Samford University, Cumberland School of Law

Introduction

Cumberland School of Law, established in 1847 as a part of Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee, is one of the oldest law schools in the country. The law school was acquired by Samford University in 1961. Today, Samford University is the largest privately supported and fully accredited institution of higher learning in Alabama. Samford's beautiful 300-acre campus is located in a suburban area of Birmingham, the state's largest industrial, business, and cultural center. Cumberland School of Law has been a member of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) since 1952 and has been accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) since 1949.

Advocacy and Skills Training

Samford's emphasis on teaching students the art and science of courtroom advocacy begins with the first-year curriculum. Lawyering and Legal Reasoning is a six-credit, two-semester course that provides students with hands-on, practical instruction in prelitigation skills, such as client interviewing, counseling, memorandum preparation, and negotiation; pretrial skills, including summary judgment motions and making compelling oral arguments; and appellate litigation skills. This intensive course prepares students to work effectively in their first summer clerkships, where they are expected to research cases and write briefs.

The state-of-the-art Advanced Trial Advocacy Courtroom provides students with access to the modern technology found in most courtrooms across the country. In the law school's Advanced Trial Advocacy course, 12 upper-level students learn how to reproduce evidence with three-dimensional digital presenters, video, and DVD reenactments. By mastering this technology and completing the hands-on training in the Advanced Trial Advocacy course, students will be equipped for success in any courtroom.

Samford has an exceptional record of recent trial advocacy competition victories. In the 2010–2011 academic year alone, the law school earned 12 top 10 placements at national and regional law school advocacy competitions. It won the 2008 American Association for Justice National Championship (finishing as a runner-up in 2009) and both the ABA and Association of Trial Lawyers of America national championships (including several national second- and third-place awards). To date, Samford has also won 40 regional championships and the coveted American College of Trial Lawyers' Emil Gumpert Award for Excellence in Teaching Trial Advocacy. The law school also offers a Certificate in Trial Advocacy to recognize students' achievements. Samford law students have the chance to earn class credit and professional experience working for Birmingham's major law firms, judges' offices, and corporate legal departments. The clinical curriculum offers second- and third-year students judicial and corporate externships, as well as externships in the offices of the IRS, US Attorney, and organizations that serve underrepresented or economically disadvantaged groups. In addition, the Alabama Third-Year Practice Rule gives third-year students a chance to practice law under the supervision of a licensed attorney.

Library and Physical Facilities

The Lucille Stewart Beeson Law Library, a free-standing Georgian structure, is visually stunning, as well as superbly functional. The building's design is intended to make all facilities easily accessible to students with disabilities. All 474 study carrels and 13 conference rooms are wired for data transmission. In addition, law students have full access to the university's four campus libraries, as well as six computer labs. Wireless Internet access is available here and in many areas around campus.

Center for Biotechnology, Law, and Ethics (CBLE)

As one of the first of its kind in the United States, the CBLE is dedicated to furthering practical training in the legal disciplines critical to biotechnology. Samford's unique program builds on a base of intellectual property, health care, environmental, tort, and natural resources law. The CBLE highlights issues related to the medical, pharmaceutical, and agricultural sectors, and offers students research opportunities. In addition, the CBLE hosts an annual symposium during which experts from around the world speak on such topics.

Center for Community Mediation and Public Interest Law Project (CCMC)

The CCMC emphasizes a commitment to public service, an important attribute of the education received at Samford. The CCMC provides free and confidential mediation services to the Birmingham community. Students completing the Mediator Practice course are eligible to volunteer as mediators. The mission of the Public Interest Law Project is to promote, encourage, and complete community service and legal public interest projects in the Birmingham community. Each year, the law school partners with the Alabama State Bar to hold a number of legal clinics throughout the state to help senior citizens and the underprivileged.

Joint-Degree Programs

To broaden their perspective and prepare them for careers in special fields, Samford law students may pursue eight different joint-degree programs: JD/Master of Accountancy, JD/Master of Business Administration, JD/Master of Public Health, JD/Master of Public Administration, JD/Master of Divinity, JD/MA in Theological Studies, JD/MS in Environmental Management, and JD/MS in Bioethics. Some of these joint-degree programs can be completed in three years.

Admission

The law school seeks a diverse student body that will make a contribution to the law school and the legal profession. To that end, every applicant's file is thoroughly reviewed for admission. In addition to the LSAT and GPA, difficulty of major, personal challenges overcome, graduate work completed, scholarly achievements, and volunteer and work experience are also considered. Applications are evaluated on a rolling basis, so it is important to apply early. Applications for fall admission are accepted from September 1 to February 28.

Transfer students are accepted for fall semester. Once a transfer student is admitted, the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs will confirm the number of law school credit hours that will transfer to Samford University's Cumberland School of Law. In most instances, all credit hours for regular first-year law courses earned at an ABA-approved law school with a grade of C or better will transfer, up to a maximum of 40 credit hours.

Visiting students are accepted for summer, fall, and spring semesters.

Please visit this webpage for more information on these applications—cumberland.samford.edu/application.

Flex-Time Option

The law school's flex-time option allows students a maximum of five years to complete their studies. Flex students are required to take a minimum of eight credit hours each semester. Flex students attend classes during the day and pay an hourly tuition rate.

Scholarships

Generous merit-based scholarship assistance is awarded to Samford's entering and current law students annually. In addition, numerous other scholarships are provided to those students who distinguish themselves academically, make outstanding contributions through leadership in the law school, or demonstrate financial need.

Student Activities

The Student Bar Association functions as the first professional organization of a law student's career. In addition to the more than two dozen outstanding organizations, students may also be invited to join one of three national legal fraternities and be inducted into two honorary societies, Order of the Barrister and Curia Honoris. Student-run publications include Cumberland Law Review and American Journal of Trial Advocacy.

International Law

Samford conducts an ABA-approved international summer program that is offered at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, England. There is also a cooperative arrangement between Samford University and NALSAR University of Law in Hyderabad, India. The graduate degree of Master of Comparative Law is offered to international law school graduates. Each year, two Samford law graduates are awarded full-tuition scholarships for studies toward an LLM degree at Norwich Law School in England.

Career Development

The Office of Career Development provides the training, resources, and guidance to enable Samford law students and alumni to make well-informed career choices, secure employment as quickly and efficiently as possible, and forge rewarding careers. To help students and graduates achieve these goals, the office provides career counseling, résumé editing, practice interviews, on-campus interview programs, job fairs, job listings, instructional handouts, a resource library, and extensive educational programming. In addition to educational programs on résumé drafting, interviewing skills, networking, and job searching, Career Development also presents a "Lunch with a Lawyer" series, in which practitioners and other legal professionals come to the law school to discuss the practical aspects of their work in a variety of traditional and nontraditional legal jobs. All programs are taught by the attorneys on the Career Development staff, Samford law alumni, and others.

Applicant Profile

Samford University, Cumberland School of Law

	GPA
LSAT Score	3.75+	3.50–3.74	3.25–3.49	3.00–3.24	2.75–2.99	2.50–2.74	2.25–2.49	2.00–2.24	Below 2.00
LSAT score 175–180	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Possible	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 170–174	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Possible	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 165–169	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Possible	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 160–164	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Possible	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 155–159	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Possible	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 150–154	Possible	Possible	Possible	Possible	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 145–149	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 140–144	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 135–139	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 130–134	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 125–129	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 120–124	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely

Good  = Good Possibility

Possible  = Possible

Unlikely  = Unlikely