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University of Michigan Law School

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University of Michigan Law School
UM Logo
TypePublic
Established1859
EndowmentUS$248 million(2000)
DeanEvan Caminker
Academic staff
310
Students1,100
Location
Ann Arbor
,
Michigan
,
USA
CampusUrban
Websitehttp://www.law.umich.edu/ www.law.umich.edu

The University of Michigan Law School, located in Ann Arbor, is a unit of the University of Michigan. Founded in 1859, the Law School currently has an enrollment of approximately 1,200 students, most of whom are earning the degrees of Juris Doctor (J.D.) or Master of Laws (LLM). As of 2004, the Law School's faculty includes 72 full-time professors and 42 visiting or adjunct professors.

For decades Michigan Law has been regarded as one of the top law schools in the country--it ranked 3rd in the initial 1987 U.S. News and World Report graduate school rankings and is one of only 7 schools to never appear outside the magazine's top 10. According to the 2009 edition of US News, Michigan Law is ranked 9th. Reputation surveys also consistently place Michigan among the top handful of schools, and, as recently as 1997, the Law School was tied for the top spot in the US News' attorney/judge survey. Moreover, Michigan Law consistently ranks first among public law schools.

Admission to the Law School is highly selective. Only one in five applicants to Michigan Law gains acceptance. The class of 2010 at Michigan possesses a median LSAT score of 169 (which places one within the top two to three percent of all test takers), and a median GPA of 3.64.

98% of the graduating class of 2006 was employed by graduation day, earning a median starting salary of $125,000. Additionally, 750 employers were present in Ann Arbor for the Law School’s Early Interview Week in August of 2006. Since 1991, Michigan Law has been the top public law school for United States Supreme Court Clerkships, placing 23 graduates in this position.

History of Michigan Law School

Michigan Law School was founded in 1859. Unlike other law schools whose programs developed slowly, Michigan quickly rose to national prominence. By 1870, Michigan was the largest law school in the country. The Law School boasts a long history of graduating women and minorities. In 1870 Gabriel Franklin Hargo graduated from Michigan as the second African American to graduate from a US law school. The school continued this tradition in 1871 when Sarah Killgore, a Michigan Law graduate, became the first woman to pass the bar. [1]

The University of Michigan Law Quad

The Lawyer's Club, Law Quadrangle, Library reading room, and Library exterior.

The English Gothic buildings that comprise the Law Quadrangle are the foundation of one of the most picturesque law campuses in the nation. Built between 1924 and 1933 the four original buildings comprising the Cook Law Quadrangle were constructed using funds donated by William Cook, an alumnus of the school. The original buildings were: (1) Hutchins Hall, the main academic building named for former Dean of the Law School and President of the University, Harry Burns Hutchins; (2) The Legal Research Building, likely the largest building in the world devoted exclusively to a law library; (3) The John Cook Dormitory, providing housing for 352 students; and (4) The Lawyer’s Club, a meeting space for the residents of the Quad, highlighted by a Great Lounge, and a stunning dining room with a high-vaulted ceiling, an oak floor, and dark oak paneling.[2] In 2007, the University of Michigan Reading Room was named 94th on a list of "American's Favorite Buildings."[3] The building is one of only three law buildings on the list.

Publications

Michigan Law School students publish six well-regarded law journals including the Michigan Law Review, the sixth oldest legal journal in the U.S. The other law journals include:

Moot court competitions

Michigan Law School students may compete in intramural and extramural moot court competitions, the oldest of which is the Henry M. Campbell Moot Court Competition. The Campbell Competition has been an annual event at the Law School for more than eighty years, and winning it is one of the highest honors a UM law student can achieve.

Student Funded Fellowships

Student Funded Fellowships (SFF) is a grant program designed to fund Michigan Law students who take low-paying summer jobs in the public interest. SFF is governed by a board of 9-12 law students and operates independently of the Law School. The Board elects its own members, including two co-chairs, a treasurer, and various committee chairs. Board members head up fundraising efforts throughout the year, ranging from Donate a Day's Pay (DADP), in which highly paid law firm clerks donate a day's salary to SFF, to a grand auction in March that invites bids on various donated items, including sports tickets, meals with faculty members, and art. In the late spring, Board members review applications for summer funding and select a limited number of highly qualified students for grants. In 2007 about twice as many students applied for grants as could be funded.

Notable alumni

References

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ Bentley Historical Library New Website
  3. ^ WSJ.com
  4. ^ John James Gardnre, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed August 27, 2007.

See also

External links

Notes

  1. ^ University of Michigan: Diversity Research & Resources, Proposal 2 Information. Link to UM wesbite
  2. ^ Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action v. Granholm, No. 2:06-cv-15024 (E.D. Mi.) (Lawson); Nos. 06-2640, 06-2642 (6th Cir. 2007).
  3. ^ January 10, 2007 statement by Dean Evan Caminker. See statement here
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