The University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law, also known as UK Rosenberg College of Law, is the law school of the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...

located in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded initially from a law program at

Transylvania University Transylvania University is a private university in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded in 1780 and was the first university in Kentucky. It offers 46 major programs, as well as dual-degree engineering programs, and is accredited by the Southern ...

in 1799, the law program at UK began operations in 1908; it was one of the nation's first public law schools. In 1913, the college became the first in the nation to institute a trial practice program, and is host to the tenth-oldest student-run law review publication in the United States. The dean of the College of Law is Mary J. Davis, who happens to be the first woman dean of the Rosenberg College of Law. According to UK Law's official disclosures to 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 aca ...

, nearly 86% of the Class of 2020 successfully obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation, excluding solo practitioners. Per '' U.S. News & World Report'', UK Law is the 67th best law school among all public and private universities in the nation, and the highest-ranked law school in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The University of Kentucky pass rate for the July 2021 Kentucky Bar Exam was 83%, 11% higher than the overall Kentucky pass rate. For first-time takers the pass rate was 83%, 6% higher than the overall first-time taker pass rate in Kentucky.

Academics

The Rosenberg College of Law offers a three-year, full-time program leading to a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree. Students in addition can choose to pursue their J.D. in conjunction with another graduate degree, such as a master's degree. The College offers a dual degree program that includes many different fields of study that includes: JD-MA, JD-MBA, JD/MHA ( Master of Health Administration), and JD-MPA. Required first-year courses for 1L's are

Tort A tort is a civil wrong that causes a claimant to suffer loss or harm, resulting in legal liability for the person who commits the tortious act. Tort law can be contrasted with criminal law, which deals with criminal wrongs that are punishable ...

Criminal law Criminal law is the body of law that relates to crime. It prescribes conduct perceived as threatening, harmful, or otherwise endangering to the property, health, safety, and moral welfare of people inclusive of one's self. Most criminal law ...

Contracts A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tr ...

legal research Legal research is "the process of identifying and retrieving information necessary to support legal decision-making. In its broadest sense, legal research includes each step of a course of action that begins with an analysis of the facts of a prob ...

and

writing Writing is a medium of human communication which involves the representation of a language through a system of physically inscribed, mechanically transferred, or digitally represented symbols. Writing systems do not themselves constitute h ...

constitutional law Constitutional law is a body of law which defines the role, powers, and structure of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the parliament or legislature, and the judiciary; as well as the basic rights of citizens and, in fe ...

civil procedure Civil procedure is the body of law that sets out the rules and standards that courts follow when adjudicating civil lawsuits (as opposed to procedures in criminal law matters). These rules govern how a lawsuit or case may be commenced; what kin ...

, and

property Property is a system of rights that gives people legal control of valuable things, and also refers to the valuable things themselves. Depending on the nature of the property, an owner of property may have the right to consume, alter, share, r ...

. All first-year students are required to complete the historic 1L

Oral argument Oral arguments are spoken presentations to a judge or appellate court by a lawyer (or parties when representing themselves) of the legal reasons why they should prevail. Oral argument at the appellate level accompanies written briefs, which also a ...

at the conclusion of their first year in their

Legal Writing Legal writing involves the analysis of fact patterns and presentation of arguments in documents such as legal memoranda and briefs. One form of legal writing involves drafting a balanced analysis of a legal problem or issue. Another form of lega ...

course acting as a hallmark event in each students legal career and their very first oral argument.

History

The University of Kentucky College of Law began operations in 1908. It was housed in a structure now known as the Gillis Building from 1927 to 1936. In 1936, the college moved into the newly built Lafferty Hall. Lafferty Hall was named after William T. Lafferty, the first dean of the College of Law. In 1913, the college began publication of the ''Kentucky Law Journal''. The KLJ is the tenth-oldest student-run law journal in continuous publication in America. In 1925, the college was approved by the

, and it was elected to the

Order of the Coif The Order of the Coif is an honor society for United States law school graduates. The name is a reference to the ancient English order of advocates, the serjeants-at-law, whose courtroom attire included a coif—a white lawn or silk skullcap, ...

in 1931. The College of Law again relocated to its current building located on South Limestone in 1965. That building underwent a major renovation and expansion during 2017-2019, during which the building was taken down to its structural core and completely reconfigured. On Feb. 1, 2017, Chief Justice

John G. Roberts, Jr. John Glover Roberts Jr. (born January 27, 1955) is an American lawyer and jurist who has served as the 17th Chief Justice of the United States, chief justice of the United States since 2005. Roberts has authored the majority opinion in sever ...

spoke at the College of Law and served as the first speaker of the judicial conference and speaker series hosted by UK Law apart of the Heyburn Initiative.Heyburn Initiative

Retrieved April 13, 2022. Most recently, on Sept. 21, 2017, Justice

Neil Gorsuch Neil McGill Gorsuch ( ; born August 29, 1967) is an American lawyer and judge who serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated by President Donald Trump on January 31, 2017, and has served since ...

, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States spoke at UK Law and provided advice to UK Law students in small intimate groups. Serving as only the most recent U.S. Supreme Court Justice to speak at the College of Law, going back to 1989 UK Law hosted the sixth biennial Judge Mac Swinford Lecture where Supreme Court Justice

Antonin 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 intellectu ...

delivered the lecture."The Review, Spring 1989" (1989)

Retrieved April 13, 2022. The five prior notable speakers of that series at UK Law were Judge Robert Keeton (1980), U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice

William Rehnquist William Hubbs Rehnquist ( ; October 1, 1924 – September 3, 2005) was an American attorney and jurist who served on the U.S. Supreme Court for 33 years, first as an associate justice from 1972 to 1986 and then as the 16th chief justice from ...

(1982), U.S. Supreme Court Justice

Sandra Day O'Connor Sandra Day O'Connor (born March 26, 1930) is an American retired attorney and politician who served as the first female associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1981 to 2006. She was both the first woman nominated and th ...

(1984), and Former U.S. Attorney General Griffin Bell (1986). The college was renamed the J. David Rosenberg College of Law in 2019 after prominent Ohio corporate lawyer and alumnus J. David Rosenberg (J.D. '73), donated $20 million to the college. The gift was the third largest single donation in university history and earned him the name rights to the school, it also went toward further strengthening the academic excellence of the College of Law by supporting scholarships for outstanding students and efforts to recruit and retain world-class faculty.

Law building

Constructed in 1965, the University of Kentucky College of Law Building houses the Alvin E. Evans Library, classrooms, and faculty offices. . The Alvin E. Evans Library is the largest law library in the Commonwealth and contains approximately 470,000 volumes, along with a vast array of electronic materials. It also provides access to all "U.S. reported court decisions, statutes and administrative materials" along with international materials. A 2002 study suggested that if a new College of Law structure was to be constructed, it should relocate closer to downtown Lexington. The suggested site was a block or two north, on Scott Street near the College of Education. A plan for five structures and two courtyards was abandoned because of funding difficulties. Instead, the school decided to renovate and expand its current building, a $56 million project, with state bonds paying $35 million on the condition that tuition not go up as a result. The renovation and expansion was completed in 2019.

Employment

According to University of Kentucky's official 2020 ABA-required disclosures, 86% of the Class of 2020 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation, excluding solo practitioners. University of Kentucky's

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 ...

under-employment score is 5.4%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2020 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation.

Costs

The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, books and living expenses) at University of Kentucky for the 2020-2021 academic year is $44,321 for residents and $71,108 for non-residents.

Notable alumni

* Andy Barr '01, U.S. Representative *

Steve Beshear Steven Lynn Beshear (born September 21, 1944) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 61st governor of Kentucky from 2007 to 2015. He served in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1974 to 1980, was the state's 44th Attorn ...

'68, former Kentucky governor * Edward T. Ned Breathitt '50, former Kentucky governor *

Stephen Bright Stephen B. Bright (born 1948) is an American lawyer known for representing people facing the death penalty, advocating for the right to counsel for poor people accused of crimes, and challenging inhumane practices and conditions in prisons and ja ...

'74, advocate and law school lecturer * John Y. Brown, Sr. '26, former U.S. Representative * John Y. Brown, III '92, former Secretary of State of Kentucky * David L. Bunning '91, U.S. District Judge *

Karen K. Caldwell Karen Kaye Caldwell (born February 25, 1956) is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky. Education and prior career Caldwell earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1977 from Trans ...

'80, U.S. District Judge * Albert B. "Happy" Chandler '24, former Governor of Kentucky, U.S. Senator and Commissioner of Baseball *

Ben Chandler Albert Benjamin Chandler III (born September 12, 1959) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the United States representative for from 2004 to 2013. A Democrat, Chandler was first elected to Congress in a 2004 special election. H ...

'86, U.S. Representative * Jennifer B. Coffman '78, U.S. District Judge *

Bert T. Combs Bertram Thomas Combs (August 13, 1911 – December 4, 1991) was an American jurist and politician from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. After serving on the Kentucky Court of Appeals, he was elected the 50th Governor of Kentucky in 1959 on his sec ...

'37, former Governor of Kentucky and Federal Judge *

Joe Craft Joseph Craft III (born 1950) is an American businessman and philanthropist. He is the president and chief executive officer of Alliance Resource Partners, L.P., the third-largest coal producer in the eastern United States. Craft has taken the Gi ...

'76, businessman and philanthropist * Mike Duncan '74, chairman of the Republican National Committee *

Karl Spillman Forester Karl Spillman Forester (May 2, 1940 – March 29, 2014) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky. Education and career Born on May 2, 1940, in Harlan, Kentucky, Forester recei ...

'66, U.S. District Judge * Joseph Robert Goeke '75, Senior Federal Judge * John G. Heyburn II '76, U.S. District Judge *

Joseph Martin Hood Joseph Martin Hood (born 1942) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky. Education and career Born in Ashland, Kentucky, Hood received a Bachelor of Science degree from ...

'72, U.S. District Judge * James E. Keller '66, Justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court * Robert G. Lawson '63, law professor *

Mitch McConnell Addison Mitchell McConnell III (born February 20, 1942) is an American politician and retired attorney serving as the senior United States senator from Kentucky and the Senate minority leader since 2021. Currently in his seventh term, McCon ...

'67, U.S. senator *

Jim Newberry Jim Newberry (born December 16, 1956) was mayor of Lexington, Kentucky from December 31, 2006, until January 2, 2011. He defeated incumbent mayor Teresa Isaac by the largest vote margin in the history of Lexington-Fayette's merged "Urban County" ...

'81, former Mayor of Lexington, Kentucky * Mary C. Noble '81, former Justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court *

Timothy N. Philpot Timothy Neil Philpot (Tim Philpot, born March 18, 1951) is an American lawyer, author and judge. He was elected to serve as a family court circuit judge in Fayette County, Kentucky in 2004, and again in 2006 and 2014, in the latter case with a te ...

'77, former Ky. State Senator and family court circuit judge in Fayette Co. *

Hal Rogers Harold Dallas Rogers (born December 31, 1937) is an American lawyer and politician serving his 21st term as the U.S. representative for , having served since 1981. He is a member of the Republican Party. Upon Don Young's death in 2022, Rogers b ...

'64, U.S. Representative *

Ernesto Scorsone Ernesto Scorsone is a notable LGBT advocate, American lawyer, politician and judge from Kentucky. Early life and career Ernesto Scorsone was born in Palermo, Italy, on February 15, 1952. His family immigrated to the United States in 1960. Sc ...

'76, former Ky. State Senator and court circuit judge in Fayette Co. * Aurelia Skipwith, 15', Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service *

Janet Stumbo Janet Lynn Stumbo (born October 21, 1954) is a former associate justice of the Kentucky Court of Appeals, the second woman to ever serve on the court. From 1993 to 2004, she was an associate justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court, becoming the firs ...

'80, Justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court * David Tandy '98, former member of the Louisville Metro Council * Gregory Frederick Van Tatenhove '89, U.S. District Judge * Ed Whitfield '69, U.S. Representative * Henry Rupert Wilhoit, Jr. '60, U.S. District Judge

Extracurricular activities

Kentucky College of Law has numerous active student organizations, including: *Organizations devoted to interest in a specific area of law (international law, tax law, public interest Law, sports & entertainment law, business law, criminal law, intellectual property law, etc). *Political and social organizations (OUTLaw, American constitution society on law & policy, etc). * UK Law chapter of the

Federalist Society The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies (abbreviated as FedSoc) is an American conservative and libertarian legal organization that advocates for a textualist and originalist interpretation of the U.S. Constitution. Headquarter ...

. *Community service organizations (

street law Street Law (also known as ''StreetLaw'') is a global program of legal and civics education geared at secondary school students. Street Law is an approach to teaching practically relevant law to grassroots populations using interactive teaching m ...

, law wellness initiative, volunteer income tax assistance (VITA), etc). *Organization for students with a common background (asian pacific american law student association, black law students association, christian legal society, latino law student association, law student veterans organization, etc). The Rosenberg College of Law has a

mock trial A mock trial is an act or imitation trial. It is similar to a moot court, but mock trials simulate lower-court trials, while moot court simulates appellate court hearings. Attorneys preparing for a real trial might use a mock trial consisti ...

team, which competes nationally. Additionally, it has several

moot court 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 " ...

teams. Both

and

teams are historically responsible for the College of Law's tradition of excellence in trial advocacy. The Rosenberg College of Law publishes the following

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 p ...

s: *The '' Kentucky Law Journal'' the university's historically renowned flagship publication that is the tenth oldest law review published in the United States which has had a continuous publication since 1881. *The '' Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, and Natural Resources Law (KJEANRL)'' a multi-disciplinary journal of law, science, and policy.

Images

File:LIMESTONE ENTRANCE.jpg, Entrance File:Law Library.jpg, Law Library File:Judicial Court Room.jpg, Judicial court room File:Main Floor Staircase.jpg, Main floor staircase

References

External links

College of Law
{{DEFAULTSORT:University Of Kentucky College Of Law

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

1799 establishments in Kentucky Proposed buildings and structures in the United States Natural resources law