University of Miami School of Law

The University of Miami School of Law was founded concurrently with the University of Miami's founding in 1926. Starting in 1952, the school started offering a LL.M. degree in taxation.[6] In 1957, UM began to offer an LL.M. in Inter-American Law, and the Masters of Comparative Law (now an LL.M.) was first offered in 1959. In 1998, the school decided to reduce the size of its entering JD classes by 15 percent.[6]

The school offers extensive public interest programs and opportunities, including the Center for Ethics and Public Service that offers in-house clinics and educational programs, including the Children and Youth Law Clinic, Health and Elder Law Clinic, and Corporate and Professional Responsibility Program. The HOPE Public Interest Resource Center gives students an opportunity to become involved in over 25 different projects each year, reaching various underserved and at-risk populations locally, nationally, and abroad.

The school also offers several joint-degree programs, including in international arbitration, maritime law, tax law, business, and other subjects.[7] The White & Case International Arbitration LL.M. Program was ranked the top 10 in alternative dispute resolution globally in 2019.[8] Its Academic Achievement Program provides participating students additional tools to succeed in law school. 27 Study Abroad Options in 14 countries[9]

The University of Miami School of Law hosts the annual Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, a conference for estate planning professionals, and its graduate estate planning program is one of the best regarded in the country.[10] The law school also hosts an annual symposium for psychology, public policy, and law.

In 2022, U.S. News & World Report ranked the University of Miami School of Law the 73nd best law school in the nation.[11]

The University of Miami School of Law is located on the main campus of the University of Miami in Coral Gables, just six miles southeast of Miami, the seventh largest metropolitan area in the nation. The School of Law is centered on a central courtyard called the Bricks. The Law Library has a collection of over 600,000 volumes in print and microform, and subscribes to a large list of electronic resources.[12]

The University of Miami campus is served by the Miami Metrorail at its University Station.

The University of Miami School of Law has 265 faculty and a student to faculty ratio of 7:1.[13] First-year students take a series of required courses covering the theory and substance of the law while exploring the political, commercial, and social dimensions of legal institutions. In addition to the required courses, first-year students also are permitted to choose one elective in their second semester.

Law students at the University of Miami have the opportunity to combine their J.D. degrees with master's degrees in business administration, communications, music business, public health, or marine affairs. There is also a joint J.D./LL.M. program in which students can complete both degrees in seven semesters in the areas of taxation, international law, international arbitration, ocean and coastal law, and real property development. The law school also offers programs leading to a LL.M. degree in taxation, estate planning, real property, comparative law, inter-American law, international law, international arbitration, and ocean and coastal law.

The University of Miami School of Law has a total student body of approximately 1,250. As of fall 2020, 54% are female, 48% are minorities, 66% speak more than one language, and 47% enroll directly after graduating from college.[13] Students range in age from 20 to 51, with a median age of 24. The median LSAT score is 159 and median GPA is 3.53.[14]

The school offers students the opportunity to compete for membership on both the Charles C. Papy Jr. Moot Court Board and the International Moot Court Board. Both boards make up Miami's Moot Court Board ranked 14th in the nation as of 2011.[15] The Charles C. Papy Moot Court Board hosts a Negotiation Competition, Mock Trial Competition, Fall and Spring C. Clyde Atkins Advanced Moot Court Competitions, and the John T. Gaubatz Competition. Also, the board participates in numerous inter-school competitions across the country. Most recently, the Charles C. Papy Moot Court Board advanced to the finals of the ABA Law Student Division National Appellate Advocacy Competition, with one team member taking home the Best Oralist Award.[16]

Miami Law is the only U.S. law school with an International Moot Court Program (IMCP, which prepares student to compete in several public and private law competitions held around the world. The law school hosts a pre-moot for the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot each spring which attracts schools from Europe, Central and South America. In 2010, IMCP won second place at the ICC Moot in The Hague, winning two of the top three oralist awards;[17] in 2019, it ranked first in the U.S., and second overall, in the Americas round of the ICC competition, ultimately advancing to the 13th place in the finals. The school's prestigious International Arbitration LL.M. Program has allowed IMCP to perform well in several arbitral moots.[18] In 2011, IMCP won first place in its first appearance in the Frankfurt Investment Arbitration Moot Court competition held in Frankfurt, Germany.[19] In the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot, held in Vienna, Austria, IMCP has consistently taken home "Honorable Mentions" for Best Oralist from 2006 to 2009, finishing 14th out of 252 schools in 2010.[20]

The University of Miami's School of Law offers participation in student activities. The Student Bar Association, ("S.B.A."), serves as the law school's student government and works closely with the faculty and administration to improve student life on the campus. The S.B.A. also acts as a conduit to the American Bar Association, and the school's S.B.A. President and the elected A.B.A. Representative serve as delegates to the national convention of S.B.A. Presidents and A.B.A. Representatives at the A.B.A. annual meeting.- The law school also has a student-run Honor Council, which investigates and adjudicates alleged violations of the Honor Code of the School of Law. It is chaired by the Honor Council President.

According to University of Miami's official 2017 ABA-required disclosures, 75% of the Class of 2017 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation.[5] University of Miami's Law School Transparency under-employment score is 13.8%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2017 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation.[21]

The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at University of Miami School of Law for the 2015–2016 academic year is $74,815.[22] The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $259,857.[23]

The University of Miami School of Law has a flagship student-edited law review, the University of Miami Law Review, and five other student-edited journals:

• Business Law Review
• Inter-American Law Review
• International & Comparative Law Review
• National Security & Armed Conflict Law Review
• Race and Social Justice Law Review

The school also sponsors Jotwell, a peer-reviewed legal blog specializing in short reviews of recent legal scholarly publications.

The University of Miami School of Law has more than 20,000 alumni practicing law throughout the United States and nearly eighty countries around the world.

The job-placement rate for graduates of the University of Miami School of Law is greater than or equal to the average national job placement rate for the past six years. The American Bar Association reports that within nine months of graduation, about 75% of the 260 students in the Class of 2017 were employed in jobs requiring a JD.[24] Eighteen students were reported unemployed. Most graduates (63 students) are employed in small law firms consisting of 2-10 attorneys followed by non-legal employment in business/industry (49 students). 27 out of the total 260 graduating students were placed in large law firms of 251+ lawyers.[24]

Deans of the University of Miami School of Law, since its founding, are:[25]

• Richmond A. Rasco, 1926 – 1931
• Russell A. Rasco, 1935 - 1957
• James A. Burnes, 1957 – 1962
• Wesley Alba Sturges, 1961 – 1962
• M. Minnette Massey, 1962 – 1966
• Frederick D. Lewis, 1966 – 1973
• Thomas A. Thomas, 1973 – 1974
• Soia Mentschikoff, 1974 – 1982
• Claude R. Sowle, 1982 – 1986
• Mary E. Doyle, 1986 – 1994; interim dean, 1998-1999
• Samuel C. Thompson, 1994 – 1998
• Dennis O. Lynch, 1999 – 2008
• Paul R. Verkuil, 2008 – 2009
• Patricia D. White, 2009 – 2019
• Anthony E. Varona, 2019 – 2021[26]
• Nell Jessup Newton, interim dean, 2021–present[27]

• Soia Mentschikoff, dean and law professor, developed Uniform Commercial Code
• Marilyn Milian, adjunct law professor, host of The People's Court
• Nell Jessup Newton, interim dean
• Jan Paulsson, law professor, international arbitration expert
• Stephen Urice, law professor, cultural property expert
• Kevin Warren, adjunct faculty, entertainment, arts, sports and chief operating officer of the Minnesota Vikings[28]

• Official website