheny County courthouse. In 1897, the school moved into the old university building at Ross and Diamond streets that had been sold to the county in 1882. The school moved again in 1919-20 to the tenth floor of the Chamber of Commerce building.[6] In 1936 the School of Law moved in its entirety to the 14-16 floors of the Cathedral of Learning on the main campus of the university located in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh.[7] The School of Law moved into their own dedicated facility, the Barco Law Building, upon its opening on the university's main campus in 1976.[8]

Today, Pitt's Law School faculty has been ranked 21st in the nation based on a standard objective measure of scholarly impact. Pitt Law is currently ranked 78th out of 184 in U.S. News & World Report's rankings of America's top law schools[9] and is listed among the "Best Law Schools" by The Princeton Review.[10] Pitt Law is also one of 80 law schools with membership in the Order of the Coif.

Facilities

View of the bench and jury box from the gallery area of the Teplitz Memorial Moot Courtroom

Deans of the Law School

Bronze bust and plaque honoring former Dean Edward Sell's 50th year of teaching at Pitt

Academics

The University of Pittsburgh School of Law offers four degrees. The J.D. (Juris Doctor) is the required degree to practice law in most of the United States, thus J.D. students make up most of the school's student body. The following degrees are offered by Pitt Law:

Joint Degrees

In addition, the School of Law offers joint degrees with several other programs within the university, and the Pittsburgh Council on Higher Education.

Academic programs

Barco Law Building, current home of the Law School

Pitt Law Center for International Legal Education

Pitt Law offers area studies in the following international legal systems:

These area studies serve to supplement the study of International Law, in addition to providing Pitt Law students with the opportunity to pursue careers abroad.

Experiential Skills Programs

Clinics

The University of Pittsburgh School of Law has several clinical programs, which allow law students to gain practical experience as lawyers before graduating from law school. The following clinics are currently offered by the School of Law:

Lawyering Skills Competitions

The law school also hosts and facilitates multiple moot court and lawyering skills competitions for law students. The law school's Moot Court Board administers three intramural competitions each year: the Appellate Moot Court Competition, the Murray S. Love Trial Moot Court Competition, and the Negotiations Competition. The school also assembles teams to compete at multiple interscholastic and international moot court competitions covering specialized areas such as Energy Law, Environmental Law, Health Law, International Arbitration and International Law, Workers' Compensation Law, Client Counseling, and Intellectual Property. The school's Mock Trial Program recruits adjunct coaches from the local practicing bar to assemble law student teams to participate in mock trial competitions throughout the country. In 2014-2015, more than 20% of second- and third-year students participated in an interscholastic competition.[11]

Practicums

The law school has several practicum courses, which aim to combine traditional coursework and instruction with experiential learning under supervising attorneys in various specific interest areas:[12]

Semester in D.C. Program

The law school's Semester in D.C. Program allows spring semester second- and third-year students to pursue a full-time externship for an employer in Washington, D.C.. The Semester in D.C. combines full-time work for academic credit with a small seminar class held at the law school's dedicated Washington Center to fulfill a full semester credit load. Students can also pursue a Public Policy Concentration, taking additional courses to learn to apply legal advocacy, research, and writing skills in the policy context.

Publications

Journals

Barco Law Library

Pitt Law is home to two law reviews and several student-edited legal journals, including the Pittsburgh Law Review, which is one of the 40 most-cited law reviews in the country, according to Chicago-Kent Law Review's 1996 Faculty Scholarship Survey . The following law reviews are all publications of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law:

The following journals are all publications of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law:

JURIST

JURIST is the world's only law school-based comprehensive legal news and research service. Its professionally trained staff of law faculty and law students report and research the latest legal developments in real time for members of the legal community and the public at large. JURIST covers legal news stories based on their substantive importance rather than on their mass-market or commercial appeal.

Applicant Information

Admissions

Admissions to the University of Pittsburgh School of Law are conducted on a rolling basis, with an acceptance rate of slightly less than 30%. For the entering class of 2013, the median LSAT score was 158 (25th - 154, 75th - 161) and the median GPA was 3.42 (25th - 3.16, 75th - 3.61).[13] There were 174 entering students out of nearly 1,500 applications.

Admissions Statistics for the University of Pittsburgh School of Law[14]

Year Enrolled Applications LSAT - Median GPA - Median LSAT - 25th LSAT - 75th GPA - 25th GPA - 75th
2015 134 1,401 156 3.36 153 159 3.03 3.63
2014 156 1,172 157 3.46 152 160 3.09 3.68
2013 174 1,487 158 3.42 154 161 3.16 3.61
2012 210 1,973 158 3.34 155 160 3.09 3.60
2011 230 2,379 159 3.45 157 161 3.14 3.66

Costs and Financial Aid

The estimated cost of attendance (includes tuition, fees, books, and living expenses) at Pitt Law for the 2014-15 academic year is $50,008 for a Pennsylvania resident and $57,492 for a non-resident.[15] The average law school debt for the graduating Class of 2012 was $94,879, well below the national average.[16] Pitt Law was one of only 53 law schools out of over 200 nationally (and one of only three in Pennsylvania) to be ranked as a 2014 Best Value by The National Jurist. The survey took into account multiple factors, with success in job placement weighted most heavily at 35%, followed by tuition (25%), average indebtedness (15%), bar passage rates (15%), and cost of living (10%).[17]

Employment

The overall employment rate of the members of the Pitt Law Class of 2015 (including part-time/short-term jobs, or those which do not require JDs) was 82.6%. Among the members of the Class of 2015, 53.57% obtained a full-time, long-term job requiring bar passage. 12.2% of the members of the class obtained jobs at law firms with 100 or more attorneys, and 1.5% accepted federal clerkships. An additional 10.7% of Pitt Law’s graduates of the Class of 2014 accepted state or local judicial clerkships. [18]

ABA Employment Summary for 2015 Graduates[19]
Employment Status Percentage
Employed - Bar Passage Required
  
 55.1%
Employed - J.D. Advantage
  
 22.9%
Pursuing Graduate Degree Full Time
  
 0.5%
Unemployed - Start Date Deferred
  
 1.0%
Unemployed - Not Seeking
  
 1.5%
Unemployed - Seeking
  
 11.2%
Employment Status Unknown
  
 3.0%
Total of 196 Graduates
ABA Employment for 2015 Graduates by Sector[20]
Employment Sector Percentage
Law Firms - 101+ Attorneys
  
 14.8%
Law Firms - <101 Attorneys
  
 29%
Business and Industry
  
 32.1%
Clerkships - Federal
  
 1.8%
Clerkships - State/Local
  
 12.9%
Government/Public Interest
  
 8.0%
Education
  
 1.2%
Total of 162 Employed Graduates

Rankings and Honors

William V. Luneburg, former professor of law at Pitt Law, participating in a Rappaport Center roundtable on "Managing the Bailout."

Student organizations
  • JURIST Staff and Supporters Association
  • Mediators Without Borders
  • Muslim Law Students Association
  • National Lawyers Guild
  • OUTlaw
  • Phi Alpha Delta
  • Pitt Law Democrats
  • Pitt Law Libertarians
  • Pitt Law Republicans
  • Pitt Law Student Hurricane Network
  • Pitt Law Moms and Dads
  • Pitt Law Women's Association
  • The Pitt Legal Income Sharing Foundation
  • Sports and Entertainment Law Society
  • Student Intellectual Property Law Association
  • Veteran's Legal Society

Notable alumni

James Duff, 34th Pennsylvania Governor
Dick Thornburgh, 41st Pennsylvania Governor and 76th United States Attorney General
Orrin Hatch, President Pro Tempore of the U.S. Senate

Notes

  1. ↑ "2014 Employment Summary Data" (PDF).
  2. ↑ George Thornton Fleming, History of Pittsburgh and Environs, from Prehistoric Days to the Beginning, 1922, American Historical Society, New York, pg 364
  3. ↑ Agnes Lynch Starrett, Through one hundred and fifty years: the University of Pittsburgh, 1937, University of Pittsburgh Press, pg. 335-36, accessdate=2009-04-05
  4. 1 2 Agnes Lynch Starrett, Through one hundred and fifty years: the University of Pittsburgh, 1937, University of Pittsburgh Press, pg. 336-38, accessdate=2009-04-05
  5. ↑ Agnes Lynch Starrett, Through one hundred and fifty years: the University of Pittsburgh, 1937, University of Pittsburgh Press, pg. 339-343, accessdate=2009-04-05
  6. ↑ Agnes Lynch Starrett, Through one hundred and fifty years: the University of Pittsburgh, 1937, University of Pittsburgh Press, pg. 347, accessdate=2009-04-05
  7. ↑ Agnes Lynch Starrett, Through one hundred and fifty years: the University of Pittsburgh, 1937, University of Pittsburgh Press, pg. 352, accessdate=2009-04-05
  8. ↑ Robert C. Alberts, Pitt :the story of the University of Pittsburgh, 1787-1987, University of Pittsburgh Press, 1986, page 406, accessdate=2009-04-05
  9. ↑
  10. ↑ "The Princeton Review: University of Pittsburgh School of Law". The Princeton Review. Retrieved 2009-08-21.
  11. ↑ http://www.law.pitt.edu/sites/default/files/files/Std509InfoReport-132-132-11-25-2015_14-21-26.pdf
  12. ↑ http://law.pitt.edu/academics/practicums
  13. ↑ http://www.law.pitt.edu/admissions/class-profile
  14. ↑ http://www.abarequireddisclosures.org/
  15. ↑ "Cost of Attendance". Cost. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  16. ↑ "Comparison of Educational Debt". Comparison of Educational Debt. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  17. ↑ "The Best Value Law Schools of 2014". Above the Law.
  18. ↑ "ABA-Required Employment Data". law.pitt.edu/careers/data. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  19. ↑ http://www.law.pitt.edu/careers/data/2015
  20. ↑ http://www.law.pitt.edu/careers/data/2015
  21. ↑ "QS World University Rankings By Subject 2013 - Law". Quacquarelli Symonds. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  22. ↑ "The Law School 100". August 9, 2009. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  23. ↑ "David A. Reed". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  24. ↑ "James H. Duff". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  25. ↑ "Joseph H. Thompson". The Pittsburgh Record. University of Pittsburgh. 2 (3): 222. April 1928. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
  26. ↑ "Harmar D. Denny, Jr". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  27. ↑ "Harry Allison Estep". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  28. ↑ "Law". The Alumni News Review. University of Pittsburgh. 12 (1): 6. October 1957. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
  29. ↑ "Pitt In The Election". University of Pittsburgh Alumni Review. General Alumni Association of the University of Pittsburgh. 5 (3). December 1938. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
  30. ↑ "James A. Wright". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  31. ↑ "Earl Chudoff". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  32. 1 2 Lomando White, Patricia (23 June 2003). "Law Building Renamed in Barcos' Memory". Pitt Chronicle. University of Pittsburgh. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  33. ↑ "Members of Distinction". Alumni Times. University of Pittsburgh Office of Development and Alumni Affairs. 13 (3): 55. Autumn 1981. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
  34. ↑ "Ruggero J. Aldisert". Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  35. ↑ http://www.post-gazette.com/local/region/2014/03/19/Former-Judge-Joseph-Weis-dies-at-91/stories/201403190178
  36. ↑ "K. Leroy Irvis". The New York Times Company. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  37. ↑ "Derrick Bell". The President and Fellows of Harvard College. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  38. ↑ "Dick Thornburgh". Notable Names Data Base. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  39. ↑ "Orrin Hatch". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  40. ↑ "Class Notes". Pitt Magazine. University of Pittsburgh. Winter 2010. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
  41. ↑ 1965 University of Pittsburgh Commencement. University of Pittsburgh. June 7, 1965. p. 31. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
  42. ↑ "Edgar Snyder". linkedin corporation. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  43. ↑ "Mary Jo White". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  44. ↑ "Ralph J. Cappy". whoislaw.info. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  45. ↑ "Dennis Unkovic". Zoom Information, Inc. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  46. ↑ Dickinson's bio from the Intellectual Property Owners Association
  47. ↑ "Susan Richard Nelson". Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  48. ↑ "Gerald T. Hathaway at Paley Center Event, NYC". Pitt Law Magazine. Office of the Dean and the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs, University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Fall 2008. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
  49. ↑ "Mark R. Hornak". Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  50. ↑ "Debra Todd". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  51. ↑ "Tom Feeney". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  52. ↑ http://circuit15.alacourt.gov/Pages/JudgeGregGriffin.aspx
  53. ↑ "Melissa Hart". Notable Names Data Base. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  54. ↑ "Mary Beth Buchanan". Notable Names Data Base. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  55. ↑ http://www.pacourts.us/courts/superior-court/superior-court-judges/judge-sallie-updyke-mundy
  56. ↑ Article (2012-05-31). "Iron Lady | Orlando Home & Leisure". Ohlmag.com. Retrieved 2012-08-18.
  57. ↑ "Dan Onorato". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  58. ↑ "Pavel A. Astakhov". Official website of the Children's Rights Commissioner for the President of the Russian Federation. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  59. ↑ http://law.pitt.edu/people/vjosa-osmani

External links

Coordinates: 40°26′31″N 79°57′21″W / 40.441885°N 79.955707°W / 40.441885; -79.955707

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