The University of Richmond School of Law (Richmond Law) is a school of the University of Richmond, located in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

. Richmond Law is ranked 52nd (tie) in the US by ''US News'', among the ''top five value'' law schools by the ''National Jurist'', and one of the

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's 167 ''Best Law Schools of 2018''. With approximately 150 J.D. candidates per class year, the University of Richmond School of Law has full accreditation by all recognized standardizing agencies in the United States on the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...

registry.Accreditation – University of Richmond
/ref> Richmond Law's Dean, Wendy Perdue, is also a former president of the

Association of American Law Schools The Association of American Law Schools (AALS), formed in 1900, is a non-profit organization of 176 law schools in the United States. An additional 19 schools pay a fee to receive services but are not members. AALS incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non ...

. Richmond Law is regionally accredited by the Virginia State Board of Bar Examiners, and is the #1 alma mater of judges in the state. Richmond Law is among Above the Law's ''top ten'' Law Schools of the South. Located near the border of America's cultural demarcation line, the University of Richmond campus can be found on located about six miles (10 km) west of the center of the city of Richmond, Virginia.

History

The school was founded in 1870 as a college within the University of Richmond. In 1890, the family of the late T.C. Williams, a university trustee, donated $25,000 as the nucleus of an endowment for the law school. In recognition of this gift, the school was named The T.C. Williams School of Law in 1920. In 2022, the school changed the official name from the "T.C. Williams School of Law" to the "University of Richmond School of Law" in keeping with its naming principle that prohibits the use of names of people who engaged in enslavement or openly advocated the enslavement of people. In 1914, Richmond College (as the university was then known), including its law department, moved from its location downtown to the present campus. Returning servicemen from

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

created space problems for the college and the law department had to be relocated to the old Columbia Building at Grace and Lombardy streets. In 1920, the law department was reorganized as a separate School of Law within what was now the University of Richmond. The current Law School building, constructed in the Collegiate Gothic architectural style, was originally opened in 1954, and it was enlarged in 1972 and 1981. In 1991, the building was significantly expanded, renovated, and refurbished. The Law School building now provides modern and technologically equipped classrooms, seminar rooms, a law library, a

moot courtroom Moot court is a co-curricular activity at many law schools. Participants take part in simulated court or arbitration proceedings, usually involving drafting memorials or memoranda and participating in oral argument. In most countries, the phrase " ...

, faculty and administrative offices, faculty and student lounges, and offices for most student organizations. The Richmond School of Law was ranked 52nd in the 2023 ranking of law schools by '' U.S. News & World Report''.https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/university-of-richmond-03161 According to US News, the school has 440 students with a student-to-faculty ratio of 7.7:1.

Cost of attendance

The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at Richmond Law for the 2020-21 academic year is $67,550. The

Law School Transparency Law School Transparency (LST) is a nonprofit consumer advocacy and education organization concerning the legal profession in the United States. LST was founded by Vanderbilt Law School graduates Kyle McEntee and Patrick Lynch. LST describes its m ...

estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years, based on data from the 2020-21 academic year, is $202,650. For the 2018-2019 school year, 67% of entering students received scholarships. The 50th percentile grant amount of scholarships was $35,000 .

Employment

According to Richmond School of Law's official 2018 ABA-required disclosures, 85% of the Class of 2018 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation. Richmond's Law School Transparency under-employment score is 11%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2018 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation.

Initiatives

Richmond Law has recently launched several new initiatives focusing on expanding areas of the law such as

intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...

, wrongful convictions and family law. The school is making a strong push to become a center for intellectual property law, as evidenced by the recent founding of th
Intellectual Property Institute (IPI)
and the offering of
joint degree program
with Virginia Tech that will enable students to earn both a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree and a law degree in as little as six years’ time. Through the IPI, Richmond law students are able to obtain a certificate of concentration in Intellectual Property Law. Th
Institute for Actual Innocence
founded in 2005, works to identify and exonerate wrongfully convicted individuals in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Institute is an academic program that partners students with local attorneys and community leaders to seek post-conviction relief for wrongfully convicted prisoners in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Three days before leaving office, President Obama commuted Dujuan Farrow's life sentence after the Institute for Actual Innocence submitted his case for clemency review. Furthermore, the school is working to establish the National Center for Family Law, which will serve the best interests of families and children through academic and service programs dedicated to enhancement of the quality of the American legal system in relation to family law.

University of Richmond Law Review

The
University of Richmond Law Review
', founded in 1958, publishes four issues a year: the Annual Survey in November, the Symposium Issue in March, and two general issues in January and May. In addition, since 2015, the Law Review has published an online volume each year, and launched
podcast
in 2020. Staff members are selected at the end of their first year of law school after participating in a journal competition, which takes into consideration students’ grades and the results of a casenote and Bluebook exam.

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

The ''Richmond Public Interest Law Review'' (PILR) is a law review published by the University of Richmond School of Law. The Journal, formerly known as the ''Richmond Journal of Law and the Public Interest'', vol. 1 (1996) - vol. 19 (2016), is the scholarly voice for issues pertaining to social welfare, public policy, and a broad spectrum of jurisprudence. PILR strives to produce a variety of articles addressing contemporary, controversial, and thought-provoking issues of either regional or national importance. Past authors include experienced practitioners, esteemed legal academics, concerned and motivated law students, and insightful advocates working to change the world around them both regionally and nationally. Publishing three annual volumes, PILR posts its articles and other related content online to reach the widest audience possible. Of these annual publications, two volumes specifically attempt to confront prominent and difficult issues raised by modern society: * The General Assembly in Review issue, an annual print volume focused exclusively on the legislative work of the Virginia General Assembly and its implications for the Commonwealth's citizens and future. Past topics have included discussions regarding state legislation aimed at reproductive rights, religious freedom, lyme disease, the reformation of ethics and conflict of interest laws, mental health court systems, and the sexual victimization of incarcerated juveniles; and * The PILR Symposium issue, touching on contemporary social welfare issues and controversial topics relating to our nation's public interest. Past topics have confronted challenging issues in the areas of veteran's law, privacy rights and the regulation of sexuality, gender equality in the twenty-first century, and wrongful convictions.

Richmond Journal of Law and Technology

The ''Richmond Journal of Law and Technology'' (JOLT) is a

law review A law review or law journal is a scholarly journal or publication that focuses on legal issues. A law review is a type of legal periodical. Law reviews are a source of research, imbedded with analyzed and referenced legal topics; they also pro ...

published by the School of Law. It was the first student-edited law review in the world to be published exclusively online. First published on April 10, 1995, the Journal focused on the impact of computer-related and other emerging technologies on the law. Today, JOLT publishes four issues per year containing a variety of technology-related articles including traditional intellectual property issues, telecommunication law, biotechnology, computer law, and emerging areas of constitutional law.

Notable faculty

Ronald J. Bacigal Ronald J. Bacigal is an American legal scholar and professor of law at the University of Richmond School of Law. He is "nationally recognized as one of the leading scholars of Fourth Amendment Law." Bacigal graduated from Concord University an ...

- Specializes in Criminal Law and Procedure. He also serves as Reporter of Criminal Decisions for the

Court of Appeals A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of t ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

Harry L. Carrico Harry Lee Carrico (September 4, 1916 – January 27, 2013) was a member, Chief Justice, and Senior Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia. His tenure as an active Justice of the Court, at more than 42 years, was the longest of any justice ...

- Senior Justice, Supreme Court of Virginia; Visiting Professor of Law and Civic Engagement; Sixteenth Judicial Circuit Judge, 1956–1961 * James Comey - former Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation; former Deputy Attorney General; former United States Attorney, 4th Circuit; former United States Attorney, 1st Circuit * Marla Decker - Chief Judge of the Virginia Court of Appeals; former Virginia Secretary of Public Safety *

Tim Kaine Timothy Michael Kaine (; born February 26, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Virginia since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 38th lieutenant governor of Virgini ...

- United States Senator, Virginia; former Governor of Virginia, 2005; former Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, 2001; former Mayor of Richmond, 1998 *

Donald W. Lemons Donald Wayne Lemons (born February 22, 1949) is a former associate justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia. He served as chief justice from 2015 to 2021. He received both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Virginia. Biog ...

- Supreme Court of Virginia, Justice, 2000–present;

Court of Appeals of Virginia The Court of Appeals of Virginia, established January 1, 1985, is an intermediate appellate court of 17 judges that hears appeals from decisions of Virginia's circuit courts and the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission. The Court sits in pan ...

, Judge, 1998-2000; Circuit Court for the City of Richmond, Judge, 1995–98;

John Marshall John Marshall (September 24, 1755July 6, 1835) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the fourth Chief Justice of the United States from 1801 until his death in 1835. He remains the longest-serving chief justice and fourth-longes ...

Professor of Judicial Studies * Harold G. Wren (1921-2016) - dean of three law schools

Notable alumni

Watkins Abbitt Watkins "Wat" Moorman Abbitt (May 21, 1908 – July 13, 1998) was an American politician and lawyer. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia from February 17, 1948 to January 3, 1973. He was a top lieutenant w ...

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

, 1948-1973 * Les Adams - Member,

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

Dave Albo David B. Albo (born April 18, 1962) is a retired Republican politician from the Commonwealth of Virginia, USA. He represented the 42nd district of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1994 to 2018. Personal Albo grew up in Springfield, Virgin ...

- Former Member,

Ward Armstrong Ward Lynn Armstrong (born June 2, 1956 in Bassett, Virginia) is an American trial lawyer and Democratic politician. He served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1992 to 2011, and served as the minority leader from 2007 to 2011. Electoral ...

- Former Minority Leader,

*Leon Bazile - Trial judge in the case of

Loving v. Virginia ''Loving v. Virginia'', 388 U.S. 1 (1967), was a List of landmark court decisions in the United States, landmark civil rights decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that Anti-miscegenation laws in the United States, laws ban ...

José M. Cabanillas José M. Cabanillas (September 23, 1901 – September 15, 1979), was a rear admiral in the United States Navy who as an executive officer of the USS Texas (BB-35), USS ''Texas'' participated in the North African campaign, invasions of North Africa ...

- Executive officer of the USS ''Texas'', rear admiral, awarded the

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

Ben Chafin Augustus Benton Chafin Jr. (May 18, 1960January 1, 2021) was an American politician who served in the Virginia House of Delegates from the 4th district in 2014, and in the Senate of Virginia from the 38th district from 2014 to 2021, as a membe ...

Virginia State Senator The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the lieutenant governor of Virg ...

* Teresa M. Chafin, Justice of the

Supreme Court of Virginia The Supreme Court of Virginia is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It primarily hears direct appeals in civil cases from the trial-level city and county circuit courts, as well as the criminal law, family law and administrative ...

* Ben Cline - Congressman; Former Member of the

* Mary Daniel - Judge for General District Court Judge for the 26th Judicial District of Virginia * Marla Decker - Chief Judge of the

Jenna Ellis Jenna Lynn Ellis (born November 1, 1984) is a conservative lawyer known for her work as a member of Donald Trump's legal team. She is a former deputy district attorney in Weld County, Colorado and a former assistant professor of legal studies a ...

- Legal advisor for

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

Walter S. Felton, Jr. Walter Shepard Felton Jr. (July 28, 1944 – April 29, 2022) was the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals of Virginia. He graduated from the University of Richmond in 1966 and the University of Richmond School of Law in 1969. Felton previously ...

- Former Chief Judge of the

* Mark Herring - Former

attorney general of Virginia The attorney general of Virginia is an elected constitutional position that holds an executive office in the government of Virginia. Attorneys general are elected for a four-year term in the year following a presidential election. There are no ter ...

, former member of the

Senate of Virginia The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the lieutenant governor of Virg ...

Lawrence L. Koontz, Jr. Lawrence Larkins Koontz Jr. (born January 25, 1940) is a Senior Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia. Justice Koontz has served at every level of court in the Virginia judicial system. Judicial career Prior to being made a Supreme Court justi ...

- Retired Justice of the

Jay Leftwich James Asbury Leftwich, Jr. (born December 11, 1962) is an American politician from Virginia. A member of the Republican Party, Leftwich is a member of the Virginia House of Delegates for the 78th district. Leftwich was a member of the Chesape ...

- Member,

Lynwood Lewis Lynwood Wayne Lewis Jr. (born November 26, 1961) is an American politician and lawyer. A Democrat, he was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in November 2003, representing the 100th district, which consists of the Eastern Shore counties ...

* G. Manoli Loupassi - Former member,

Stephen R. McCullough Stephen Richard McCullough (born February 15, 1972) is a justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, former judge of the Court of Appeals of Virginia, and former career attorney in the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia. On March 10, 2016 ...

- Justice of the

Robert R. Merhige, Jr. Robert Reynold Merhige Jr. (February 5, 1919 – February 18, 2005) was a United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia who was known for his rulings on desegreg ...

- Former U.S. District Court Judge,

Eastern District of Virginia The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (in case citations, E.D. Va.) is one of two United States district courts serving the Virginia, Commonwealth of Virginia. It has jurisdiction over the Northern Virginia, H ...

* Nathan H. Miller - Former

* Willis D. Miller - Former Justice of the

Chris Peace Christopher Kilian Peace (born November 16, 1976, in Richmond, Virginia) is an American politician of the Republican Party. From 2006-2019 Peace was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates. He represented the 97th district in the Middle Pe ...

- Former Member,

A. L. Philpott Albert Lee Philpott (July 29, 1919 – September 28, 1991) was an American politician of the Democratic Party. He served in the Virginia House of Delegates for 33 years starting in 1958, and was its Speaker from 1980 until his death. Early ...

- Former Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates *

Owen B. Pickett Owen Bradford Pickett (August 31, 1930 – October 27, 2010) was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia. Early life Pickett was born in Richmond, Virginia on August 31, 1930. He graduated from Virg ...

- U.S. Representative, 1987-2001 *

Robert Nelson Pollard Robert Nelson Pollard (June 16, 1880 – May 24, 1954) was a United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Education and career Born in King and Queen County, ...

- Judge of the

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (in case citations, E.D. Va.) is one of two United States district courts serving the Commonwealth of Virginia. It has jurisdiction over the Northern Virginia, Hampton Roa ...

A. Willis Robertson Absalom Willis Robertson (May 27, 1887 – November 1, 1971) was an American politician from Virginia who served in public office for over 50 years. A member of the Democratic Party and lukewarm ally of the Byrd Organization led by fellow U.S. Se ...

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

, 1946-1966 *

Harvey E. Schlesinger Harvey Erwin Schlesinger (born June 4, 1940) is a Senior status, senior United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Education and career Schlesinger was born i ...

- Senior U.S. District Judge,

Middle District of Florida The United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida (in case citations, M.D. Fla.) is a federal court in the Eleventh Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appea ...

Harold Fleming Snead Harold Fleming Snead (June 16, 1903 – December 23, 1987) was an American agricultural supply store owner and justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia. He received his higher education at the University of Richmond, obtaining a Bach ...

- Former Chief Justice of the

Frederick Pfarr Stamp Jr. Frederick Pfarr Stamp Jr. (born July 24, 1934) is an inactive Senior Status, Senior United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia. Education and career Bo ...

- Judge of the

United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia The United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia (in case citations, N.D. W. Va.) is a federal court in the Fourth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are ...

Richard Stuart Richard Henry Stuart (born January 6, 1964) is an American politician and attorney. A Republican, he was elected to the Senate of Virginia in November 2007. He currently represents the 28th district, made up of six counties and parts of two ot ...

Tony Pham Tuong Tony Huu Pham (born 1973) is an American attorney who served as an Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from August 25, 2020 to December 31, 2020. A Vietnamese refugee, Pham emigrated from Saigon to the United States w ...

- Prosecutor and former Acting Director of

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the United States from the cross-border crime and illegal immigration tha ...

References

External links

Richmond Law

{{authority control Richmond, University of Richmond, University of School of Law 1870 establishments in Virginia

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...