The University of Washington School of Law or Washington School of Law is the law school of the University of Washington, located on the northwest corner of the main campus in Seattle, Washington.
The 2017 U.S. News & World Report law school rankings place it at #30, making it the highest-ranking law school in the Pacific Northwest.
The school was first organized in 1899. The current law building, the William H. Gates Hall, was completed and occupied in September 2003, funded by and named after William H. Gates Sr., the father of Microsoft-founder Bill Gates. Its architecture is modern and energy-efficient, with windows and skylights allowing natural light to fill the library and corridors. The school was previously located in the second Condon Hall from 1974-2003, located several blocks west of the main campus. From 1933-74 the law school occupied the first Condon Hall in The Quad, which was renamed "Gowen Hall" in 1974.
As of 2008, the enrollment was 671 students (all full-time), the faculty numbered 118 (66 full-time), and the student/faculty ratio was 11:1.
The school is fully accredited by the American Bar Association and has been a member of the Association of American Law Schools since 1909.
The UW School of Law has a reputation as a collegial institution; for many years the school did not rank its students, and just started ranking students in bands in 2007.
According to UW School of Law's 2013 ABA-required disclosures, 64.5% of the Class of 2013 obtained full-time, long-term, bar passage-required employment nine months after graduation, excluding solo practitioners.
Admissions and careers
For the class entering in the fall of 2013, 686 out of 2,624 J.D. applicants were offered admission (26.1%), with 143 matriculating. The 25th and 75th LSAT percentiles for the 2013 entering class were 161 and 165, respectively, with a median of 164. The 25th and 75th undergraduate GPA percentiles were 3.46 and 3.80, respectively, with a mean of 3.64.
Washington residents made up 70.6 percent of the entering class; 27.9 percent of students were minorities. Bar passage rate in July 2013 was 93.8%. Of 2008 graduates, 98.2 percent had secured professional employment within nine months of graduation. The median starting salary for 2007 graduates employed in the private sector (56 percent of students) was $92,250, and the median starting salary for those employed in the public sector (40 percent) was $41,000.
Facilities
William H. Gates Hall opened in September 2003. The building houses classrooms, student lounge, a coffee/snack kiosk, locker areas, the Marian Gould Gallagher Law Library, and faculty, administration and student organization offices. The building itself is fully accessible to people with disabilities and is equipped with Braille identifiers.
The law school offers:
- Wireless internet access throughout the building
- Outlets in each classroom seat
- Classrooms equipped with audio/visual equipment including CD/DVD players and recording equipment
- Podiums wired for internet access (most with built-in computers)
- Computer labs with 28 PCs for general use
The Marian Gould Gallagher Law Library houses a collection of more than 650,000 volumes establishing it as one of the largest university law collections on the West Coast.
In addition to an extensive research collection, it supports the Asian Law, Sustainable International Development Law, and tax graduate programs and serves as a federal depository for selected U.S. government documents. A highly trained staff of 38 facilitates access to a wide variety of legal information resources and services.
U.S. News & World Report has ranked the law librarianship program at the School at #1 in the country for the past three years.
Degrees and curriculum
The School of Law offers the Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree along with Master of Laws (LL.M.), Master of Jurisprudence (M.J.) and Ph.D. degrees.
J.D. students can also choose from one of six specializations: Asian Law, Dispute Resolution, Environmental Law, Health Law, Intellectual Property, and International and Comparative Law. The Law School also offers the opportunity to undertake a concurrent degree program, such as a J.D./Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) dual degree.
Students who already hold J.D. degrees attend the School of Law to seek an LL.M. degree in one of the school's programs: Intellectual Property Law and Policy, Taxation, Health Law, Asian and Comparative Law, or Law of Sustainable International Development. A Ph.D. degree is also available in Asian and Comparative Law.
Clinical law programs and centers
The UW School of Law clinical law program started in 1979. Nearly 60% of each JD class enrolls in one of the following clinics: Berman Environmental Law, Children and Youth Advocacy, Entrepreneurial Law, Federal Tax, Immigration Law, Innocence Project Northwest, Mediation, Technology Law and Public Policy, and Tribal Court Public Defense.
Capitalizing on its location in the Pacific Rim and at a top-ranked research institution, the UW School of Law is home to six centers and projects: Asian Law Center, Center for Advanced Study & Research on Intellectual Property (CASRIP), Center for Law in Science and Global Health, Global Health & Justice Project, Native American Law Center, and Shidler Center for Law, Commerce & Technology.
Scholarly publications
The University of Washington School of Law has four legal publications: Washington International Law Journal, the Washington Journal of Environmental Law & Policy, the Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts, and Washington Law Review.
Post-graduate employment
According to UW School of Law's official 2013 ABA-required disclosures, 64.5% of the Class of 2013 obtained full-time, long-term, bar passage-required employment nine months after graduation, excluding solo-practitioners. UW School of Law ranked 34th among ABA-approved law schools in terms of the percentage of 2013 graduates with non-school-funded, full-time, long-term, bar passage required jobs nine months after graduation.
UW School of Law's Law School Transparency under-employment score is 15.8%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2013 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation. 88.5% of the Class of 2013 was employed in some capacity while 2.7% were pursuing graduate degrees and 8.7% were unemployed nine months graduation.
Costs
The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at UW School of Law for the 2013-2014 academic year is $49,734 for Washington residents and $62,775 for non-residents.
The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $207,401.
Notable alumni
Notable alumni include:
See also
- Dan Fenno Henderson
References
External links
- UW School of Law - official site
- List of AALS members