North Carolina Central University School of Law

Introduction

The mission of North Carolina Central University School of Law is to produce competent and socially responsible members of the legal profession. Founded in 1939 to provide an opportunity for a legal education to African Americans, the School of Law now provides this opportunity to one of the most diverse student bodies in the nation, and remains one of the most affordable law schools in the country. North Carolina Central University School of Law offers a challenging practice-oriented legal education that stimulates intellectual inquiry, and fosters a deep sense of professional responsibility in each student.

North Carolina Central University School of Law has been accredited by the North Carolina State Bar Council and the ABA since 1950. The School of Law offers two programs leading to the Juris Doctor degree: a full-time day program and the oldest ABA-accredited part-time evening program between Atlanta, Georgia, and Washington, DC. Additionally, the School of Law participates in an inter-institutional agreement with Duke University School of Law and the University of North Carolina School of Law that permits students to enroll in electives at either of these law schools without an increase in tuition.

Library, Facilities, and Technology

The law library provides access to print and electronic information resources in support of the law school’s curriculum, programs, organizations, and scholarship. Professional librarians, five with law degrees, are ready to help with legal research in our over 390,000 volumes of legal materials. Users also have access to resources from surrounding academic research libraries through our participation in the Triangle Research Libraries Network (TRLN).

The law library provides a wide variety of spaces for students and faculty to engage in collaborative work, quiet study, and innovative research. The first floor of the library includes a light-filled reading room, soft seating, and space for collaborative study. The second floor contains modern study carrels and soft seating for individual study as well as seven group-study rooms. Much of the library has been retrofitted with electrical outlets for improved computer use.

Special Academic Programs

• Joint-Degree Options—There are six joint-degree programs available to Day Program students: the JD/MBA Program for students who are interested in a career in law and business; the JD/MLS Program for students who are interested in a career in law librarianship; the JD/MIS Program allows students to develop a technological understanding of the legal issues in the Information and Computer Technology industry; the JD/MPA Program for students who are interested in careers in both the public sector and the law; the JD/MA in History Program for students who are interested in studying law and its relationship to the world of social movements, economic change, politics, and government; and the JD/MPP Program with Duke University for students who are interested in a career involving public policy and law. All of the joint-degree programs allow students to simultaneously pursue two degrees. Students must apply and be accepted to each component of a joint-degree program separately.
• Evening Program—The Evening Program is a four-year, year-round program that offers a unique opportunity for motivated professionals to pursue a legal education while maintaining their current daytime work commitments.
• Academic Success Program—The Academic Success Program is available to assist students with the rigors of law school. Through the tutorial program, workshops, one-on-one guidance, and readily available resources, all students have access to information that will enable them to become effective and successful law students.
• Faculty Advising Program—Each student is assigned a faculty advisor who is available to discuss questions or problems related to the law school experience, career choices, and personal problems that may affect academic performance. Faculty advisors also advise students on class schedules and monitor their progress toward graduation.
• Clinical Legal Education Program—The award-winning Clinical Legal Education Program is highly rated. It operates year-round from a state-of-the-art model law office. The program offers as many as 10 innovative clinical experiences that provide law students with the opportunity to gain practical skills in an area of law that interests them. It is one of the most comprehensive programs of any law school in the state. In-house clinical professors teach skills courses and supervise clinical students who represent real clients with real legal issues.
• Invest in Success Program—This bar preparation program assists graduates with developing the skills needed to write a passing essay answer for the North Carolina and other state bar examinations. Invest in Success has two principal components: substantive lectures and essay practice sessions. The substantive lectures focus on subjects frequently tested on bar examinations. The essay practice sessions give participants the opportunity to answer essay questions covering a variety of bar-tested subjects and receive individual feedback on their responses. The program is available to those who are taking either a July or February bar examination.
• Institutes—The School of Law offers concentrated training through our Dispute Resolution Institute (DRI) and new Intellectual Property Law Institute (IPLI). DRI offers professional certificate training, clinics, and courses. IPLI offers IP clinics and specialty courses, and publishes the student-run journal, Science and Intellectual Property Law Review.
• Certificates—Upon completion of specified requirements, students may earn a certificate in Civil Rights and Constitutional Law, Dispute Resolution, Justice in the Practice of Law, or Tax Law.

Admission

Admission to the School of Law is competitive, with approximately 850 applicants competing for fewer than 150 seats between the Day and Evening Programs. Students are admitted for the fall semester only. Applicants are evaluated for admission based on a range of attributes including academic achievement, performance on the LSAT, personal and professional experiences, intelligence and reasoning ability, individuality of thought and creativity, initiative and motivation, judgment and maturity, oral and written communication skills, integrity, leadership ability, and their potential contribution to the legal profession.

Because it is presumed that Evening Program students will have full-time employment, the Admissions Committee places greater weight on the quantifiable performance predictors for applicants to the Evening Program.

Electronic applications for admission are accepted from October 1 through April 30 via our website or LSAC.org.

Performance Based Admission Program (PBAP)

As part of its commitment to the law school’s mission, North Carolina Central University School of Law offers a limited number of applicants the opportunity to gain admission through its Performance Based Admission Program (PBAP). This program enables those applicants, whose numerical predictors fall below the presumptively admissible range, to demonstrate their ability through a two-week rigorous noncredit program.

Participation in this program is based upon factors identified in a student’s application, and selections are made by the Faculty Admissions Committee. The committee’s decisions are based upon a number of factors including, but not limited to, a history of below-average standardized test scores along with demonstrated academic performance, work experience, a significant time lapse between the undergraduate degree and law school application, completion of other advanced degrees, and a socioeconomically disadvantaged background. The decision to admit a PBAP participant is based on their performance on examinations and their law school application file.

Students who successfully complete PBAP are then offered admission to School of Law’s Day or Evening Programs.

Student Organizations

• There are three student-run law reviews published at the school. The North Carolina Central Law Review is devoted to a broad range of legal topics submitted by legal scholars, attorneys, and law students. Students are selected for membership based upon GPA and performance in the annual Law Review Writing Competition. The Environmental Law Review provides valuable experience in reading, researching, and writing about current issues in environmental law with a focus on environmental justice. The Science and Intellectual Property Law Review focuses on cutting-edge issues in the area and complements the law school’s Intellectual Property Institute.
• The Moot Court Board consists of upper-class students who have demonstrated exceptional ability in appellate skills.
• The Trial Advocacy Board consists of student teams who participate in mock jury trial competitions. The board has gained regional and national recognition for its excellence in trial advocacy.
• Other student organizations include the Black Law Students Association, Christian Legal Society, Environmental Law Society, Hispanic Law Student Association, Innocence Project, African Law Students Association, OutLaw Alliance, Public Interest Law Organization, Sports and Entertainment Law Society, Women’s Caucus, and various legal fraternities.

The Office for Career and Professional Development

The office provides a variety of services and programming to assist students and alumni with their career goals. Services include individual counseling, group counseling (when requested), résumé and cover letter reviews, application package reviews, a monthly newsletter, and interview preparation. Programming selections typically fall under either career education or professional development. The career education programming provides opportunities for students to learn about practice areas and ways to use their law degree. The professional development programs emphasize law students’ growth as legal professionals. The signature program for the office is “Pathways to Success,” which showcases law alumni and what they have done to become successful—recognizing that success is determined by a variety of measures.

Students participate in career fairs and interview programs locally, statewide, regionally, and nationally. There are also two annual career fairs and interview programs hosted at the school: JAG/military and Public Interest Law Career Fairs.

Alumni work in a variety of practice and employment settings across the country and have seen great success in state and federal courtrooms; in boardrooms as corporate and in-house counsel for large corporations; in local, state, and federal government positions; as JAG Corps officers; on the state and federal bench as judges and law clerks; in higher education as administrators and faculty; and in sports and entertainment.

Financial Aid

For information about financial aid, please visit Financial Assistance.

Tuition and Expenses

NCCU School of Law provides one of the most cost-effective legal educations in the country. For information on tuition, fees, and expenses, please visit Tuition/Fees/Expenses or contact Student Accounting at 919.530.5071.