Syracuse University College of Law

Introduction

Syracuse University College of Law was established in 1895. The College of Law is a charter member of the AALS and is fully approved by the ABA. Embedded in a dynamic teaching and research university, the College of Law is one of the oldest of the 11 schools and colleges comprising Syracuse University. The College of Law complex is located on the 200-acre SU main campus overlooking scenic Central New York and the city of Syracuse.

Curriculum

Syracuse University College of Law's mission is guided by the philosophy that the best way to educate lawyers to practice in today's world is to engage them in a process of interdisciplinary learning while teaching them to apply what they learn in the classroom to real legal issues, problems, and clients. Beginning in the first year and continuing throughout the curriculum, students are exposed to educational settings that integrate opportunities to acquire a better understanding of legal theory and doctrine, develop professional skills, and gain exposure to the values and ethics of the legal profession. As a result, Syracuse students are better prepared for the practice of law.

Interdisciplinary Learning Opportunities

• Disability Law and Policy Program—Students may pursue a joint degree in law and disability studies and certificate programs in disability law and policy. Coursework, internships, and the Disability Rights Clinic push the boundaries of a traditional legal education and engage students in hands-on learning for the public good.
• Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism (INSCT)—The institute, a joint enterprise of the College of Law and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, is dedicated to interdisciplinary teaching, research, and public service focused on important national and global problems of security and terrorism. INSCT students pursuing professional and doctoral degrees engage in advanced coursework toward specialty certificates in security and terrorism studies. The institute's research portfolio is broad and deep, ranging from faculty-supervised student working papers and research reports, to significant articles and books for academic journals and presses, to sponsorship of major workshops and conferences designed to further a research agenda in security or terrorism. While all INSCT research advances knowledge in the field, many projects are conducted on behalf of, or in consultation with, agencies, municipalities, and other public entities, thus providing direct public service.
• Technology Commercialization Law Program—The program is a course concentration within the law curriculum that provides an interdisciplinary and applied approach to the study of commercial development of new technologies. The program combines classroom courses, case study problem-solving, negotiation and drafting exercises, and applied research projects.
• Family Law and Social Policy Center—The center prepares students for a career in family law by engaging them in interdisciplinary research, providing them with applied learning experiences, and connecting them with the community to provide services that benefit families and children. The center offers opportunities that blend interdisciplinary theory and practice in the field of family law in challenging and rewarding ways. These combined experiences allow students to emerge from the program with the professional skills and experiences necessary to launch successful and satisfying careers in family law.
• Center for Global Law and Practice—The center provides students with specialized foreign, comparative, and international courses as well as cocurricular offerings. Students are exposed to the myriad ways in which the process of globalization increasingly impacts trade and commerce; the environment; national, regional, and local governments; individual rights and welfare; and even the legal profession itself. A summer-abroad program is offered in London.
• Center for Indigenous Law, Governance, and Citizenship—The center is a research-based law and policy institute focused on indigenous nations, their development, and their interaction with the US and Canadian governments.
• Institute for the Study of the Judiciary, Politics, and the Media (IJPM)—The institute is a collaborative effort between Syracuse University's College of Law, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, and the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. The institute is devoted to the study of issues at the intersection of law, politics, and the media. The institute sponsors lectures, conferences, and symposia designed to foster discussion and debate among legal scholars, sitting judges, and working journalists.
• Center on Property, Citizenship, and Social Entrepreneurism—The center brings together experts from a variety of fields and institutions to discuss and explore issues related to modern real estate transactions and finance; community development and housing; global property law systems; and access to ownership for inclusion of the elderly, the poor, and persons with disabilities.
• Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) Centers of Innovation on Disability—Through research and scholarship in action, the institute will advance the civic, economic, and social participation of persons with disabilities in a global society. The institute seeks to create a collaborative environment—with entrepreneurial innovation and best business practices—to foster public-private dialogue, and create the capacity to transform policy, systems, and people through inclusive education, the workforce, and communities.

Other Opportunities for Specialization

• Clinical Programs—Legal concepts learned in the classroom come to life for students who participate in the in-house clinics and externship program. Students work with lawyers in law offices, becoming immersed in the actual practice of law through their work on real cases affecting real clients. Students provide much-needed legal services to our community, as many of our clients are unable to afford private counsel. Diverse clinical opportunities at the College of Law include the Criminal Defense Law Clinic, the Community Development Law Clinic, the Children's Rights and Family Law Clinic, the Disability Rights Clinic, the Elder Law Clinic, the Low Income Taxpayer Law Clinic, and the Securities Arbitration Clinic/Consumer Law Clinic. In addition, the externship program provides opportunities for students to work in government offices, judges' chambers, university-based programs, and public interest organizations.
• Joint-Degree Programs—Students who desire a greater degree of specialization may select from a number of joint-degree opportunities. Formal joint-degree programs exist in public administration, international relations, business administration or accounting, communications, environmental law, education (disability studies), social work, and engineering. Joint degrees may also be designed to fit special career objectives.
• Advocacy Skills—Syracuse Law is recognized for its exceptional advocacy programs. Students are actively involved, and have been highly successful, in national and regional moot court competitions. Syracuse students participate in intraschool programs throughout the year in trial and appellate competitions covering a wide variety of areas.

Library

The law library's four spacious levels within the College of Law complex house more than 473,000 volumes in print and microform; 2,200 serials; and extensive audio, video, and electronic holdings—all accessible through the university-wide online library catalog. On the main floor, the circulation and reference desks offer conveniently located services and research support in close proximity to the Electronic Research Center. The library adds approximately 2,500 new titles to its catalog each year, including a growing number of licensed electronic databases.

Admission

History reveals that undergraduate grades and LSAT scores are reliable measures, in most cases, for predicting probable success in law study. Thus, an index combining grades and test scores becomes a factor in most admission decisions. However, recognizing that numerical indicators are not always the best predictors of success in law school—even when considered in combination with other factors—the college admits a limited number of students each year through its Legal Education Opportunity (LEO) Program. The program's dual objectives are to recruit and admit persons who may have been deprived of equal education opportunities for reasons of race, gender, poverty, or other factors beyond their control; and to recruit and admit persons with unusual accomplishments, backgrounds, and experiences that suggest traditional admission criteria may be inadequate predictors of likely success in law study.

Financial Aid

The college is committed to assisting students in financing their legal education through a comprehensive financial aid program. Awards are made from a variety of sources, including merit-based scholarships; need-based tuition grants; and from federal sources, including the work-study program and the Perkins and Direct Loan programs.

Professional and Career Development

The Office of Professional and Career Development provides a full range of career-oriented services to students, including a broad mix of innovative and traditional support. Programming is designed to prepare students for leadership, service, and professionalism, while developing their ability to deal with lifelong career planning. The Professional and Career Development staff work one-on-one with students assisting them in crafting job search strategies that focus on their interests and capitalize on their strengths.

Applicant Profile

Syracuse University College of Law

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

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