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 UBalt is the sixth largest public law school in the country, with approximately 700 students in the JD, LLM, and certificate programs, the school prides itself on excellent classroom teaching, small law school sections, and personalized service. In spring 2013, the new John and Frances Angelos Law Center opened. The new Law Center is among the most environmentally sustainable academic buildings in the nation.

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 one-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 fewer. The School of Law typically offers over 100 upper-division classes per term.

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 integrates print and electronic resources to serve all aspects of the school’s curriculum and research needs. The library occupies six floors of light-filled and comfortable study space designed to suit a variety of learning styles, including 24 group study rooms, 2 computer labs, and wireless access throughout. The library is a federal depository library, a Patent and Trademark Resource Center, and a full participant in the University System of Maryland library consortium. Reference librarians are available to students seven days a week, and the library is open extended hours during exams.

Joint Degrees

The School of Law offers multiple joint degrees: JD with MBA, MPA, MS in Criminal Justice, MS in Negotiations and Conflict Management, LLM in Taxation, and an MPP or PhD in Public Policy.

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 law, litigation and advocacy, public and government service, or 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

• Center for Families, Children, and the Courts, which focuses on the development and implementation of family court planning and reform initiatives throughout the country.
• Center for International and Comparative Law, which 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.
• Center for Criminal Justice Reform, which supports community-driven efforts to improve the criminal legal system and brings together stakeholders to examine how the criminal legal system currently functions, and to collaborate and propose reforms that will reduce systemic inequality and promote justice.

• Center on Applied Feminism, which serves as a bridge between feminist legal theory and the law. The center examines how feminist theory can benefit legal practitioners in representing clients, shaping legal doctrine, and playing a role in policy debates and implementation.
• Center for Sport and the Law, which 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.
• Center for the Law of Intellectual Property and Technology, which promotes research, education, and legal practice in technology and intellectual property law, including copyright law, patent law, trade secret law, and trademark law.

Law Review and Other Periodicals

The law review and other periodicals give students an opportunity to hone their skills in research, analysis, and writing.

• University of Baltimore Law Review offers an in-depth analysis of issues of current concern to practitioners and judges alike.
• Law Forum specializes in articles that trace developing trends and topics unique to the Maryland legal community.

Clinics

Professional development is fostered through clinics in which students represent individuals and organizations in litigation and transactional matters. Clinics include

• Civil Advocacy Clinic, which focuses on such issues as consumer protection, public benefits cases, and landlord-tenant disputes;
• Community Development Clinic, which represents nonprofit community organizations in a variety of housing, economic, social, and cultural development areas;
• Criminal Practice Clinic, in which students handle misdemeanor and felony matters in the district and circuit courts;
• Family Law Clinic, where students represent low-income clients seeking child custody, support, divorce, and protection from domestic violence;
• Immigrant Rights Clinic, which gives students the opportunity to learn many dimensions of lawyering by engaging in both direct client representation and immigrant rights policy work;
• 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;
• Legal Data & Design Clinic, which engages students in “digital advocacy” applying technology and principles of data and design to solve real-world legal problems. 
• Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic, which provides students the opportunity to represent low-income taxpayers in federal tax disputes; and
• Mediation Clinic for Families, which permits students to comediate family law disputes and engage in projects designed to improve the practice of family mediation;
• Mental Health Law Clinic, where students represent patients in involuntary civil commitment hearings at the local psychiatric hospital. 
• The Bob Parsons Veterans Advocacy Clinic, which was established in the fall of 2013 and focuses on veterans’ legal issues.

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.

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 relationships with a host of employers, regionally and nationally, in the public and private sectors, the LCDO and the School of Law have demonstrated 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- and off-campus recruitment programs, and 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, the LCDO offers experiential cocurricular programs, including the Legal Professional Development Institute (LPDI), which brings students and attorneys together for professional skills training; the Pro Bono Challenge, a partnership with the public interest legal community to offer students pro bono service opportunities; and the innovative EXPLOR Program, which provides first-year students a substantive legal experience in their first summer and establishes a solid foundation for future success.