656 S. Greenwich Street, Wesemann Hall
Valparaiso, IN 46383-4945
Phone: 219.465.7821; Fax: 219.465.7975
E-mail: law.admissions@valpo.edu; Website: www.valpo.edu/law
The Law School at Valparaiso University was founded in 1879. Throughout its 133-year history, Valparaiso Law has been a community dedicated to delivering a strong program in both legal theory and experiential education, and recruiting students who are committed to service. Our graduates are not just solid lawyers, but great people; not just influential leaders, but ones who use their influence for the highest service and the greater good.
Hiring partners at law firms continue to rank research and writing skills as the most important skill set for a new lawyer. Many law schools require only one year of legal writing. Valparaiso Law offers exceptional legal research and writing by requiring three years of writing and one year of research coursework.
Valparaiso Law students have the opportunity to practice their research and writing skills through participation in our clinic and externship programs and in fulfilling pro bono service requirements. These and other experiential education programs teach the hands-on practice of law—and do it really well. As a result, our students leave the Law School with the legal training they need to go out into the world, serve clients, and serve larger purposes.
Valparaiso University Law School's Lawyering Skills Center provides a genuine law firm environment for the teaching and learning of critical legal skills. Its custom-designed spaces support the Law School's skills curricula and house the 45-year-old Law Clinic. At the Center, students have the opportunity to learn about and practice appellate advocacy, dispute resolution, moot court, mock trial, client counseling, negotiation, arbitration, pretrial, and trial skills. The eight live clinics also offer students the opportunity to practice law so that, upon graduation, Valparaiso Law students can make an immediate contribution to their employers.
The Law School provides a comprehensive and intensive study of the foundations of law, an introduction to the substantive areas of law, and an opportunity for advanced study in specific areas. The curriculum provides a grounding in legal analysis, legal writing and research, practical skills training, perspectives on the law, and ethics. The curriculum focuses on six key areas: general practice, business law, public interest representation, property, litigation, and taxation. To learn more, visit www.valpo.edu/law/current-students/curriculum.
Upon completing the required foundational first-year curriculum, students are given the opportunity to explore various avenues of study. In the summer prior to and during the second year, students begin pursuing externships and also take elective courses. By the third year, most required courses have been completed and students select courses for general legal competency and in their areas of interest, and engage in externships, internships, and the Law Clinic.
Students are expected to gain experience in the law profession by participating in externships that award course credit. They also earn academic credit by participating in one of the eight live-client law clinics as 3Ls. Students are encouraged to work as interns, both paid and unpaid, and to enhance their legal skills as they fulfill their 40-hour commitment of pro bono legal service.
We offer the JD degree as a three-year full-time day, a five-year part-time day, or a two and one-half-year accelerated day program. In addition, students may elect to complete both a JD and a master's degree in four years of full-time study. The Law School also offers an LLM program for international students who have already obtained a law degree from their native countries.
Clinic Program—Students receive a special license to practice law from the Indiana Supreme Court and participate in all stages of legal practice in one of the following areas: civil, criminal, domestic violence, juvenile, mediation, sports law, tax, and wrongful conviction. Each year, Clinic students handle over 700 cases for underserved community members.
Externships—The Law School offers over 85 externships at 125 different sites in the Valparaiso area, Chicago, Indianapolis, and other locations throughout the United States.
International Summer Programs—Valparaiso Law offers a comparative law program in London and Cambridge, England, and a program in international human rights in Chile and Argentina.
Honors Program—First-year students are selected for this unique learning community based on academic performance and demonstrated leadership.
The Summer Public Interest Stipend Program—Supports students who choose to work without pay in a public sector internship in the United States or at an international site. The Loan Repayment Assistance Program offers financial assistance to graduates who incur education loan debts and choose to go into public service employment.
Bar Preparation Program—Includes a bar preparation course (offered every semester), individual counseling, and elective courses that cover state-specific materials. Our bar passage rate averaged 83 percent over 21 states in 2010.
Academic Success Program—The Academic Success Program assists students with the transition to law school via a 10-day summer program prior to law school entry and an 8-session workshop program held during the fall semester.
Our service mission is to assist all students and graduates in planning career paths, preparing for the job market, and identifying and creating professional opportunities. We work closely with employers, including our 5,000 alumni, in developing career-related networks for our law students. In the last five years, an average of 82 percent of our graduates were employed within nine months of graduation. About half were employed in law firms and the other half in judicial clerkships, government, public interest work, business, and academia.
Fulbright scholars, clerks to federal appellate and state supreme court judges, government servants: our professors bring practical experience in public and private sectors to their teaching. Their scholarship spans a wide range of legal theory. Visit www.valpo.edu/law/faculty.
The Valparaiso Law Library is the largest legal research facility in northwest Indiana. The library provides study space and access to legal electronic and print resources. The Law School occupies two buildings: Wesemann Hall houses classrooms, the law library, courtrooms, a jury room, a new café and outdoor patio, and administration and faculty offices; Heritage Hall houses the Lawyering Skills Center and the Valparaiso Law Clinic.
The Valparaiso University Law Review is a scholarly journal published three times a year. Because of Valparaiso's emphasis on research and writing, membership for the Law Review is based on academic achievement as well as excellence in legal writing. Students interested in enhancing their advocacy skills participate on the Trial Advocacy team, in the Moot Court and International Moot Court Societies, on the Client Counseling team, and in other skills-specific competition groups. Student competition teams receive Law School support to participate in national and international contests.
Valparaiso Law has 25 active student organizations that are academic, service, and culturally focused and represent a wide cross section of society. Visit www.valpo.edu/law/current-students/student-organizations.
Valparaiso Law participates in and strongly supports the Indiana CLEO program, which provides financial and counseling assistance the summer before and while in law school to those selected as Fellows. Each year, an average of 7 to 10 incoming Valparaiso Law students are chosen as ICLEO Fellows. For more information, see www.valpo.edu/law/prospective-students/p-icleo-grant-program.
Our student body is composed of individuals committed to fostering a culture of respect, integrity, and inclusiveness. We actively recruit students of all races, ethnicities, ages, socioeconomic statuses, abilities, national origins, sexual identities, religions, and veteran statuses. Our total JD student body is composed of 29 percent racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in the law; 54 percent males, 46 percent females; and 33 percent age 25 and older.
The Law School is committed to helping students meet the cost of attendance. Approximately one third of all JD students receive scholarship assistance. Ninety-five percent of all law students receive assistance through federal loans, including the Grad PLUS loan program.
Valparaiso University Law School maintains strong ties to Valparaiso, a small city of 30,000 in northwest Indiana, located 60 miles from downtown Chicago. The larger Valparaiso community offers the best of Midwestern livability: close proximity to nature in the nearby beaches and parks along Lake Michigan; a vibrant local arts scene; a variety of shopping and dining experiences; and quiet, safe, and relatively inexpensive housing. We encourage you to visit our website at www.valpo.edu/law/admissions/index.php and visit the Law School. Tours can be arranged through the Office of Admissions. Visitors are hosted by an assistant director, sit in on a class, and meet with students and faculty.
Admission to Valparaiso Law is competitive. The selection process involves a holistic application review by a faculty Admissions Committee that considers motivation, professionalism, maturity, and service to others, as well as academic achievement.