University of Pittsburgh School of Law

Introduction

The University of Pittsburgh School of Law (Pitt Law), founded in 1895, is a leader in legal education. It features a broad and varied curriculum, an internationally accomplished faculty, state-of-the-art physical facilities, and a talented and diverse student body hailing from all over the globe. Pitt Law is located in its own six-story building on campus in Oakland, the cultural and educational center of Pittsburgh. State and federal courts, major corporate headquarters, and hundreds of law firms are located nearby in downtown Pittsburgh, only minutes from campus. The dynamic Oakland area is home to four colleges and universities; the world-renowned, multihospital University of Pittsburgh Medical Center; numerous scientific and high-tech offices and research centers; museums; art galleries; coffee houses; and libraries. The Pitt campus abuts a beautiful 429-acre city park. Desirable and affordable residential areas are situated nearby and all mass transit in the city is free to Pitt students.

Faculty

Without question, one of the most invigorating aspects of attending Pitt Law is the faculty. Students have the opportunity to work with and alongside some of the finest legal scholars in the world. While Pitt Law's faculty are known nationally and internationally for their legal scholarship, Pitt Law students appreciate how accessible and committed to teaching they are.

Library and Physical Facilities

The Barco Law Library is an attractive, 450,000-volume, open-stack research facility housed on three floors of the School of Law building. Classrooms with state-of-the-art technology are located on the first and ground floors of the School of Law building.

In spring 2011, construction was completed on the student lounge, which provides a multipurpose space for students to study, socialize, and relax between classes. The new space offers a Starbucks coffee shop with "grab-n-go" food items, ample seating, a new student organization office suite that offers both collaborative and private work environments, new student lockers to better accommodate books and personal items, comfortable couches and chairs that promote student gathering, soft lighting, and increased electrical access for laptop use. This newly built-out space is adjacent to the Teplitz Memorial Courtroom where moot court sessions are held.

Curricular and Special Programs

Unlike the harsh, competitive stereotype of law school, Pitt Law fosters a spirit of personal achievement and collaboration. The courses are challenging and the standards are high, but students find the professors are encouraging and motivating. Rather than a culture that thrives on creating stress, Pitt Law offers an educational atmosphere of creativity, openness, growth, and excellence.

• Clinical Programs—Academics and reality meet head-on in our legal clinics. Pitt Law students have the opportunity to obtain hands-on experience in several clinical programs, including a Tax Clinic; an Environmental Law Clinic; a Civil Practice Clinic with a focus on either Health Law or Elder Law; a Family Law Clinic; a Securities and Arbitration Clinic; and an Immigration Law Clinic. With a supervising attorney, students do it all: pretrial preparation, negotiation, litigation, and counseling real-life clients about real-life legal concerns.
• Programs of Specialized Study—One way to prepare for law practice in an increasingly complex society is to develop specialized expertise. Pitt Law students may seize that advantage through participation in diverse programs of specialized study that permit students to focus their studies in high-demand areas of practice. Pitt Law has such programs in the areas of civil litigation; environmental law, science, and policy; health law; international and comparative law; and intellectual property and technology law.
• Joint-Degree Programs—Prompted by the recognized value of attorneys who work effectively across disciplines, we offer several joint-degree programs that provide rigorous, integrated training, effectively merging law and a number of allied fields. They include the JD/MBA with both Pitt and Carnegie Mellon University; the JD/MPH with our Graduate School of Public Health; the JD/MPA, JD/MPIA, and JD/MID with our Graduate School of Public and International Affairs; the JD/MA (Bioethics); the JD/MSW (Social Work); and the JD/MSPPM and JD/MAM with the Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University.
• Semester in DC—Pitt Law students can spend a semester working for a nonprofit or government agency in Washington, DC, while earning a full semester's worth of academic credit. The DC Externship Program allows students to combine supervised field work with a government or nonprofit employer, a related academic seminar, and the option of earning additional credit by pursuing an independent study related to the externship. Members of the Pitt Law alumni network are eager to serve as mentors to Pitt Law students, and many DC area employers are interested in receiving externship applications from Pitt Law students.
• Innovation Practice Institute (IPI)—Pitt Law is uniquely situated amid some of the world's leading innovators in fields ranging from regenerative medicine to robotics, to entertainment technology, to alternative energy and green building. Taking advantage of this environment, IPI gives Pitt Law students the opportunity to immerse themselves in experiential, cross-disciplinary, project-based learning to develop the skills and confidence to participate as professionals in the innovation culture and economy.

Center for International Legal Education (CILE)

In today's world, legal problems regularly involve many nations and many sets of laws. Today's global lawyer understands the political, cultural, and social influences on the legal systems of other countries and uses that knowledge for the benefit of his or her clients. CILE faculty prepare Pitt Law students for successful futures in tomorrow's world. Students study the workings of foreign legal systems and explore the wide array of issues facing practicing attorneys in the global marketplace. The center also coordinates international programs at Pitt with the University Center for International Studies and affiliated area studies programs, and it supervises a number of specialized language classes, such as French for Lawyers, Spanish for Lawyers, German for Lawyers, and Chinese for Lawyers.

Student Activities

The University of Pittsburgh Law Review, the Journal of Law and Commerce, and the Journal of Technology Law and Policy are among the journals published by law students. More than 30 law student organizations thrive at Pitt Law, reflecting the diverse social and intellectual interests and experiences of our students. They include the Asian Law Students Association, the Black Law Students Association, the Environmental Law Council, the Federalist Society, the Hispanic Law Society, the Jewish Law Students Association, the Lesbian-Gay Rights Organization (OUTLAW), the Pitt Law Women's Association, and the Pitt Legal Income Sharing Foundation, among others.

Career Services

The Career Services Office (CSO) provides year-round assistance to Pitt Law students and graduates. The office serves as a clearinghouse for information on summer, part-time, and permanent work with law firms, corporations, accounting firms, government agencies, judges, and other legal employers. It also helps students develop practical job-search strategies, helps demystify the dynamics of the legal job market, offers strategies for finding the perfect job in that market, and offers information and counseling regarding nontraditional careers utilizing professional skills gained in law school. The CSO works closely with Pitt Law's Alumni Office to create opportunities for students to connect with our large network of alumni.

Admission and Financial Aid

Pitt Law has a highly competitive admission process and decision-making is based upon several factors; the GPA and LSAT scores serve as the most important of those. When evaluating an undergraduate degree, the admission committee pays careful attention to the strength of the major field of study, looking specifically for a prospective student to have shown evidence of discipline and the ability to handle a rigorous and demanding program. The same assessment is made of graduate and professional work. A required personal statement provides a view into the nonacademic world of the applicant. This is critical to Pitt Law's ability to enroll a diverse class—students with various backgrounds and a range of experiences. Similarly, letters of recommendation and résumés provide a broader view of the applicant's accomplishments. Applicants are reviewed on a rolling notification basis. Pitt Law assists accepted students in securing the financial resources needed to cover the cost of their legal education. Approximately half of the student body receives merit or need-based scholarships. Pitt Law also offers a Public Interest Scholarship and numerous named scholarships. All students admitted to Pitt Law are automatically considered for scholarships and notifications of awards are included in their acceptance letters.

The City of Pittsburgh

Today Pittsburgh is spectacular—a thriving business center and a high-tech hotbed rated America's most livable city in 2011! Our campus is at the center of it all. We are a stroll away from wonderfully diverse neighborhoods, acres of parks, scores of restaurants and shops, three major league sports arenas, movies, museums, galleries, dance clubs, coffee houses, and riverside cafés, and that's just the short list. A quick commute on your bike takes you to the nucleus of the law and business community in downtown Pittsburgh. You'll also find the heart of the cultural district downtown, offering world-class theater, opera, symphony, ballet, and dance. For a law student, Pittsburgh is a lot more than a livable city—it's a context for building a strong career. There is no finer preparation for law than learning in a setting that gives you a wealth of opportunity to put theory into practice. Pittsburgh is the global headquarters for Fortune 500 corporations, home to one of the nation's largest medical centers, a hub of public policy interest, and host to more than 2,500 high technology companies—all served by a robust and sophisticated practicing bar. Pitt Law's location near the heart of the legal community makes practitioners accessible as mentors in the classroom and models in the field and permits many students to get real legal experience while still in school.

Applicant Profile

University of Pittsburgh School 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	11	9	7	4	6	5	7	5	3	2	4	2	5	0	1	1	44	28
LSAT score 165–169	53	40	52	36	38	22	16	3	15	4	10	5	5	1	5	2	194	113
LSAT score 160–164	104	82	145	115	120	93	99	56	45	27	27	14	12	4	17	9	569	400
LSAT score 155–159	112	55	227	101	198	68	109	27	55	12	21	4	11	0	17	3	750	270
LSAT score 150–154	58	8	87	7	118	13	113	12	40	7	24	2	21	0	7	0	468	49
LSAT score 145–149	20	1	30	3	30	0	37	1	39	1	18	0	16	0	6	0	196	6
LSAT score 140–144	1	0	12	0	20	1	21	0	18	0	13	0	9	0	3	0	97	1
LSAT score Below 140	4	0	3	0	6	0	10	0	9	0	5	0	8	0	2	0	47	0
Total	363	195	563	266	536	202	412	104	224	53	122	27	87	5	58	15	2365	867

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