Office of Admissions, 885 Centre Street
Newton, MA 02459
Phone: 617.552.4351; Fax: 617.552.2917
E-mail: bclawadm@bc.edu; Website: www.bc.edu/law
Since its founding in 1929, Boston College Law School has earned a national reputation for educational excellence and the highest standards of professionalism while fostering a unique spirit of community among its students, faculty, and staff. The school's Jesuit heritage means it has a special focus on justice and the ethical practice of law, while supporting the development of the whole person. The faculty is highly focused on both teaching and mentoring, building upon a student's core strengths in the classroom and beyond.
The school works hard to provide the building blocks of any successful legal career with a mixture of theory and skills-based learning opportunities. The diverse curriculum is designed to help students develop the framework needed to adapt successfully to changes in society and the legal profession, and the school's nationally recognized research and writing, advocacy, and clinical programs, as well as unique externships and dual-degree programs, help prepare new lawyers for the actual, real-world practice of law. During their job search, they have access to one of the strongest and most loyal alumni associations in the country for networking and mentoring. BC Law graduates often refer to their time in law school as some of the best years of their lives, and their fondness for the school shows in their enthusiasm and support.
Boston College Law School is located on an attractive 40-acre campus in Newton, Massachusetts, just minutes from downtown Boston. It is fully accredited and has a chapter of the Order of the Coif, the prestigious national law school honorary society.
The BC Law campus is an intriguing mix of old-style elegance and new-world innovation—a testament to the power of technology, engineering, and design. Students can connect to the network from anywhere. Data ports are available from every library carrel, as well as every classroom seat in the East Wing; wireless technology is also available anywhere in the library and in every classroom. The library encourages individual or group study, with its desk and lounge areas, computer centers, audiovisual resource rooms, and private study rooms. With its soaring atrium entry and light-filled spaces, the East Wing includes classrooms and faculty offices, administrative offices for a career services center and a career resources library, two conference rooms, and the John J. and Mary Daly Curtin Public Interest Center (a suite of offices for student groups working on public service projects). The East Wing's brick exterior complements the law library and the Stuart House administration building, as well as the Barat House alumni and development building. The three buildings form an attractive courtyard for outdoor use by the Law School community. All academic, administrative, library, and service facilities are accessible to physically challenged persons.
The faculty of Boston College Law School strongly believe in the importance of a general legal education designed to enable graduates to adapt to the changing demands of law practice, supported by a strong skills-based approach that gives students real-world experience in the practice of law. Areas of particular focus include international law, constitutional law, business law, dispute resolution, immigration law, environmental law, criminal law, family law, tax law, intellectual property law, and clinical programs.
In the first year, all students take traditional courses, including Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Property Law, Criminal Law, and Torts. In addition, an intensive, two-semester Legal Reasoning, Research, and Writing course is required. In the spring semester, students are allowed to take one three-credit elective. Over 200 courses are offered in the second and third years.
The Semester in Practice program offers individually designed placement with judges, government agencies, public interest organizations, and law firms in the greater Boston area. The International Human Rights semester in practice offers a unique opportunity to work at an international human rights organization such as the International Criminal Court, the Special Tribunal for Cambodia, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the Jesuit Refugee Service, and internationally oriented NGOs in the US. The course is designed to provide students with real-world experience and critical insight into international legal institutions, and to prepare them for international legal practice, with special emphasis on human rights. The Attorney General Program provides an intensive full-year clinical experience in the Government Bureau of the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General. The Judicial Process course includes placement with a specific superior court justice. The London Program has both academic and experiential components. The program provides students with a critical insight into comparative legal institutions with special emphasis on international regulatory process, whether in environmental or securities regulation, antitrust, intellectual property, or human rights.
The Law School is committed to making clinical experiences available to all students who desire them. The Boston College Legal Assistance Bureau (LAB) was one of the first of its kind in the country when it was founded in 1968 and remains a model for many others across the country. At LAB, students assume responsibility for representation of indigent clients through the Civil Litigation, Housing, and Community Enterprise clinics.
Students in the Criminal Justice Clinic prosecute or defend criminal cases in state court. The Judge and Community Courts class examines the interaction between the local court and the community it serves. In Juvenile Rights Advocacy, students advocate for troubled youth and work toward juvenile justice policy reform. In the Immigration Law Clinic, students advise clients and work on administrative and appellate litigation under the supervision of practicing attorneys.
Selected students may participate in the following writing programs: Boston College Law Review, Boston College Environmental Affairs Law Review, Boston College International and Comparative Law Review, Boston College Journal of Law and Social Justice, and the Uniform Commercial Code Reporter-Digest.
Boston College Law School supports over a dozen different internal competitions, including negotiation, client counseling, moot court, and mock trial. In addition, selected students may compete in national and international moot court competitions, which are judged by faculty, state and federal judges, and practicing attorneys. These competitions allow students to enhance negotiation, counseling, and oral advocacy skills. BC Law students consistently outperform their peers. Teams have won a number of national competitions in recent years, including the Frederick Douglass, Immigration Law, European Law, and National Religious Freedom competitions.
The Financial Aid Office administers the Law School's scholarship and grant programs, federal and private loan programs, and the Federal Work-Study Program. Scholarship funds are awarded based on both need and merit. Approximately 82 percent of the students currently enrolled are awarded financial aid, and 54 percent of these students receive scholarship assistance as part of their financial aid awards. Scholarships awarded for the first year will be automatically renewed for the second and third years provided that students make satisfactory academic progress. Each year, three entering students are awarded full-tuition Public Service Scholarships because of their demonstrated commitment to public interest law. The Law School also offers a generous Loan Repayment Assistance Program for graduates who pursue careers in legal services, government, and not-for-profit organizations.
Boston College Law School does not offer on-campus housing for law students. However, the dedicated staff at the Office of Residential Life's Off-Campus Housing Office provide services and resources to all graduate students in their housing search. Each year, the Office of Residential Life hosts a housing fair to help you in your search for housing in the local neighborhoods. The Roommate Finder is an online database for students seeking roommates to occupy a current or new apartment. For more information about housing for law students, please contact the Off-Campus Housing Office at 617.552.3075 or visit their website at www.bc.edu/offcampus.
The Office of Career Services is dedicated to helping students make the transition from law student to employed professional. The range of opportunities for graduates spans virtually the entire spectrum of legal practice. Each year more than 1,000 prospective employers solicit applications from Boston College law students. During the 2010–2011 recruitment season, approximately 270 law firms, government agencies, corporations, and public interest organizations from 19 states interviewed Boston College law students as part of on- and off-campus recruiting programs, and an additional 150 employers requested résumé collections. More than 12,000 alumni are presently practicing in 50 states and around the globe.
BC Law is a unique community focused upon the development of the whole person, nurturing students not just academically, but socially and spiritually. The school has a vibrant social life with over 40 active student groups, a welcome reception in the fall, dean's office hosted events such as Oktoberfest and Harvest Desserts, dean town meetings, and mentoring programs with faculty and alumni. BC Law has an extensive Academic Support Program. Student groups host many events during the year that bring in outside speakers, including lectures, film screenings, and discussion panels. The Law Students Association and other groups host jointly sponsored events such as Culture Shock, which examines the role of privilege in society, and Diversity Month. The school has an established pro bono program that centralizes activities and encourages students to explore pro bono opportunities, with student participants acknowledged during graduation ceremonies.
BC Law has a long, celebrated tradition of public service. The Office of Career Services has a dedicated director of public interest programs who helps coordinate the school's various efforts (including the Pro Bono Program, Spring Break Trips to Navajo Nation, immigration-focused projects, and areas of need such as New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina), as well as advising students pursuing a career in public service and helping with placement. The school is home to the John and Mary Curtin Center for Public Interest Programs. BC Law's Public Interest Scholarships assist students with tuition, and the school's Francis X. Bellotti Loan Repayment Program (LRAP) assists with debt relief for graduates working in public interest related positions. The Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF) at BC Law also funds a number of summer stipends each year.
The Law School considers many factors during the admission process. The admissions committee is one of the largest at the school, and works hard to ensure the acceptance of a well-rounded, diverse group of students, looking beyond test scores and GPA. Academic achievement and LSAT scores are extremely significant, but work and professional experience, college and volunteer activities, the quality of recommendations, and the personal statement also play an important role in this decision-making process. BC Law has no minimum cutoff either for GPA or LSAT. In evaluating the undergraduate record, class rank as well as courses taken are considered. If the LSAT has been taken more than once, all scores are considered in the review process. Boston College Law School strongly encourages applications from qualified minority, disabled, or other students who have been socially, economically, or culturally disadvantaged. Each applicant is evaluated in an effort to ensure that all relevant credentials are considered.