Temple University—James E. Beasley School of Law

Introduction

Temple Law School is recognized both nationally and internationally as a leader in legal education. We offer both day and evening programs, and students may enroll on either a full- or part-time basis. Our innovative student-centered curriculum integrates both critical thinking and practical legal skills and has been developed in response to new realities and new challenges, such as globalization, technology, and interdisciplinary studies. Our students, faculty, and alumni are shaping the law at every level and are making an impact in Philadelphia, the United States, and around the world.

Located in the heart of a thriving, urban university, the law school complex consists of three recently renovated buildings designed to provide students with a state-of-the-art educational environment. Students at Temple build lawyering skills both in the classroom and in the law firms, courts, public service agencies, and financial institutions of Philadelphia, a major legal, commercial, and cultural center.

Temple students are bright, dynamic, and diverse. They come from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines. Many have traveled and lived in other countries, and their real-life experiences vitalize classroom discussion. A recent entering class hailed from 136 colleges and universities, and from 31 states and foreign countries. Ten percent had earned advanced degrees, and nearly 75 percent had at least one year of work experience before entering law school.

The faculty is an extraordinary group who are recognized throughout the world as legal experts, scholars, and policy makers. Their breadth of experience in virtually every area of practice brings a rich and distinctive quality to classroom discussions. While their accomplishments are many, it is the faculty's commitment to teaching that many students note as their greatest achievement.

The Study of Law at Temple

Trial skills enhance every lawyer's abilities in areas that intersect all aspects of practice, and Temple students benefit from one of the most advanced trial advocacy programs in the nation. Experienced faculty, innovative teaching methods, and extensive clinical offerings set Temple's program above the rest. The trial advocacy curriculum includes the innovative Integrated Program, which combines the teaching of trial advocacy, evidence, and civil procedure in a year-long course. Future litigators may also earn a Certificate in Trial Advocacy and Litigation by completing a robust list of advocacy courses and engaging in live client clinical experiences. Temple's reputation in trial advocacy programs is enhanced by our record in law school trial competitions, having won an unparalleled 21 consecutive National Trial Competition regional championships, 5 national championships, and 15 invitational tournaments.

Temple students have access to an extensive array of programs to prepare them to practice law in an increasingly global society. Temple's strength in international law includes opportunities for summer study in Rome, Italy, as well as a semester-abroad program in Tokyo, Japan, and exchange programs with law schools in China, Ireland, Israel, the Netherlands, Germany, India, Puerto Rico, and Switzerland. Additionally, Temple offers a Master of Laws program for international students holding foreign law degrees and has many active student organizations, such as an international law journal, the International Law Society, and the Jessup International Law Moot Court team. Temple's strong reputation in international law has been enhanced by the JD/LLM in Transnational Law for American law students; an LLM program in Beijing, China, in which Chinese lawyers study American law; and the creation of the Institute for International Law and Public Policy. Students may also design individualized study-abroad options at law schools around the world.

Temple is a pioneer in intellectual property and technology law, preparing students to learn and succeed in the virtual world. Temple has expanded the boundaries of traditional intellectual property law by integrating bodies of law that focus on the rapid expansion of the Internet, electronic commerce, biotechnologies, and other newly emerging legal issues. With faculty members who are experts in the field, and through hands-on activities outside the classroom, such as writing for a journal specializing in technology law or participating on the Intellectual Property Law Moot Court team, students learn how to meet the challenges of practicing law in a world without borders.

Temple offers superior training in business and tax law, including a creative program that combines the teaching of professional responsibility, substantive law courses, and business skills, such as interviewing, negotiating, and drafting. Prospective business lawyers can also pursue a JD/LLM in Taxation or, in conjunction with the Fox School of Business and Management, pursue a dual JD/MBA degree, or earn a Certificate in Business Law.

Temple's health care law curriculum explores the legal profession's role in the health care industry and prepares students to practice in the wide range of substantive areas that comprise health care law. In 2009, the Center for Health Law, Policy and Practice was created and, through a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Temple became home to the National Program Office of the foundation's Public Health Law Research Program. Students can further prepare to meet the challenges of this dynamic field by pursuing a dual JD/MPH degree.

Public service is a Temple tradition. The Office of Public Interest Programs is the focal point for public interest activities at the law school. Students provide legal services in the Philadelphia area through the extensive clinical program, the Temple Legal Aid Office, and various volunteer and community outreach programs. Public interest careers are supported by the Student Public Interest Network, which provides grants for summer internships; the Public Interest Scholars Program, which provides scholarships to entering students with a demonstrated commitment to public service; and the Barrack Public Interest Fellowships, a loan repayment assistance program for graduates in public interest jobs.

The curriculum is anchored by the first-year legal research and writing program. Instruction in law schools is founded on the notion of teaching each student to think like an attorney. Temple's legal research and writing program is a year-long course of study that teaches the basics of writing and speaking like a lawyer. Students learn basic legal research techniques and the fundamentals of legal writing. It is one of the most intensive and advanced programs of its kind in the country and is rated as one of the best in the nation.

Student Activities

Students are an integral part of policy making and governance at the law school. The Student Bar Association is the governing organization that oversees the more than 30 student groups that flourish at Temple, including the Black Law Students Association, the Latino Law Students Association, the Asian/Pacific Islander American Law Student Association, the Women's Law Caucus, and OUTLaw. Student publications include the Temple Law Review; the Temple Journal of Science, Technology, and Environmental Law; the Temple International and Comparative Law Journal; and the Temple Political and Civil Rights Law Review. Students who excel in advocacy may participate in the National Trial Team or the Moot Court Honor Society.

Career Planning

Temple students are poised and ready to succeed in every sector of the legal job market, having acquired unique practical training that other schools do not offer. As graduates, they carry a strong reputation for being able to hit the ground running, confident and prepared to practice law in the field of their choice. The Career Planning Office assists students with the development of strategies for securing employment and provides the resources necessary to supplement each student's individualized job search. Through the school's online career planning manager, students can search job postings, participate in various recruiting programs, and apply for jobs. In addition, one-on-one career counseling is available, and workshops and programs are offered to assist students in sharpening their job-search skills, including résumé writing, networking, and interviewing. Temple alumni are working in all 50 states and around the world and in a variety of legal fields.

Admission and Financial Aid

Temple's highly competitive admission process is designed to look at the whole person. The faculty Admissions Committee carefully evaluates each application and is committed to admitting the very best from a pool of talented applicants. In keeping with Temple's commitment to diversity and its mission of offering opportunities to students who might otherwise be precluded from pursuing a high-quality legal education, the committee may consider an application under Sp.A.C.E., its discretionary admission process. Through this process, the committee carefully selects applicants who have outstanding performance records and exceptional aptitudes for the study and practice of law that are not necessarily reflected by grades and LSAT scores alone.

The financial aid program supports the admission process with a combination of loans and both need- and merit-based scholarships, including the Beasley Scholars program, Conwell Law Scholarships, Law Faculty Scholarships, the Rubin-Presser Public Interest Scholars program, and First Year Scholar Awards.

Applicant Profile

Temple University—James E. Beasley School 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.