University of Baltimore School of Law

Introduction

Founded in 1925, the University of Baltimore is one of 13 institutions in the University System of Maryland. Although UB is the sixth largest public law school in the country, with approximately 1,000 JD students, the school prides itself on excellent classroom teaching, small law school sections, and personalized service.

The School of Law remains committed to its traditional values of community involvement, public interest, access, and diversity. Regardless of a graduate's area of practice, the school believes that all of its students should be exposed to the traditional obligation of lawyers to serve the poor and the common good. Finally, the school values a diverse faculty, staff, and student body as an essential part of its pedagogical mission. The School of Law is accredited by the ABA and AALS.

Admission

The School of Law has established an admission policy designed to obtain a diverse and well-qualified student body. In evaluating applicant files, the Admission Committee considers not only the cumulative undergraduate grade-point average and the LSAT score, but also nontraditional factors that may be relevant in determining an applicant's ability to succeed in law school. Applicants are encouraged to discuss fully in a personal statement any such factors they wish the committee to consider in evaluating their application.

Enrollment/Student Body

The School of Law provides three options for pursuing a law degree: a full-time day program, a part-time evening program, and a part-time day program. Approximately a third of the student body is part time, making the part-time division one of the largest in the nation. Over 88 percent of the classes are composed of 50 students or less. The School of Law typically offers between 60 and 65 classes a semester.

Curriculum

The School of Law provides a rich curriculum in both day and evening divisions, offering a wide variety of specialized courses in addition to a solid core curriculum. Our legal skills offerings are especially strong as the School of Law is one of the national leaders in "narrowing the gap" between legal education and the legal profession. Our skills programs begin with the first-year courses in legal analysis, research, and writing and culminate with one of the best legal clinics in the nation. Upper-level courses offer students a range of in-depth concentrations that provide students with a sophisticated understanding of a particular area of law.

Library

The library's permanent collection contains approximately 354,000 books and bound volume equivalents. The collection includes the published reports of federal and state courts, statutes, administrative materials, and secondary materials such as treatises, legal encyclopedias, digests, citators, form books, looseleaf services, and law reviews. The library staff believes that technology should not be considered separate from the study and practice of law: professional reference librarians are available to students seven days a week to show students how to use the computer-assisted legal systems, as well as how to access the library's many web-based resources. The library's two computer labs are open to law students during library hours and, along with the wireless network, provide access to word processing, LexisNexis, Westlaw, the Internet, online catalogs, and other resources.

Joint Degrees

The School of Law offers six joint degrees: JD with MBA, MPA, MS in Criminal Justice, MS in Negotiations and Conflict Management, LLM in Taxation, and the PhD in Policy Science.

Special Programs

Areas of Concentration—The School of Law has an innovative curriculum that allows students the opportunity to develop an in-depth knowledge in a particular area of the law. Students may take courses in one of nine areas of concentration: business law, criminal practice, estate planning, family law, intellectual property, international and comparative law, litigation and advocacy, public service, and real estate practice.

Centers—Students may also gain specialized knowledge in particular areas of the law through participation in the activities of the Law School's centers, including the Center for Families, Children, and the Courts, which focuses on the development and implementation of family court planning and reform initiatives throughout the country. The Center for International and Comparative Law promotes the study and understanding of international and comparative law and the political and economic institutions that support the international legal order. The center places special emphasis on environmental law, human rights, intellectual property, and international business transactions. The Center on Applied Feminism serves as a bridge between feminist legal theory and the law. The center examines how feminist theory can benefit legal practitioners in representing clients, shape legal doctrine, and play a role in policy debates and implementation. The Stephen L. Snyder Center for Litigation Skills supports and enhances the acclaimed litigation skills training of the School of Law through a variety of programs and activities, including lectures by prominent lawyers and judges, special conferences, and litigation research. The Center for Sport and the Law was established in 2009 with the support of the Baltimore Orioles professional baseball franchise and the Baltimore Ravens professional football franchise to foster academic leadership, community engagement, and student excellence in the theoretical and practical aspects of amateur and professional sports law.

Law Review and Other Periodicals give students an opportunity to hone their skills in research, analysis, and writing. The University of Baltimore Law Review offers an in-depth analysis of issues of current concern to practitioners and judges alike. The Law Forum specializes in articles that trace developing trends in the law. The University of Baltimore Journal of Land and Development is a scholarly, interdisciplinary legal journal that publishes in-depth legal and policy analysis of the range of issues related to land and development.

Clinical, Advocacy, and Internship Programs—Professional development is fostered through clinics in which students represent individuals and organizations in litigation and transactional matters. Clinics include the Appellate Practice Clinic, which enables students to brief and argue a case in the Maryland Court of Special Appeals; the Civil Advocacy Clinic, which focuses on such issues as consumer protection, public benefits cases, and landlord-tenant disputes; the Community Development Clinic, which represents nonprofit community organizations in a variety of housing, economic, social, and cultural development areas; the Criminal Practice Clinic, in which students handle misdemeanor and felony matters in the district and circuit courts; the Disability Law Clinic, which provides representation to patients in involuntary commitment hearings; the Family Law Clinic, where students represent low-income clients seeking child custody, support, divorce, and protection from domestic violence; the Mediation Clinic for Families, which permits students to co-mediate family law disputes and engage in projects designed to improve the practice of family mediation; the Immigrant Rights Clinic, which enables students to represent low-income immigrants in Immigration Court and in the District Court of Maryland, as well as work with immigrant advocates to develop programs that increase access to justice for immigrant communities; and the Innocence Project Clinic, which provides students with the opportunity to review records, interview clients and witnesses, conduct legal research, devise investigative strategies, draft pleadings, and argue motions in cases involving claims of wrongful conviction. Internship Programs give students experience clerking for academic credit in the public and private sector, including positions in the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of state and local governments.

Financial Aid

The university's Financial Aid Office administers federal, state, and institutional loan programs. First-year and transfer applicants are advised to apply for financial aid well in advance of the March 1 deadline. Students are automatically considered for merit-based scholarships. The School of Law awarded more than $1 million in scholarships to students matriculating in 2011.

Career Services

The professional staff of the Law Career Development Office (LCDO) works individually and collectively to establish effective, dynamic relationships with law students and graduates seeking to articulate, develop, and achieve their career goals. By forging cooperative relationships with a host of employers, regionally and nationally, in the public and private sectors, the LCDO and the School of Law have demonstrated significant success in meeting the needs of our law students and alumni who are competing in a challenging and evolving market. Through a host of services, including individual counseling, career workshops, mock interviews, on-campus and off-campus recruitment programs, internship and externship programs, as well as a detailed and extensive library of resources, the LCDO seeks to provide each and every law student and graduate with job-search strategies and the tools to succeed in their professional careers. In addition, through the innovative EXPLOR Program, the LCDO offers first-year students opportunities to gain substantive legal experience their first summer and establish a solid foundation for future success.

Applicant Profile

University of Baltimore School of Law

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

	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 175–180	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Possible	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 170–174	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Possible	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 165–169	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Possible	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 160–164	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Possible	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 155–159	Good	Good	Good	Good	Possible	Possible	Possible	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 150–154	Good	Good	Possible	Possible	Possible	Possible	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 145–149	Possible	Possible	Possible	Possible	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 140–144	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score Below 140	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely

Good  = Good Possibility

Possible  = Possible

Unlikely  = Unlikely