The information on this page was provided by the law school.

Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology

Office of Admissions, 565 West Adams Street
Chicago, IL 60661
Phone: 312.906.5020; Fax: 312.906.5274
E-mail: admissions@kentlaw.edu; Website: www.kentlaw.iit.edu

Introduction

Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology, is a national leader in legal education, recognized for the strength of its faculty and for its innovative approaches to traditional legal education. The second oldest law school in Illinois, Chicago-Kent was founded in 1888 by two judges who believed that legal education should be available to working men and women. The law school's first female student graduated in 1891, and the first African American woman admitted to the bar in Illinois (and the second admitted to practice law in the United States) was a graduate of the class of 1894. Today, Chicago-Kent students come from 40 states and 16 countries. Forty-five percent of the students are women, and 23 percent are students of color. The law school is also proud to count among its students and graduates the 2007 and 2008 National Trial Competition champions, the 2008 and 2009 National Moot Court Competition champions, and the winners of the 2010 National Institute for Trial Advocacy Tournament of Champions.

Drawing on its distinctive affiliation with Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago-Kent is at the vanguard of exploring new frontiers in the law raised by biotechnology, cyberspace, environmental regulation, intellectual property, international business transactions and trade, and much more. Chicago-Kent is located in downtown Chicago, the heart of the city's commercial and legal communities. The law school is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools and the Order of the Coif.

Faculty

The foundation for academic excellence at Chicago-Kent is derived from its faculty, who engage in broad-ranging legal scholarship and research. As advisors frequently approached for their expertise, faculty members help shape policy and thinking on a variety of issues, and make it a point to involve students in their particular areas of influence.

Library and Facilities

Chicago-Kent's modern, ten-story building features a three-story atrium, five-level library, technologically advanced classrooms and courtroom, auditorium, computer labs, student lounges, and cafeteria. Chicago-Kent's library is one of the largest law school libraries in the country. The collection includes the Library of International Relations and a wealth of material on environmental and energy law, intellectual property law, international trade law, and labor law.

The law school houses a robust computer network infrastructure. The wireless network is accessible throughout the building and supports the latest protocols. In addition, there are over 1,900 wired network connections located in key areas, including the library, individual seats in the majority of classrooms, and student lounge areas.

Affordable housing is available in nearby urban and suburban neighborhoods. Furnished apartments are available for Chicago-Kent students at Tailor Lofts, a new loft-style development located within walking distance of the law school in student-friendly Greektown. Dormitory housing is available on the university's main campus, approximately five miles south of the law school. A free shuttle runs between the two campuses. The law school is close to all public transportation downtown.

Curriculum

Both full-time and part-time programs are available. Full-time students usually complete the JD degree in three years. Part-time students usually finish in four years. Students may apply to transfer between divisions after completing the first year. First-year class sizes typically range from 30 to 90 students.

Degrees available include JD, JD/MBA, JD/MPA, JD/MPH, JD/LLM in Taxation, JD/LLM in Financial Services Law, JD/LLM in Family Law, JD/MS in Finance, JD/MS in Environmental Management and Sustainability, LLM in Taxation, LLM in Financial Services Law, LLM in Family Law, LLM in International Intellectual Property Law, and LLM in International and Comparative Law.

Practical Skills Training

Legal Research and Writing—Chicago-Kent's acclaimed legal research and writing program is one of the most comprehensive in the nation. The three-year, five-course curriculum teaches students to research, analyze, and communicate effectively about a wide range of legal problems.

Clinical Education—The Law Offices of Chicago-Kent, one of the largest in-house clinical education programs in the country, offers 11 in-house clinical practice areas and externship programs with placements in law firms, corporate legal departments, government agencies, not-for-profit organizations, and federal and state court judges.

Trial Advocacy—The law school offers a two-semester sequence in trial advocacy and an intensive course taught by veteran judges and experienced practitioners.

Certificate Programs

Business Law—The program prepares students for careers involving business law by requiring a broad range of business courses, a specialized writing course, and a business-related experience.

Criminal Litigation—The program emphasizes both theory and practical skills development to provide comprehensive and balanced preparation for a career in criminal prosecution or defense.

Environmental and Energy Law—The program's interdisciplinary approach to the problems of environmental regulation and natural resources allocation prepares students for practice through a series of courses in law, economic and public policy analysis, and the scientific aspects of environmental problems.

Intellectual Property Law—The program focuses on issues relating to patent, trademark, copyright, trade secrets, and unfair competition, both in the United States and abroad.

International and Comparative Law—The program encompasses study in international business and trade, international and comparative law, and international human rights.

Labor and Employment Law—The program provides students with theoretical and practical training in the law governing the workplace.

Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution—The program stresses the connection between legal doctrine, skills and values, and the art of lawyering. It is designed to educate students to become reflective practitioners with a lawyering identity that incorporates high standards of competence, ethics, and social responsibility.

Public Interest Law—The program provides students with a background in public interest law and policy, in addition to individualized curriculum and career planning. The law school also supports a number of public interest resources and activities, including the Center for Access to Justice and Technology, which aims to make justice more accessible to the public through the use of the Internet.

Institutes and Centers

Chicago-Kent is home to 10 institutes and centers with missions that range from conducting scholarly and practical research on legal and social issues to providing topical programming to developing public interest services. Through these initiatives, many of which involve cross-disciplinary projects, students learn to appreciate and adapt to major social and global influences that can change the legal profession and its practice.

Admission

Admission is highly selective. Each application is individually reviewed and decisions are based on a range of factors, including quantitative and qualitative criteria. Although the GPA and LSAT are important criteria, consideration also is given to nonnumerical factors such as the nature and rigor of the undergraduate curriculum, writing ability, graduate work and professional experience, extracurricular activities, diversity, and the personal statement. The admission requirements for the full- and part-time divisions are the same. The law school is committed to attracting and retaining students from a variety of racial, ethnic, economic, geographic, and educational backgrounds.

Student Activities

Student editors and staff, in association with a faculty editor, publish the Chicago-Kent Law Review in symposium format. Moot Court and Trial Advocacy teams successfully compete in local, regional, and national competitions each year, providing numerous opportunities to develop litigation expertise. Diverse student interests are represented in a wide variety of social, political, and professional student groups.

Scholarship Support

Substantial scholarship assistance is offered to entering and continuing students based on factors that include merit, financial need, and contribution to the law school community. The Honors Scholars Program provides renewable scholarships of full tuition and living expenses, research assistantships, and special seminars to a select group of students who demonstrate exceptional academic and leadership ability.

Career Services

The Office of Career Services, with six full-time staff, offers individual counseling on résumé writing, interview techniques, and job-search strategies and sponsors both on- and off-campus interview programs.

Applicant Profile

Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology

This grid includes only applicants who earned 120–180 LSAT scores under standard administrations.

  GPA    
LSAT
Score		 3.75+
Apps		 3.75+
Adm		 3.50–
3.74 Apps		 3.50–
3.74 Adm		 3.25–
3.49 Apps		 3.25–
3.49 Adm		 3.00–
3.24 Apps		 3.00–
3.24 Adm		 2.75–
2.99 Apps		 2.75–
2.99 Adm		 2.50–
2.74 Apps		 2.50–
2.74 Adm		 2.25–
2.49 Apps		 2.25–
2.49 Adm		 2.00–
2.24 Apps		 2.00–
2.24 Adm		 Below 2.00
Apps		 Below 2.00
Adm		 No GPA
Apps		 No GPA
Adm		 Total
Apps		 Total
Adm
170–180 15 10 12 10 11 8 5 4 8 6 1 0 2 2 2 2 0 0 1 1 57 43
165–169 56 32 69 49 52 43 34 31 32 26 18 13 8 7 1 1 1 0 3 2 274 204
160–164 96 91 145 135 160 141 118 93 55 49 35 33 24 18 7 6 0 0 30 24 670 590
155–159 115 103 221 160 247 29 221 30 132 9 69 4 29 1 12 0 0 0 32 4 1078 340
150–154 88 74 145 103 188 14 184 13 123 2 73 3 26 0 12 0 1 0 33 1 873 210
Below 150 43 9 90 17 138 1 144 1 128 0 110 0 69 0 37 0 15 0 33 0 807 28
Total 413 319 682 474 796 236 706 172 478 92 306 53 158 28 71 9 17 0 132 32 3759 1415

Apps = Number of Applicants
Adm = Number Admitted
Reflects 99% of the total applicant pool; highest LSAT data reported.

This grid represents admission data for applicants to both the full- and part-time programs. The information in this grid is to be used only as an approximate gauge of the likelihood of admission and not as a guarantee. Individual accomplishments and other nonnumerical factors are also of importance to the Admissions Committee.