University Of Virginia Law School At Charlottesville
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The University of Virginia School of Law (Virginia Law or UVA Law) is the
law school A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...
of the University of Virginia, a public research university in
Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Ch ...
. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson as part of his "academical village" which became University of Virginia where law was one of the original disciplines taught. UVA Law is the fourth-oldest active law school in the United States and the second-oldest continuously operating law school. The law school offers the J.D.,
LL.M. A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...
, and S.J.D. degrees in law and hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers. UVA Law is consistently ranked among the top 10 most prestigious law schools in the United States, and UVA Law is currently ranked 8th overall by '' U.S. News & World Report''. UVA Law has been ranked in the "T14" law schools ever since '' U.S. News & World Report'' began publishing rankings. UVA Law ranks 3rd in the number of alumni serving as general counsels and chief legal officers at the nation’s top 500 companies. Notable distinguished alumni include
U.S. Supreme Court Justice The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point of ...
James Clark McReynolds, as well as numerous members of U.S. Congress and judges on federal courts throughout the United States. UVA Law has more than 20,000 alumni in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and 64 foreign countries.


Admissions

For the class entering in the fall of 2021, 300 out of 7,080 J.D. applicants matriculated. The 25th and 75th LSAT percentiles for the 2021 entering class were 166 and 173, respectively, with a median of 171. The 25th and 75th undergraduate GPA percentiles were 3.64 and 3.97, respectively, with a median of 3.91. The Class of 2024 consists of students from 39 states and the District of Columbia and from 133 undergraduate institutions. The age range was 20 to 38, with the average age of 24. 51% of the class was female, 49% male, and 36% identified themselves as people of color. 72% of the class had postgraduate experience. The LL.M. Program admits around 40-50 students each year. It provides an American legal education to lawyers who have obtained their first law degree in their home countries; LL.M. candidates take classes alongside J.D. students, allowing participants to fully engage in the community and plan their own coursework The S.J.D. Program has about 8 candidates, and it is intended primarily for aspiring legal academics.


Cost of attendance

The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) for first-year law students at UVA Law for the 2020–2021 academic year is $85,396 for Virginia residents and $88,396 for nonresidents. Law School Transparency has estimated that the debt-financed cost of attendance for three years, based on data from the 2019–2020 academic year, is $304,672 for residents; the estimated cost for non-residents is $314,961.


Campus

UVA Law receives no funding from the state; instead, the school depends upon the generosity of private donors (bolstered by its over 50% alumni giving rate), its substantial endowment ( US $ 555
million One million (1,000,000), or one thousand thousand, is the natural number following 999,999 and preceding 1,000,001. The word is derived from the early Italian ''millione'' (''milione'' in modern Italian), from ''mille'', "thousand", plus the au ...
), the 5th largest among all law schools, and student tuition payments. In 1995–1997, UVA Law used entirely donated funds to renovate and expand its buildings on the University's North Grounds to include the former facilities of the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration, which built a new campus several hundred yards away. The Arthur J. Morris Law Library holds more than 820,000 volumes, including substantial collections of federal, state, and international documents, manuscripts, archives, and online research databases.


Student organizations

UVA Law maintains an extensive roster of student organizations, including chapters of the Federalist Society, the
American Constitution Society The American Constitution Society (ACS) is a progressive legal organization. ACS was created as a counterweight to, and is modeled after, the Federalist Society, and is often described as its progressive counterpart. Founded in 2001 following t ...
and the St. Thomas More Society. The ''
Virginia Law Weekly ''Virginia Law Weekly'' is a weekly newspaper published by students at the University of Virginia School of Law each Wednesday of the school year, excluding breaks and exam periods. In 2006, 2007, 2008, 2017, 2018, and 2019, the ''Law Weekly'' wa ...
'', UVA Law's student-run weekly newspaper, has been published since 1948. The paper has been cited in several court cases, including in the dissenting opinion of
Justice Powell Lewis Franklin Powell Jr. (September 19, 1907 – August 25, 1998) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1972 to 1987. Born in Suffolk, Virginia, he gradua ...
in the U.S. Supreme Court case ''Patterson v. New York''. In addition to its news content, the VLW also contains student-submitted content, which often includes humorous and creative pieces. The Law Weekly has won the American Bar Association's previous three "Best Newspaper Awards," in 2006, 2007, and 2008. Each spring, over one hundred students write, direct and perform in ''The Libel Show,'' a comedy and musical theater production that was first organized in 1904. Its performers roast Law School professors, student stereotypes and life in Charlottesville throughout each of its three nightly showings. Professors write and sing their response to the students' jokes at the penultimate performance. The school hosts an annual softball tournament to raise money for ReadyKids, an organization that provides care and counseling for at-risk families in Central Virginia, and the Public Interest Law Association, which provides public service internships for law students. 51 different law schools send teams to compete in men's and co-rec brackets. In 2017, $25,000 was raised.


Law journals

UVA Law hosts 10 academic journals, including the '' Virginia Law Review'', one of the most cited law journals in the country. * Virginia Journal of International Law, the oldest student-edited international law journal in the country *
Virginia Environmental Law Journal The ''Virginia Environmental Law Journal'' is a law review edited by students at the University of Virginia School of Law. The journal covers research and discussion in the areas of environmental and natural resource law, on a broad array of topi ...
* Virginia Journal of Law & Technology * Virginia Journal of Social Policy & the Law * Virginia Law & Business Review * Virginia Law Review * Virginia Sports & Entertainment Law Journal *
Virginia Tax Review The ''Virginia Tax Review'' (''VTR'') is one of the oldest student-run law journals at the University of Virginia School of Law, and is the only journal at the Law School to deal exclusively with tax and corporate A corporation is an org ...
* Virginia Journal of Criminal Law *
Journal of Law and Politics The ''Journal of Law & Politics'' is a quarterly law review that was established in 1983 by students at the University of Virginia School of Law under the guidance of then Circuit Judge Antonin Scalia.Journal of Law & Politics entry', (n.d.) (last ...


Academics

UVA Law's curricular programs include the programs in Law & Business and Law and Public Service, as well as programs in international law, legal and constitutional history, criminal law, human rights, race and law, environmental and land use law, immigration law, intellectual property, public policy and regulation, health law, law and humanities, and animal law. UVA Law also has programs that help students build skills, such as the legal writing program, courses in professional ethics, trial advocacy and public speaking, and other practical-skills courses. The Princeton Review ranked UVA Law as first in "Best Quality of Life" and "Best Professors" among the nation's law schools, second in "Best Classroom Experience," fifth in "Toughest to Get Into," and sixth in "Career Prospects." The 2016 QS World University Rankings for law schools ranks UVA Law in the range of 51–100 worldwide and as the 13th-best law school in U.S.


Clinics

Among the more than 250 courses and seminars offered each year, UVA Law has 23 clinics: * Appellate Litigation * Civil Rights * Community Solutions * Criminal Defense * Decarceration and Community Reentry * Economic and Consumer Justice * Employment Law * Entrepreneurial Law * Environmental Law and Community Engagement * Federal Criminal Sentence Reduction * First Amendment Law * Health and Disability Law * Holistic Juvenile Defense * Immigration Law * Innocence Project * International Human Rights * Litigation and Housing Law * Nonprofit * Patent and Licensing * Project for Informed Reform * Prosecution * State and Local Government Policy * Supreme Court Litigation * Youth Advocacy


Study abroad

Students may participate in eight international exchange programs: * Bocconi Law in Milan, Italy *
Bucerius Law School Bucerius Law School (pronounced ) is a private law school located in Hamburg, Germany. The school is the first private law school in Germany. It admits approximately 100 undergraduate students per year. Origins and structure Bucerius Law Schoo ...
in Hamburg, Germany * Hebrew University School of Law in Jerusalem, Israel *
Instituto de Empresa IE Business School is a graduate and undergraduate school of business, located in Madrid, Spain, European Union, Europe. It was founded in 1973 under the name Instituto de Empresa and since 2009 is part of IE University. IE Business School runs ...
in Madrid, Spain *
Melbourne Law School Melbourne Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of the University of Melbourne. Located in Carlton, Victoria, Melbourne Law School is Australia's oldest law school, and offers J.D., LL.M, Ph.D, and LL.D degrees. In 2021-22, THE ...
in Melbourne, Australia *
Seoul National University Seoul National University (SNU; ) is a national public research university located in Seoul, South Korea. Founded in 1946, Seoul National University is largely considered the most prestigious university in South Korea; it is one of the three "S ...
in Seoul, South Korea * Tel Aviv University Law School in Tel Aviv, Israel * University of Auckland in Auckland, New Zealand * University of Sydney in Sydney, Australia * Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan In addition, UVA Law offers rising third-year students the opportunity to obtain a dual degree from
Sciences Po , motto_lang = fr , mottoeng = Roots of the Future , type = Public university, Public research university''Grande école'' , established = , founder = Émile Boutmy , a ...
in Paris. Students who successfully complete this program earn a French law diploma (entitling them to sit for the French bar exam) and a J.D. degree from Virginia. Students also may spend one semester abroad through the student-initiated study abroad program or as an external studies project. Each year one-credit courses are offered in Paris and Tel Aviv through the January Term.


Institutes and centers

UVA Law includes several internationally known special programs and centers directed by faculty members. * The John W. Glynn, Jr. Law & Business Program * Program in Law and Public Service * Center for International & Comparative Law * Program on Constitutional Law and Legal History * Center for Criminal Justice * Karsh Center for Law and Democracy * Virginia Center for Tax Law * PLACE: Program in Law, Communities and the Environment * National Security Law Center * LawTech Center * Center for the Study of Race and Law * Health Law * Human Rights Program * Center for Public Law and Political Economy * First Amendment Center * Family Law Center * Center for Law & Philosophy * Intellectual Property * Immigration Law * Public Policy and Regulation * Institute of Law, Psychiatry and Public Policy * John M. Olin Program in Law and Economics * Animal Law Program


Rankings

UVA Law has long been regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the United States. As of 2020, UVA Law ranked No. 1 in Best Classroom Experience, Best Professors and Best Quality of Life according to The Princeton Review. '' U.S. News & World Report'' ranks UVA Law as eighth in the nation. In the 2019 Above the Law rankings, which focuses on employment outcomes, UVA Law ranked first in the nation. A study published in the Journal of Legal Education ranked UVA Law fourth in the number of partners in the
National Law Journal ''The National Law Journal'' (NLJ) is an American legal periodical founded in 1978. The NLJ was created by Jerry Finkelstein, who envisioned it as a "sibling newspaper" of the ''New York Law Journal''. Originally a tabloid-sized weekly newspape ...
's top 100 firms.


Post-graduate employment

According to UVA Law's official 2019 ABA-required disclosures, 92.6% of the Class of 2018 obtained non-school funded full-time, long-term, JD-required employment ten months after graduation. A 2019 analysis conducted by
Law.com ALM (formerly American Lawyer Media) is a media company headquartered in the Socony–Mobil Building in New York City, and is a provider of specialized business news and information, focused primarily on the legal, insurance, and commercial real ...
placed Virginia in second for employment outcomes, behind Columbia, with 92.64% of graduates obtaining employment within ten months.


Law firms

UVA Law is fourth in the number of partners in the National Law Journal's top 100 firms, and a survey by the NLJ found that UVA Law ranked third in the number of associates promoted to partner among the NLJ's top 250 firms in 2015. Additionally, UVA Law is second only to Harvard in the number of alumni serving as chief legal counsel at
Fortune 500 The ''Fortune'' 500 is an annual list compiled and published by ''Fortune'' magazine that ranks 500 of the largest United States corporations by total revenue for their respective fiscal years. The list includes publicly held companies, along ...
companies. Alumni from UVA Law are also employed at 100 of the American Lawyer top 100 law firms (as of May 2016). In a 2010 study by Stanford Graduate School of Business professors, Virginia ranked fifth in the number of lawyers at the top 300 U.S. law firms.


Clerkships

From 2005 to 2018, UVA Law had the fourth-highest placement of law clerks on the United States Supreme Court, surpassed only by Yale, Harvard and
Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...
. In 2016 UVA Law alumni set a school record for obtaining the most appellate court clerkships in a term.


Deans of the University of Virginia School of Law

# 1904–1932
William Minor Lile William Minor Lile (March 28, 1859 – December 13, 1935) was an American law school professor and administrator. A graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, he began teaching at that institution in 1893. In 1896, he was made adminis ...
# 1932–1937
Armistead Dobie Armistead Mason Dobie (April 15, 1881 – August 7, 1962) was a law professor, Dean of the University of Virginia School of Law, United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and United States District Ju ...
# 1939–1963 F.D.G. Ribble # 1963–1968 Hardy C. Dillard # 1968–1976
Monrad G. Paulsen Monrad may refer to: *Cally Monrad (1879–1950), Norwegian singer, actress and poet *David Monrad Johansen (1888–1974), Norwegian composer *Ditlev Gothard Monrad (1811–1887), Danish politician and bishop of Lolland-Falster *I. H. Monrad Aas (b ...
# 1976–1980
Emerson Spies Emerson may refer to: People * Emerson (surname), a surname (and list of people with that name) * Emerson (given name), a given name (and list of people with that name) Places Australia *Emerson Crossing, a place in Adelaide Canada * Emerson, Ma ...
# 1980–1988
Richard A. Merrill Richard A. Merrill (May 20, 1937 – October 26, 2017) was an American lawyer, government official, and academic administrator who served as the 7th dean of the University of Virginia School of Law and the chief counsel of the Food and Drug Adminis ...
# 1988–1991
Thomas H. Jackson Thomas H. Jackson (born June 20, 1950) is an American legal scholar who was the ninth president of the University of Rochester, preceded by Dennis O'Brien. Jackson held the position of president from 1994 until he formally stepped down on June 30 ...
# 1991–2001
Robert E. Scott Robert E. Scott (born 25 February 1944 in Nagpur, India) is a Law Professor at Columbia Law School. Scott graduated from Oberlin College ('' cum laude'') and received his J.D. degree in 1968 from William and Mary Law School where he was edit ...
# 2001–2008 John C. Jeffries Jr. # 2008–2016 Paul G. Mahoney # 2016–present
Risa L. Goluboff Risa Lauren Goluboff is an American lawyer and legal historian who serves as the 12th dean of the University of Virginia School of Law; she is the first woman to hold the position. She is also the Arnold H. Leon Professor of Law and a professor o ...


Notable faculty and alumni


Alumni

UVA Law maintains a list o
prominent alumni
and has graduated many influential figures in government, business, the judiciary, academia, journalism, and the law, including Woodrow Wilson, Robert F. Kennedy, Ted Kennedy, Lowell Weicker,
John Warner John William Warner III (February 18, 1927 – May 25, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974 and as a five-term Republican U.S. Senator from Virginia from 1979 to 200 ...
,
David K.E. Bruce David Kirkpatrick Este Bruce (February 12, 1898 – December 5, 1977) was an American diplomat, intelligence officer and politician. He served as ambassador to France, the Federal Republic of Germany, and the United Kingdom, the only American ...
, Louis Auchincloss,
DeMaurice Smith DeMaurice F. "De" Smith (born February 3, 1964) is the Executive Director of the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA). He was elected unanimously on March 15, 2009. As Executive Director of the NFLPA during the 2011 NFL lockout, Sm ...
,
Robert Mueller Robert Swan Mueller III (; born August 7, 1944) is an American lawyer and government official who served as the sixth director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 2001 to 2013. A graduate of Princeton University and New York ...
, Janet Napolitano and others. The school's alumni giving rate of more than 50 percent for the past 11 years is among the highest of the nation's law schools.


Faculty

Many of UVA Law's faculty are prominent scholars and academics, including
Anne Coughlin Anne M. Coughlin is the Lewis F. Powell Jr., Professor of Law at the University of Virginia School of Law. Early life and education Coughlin graduated from Tufts University with a B.A. in English in 1978. She then completed her M.A. in English ...
, professor of criminal law,
John F. Duffy John Fitzgerald Duffy (born November 22, 1963) is Professor of Law at University of Virginia School of Law in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is a Legal Commentator and Author who has written numerous articles and co-authored a scholarly book on ...
, who teaches intellectual property, and law school dean
Risa L. Goluboff Risa Lauren Goluboff is an American lawyer and legal historian who serves as the 12th dean of the University of Virginia School of Law; she is the first woman to hold the position. She is also the Arnold H. Leon Professor of Law and a professor o ...
, who is also a professor of legal history and constitutional law. Current faculty: *
Kenneth Abraham Kenneth S. Abraham (born 1946) is the Harrison Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Virginia School of Law. Biography In 1967, Abraham graduated with a bachelor's degree from Indiana University, ''magna cum laude'', where he was ...
– insurance law, torts *
Richard Bonnie Richard J. Bonnie is the Harrison Foundation Professor of Law and Medicine, Professor of Public Policy, Professor of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Science, and Director of the Institute of Law, Psychiatry and Public Policy at the University of ...
(LL.B. 1969) – criminal law, bioethics, public policy * Naomi R. Cahn – family law, trusts and estates, feminist jurisprudence *
Jonathan Cannon Jonathan Patrick Cannon (born July 19, 2000) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2024. Amateur career Cannon attended Centennial High School in Roswell, ...
- Blaine T Phillips Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law Emeritus * Danielle Citron – privacy, free expression, civil rights *
Anne Coughlin Anne M. Coughlin is the Lewis F. Powell Jr., Professor of Law at the University of Virginia School of Law. Early life and education Coughlin graduated from Tufts University with a B.A. in English in 1978. She then completed her M.A. in English ...
– criminal law, feminist jurisprudence *
Ashley Deeks Ashley S. Deeks is an American legal scholar who serves as an associate White House Counsel and deputy legal adviser to the U.S. National Security Council in the Biden administration. She is also the E. James Kelly, Jr.–Class of 1965 Research ...
– national security, international law, intelligence and the laws of war *
John Duffy John Duffy may refer to: Sportspeople * John Duffy (footballer, born 1886) (1886–?), English football centre half for Bradford City * John Duffy (footballer, born 1922) (1922–1996), Scottish football right back for Clyde and Norwich * John Duf ...
– patent law, international intellectual property, administrative law *
Risa Goluboff Risa Lauren Goluboff is an American lawyer and legal historian who serves as the 12th dean of the University of Virginia School of Law; she is the first woman to hold the position. She is also the Arnold H. Leon Professor of Law and a professor of ...
– Dean, legal history, constitutional law, constitutional history, civil rights * John C. Harrison – constitutional law, administrative law, constitutional history * A.E. Dick Howard (LL.B. 1961) – constitutional law, comparative constitutionalism, constitutional history * John Jeffries (J.D. 1973) – Dean Emeritus, criminal law, constitutional law, civil rights *
Douglas Laycock Douglas Laycock is the Robert E. Scott Distinguished Professor at the University of Virginia School of Law, and a leading scholar in the areas of religious liberty and the law of remedies. He also serves as the 2nd Vice President of the American ...
– constitutional law, religious liberties, remedies *
M. Elizabeth Magill Mary Elizabeth Magill (born 1965) is the 9th president of the University of Pennsylvania, a position she has held since July 1, 2022. She was the provost of the University of Virginia and a professor at the University of Virginia School of Law fr ...
(J.D. 1995) – Provost of the University of Virginia, administrative law, constitutional law * Paul G. Mahoney – Dean Emeritus, securities regulation, corporations * John Monahan – social science in law, mental health law * Caleb Nelson – civil procedure, federal courts * Cynthia Nicoletti – legal history, constitutional history, property * James E. Ryan (J.D. 1992) – President of the University of Virginia, education law, constitutional law *
Frederick Schauer Frederick Schauer (born January 15, 1946) is an American legal scholar who serves as David and Mary Harrison Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Virginia School of Law. He is also the Frank Stanton Professor ''emeritus'' of the Fi ...
– constitutional law and theory, philosophy of law, freedom of expression * Micah Schwartzman (J.D. 2005) – Law and religion, legal theory, constitutional law and theory *
John Setear John Setear (born 1959) is a professor of International Law at the University of Virginia School of Law. Setear also teaches courses in Contracts, Rules, Counterfactual History, the Civil War, the Cold War, and Baseball. Education Setear is a gr ...
– international law, international environmental law, foreign relations *
Lawrence Solum Lawrence Byard Solum (born 1954) is an American legal theorist known for his work in the philosophy of law and constitutional theory. He is the William L. Matheson and Robert M. Morgenthau Distinguished Professor of Law and the Douglas D. Drysdal ...
– philosophy of law, constitutional theory, procedure *
Steven Walt Steven D. Walt () is a law professor at the University of Virginia School of Law. He teaches courses on contracts, sales/commercial paper, legal philosophy, bankruptcy and secured transactions. Biography Walt graduated ''cum laude'' with a B.A. fr ...
– commercial law, contracts, bankruptcy *
G. Edward White George Edward White (born March 19, 1941) is an American legal historian, tort law scholar, and the David and Mary Harrison Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Virginia School of Law. Education and career White finished high s ...
– legal history, constitutional law, torts Former faculty: *
Lillian BeVier Lillian Riemer BeVier (born June 11, 1939) is a professor of law at the University of Virginia School of Law. She was the first woman to become a full professor at the law school, and she holds the position of Distinguished Professor of Law Emer ...
(1973-2010) - Distinguished Professor of Law Emeritus *
Antonin G. Scalia Antonin Gregory Scalia (; March 11, 1936 – February 13, 2016) was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1986 until his death in 2016. He was described as the intellectua ...
(1967-1974) – Associate U.S. Supreme Court Justice


References


External links


University of Virginia School of Law
{{DEFAULTSORT:University Of Virginia School Of Law Law, School of Virginia Education in Charlottesville, Virginia 1819 establishments in Virginia Educational institutions established in 1819