Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law
The information on this page was provided by the law school.
Official Guide to ABA-Approved JD Programs
Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law offers a curriculum and programs built upon the principle that students learn best when hands-on experience is part of their education. Philadelphia, which boasts one of America’s largest legal communities and a host of cultural attractions, has a lot to offer law students and young lawyers. Because Drexel University is located in the thriving University City neighborhood, the School of Law is the perfect place to learn by doing. The Kline School of Law is one of just two law schools in the nation offering co-op education—an approach that employers recognize produces outstanding, practice-ready lawyers. The co-op program is combined with an extensive menu of experiential offerings ranging from live-client clinics to high-quality simulation courses. The curriculum has been designed to ensure that students engage in active learning of the law. This practical experience pays off in different ways.
Our law students master legal principles and the real-world skills needed to apply them. Students gain confidence and savvy as they meet with clients, argue before judges, and engage in the many other tasks that define the legal profession. Along the way, students also launch lasting professional networks with many lawyers who become mentors, advisors, and even future employers. Even within the four walls of the law school, we infuse the traditional law school experience with practical skills. Thus, our curriculum features all the traditional courses tested on the bar exam mixed with innovative new offerings such as Transactional Lawyering, Regulating Patient Safety, E-Commerce Law, and Crime and Community. Professors incorporate experiential education into many courses, allowing students to simulate appellate arguments in Constitutional Law or to play the parts of prosecutors and defenders in Criminal Law.
We have intentionally limited the size of our student body, which allows every student to play an important part in the law school. Students can get involved in myriad existing groups or develop their own.
The JD Program
From the first week of law school, students are immersed in questions about professionalism and the proper role of an attorney in our society. We help students master the critical skills of legal argumentation and writing with a nationally recognized year-long Legal Methods program. Our core curriculum covers material that every graduate will need to succeed on the bar exam and beyond.
Upper-level students choose from a menu of electives that help deepen their understanding of the legal system and expand this knowledge in particular areas of expertise. In addition to four concentrations—Criminal Law, Intellectual Property, Health Law, and Business and Entrepreneurship Law—the law school offers course sequences in many areas of interest, including International Law, Employment Law, Criminal Law, Civil Litigation, Property and Real Estate, Cyber Law, Compliance, and Trial Advocacy. The law school offers specialty courses such as Animal Law, Sports Law, and Law and Mind Sciences. We offer study-abroad opportunities at the Université de Rennes I in France and the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. We also offer several joint-degree opportunities, including a JD/PhD in clinical psychology, a JD/MBA with Drexel’s LeBow College of Business, a JD/MPH with Drexel’s Dornsife School of Public Health, a JD/MSLIS with Drexel’s College of Computing and Informatics, and the JD/MSPP through Drexel’s Center for Public Policy.
In addition to the traditional three-year JD, the school offers an accelerated two-year JD for students who wish to complete their studies more quickly, the three-year Summer Start JD, and the Global Access JD for international students.
Co-op Program
Every student will gain experience with professional practice by the time they graduate, through one or more of our experiential learning programs. The Co-op Program provides a unique opportunity for law students to synthesize the legal theory learned in the classroom with the critical knowledge and professional skills learned in the field under the close supervision of experienced practitioners. The Co-op Program’s integration into the curriculum, the intensive immersion it provides, and its array of more than 200 placement options distinguish it from experiential programs offered by other law schools. The Co-op Program is a semester- or year-long field placement that allows a student to work in a law firm, corporation, judicial office, public interest organization, or government agency. Each placement is chosen for the quality experience that it can provide law students as part of their overall academic experience. Students learn the law relevant to the practice area and the skills needed to succeed there. They also get acquainted with the host institution and the industries to which it belongs while building professional networks with the practitioners who work there.
Clinical Program
In the year-long Clinical Program, students gain firsthand experience representing clients while earning academic credit. The Civil Litigation Field Clinic, which operates in tandem with Philadelphia Legal Assistance, allows students to represent clients in cases involving domestic violence. The Criminal Litigation Field Clinic, which operates in partnership with the Defender Association of Philadelphia, allows students to represent clients in preliminary hearings on felonies and to argue legal motions and try misdemeanor cases in Philadelphia’s municipal court. Our in-house Federal Litigation and Appeals Clinic offers students the opportunity to argue cases involving criminal law, immigration, and the rights of the indigent in state and federal appellate courts. Our in-house Entrepreneurial Law Clinic allows students to help entrepreneurs get their new businesses off the ground. Providing legal services to start-up businesses enables students to develop critical skills for work with clients while helping to fuel economic vitality in the city. Our Andy and Gwen Stern Community Lawyering Clinic offers students an opportunity to help low-income residents of West Philadelphia combat discrimination in hiring, housing, and beyond.
Trial Advocacy Program
The law school’s innovative Trial Advocacy Program is housed within a restored historic landmark building in Center City that features numerous modern courtrooms that incorporate new technology. The program trains students in the essential practical skills of litigation. In Pretrial Advocacy, students learn how to interview a client, plan pretrial investigation, identify and retain experts, and draft pleadings and motions. During the trial preparation phase, students also learn how to develop a theory of the case as well as deposition strategies and other discovery techniques. In Trial Advocacy, experienced trial lawyers and judges provide live demonstrations relating to jury selection, opening and closing statements, and direct- and cross-examination of lay and expert witnesses. Students also learn how to use computer technology to create state-of-the-art trial exhibits that will enhance the presentation of evidence at trial. Trial Advocacy ends with a capstone experience in which each student litigates a mock trial in a courtroom before real judges and veteran attorneys. Assisting individuals or groups traditionally underserved by the private bar is the goal of our mandatory 50-hour Pro Bono Service Requirement. Working with supervising attorneys, students gain practical, hands-on experience in a real legal setting. Pro bono service is a vital part of our curriculum that demonstrates the commitment of faculty and administrators to developing our students’ professionalism.
Student Life
Student Activities
The law school is a lively community that celebrates diversity and encourages students to pursue their passions. Our Trial Team has emerged as a national powerhouse, with students winning championships at some of the most competitive contests. Our students have also accrued an exemplary record of performance in competition with the Moot Court Board and Alternative Dispute Resolution Team, winning regional and national contests. The Drexel Law Review has published work from America’s leading jurists and scholars and has been cited by the American Bar Association House of Delegates. Other student organizations include the American Constitution Society, the Black Law Students Association, the Business Law Organization, the Latin American Law Student Association, OUTLAW, and the Women’s Law Society.
Faculty
Our faculty are nationally recognized scholars and experienced practitioners who share a commitment to innovative teaching and the integration of theory and practice, as well as being widely recognized as experts in their fields.
Our faculty publish in respected journals, collaborate with other leading scholars, and present their work nationally and internationally. They are also widely respected outside of legal education, and professors at the School of Law appear on CNN and NPR, are quoted in the New York Times, and testify before Congress. On issues ranging from national health-care policy to the future of Social Security, or from race and the criminal justice system to the importance of having cameras in the courthouse, our faculty are opinion leaders.
Location
Located in the University City neighborhood just adjacent to downtown Philadelphia, the law school is mere blocks from the heart of one of the nation’s largest and most dynamic legal communities. University City is so named because of the 40,000 students from Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania who combine to create an exciting, vibrant community. Thanks to our location, affordable student housing is located a short walk or trolley ride away, and students are able to meet after class at many of the nearby restaurants, shops, and bars.
Career Placement and Bar Passage
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Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law
Admission Decisions: Beyond the Numbers
We seek out and actively recruit students who will be exceptional practitioners and leaders. We consider an applicant’s entire application, including both objective factors like the LSAT and GPA, and characteristics like leadership skills, work experience, and commitment to service. We utilize rolling admissions, but encourage students to apply as early as possible, since scholarship and admission decisions are weighted favorably toward early applicants. We provide very attractive scholarships to students who are well-matched to our program, and we offer financial aid counseling that is attentive to our students’ needs.