Rutgers School Of Law–Newark

Rutgers School of Lawâ€"Newark is the oldest of the three law schools in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located on the campus of Rutgers University-Newark, in the S.I. Newhouse Center for Law and Justice, 123 Washington Street, in downtown Newark. Founded in 1908 as the New Jersey Law School, it merged with the University of Newark in 1936, which itself merged with Rutgers University, one of the most recognized public universities in the world, and the eighth oldest college in the country. The Law School celebrated its centennial on September 9, 2008. The school is accredited by the American Bar Association, a member of the Association of American Law Schools, and registered with the Board of Regents of the State of New York. It submits annual ABA-required disclosures. According to its 2013 disclosure, 82.2% of the Class of 2013 had long-term employment nine months after graduation; 55.9% of the class was employed in full-time, long-term, J.D.-required positions nine months after graduation. The law school's alumni include two currently sitting United States Senators, Robert Menendez and Elizabeth Warren.

Academics

The J.D. program at Rutgers requires a total of 84 credits to graduate. The 1L curriculum requires traditional courses in Torts, Contracts, Property, Criminal Law, Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, and Legal Analysis, Writing and Research Skills. All required courses are graded on a standard B-curve. 1Ls are grouped in small sections of roughly 30 people, who take all of the same required classes together. Though two or three sections are generally combined for required courses, each student has a 'small section' class where their section of 30 or fewer people is taught a required subject by a tenured faculty member. Students may choose to attend classes on either a full-time or part-time basis.

As part of a major research university, the Law School affords its students numerous dual degree opportunities. These include:

â€" J.D./M.B.A. with Rutgers Business School.

â€" J.D./M.D. in conjunction with the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.

â€" J.D./M.A. in Criminal Justice with the School of Criminal Justice.

â€" J.D./M.A. in Legal Philosophy with the Department of Philosophy, School of Arts and Sciences in New Brunswick

â€" J.D./M.P.A. with the School of Public Affairs and Administration

â€" J.D./M.C.R.P. in City and Regional Planning with the Rutgers Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy.

â€" J.D./M.S.W. with the Rutgers School of Social Work.

â€" J.D./M.S. or J.D./Ph.D. with the Division of Global Affairs

Admissions

Rutgers' selective admissions are administered with a process that offers applicants a choice between competing for admission based primarily on traditional measures such as LSAT scores and college GPAs, or, alternatively, on the basis of an applicant's life experience, with a lesser (though still significant) emphasis placed on traditional factors. Factors that may be considered in the Rutgers admissions process include, but are not limited to, work experience, personal accomplishments, and other aspects of the applicant's personal background.

Rutgers' unique admissions process is particularly significant when contrasted with the efforts of other law schools to maximize the undergraduate GPA and LSAT scores of their incoming classes in order to improve their standing in popular law school ranking publications.

Rankings

According to the U.S. News Law School Rankings for 2015-16, Rutgers School of Lawâ€"Newark is ranked 87th overall, with its part-time program ranking 19th overall. It is ranked 74th according to Peer Reputation score, making it the highest peer-rated school in New Jersey, tied with its sister school in Camden.

The National Law Journal ranked the Law School 47th on its 2015 list of the Top 50 Go-To Law Schools. It was the only law school in New Jersey to appear on that list, which reported that 10.1% of the Law School's 2014 graduates were hired directly by one of the country's top 250 law firms.

In 2013, U.S. News ranked the Law School 9th in the country on its list of law degrees "with the biggest return on investment." Finally, the Law School is ranked 30th according to Business Insider's 2014 'Top Law Schools in America' list.

Employment

According to the Law School's official 2013 ABA-required disclosures, 82.2% of the Class of 2013 obtained long-term employment within nine months of graduation; 55.9% of that class obtained full-time, long-term, J.D.-required employment within nine months. 19.3% of the Class of 2013 was pursuing an additional degree, working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job, or unemployed as of nine months after graduation. Of those employed graduates who reported their salary, the mean starting salary was $68,814, with 25% of graduates starting at over $75,000. Of the 19.8% of students starting in the private sector and reporting their salaries, the mean salary was $96,981, with 25% of those graduates making over $134,000.

Costs

Rutgers is one of the least expensive top tier law schools. The total yearly cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, books, and living expenses) at the Law School, for students living on-campus is $40,910. The cost of attendance ranges from as low as $34,990 for New Jersey residents living with their parents to $61,690 for students living out of state. Generally speaking, the Law School deems out-of-state students who move to New Jersey, whether living on- or off-campus, to be residents. The out-of-state tuition rate affects students who commute from New York, for example. Many students receive merit and/or need based assistance, administered to both new matriculants and second- and third-year students, further reducing their costs.

Journals

The law school has five student journals:

• Rutgers Law Review
• Rutgers Computer and Technology Law Journal, the first journal in the country to address the interaction between computers, technology and the law.
• Women's Rights Law Reporter, the first journal in the country to focus on women's rights. Co-founded by former Rutgers Professor Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
• Rutgers Race and the Law Review
• Rutgers Law Record, the first legal journal to be published entirely online.

Additionally, there are two unaccredited journals:

• Rutgers Business Law Review
• Rutgers Conflict Resolution Law Journal

Clinics

Rutgers School of Law â€" Newark, the first law school in New Jersey to provide law clinics and one of the first in the country, provides legal services and clinical education in it its ten clinics.

• Child Advocacy Clinic
• Civil Justice Clinic
• Community and Transactional Lawyering Clinic
• Constitutional Rights Clinic
• Criminal and Youth Justice Clinic
• Education and Health Law Clinic- including the HEAL Collaborative with Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences Outpatient Pediatrics Department.
• Federal Tax Law Clinic
• Immigrant Rights Clinic
• Intellectual Property Law Clinic
• International Human Rights Clinic

Diversity

The Law School enrolls one of the most diverse student bodies in the nation. As of 2011, students of color account for 41% of the student body, well above the percentages at peer schools such as Seton Hall (8%), Fordham (14%), Cardozo (10%) and Brooklyn (12%).

The Minority Student Program "provides mentoring, internships, and academic support to students who, regardless of race or ethnic origin, can demonstrate disadvantage through a history of socio-economic, educational, cultural, or other disadvantage."

Notable alumni

Graduates of the law school are prominent in the judiciary, academic, private practice, public interest practice, and all levels of government. Two alumni are current United States Senators, at least ten are current federal judges, and two are chairs of "white shoe" law firms. Dozens are professorsâ€"tenured and/or clinicalâ€"at prominent law schools. These alumni include:

Judiciary

• Harold Ackerman (1928â€"2009), United States District Judge, District of New Jersey, 1979â€"2008.
• Raymond L. Acosta, United States District Judge, District of Puerto Rico
• Judith M. Barzilay, Judge, United States Court of International Trade.
• Vincent Biunno, United States District Judge, District of New Jersey 1973-1991; Director, Prudential Insurance Co., 1960-1973.
• Renee Marie Bumb, United States District Judge, District of New Jersey
• Robert E. Cowen, United States Circuit Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
• William S. Greenberg, United States Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.
• Richard J. Hughes, Chief Justice, New Jersey Supreme Court 1973-1979, and 45th Governor of New Jersey (1962-1970).
• Jaynee LaVecchia, Associate Justice, New Jersey Supreme Court.
• Virginia Long, Associate Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court (1999-2012).
• William Martini, United States District Judge, District of New Jersey.
• Barry Moskowitz, Chief United States District Judge, Southern District of California.
• Morris Pashman (1912â€"1999), Justice, New Jersey Supreme Court (1973-1982).
• Nicholas H. Politan (1935-2002), United States District Judge, District of New Jersey 1987-2002.
• Sylvia Pressler (1934â€"2010), Chief Judge of the New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division, and Editor of the New Jersey Court Rules.
• Esther Salas, United States District Judge, District of New Jersey; first Hispanic woman appointed U.S. District Court judge in New Jersey, and first such Magistrate Judge.
• William Francis Smith (1904-1968), U.S. Circuit Judge, Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (1961-1968); District Judge for District of New Jersey (1941-1961); U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey (1940â€"41).
• Freda L. Wolfson, United States District Judge, District of New Jersey
• Alfred M. Wolin, United States District Judge, District of New Jersey 1987-2004.
• James Yates, Judge, New York Supreme Court. Former Speaker of the New York Assembly.

Academia

• Frank Askin, Professor of Law, Rutgers School of Law- Newark. Former ACLU General Counsel. Current Director of Constitutional Litigation Clinic.
• Mary Cheh, Professor of Law, The George Washington University Law School. Washington, D.C. City Council member.
• Ronald Chen, Acting Dean, Rutgers School of Law- Newark. Former Public Advocate of the State of New Jersey.
• Elizabeth Warren, Professor of Law, Harvard Law School; United States Senator (D-MA); Chair of the Congressional Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) oversight panel.

Public Service

• Michael Patrick Carroll, New Jersey State Assemblyman (R-25th Dist), 1996-present.
• Ida L. Castro, Chair, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 1998-2001.
• Zulima Farber, Former Attorney General and Public Advocate of New Jersey.
• Louis Freeh, FBI Director 1993â€"2001; U.S. District Judge, Southern District of New York 1991â€"1993. Current Chairman, Pepper Hamilton LLP.
• Elbert Guillory, Senator, Louisiana Senate. Only African-American Republican in Louisiana State Senate.
• Richard J. Hughes, Governor of New Jersey (1962-1970); Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court (1973-1979).
• Alan Karcher, (1943-1999), Former Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly; Assemblyman 1973-1990.
• Robert Menendez, United States Senator (D-NJ). Class of 1979.
• Patrick Morrisey, Attorney General of West Virginia (2013â€"present).
• Sybil Moses (c. 1939 â€" 2009), Prosecutor of the "Dr. X" Mario Jascalevich murder case and New Jersey Superior Court judge.
• A. Harry Moore, Former United States Senator and Governor of New Jersey.
• Hazel R. O'Leary, United States Secretary of Energy (1993-1997), and President of Fisk University (2004-2012).
• Annette Quijano, New Jersey Assemblywoman (D-20th Dist), 2008-present. Deputy Majority Leader 2012-present. First minority and first woman to represent her district.
• Robert Torricelli, Former United States Senator (D-NJ).
• Peter Rodino, noted United States Congressman (D-NJ), 1949â€"1989.
• Elizabeth Warren, United States Senator (D-MA).
• Chester A. Weidenburner, United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey, 1956-1961.

Public Interest

• Fannie B. Besser, legendary poverty lawyer and one of the first female attorneys in New Jersey.
• Wade Henderson, President of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights; Counsel to the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund; Professor of Law, Clarke School of Law, University of the District of Columbia.
• Elizabeth Blume Silverstein, (1892-1991) first woman to handle murder trial in New Jersey.
• Lois Whitman, founder and director of Human Rights Watch's Children's Rights Division.

Business and others

• George McPhee, Vice President and General Manager, Washington Capitals (NHL)
• Ozzie Nelson, Entertainer.
• Samuel Irving Newhouse, Sr., billionaire newspaper publisher and founder of Advance Publications, which includes the Condé Nast family of magazines.
• Lynne Stewart, Prominent lawyer and civil rights activist. Convicted of conspiracy and providing material support to a terrorist client.
• Walter Walsh (1907-2014), Federal Bureau of Investigation agent and Olympic sharpshooter.

See also

• Henry Rutgers
• List of Rutgers University people
• Rutgersâ€"New Brunswick
• Rutgersâ€"Newark
• Rutgersâ€"Camden
• Rutgers School of Lawâ€"Camden
• Post-secondary education in New Jersey
• List of universities named after people
• Seton Hall University School of Law
• Lists of law schools

References

External links

• Rutgers School of Lawâ€"Newark