Nova Southeastern University—Shepard Broad Law Center

Introduction

NSU Law Center is one of 16 graduate and professional schools of Nova Southeastern University, the largest private independent university in Florida and the sixth largest in the United States. NSU Law is accredited by the ABA and is a member of the AALS. The Law Center is located in the suburbs of Fort Lauderdale, in the heart of South Florida's fast-growing Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach area. We encourage applicants to tour the campus and speak with the staff of the Admissions Office.

Curriculum and Special Academic/Professional Programs

The Law Center offers a rigorous traditional academic program in three-year day and four-year evening versions. NSU Law prides itself on preparing graduates to make a smooth transition from the classroom to the courtroom or boardroom.

Lawyering Skills and Values (LSV)—Every student completes a four-semester LSV sequence that combines traditional legal reasoning, writing, and research with an introduction to lawyer interviewing, counseling, negotiating, mediating, advocating, and other critical skills in a simulated law firm experience.

Clinical Opportunities—Clinical education is an important part of the NSU Law experience. The Law Center offers students a pioneering combination of academics and clinical experience that gives students the knowledge and skills they need to hit the ground running and launch a successful career in the highly competitive legal marketplace. Students have an opportunity to participate in numerous supervised clinical and externship experiences in the Alternative Dispute Resolution, Business Practice, Children and Families Law, Criminal Justice, Environmental and Land Use Law, International Practice, or Personal Injury Litigation clinics. During the clinical program, students are introduced to a practice specialty under the guidance of a seasoned mentor. Each clinical semester begins with intensive classes that focus on advanced substantive law and lawyering skills in the clinic specialty plus interdisciplinary topics. For the rest of the term, faculty members supervise the students' representation of clients in Law Center clinics, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private law offices.

International Dual-Degree Opportunities—NSU Law students have an opportunity to study both common law and civil law through our dual-degree program with the University of Barcelona. With successful completion of the program and the appropriate bar requirements, students can qualify for admission to the bar in both Spain and the United States. As lawyers, dual-degree graduates will have an opportunity to practice in the United States and Spain, and to practice transactional law in the European Union. The dual degree will also assist those wishing to practice in Latin America. Opportunities are also available in the Czech Republic and Italy.

Joint Degrees—NSU Law offers students opportunities to earn a second graduate degree in a complementary discipline and in a compressed time frame.

Internships—In addition to an award-winning pro bono service program, the Law Center operates judicial internship, mediation, street law, consumer protection, and dependency workshop programs that provide valuable real-world experiences.

Two Admission Programs

The Law Center's Admissions Committee oversees two separate programs. The Regular Admission Program combines each applicant's undergraduate grades and LSAT score according to a weighted formula based on the academic success of NSU Law students. The committee also values the applicant's personal statement, writing sample, work experience, and letters of recommendation. While no single factor is determinative, if the LSAT/UGPA combination does not demonstrate the promise of academic achievement, an applicant is unlikely to be offered regular admission.

Selected applicants who are denied regular admission will be offered the opportunity to earn admission to the Law Center by successful performance in NSU Law's unique Alternative Admissions Model Program for Legal Education (AAMPLE). In the 33 years of AAMPLE's operation, more than 1,000 students have qualified for admission. AAMPLE students who enroll in a six-week summer session and earn a C+ average in the two courses are offered admission to the Law Center. AAMPLE is presented in two formats, the traditional on-campus program and an innovative online model.

Approximately 37 percent of our applicants are offered seats through the Regular Admission Program. Another 24 percent are invited to AAMPLE. Applicants are encouraged to review the charts that follow this narrative to evaluate the likelihood of being admitted to the Law Center via the Regular Admission or AAMPLE. NSU Law's two admission programs produce a diverse student body. Recent classes were nearly evenly divided between men and women, with members of minority groups comprising approximately 38 percent of the class.

The Admissions Committee awards partial tuition scholarships on the basis of academic merit to approximately 28 percent of students admitted through the Regular Admission Program.

Faculty

NSU Law professors have a long tradition of teaching excellence. The faculty's open-door policy is enhanced by our sophisticated wireless communications system and pioneering laptop program. Limits on the size of first-year sections result in more individualized feedback. The faculty's expertise is reflected in rich classroom discussion and a wide range of scholarly publications and professional service.

Library and Physical Facilities

Nova Southeastern has been a technology pioneer for more than a decade. NSU Law Center installed the first wireless system in a law school in 1996 and was the first US law school to provide totally wireless access to all faculty, staff, and students. NSU Law leads the way in the use of technology in legal education.

The Law Library's extensive holdings include special collections in tax, criminal law, law and popular culture, admiralty, and international law. With more than 340,000 volume/volume equivalents, the Law Library provides access to primary and secondary sources of US law as well as case-finding and updating tools. The Law Library and Technology Center is designated as a United Nations depository and as a depository for US and Florida government documents.

Leo Goodwin Sr. Hall, which houses the Law Center, has two courtrooms used by students in the school's trial advocacy and moot court programs as well as by the National Institute for Trial Advocacy and state appellate court judges.

Student Activities

The Law Center is home to three significant publications: the Nova Law Review, the Journal of International and Comparative Law, and the International Citator and Research Project.

The Moot Court Society sponsors intramural competitions. Members of the society compete in major national events. The Association of Trial Lawyers of America and other student advocacy groups field teams in competitions around the country.

Students shape the life of the Law Center through their involvement in a wide range of service organizations and social clubs. Extremely active groups include the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, Black Law Students Association, Jewish Law Students Association, Hispanic Law Student Association, Lambda Law Society, Student Bar Association, Florida Association for Women Lawyers, National Association for Public Interest Law, International Law Society, Native American Law Students Association, and a variety of practice specialty and sports clubs. Students also guide chapters of national legal fraternities, participate with lawyers and judges in the Inns of Court, and serve on faculty committees.

Career Services

Our Career Development Office assists students and alumni with career counseling and the employment process. In addition to facilitating on-campus interviews and résumé distributions, the director coordinates career-option seminars and interviewing workshops. The office also sponsors skill courses and assists students in finding pro bono experiences with law firms and legal agencies throughout the country.

Applicant Profile

Nova Southeastern University—Shepard Broad Law Center

Regular Admission Program

	GPA
LSAT Score	3.75+	3.50–3.74	3.25–3.49	3.00–3.24	2.75–2.99	2.50–2.74	2.25–2.49	2.00–2.24	Below 2.00
LSAT score 165–180	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Possible	Possible
LSAT score 160–164	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Possible	Unlikely
LSAT score 155–159	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Possible	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 150–154	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Possible	Possible	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 145–149	Possible	Possible	Possible	Possible	Possible	Possible	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 140–144	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 135–139	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 130–134	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score Below 130	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely

Good  = Good Possibility

Possible  = Possible

Unlikely  = Unlikely

Please use this chart as a general guide in determining admission chances for the Regular Admission Program. Nonnumerical factors are also considered during the file evaluation process.

AAMPLE

Enrolled/Successful

	GPA
LSAT Score	3.75+	3.50–3.74	3.25–3.49	3.00–3.24	2.75–2.99	2.50–2.74	2.25–2.49	2.00–2.24	Below 2.00	Unknown GPA
LSAT score 150–159							3 enrolled/3 successful	2 enrolled/1 successful
LSAT score 145–149	1 enrolled/0 successful	4 enrolled/3 successful	17 enrolled/12 successful	14 enrolled/8 successful	15 enrolled/8 successful	11 enrolled/7 successful	6 enrolled/2 successful	1 enrolled/0 successful		3 enrolled/2 successful
LSAT score 140–144	1 enrolled/1 successful	7 enrolled/3 successful	21 enrolled/10 successful	10 enrolled/6 successful	13 enrolled/4 successful	12 enrolled/2 successful	4 enrolled/1 successful			2 enrolled/1 successful
LSAT score 135–139		1 enrolled/0 successful	1 enrolled/1 successful			2 enrolled/0 successful
LSAT score 130–134

Please use this chart to determine the possibility of being admitted through AAMPLE (Alternative Admission Model Program for Legal Education). The chart reflects admission data for the Summer 2011 AAMPLE combined, including both on-campus and online AAMPLE. Overall, there were 116 students enrolled in on-campus AAMPLE, with 58 successful, and 35 enrolled in online AAMPLE, 17 of whom were successful in 2011.