16401 NW 37 Avenue, Miami Gardens, FL 33054, USA
Phone: 305.623.2310 | Website: www.stu.edu/law
Introduction
The St. Thomas University School of Law was founded in 1984 in Miami, Florida. The School of Law is located on the main campus of the university and includes a multilevel library, a moot court amphitheater, faculty and administrative offices, a computer lab, and classrooms and offices for student organizations. The architectural combination of buildings and breezeways provides an inspiring setting for the study of law, including an outdoor classroom that is usable virtually year-round.
The St. Thomas University School of Law is fully accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. It embraces the duties and obligations of the Judeo-Christian ethic and endeavors to instill values and ethics in its students. St. Thomas Law takes special pride in the diversity of the student body: it has been recognized as having the most diverse student body among accredited law schools. Cultural diversity, commitment to professionalism, and small class size make studying law at St. Thomas Law a unique and enriching experience.
Mission Statement
St. Thomas Law trains and graduates lawyers capable of applying legal principles to address and solve the problems of an increasingly complex society. The rigorous academic program of the Law School emphasizes lifelong learning and scholarship in a personalized, caring environment under Catholic auspices with a diverse student body and faculty. To this end, St. Thomas Law remains committed, in teaching, scholarship, and service, to fostering a public order of human dignity, to training lawyers sensitive to the needs of the region's underrepresented communities, and to expanding access to professional opportunities. This includes active partnerships with business, government, and the South Florida community.
Did you know that.....?
St. Thomas Law offers cutting-edge advanced-degree programs, including an LLM and JSD in Intercultural Human Rights. - Our joint-degree programs include not only the traditional JD/MBA, but also a JD/MA in Marriage and Family Counseling and JD/MS and JD/MBA in Sports Administration.
- We place such a high value on professional integrity that every course taught at the St. Thomas University School of Law includes an ethics component.
- We value our small-university environment for the sense of lasting community, teamwork, and common goals it offers as well as for the friendships forged here that last a lifetime.
- Miami, home of St. Thomas University School of Law, is both an international gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean, and a center of global commercial, financial, and cultural activity, making it a laboratory well suited for our international programs, including our LLM and JSD tracks in Intercultural Human Rights.
Law School Enrollment
- LLM in Intercultural Human Rights, fall 2011: 25; JSD in Intercultural Human Rights: 15
- LLM in Environmental Sustainability, fall 2011: 9 (New program beginning fall this year)
Physical Facilities
- Full range of electronic journals and databases
- Free campus-wide wireless network
- Gym and lap pool
- Professional tennis court
Housing
Law students have the opportunity to reserve housing at the University Inn and Villanova Hall graduate floors, which offer private rooms with private baths. Students who live in the residence halls must participate in a meal plan. Meals are available in the cafeteria, buffet-style, and in the Rathskeller, which offers a variety of sandwiches and grilled foods. Recreational facilities are also available at the convenience of the students. These facilities include basketball and tennis courts, a pool area, and weight room. Students interested in on-campus housing are advised to apply early for the limited spaces, as housing is allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, please contact:
The Office of Residential Life and Housing
St. Thomas University
16401 NW 37 Avenue
Miami Gardens, FL 33054
USA
Phone: 305.628.6554
E-mail: reslife@stu.edu
Library
Alex A. Hanna Library
Information about the Alex A. Hanna Law Library's collections, digital library, online resources, audiovisual department, policies, and hours can be located at the Alex A. Hanna Law Library website.
Main Library Phone: 305.623.2330
LLM Programs/Areas of Specialization
St. Thomas Law offers two different LLM programs—one in Environmental Sustainability and one in Intercultural Human Rights.
LLM in Environmental Sustainability
The one-year, 24-credit LLM program provides a strong foundation in environmental and natural resources laws, taught by a seasoned faculty with outstanding professional experience. Students and faculty explore current topics, such as oil spill liability, UN millennium goal implementation, ecosystem restoration, climate change, and species loss, as well as innovative legal approaches and theories related to environmental sustainability. The program's emphasis on the applied aspects of sustainability provides the insights most sought by employers who must ensure that economic performance is accompanied by strategies that minimize harm to the environment.
Intensive, one-credit short courses led by renowned visiting professionals offer a flexible and rapid response to current events. Students are encouraged also to participate in externships focused on the real-world application of environmental laws and principles. And since effective legal approaches for environmental issues must be based on an understanding of the science underpinning environmental realities, students develop also their capacity to understand and work with scientists, engineers, and other environmental professionals.
For additional information, please visit the LLM in Environmental Sustainability website, or contact:
Alfred Light
Professor of Law and Director
16401 NW 37 Avenue
Miami Gardens, FL 33054
USA
Phone: 305.623.2315
Fax: 305.623.2390
E-mail: alight@stu.edu
LLM Program in Intercultural Human Rights
This innovative program is designed to offer in-depth instruction on the critical issue of our time: the protection of human dignity across political, social, economic, and cultural lines. Lawyers, government officials, teachers, human rights activists, businessmen, and women with a commitment to human rights and social justice are invited to St. Thomas Law to pursue an advanced degree in one of the most dynamic fields of international law—intercultural human rights. The excellence of instruction emanating from world-renowned faculty from the United Nations and eminent centers of scholarship create a highly stimulating learning environment and promise the most challenging academic experience of your career. Students develop the ability to evaluate the major theories, practices, and fundamental concepts in international human rights law and policy, as well as to conduct effective research and advocacy in the field of human rights in a practical and interactive way.
The LLM degree is earned in one year upon completion of 24 academic credits. Since its inception in 2001, the program has graduated 243 students from 65 countries. It offers more than 20 mostly one-week compact courses in intercultural human rights. Human rights law and complaint procedures, international law, humanitarian law, human rights, and terrorism will all be addressed as well as issues of refugees, women and children, indigenous peoples, religion, criminal law, and international trade. Our global faculty and courses exploring theoretical issues and practical applications guarantee that the program continues to excel.
For additional information, please visit the LLM/JSD in Intercultural Human Rights website, or contact:
Siegfried Wiessner
Professor of Law and Director
16401 NW 37 Avenue
Miami Gardens, FL 33054
USA
Phone: 305.623.2305
Fax: 305.474.2413
E-mail: swiessner@stu.edu
Impact on the Nation and the World
While continuing to make students their top priority, members of the faculty write articles and books that are used in other law schools and that affect the direction of the law. We are fortunate to have the expertise of top lawyers and judges from the region who teach our students as members of our part-time faculty. They, too, contribute to our sense of community. Our Intercultural Human Rights program trains both JD and LLM students and is helping the world find solutions to some of its most pressing human rights issues. For example, we will host a program about Human Trafficking in Rome in spring 2011 that will underscore our law school's leadership on this important issue. We anticipate that our new LLM program in Environmental Sustainability will have a similar impact as it grows.
Student Services and Organizations
A sense of community is reflected in our students' engagement. This year they provided more than 15,000 hours of volunteer legal services to the community while working under the supervision of experienced attorneys. They serve the community through our law clinics and in our externships with government agencies, the courts, and the United Nations. Our Law Review recently hosted a major symposium on the tenth anniversary of Bush v. Gore, the US Supreme Court decision that determined the outcome of the 2000 presidential election. Our Intercultural Human Rights Law Review recently hosted a major symposium on the legal and economic issues facing Haiti in the aftermath of the terrible earthquake there. Both were outstanding programs. Our student trial advocacy and appellate advocacy teams won national awards this year, contributing to our school's reputation as among the best moot court programs.
Career Services
The Office of Career Services (CSO) at St. Thomas University School of Law strives to keep students and alumni well informed about the wide variety of career paths available to St. Thomas Law graduates. Further, the CSO assists students in developing their interview skills, refining their job search approaches, and perfecting their professional documents, including résumés and cover letters.
The CSO also offers recruitment services to the widest possible range of legal employers. Experienced CSO professionals maintain an open door and a friendly environment for career planning and for recruitment.
Building a bridge from student to professional and beyond, the Law CSO offers outstanding service to students, alumni, and employers.
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