The University of Minnesota Law School, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, is a professional school of the University of Minnesota. The school offers a Juris Doctor (J.D.), Masters of Law (LL.M.) for Foreign Lawyers, and joint degrees with J.D./M.B.A., J.D./M.P.A, J.D./M.A., J.D./M.S., J.D./Ph.D., J.D./M.D., J.D./M.P.P., J.D./M.B.S., J.D./M.P., J.D./M.B.T., J.D./M.U.R.P., and J.D./M.P.H.
Founded in 1888, the Law School is consistently ranked among the top 20 law schools in the nation, with the current rank of 19th in the U.S. News & World Report "Best Law Schools" rankings and 18th in the U.S. News & World Report "Law Firm Recruiters Rank Best Law Schools" rankings; tied with UCLA and USC..
With 847 students, the Law School maintains a 10.9:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Admission is highly competitive; during the 2011-2012 cycle, over 3,200 prospective students applied for just 205 seats. For the same cycle, the median LSAT was 167, and the median undergraduate GPA was 3.8. The five-year average bar exam passage rate was 96.91%, one of the highest in the country. Tuition and fees are $34,817 for residents, and $43,385 for non-residents. The cost of attendance for non-residents is over $10,000 less per year than its Los Angeles market competitors, USC and UCLA.
In terms of employment prospects, there was a 97.7% (255 out of 261) employment rate for 2011 graduates within one year of graduation, among students seeking employment. The median starting salary for 2011 graduates employed in the private sector was $110,000. The Law School also does well at the nation's largest firms, despite a relatively small number of them headquartered in the region. According to one study, 18.1% of the Law School's 2006 graduates joined the United States' 250 largest law firms.
The Law School also provides one of the nation's largest and most distinguished programs of clinical education. There are 24 legal education clinics, offering "students attorneys" the opportunity to handle real legal cases under supervision of teaching attorneys. 50 percent of law students participate in at least one clinic program, which is twice the national average. In addition, over 95 percent of second year J.D students participate in either a moot court or legal journal. The Law School's 10th Dean is Professor David Wippman, former Vice Provost for International Relations and Professor of Law, Cornell University.
The school was originally housed in Pattee Hall, named after the school's first dean, William S. Pattee, who served from 1888-1911. Pattee's personal books become the Law Library’s first collection. In 1928 the school moved to Fraser Hall, named after Prof. Everett Fraser who served as Dean from 1920-1948. In 1978 the school moved to its present building, originally named the Law Center. In 1999-2001, the Law School initiated and completed an expansion of its facilities on the west bank of the University campus. This larger building was renamed Walter F. Mondale Hall in honor of one its most distinguished alumni, former Vice President Walter Mondale (Law Class of 1956).
Along with Harvard Law School, University of Minnesota Law School founded the Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction (CALI) in 1982. CALI has grown to include the membership of nearly every law school in the US and the organization still has offices at University of Minnesota Law.
Read more about University Of Minnesota Law School: Law Library, Study Abroad Programs, Publications, Notable Alumni
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