David A. Clarke School of Law - Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous

The first Sandra Day O'Connor scholarship given by the Association of Women Judges was awarded to a third-year student at the David A. Clarke School of Law in March 2006.

The University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law (UDC-DCSL) is one of the nation's most outstanding law schools, according to The Princeton Review, and it is praised for its clinical programs. The leading reviewers, though, see the school's overall rankings as among the nation's lowest, down in the fourth tier out of four.

UDC-DCSL is one of 67 schools in the book (39% of the 172) that appear on one or more of the book's top-ten ranking lists. It is 2nd on the list for Most Liberal Students, 4th for Most Diverse Faculty, and 10th for Best Environment for Minority Students. Only six law schools had more top ten rankings than UDC-DCSL, whose three listings tied six other law schools.

According to the Princeton Review:

The small David A. Clarke School of Law at the University of the District of Columbia is one of a handful of ABA-accredited law schools at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. By all accounts, UDC is "a great bargain.” It’s "dirt cheap” if you are a resident of Washington, D.C. Even if you aren’t, it’s still remarkably affordable since "the school now has a scholarship program that offers free tuition to 20 activists.” Otherwise, the two pillars that set UDC apart are its "all-consuming” "commitment to public interest law” and its stellar clinical program. This school was founded with the mission to train students from groups underrepresented at the bar and it remains "committed to social justice and advocacy through the law.” Students agree that UDC is "a law school with a conscience” and that they will graduate with "a strong sense of public service and how to serve their communities as lawyers.” The clinical program goes hand in hand with this ethos. Under the supervision of a practicing attorney, all students must complete 700 hours of "hands-on work” assisting low-income clients with substantive, real legal issues before they graduate. "Our clinical experience is like none other,” a 3L boasts. Students gush that they learn skills "that you just cannot learn from casebooks” and they tell us that the clinical requirement provides the expertise necessary "to start practicing law immediately.” "You will have experiences that many first-level associates can only dream of having,” a 2L promises.

Princeton Review continues:

The employment situation for UDC graduates is unique, primarily because it stresses public service so much. The administration and a tremendous number of the students who enroll here want to provide access to the legal system to people who don’t have much money. A very solid percentage of graduates obtain judicial clerkships. Graduates also find jobs at small law firms, with the federal government, and with nonprofit organizations of all sizes. Older UDC alumni have gone on to become judges in a host of states. Ultimately, if you want to start out as a public defender, or work for a federal agency or a public interest organization, UDC is an ideal law school.

According to Robert Franek, Princeton Review Senior VP-Publishing,

"We are pleased to recommend UDC-DCSL to readers of our book and users of our website as one of the best institutions they could attend to earn a law school degree. We chose the 172 schools for this book based on our high opinion of their academic programs and offerings, as well as our review of institutional data we collect from the schools. We also strongly consider the candid opinions of students attending the schools who rate and report on their campus experiences at their schools on our student survey for the book."