Northern Kentucky University—Salmon P. Chase College of Law

Introduction

Founded in 1893, NKU Chase College of Law is located on the main campus of Northern Kentucky University, a metropolitan university just seven miles south of Cincinnati, Ohio. A major Midwestern center of commerce, industry, arts, and entertainment, the region supports a thriving legal and business community. Chase offers both full-time and part-time programs of study. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools.

Part-Time Divisions

For 119 years, NKU Chase has been providing legal education to working professionals through its part-time evening division. In addition, Chase now offers a part-time day division designed for those who work evenings or have other commitments that prevent study in the evening. In both part-time programs, classes typically meet three times per week, although students are occasionally required to attend events on other days.

Law and Informatics Institute

Law and informatics can be understood as "the rules, principles, and regulations involving the collection, classification, storage, retrieval, and dissemination of recorded knowledge." Participants in the Law & Informatics Institute work to study and develop the regulations and business practices that govern the creation, acquisition, aggregation, security, manipulation, and exploitation of information. Law and informatics includes the traditional fields of patent law, copyright law, trademark law, trade secret law, and the protection of publicity rights, but it also includes much more, such as data security, privacy, international trade, criminal law, and national security law. Students participate through substantive and skills-based courses, competition teams, clinical opportunities, field placements, research projects, alumni mentorships, and student organizations.

Centers for Excellence

The Center for Excellence in Advocacy offers students the knowledge, skills, and values they need to represent a client from the initial client interview through the appeals process. Through innovative courses and programming, students learn the practical aspects of pretrial procedures, negotiations, mediations, trial techniques, appellate advocacy, and legislation. As a result, students develop advanced litigation skills and graduate with an in-depth understanding of cutting-edge advocacy techniques. The Transactional Law Practice Center provides students with multiple opportunities to develop the skill sets and knowledge employed by lawyers involved in the practice of business and transactional law. Students acquire and hone critical thinking techniques and problem-solving skills. The center offers training in interviewing, negotiating, drafting, business planning, and client counseling, along with specialized law courses in related disciplines such as accounting and corporate finance.

The Local Government Law Center is one of the few centers nationwide devoted primarily to state and local government law, and it is the only one based in a public law school. The center promotes the development and study of government law through teaching, scholarship, and continuing education; provides technical assistance and support to local governments; and serves the public through its website, public speaking, and community outreach.

Certificates and Concentrations

Certificate programs enable students to focus their studies on particular skill sets. Students may earn a certificate signifying excellence in Advocacy or Transactional Law by completing coursework and participating in field placements and extracurricular learning opportunities. Concentration programs provide students an opportunity to "major" in a particular law subject while simultaneously obtaining a well-rounded legal education. Chase offers concentrations in Tax and in Employment and Labor Law.

Pro Bono Service Program

The Pro Bono Service Program requires students to complete 50 hours of pro bono service prior to graduation. Students select from a variety of organizations designated as approved placement sites, or they design their own pro bono projects. In addition, Chase offers several pro bono projects based at the law school. Service could include interviewing clients about legal problems, researching issues for public interest lawyers, engaging in legislative or policy analysis, teaching at-risk youth about the law, providing income tax assistance to low-income clients, or participating in legal aid clinics.

Clinics and Field Placements

Clinics: Students participating in clinics learn about the law firsthand by representing actual clients and trying real cases under the supervision of clinic directors, who are full-time faculty members and licensed attorneys. Students work alongside practitioners to gain knowledge and experience that supplements lessons learned from textbooks, while providing valuable services to clients who desperately need their help. Chase offers the

• Children's Law Center Clinic,
• Constitutional Litigation Clinic,
• Indigent Defense Clinic,
• Kentucky Innocence Project, and
• Small Business and Nonprofit Law Clinic.

Field Placements: An abundance of additional opportunities for study outside the classroom are also provided to allow students to develop their practical and professional skills as well as to deepen their knowledge of particular areas of law. Field placements are available in a wide variety of settings, including criminal prosecution and defense, civil family and poverty law, juvenile law, and tax law, as well as in both federal and state courts and fields specifically tailored to the individual student's interests.

Joint-Degree Programs

NKU Chase offers three joint-degree programs, two with the College of Informatics and one with the College of Business. The Juris Doctor/Master of Health Informatics program is for students who wish to practice health law with a greater understanding of regulatory compliance and data-driven health practices. The Juris Doctor/Master of Business Informatics program focuses on the study of information technology in the context of business and law. The Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration program teaches critical management, accounting and finance, and leadership skills to enhance the student's understanding of law.

Student Activities

Competition Teams: NKU Chase offers a wide variety of national competition teams that provide students with myriad opportunities to learn-by-doing in a competitive yet collaborative environment. The competition teams are the Moot Court Team, Trial Advocacy Team, Arbitration Team, Client Counseling Team, Negotiation Team, and Transactional Lawyering Team.

Law Review: The Northern Kentucky Law Review is an independent journal published by NKU Chase students and includes scholarly legal writing by law professors, practitioners, jurists, and students.

Organizations: NKU Chase's many student organizations offer students a wide range of extracurricular opportunities. Through participation in these organizations, students benefit professionally and personally by learning more about specific fields of the law, networking with practitioners, hearing from guest speakers, getting to know students in other sections and class years, gaining leadership experience, and performing community service.

Scholars Program

The NKU Chase Scholars Program recognizes the achievements of outstanding students and provides financial assistance that will allow them to explore a variety of professional opportunities after graduation.

Salmon P. Chase Scholars: Full-tuition scholarship each year plus a paid research assistantship in the second or third year of study.

Henry Clay Scholars: Scholarship award amounts begin at $5,000 per year.

John Marshall Harlan Diversity Scholars: Scholarship award amounts range from $3,000 to full tuition. Diversity is defined as "the ability to enhance the multicultural and socioeconomic differences at the college of law through such characteristics as ethnicity, race, gender, age, abilities/limitations, and/or multicultural and socioeconomic background."

Career Development

The Career Development Office assists students and alumni with career planning, networking, and developing job-search skills and strategies. The office schedules fall and spring on-campus interviews; posts job notices daily; sends out e-newsletters to students; manages a student résumé database; conducts mock interviews; assists with job fair participation; and holds seminars, workshops, and networking events to prepare students for the job market. The office coordinates information sessions with attorneys, which enable students to network and learn about a wide variety of legal specialties and career options. The office also assists with the Chase Summer Public Interest Fellowship Program, which provides stipends to selected students working at public interest organizations during the summer.

Admission

NKU Chase seeks to admit applicants who have the best prospect of high-quality academic work. The Admissions Committee relies heavily on undergraduate grades and performance on the LSAT. Additional factors considered include academic performance, including course selection patterns, upward trends in grades, and post-undergraduate work completed; achievements made in another profession or vocation; community involvement and volunteerism; cultural, educational, or sociological diversity; demonstrated leadership and professionalism; employment background, including working while attending college; and letters of recommendation.

Applicant Profile

Northern Kentucky University—Salmon P. Chase College of Law

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	Below 2.50 Apps	Below 2.50 Adm	No GPA Apps	No GPA Adm	Total Apps	Total Adm
LSAT score 170–180	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
LSAT score 165–169	2	2	5	5	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	8
LSAT score 160–164	12	12	11	10	22	22	16	16	9	8	1	1	1	0	0	0	72	69
LSAT score 155–159	33	29	33	31	46	43	44	40	27	21	14	11	14	4	1	0	212	179
LSAT score 150–154	37	33	43	36	63	47	52	22	39	11	33	9	17	5	0	0	284	163
LSAT score 145–149	11	3	25	10	34	6	43	6	32	3	32	3	16	0	0	0	193	31
LSAT score 140–144	1	0	7	0	15	1	14	0	16	1	13	1	10	0	0	0	76	3
LSAT score Below 140	0	0	2	0	4	0	5	0	6	0	10	0	13	0	2	0	42	0
Total	96	79	126	92	185	120	174	84	129	44	103	25	71	9	3	0	887	453

Apps = Number of Applicants
Adm = Number Admitted
Reflects 100% of the total applicant pool; highest LSAT data reported.