201 Edward J. Hanley Hall, 900 Locust Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15282-0700
Phone: 412.396.6296; Fax: 412.396.1073
E-mail: campion@duq.edu; Website: www.duq.edu/law
The Duquesne University School of Law is a Catholic law school that has been in existence since 1911 and is the only multiple-division law school in western Pennsylvania. Admission requirements, instruction, and the nature and scope of the work required of students are identical for both the full-time day division and the part-time evening and part-time day divisions. The School of Law is approved by the ABA and is a member of the AALS.
Situated on the attractive 43-acre Duquesne University campus, the law school is within walking distance to the vibrant Pittsburgh downtown legal, corporate, and government communities.
Recognized as one of the best cities in which to practice law and a center for corporate and legal headquarters, Pittsburgh is a leading metropolis for high technology ventures and a thriving arts and cultural community, with major-league sports entertainment.
Duquesne's proximity to the Pittsburgh region's legal center makes the law school library a major source for legal research and information services. The Duquesne law library has assumed management responsibility of the Allegheny County Law Library, resulting in one of the largest collections of legal materials in Pennsylvania.
The law school recently completed a $12 million renovation and expansion, adding 33,000 square feet to Hanley Hall. The four new floors of space include a state-of-the-art moot courtroom (giving us three), three new technology-aided classrooms with ports and power sources at every seat, an upgraded lounge area with a cafeteria, new faculty and administrative offices, student locker areas, a conference room, and a wireless computer lab.
The course of study offered at the School of Law is sufficiently broad to prepare students for practice in all states. Three years are required for completion of the course of study in the day division, four years in the evening division and the part-time day division. Eighty-six credits are required for graduation.
While emphasis is placed upon skills such as legal research and writing and trial advocacy, the required courses are sufficiently broad to provide all students with the requisite skills to become competent lawyers in any field of practice. A wide selection of elective courses, seminars, and student in-house and internal clinics allows students to focus on specialized legal fields and explore the contemporary problems of law and society.
Bachelor's degree required. Application deadlines: day, April 1; evening, May 1; part-time day, June 1; rolling admission. LSAT and registration with LSAC's Credential Assembly Service (CAS) required.
All candidates for admission must take the LSAT, register for the Credential Assembly Service (CAS), and be graduates of an accredited college or university before enrolling in the law school. Personal interviews are not granted, but applicants are encouraged to schedule an appointment to visit the school for an information session or a tour of the facilities.
The admission process is selective. Most applicants apply well in advance of the deadlines. Students are admitted only for the fall semester.
In evaluating applications, the complete academic record is reviewed with consideration given to the competitiveness of the undergraduate institution, the college major, rank in class, and the overall academic performance. The LSAT is considered an important factor. Graduate study, extracurricular activities, and recommendations also contribute to the committee's assessment. Work experience is considered when an applicant has been employed full time for a significant length of time.
The School of Law offers the following joint-degree programs: JD/MBA, JD/MS-Environmental Science and Management, JD/MA-Healthcare Ethics, and JD/MDiv.
The School of Law operates six in-house live client clinics and a simulation course. The Bill of Rights Clinic offers students an opportunity to work with clients before the Human Relations Commission, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the US District Court for Western Pennsylvania, and the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. In the Civil and Family Justice Law Clinic students assist clients while working at one of five placements on civil cases related to matters involving family law issues. The Community Enterprise Clinic provides legal assistance, counseling, and representation to nonprofit groups and organizations committed to effecting change in Greater Pittsburgh communities. In the Criminal Advocacy Clinic students assist in the representation of criminal defendants at the Allegheny County Office of Conflict Counsel. The award-winning Unemployment Compensation Clinic provides representation to clients before unemployment compensation referees in hearings, and on appeals, to the Board of Review. The Urban Development Clinic provides a range of legal services associated with real estate development occurring in several distressed communities in Greater Pittsburgh. The E-Discovery Simulation Course offers an intense, practical introduction to electronic discovery through a simulated litigation exercise.
The Law School has established a summer program and faculty exchange with the China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL). Located in Beijing, CUPL, with official ties to China's Ministry of Justice, is the most prestigious center for legal study in all of China. Duquesne has an outstanding ABA-approved summer program of study on comparative law and the European Union at the American College Dublin. The Summer Study of European Law program was newly launched in the summer of 2011 with students having the opportunity to study at the University of Cologne and experience different cultures in Cologne, Paris, and Brussels while spending three weeks of summer in Europe.
The Student Bar Association maintains a liaison between students and faculty and sponsors social and professional activities for the student body.
Membership in the Duquesne Law Review is based on the demonstrated academic ability of the student as well as his or her interest in becoming active in this publication. Juris, the law school news magazine, is an ABA award-winning publication containing articles of current interest to the entire legal community. Students also publish the Duquesne Business Law Journal.
Duquesne consistently strives to ensure that the outstanding private legal education provided by the law school is within the reach of all qualified students. Merit scholarships are awarded to outstanding day-division applicants, grants-in-aid are awarded primarily on the basis of need, and state and federal government-sponsored loans are available.
Law students have access to an array of housing options throughout the neighborhoods of Pittsburgh and the surrounding communities. The Office of Commuter Affairs will assist law students in their search for housing by providing a list of available locations. For further information, please write to the Office of Commuter Affairs, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA 15282, or call 412.396.6660.
The Career Services Office staff offers assistance to students and alumni who are interested in obtaining full-time, part-time, and summer employment. The office offers a fall and spring on-campus interview program in which law firms, government agencies, corporations, and accounting firms conduct individual interviews.
The School of Law is a member of the National Association for Law Placement, the National Association for Public Interest Law Publication Network, and the Allegheny County Bar Association Minority Job Fair.
Graduates have consistently been placed at a rate at or above 90 percent within six months of graduation. The law school has nearly 5,000 alumni throughout the United States and in several foreign countries.
The law school recognizes the different strengths presented by our day division, evening division, and part-time day students and acknowledges that the diversity in the groups cannot be accurately or completely represented in a single grid of average undergraduate GPA and LSAT scores. Graduate degrees, personal and professional accomplishments, and extensive employment experience predominate in the evening, part-time, and day divisions.
These factors are considered crucial to an individual assessment of admissibility. Applications are reviewed individually, and factors such as leadership experience, community service, and other nonacademic experiences are considered. Applicants should contact the Admissions Office for specific information on the current year's class; phone: 412.396.6296. Applicants are encouraged to visit the law school.