David A. Clarke School of Law

David A. Clarke School of Law
Motto Practice Law. Promote Justice. Change Lives.
Parent school University of the District of Columbia
Established 1986[1]
School type Public
Dean John C. Brittain (interim)
Location Washington, D.C., U.S.
Enrollment 366[2]
Faculty 47[2]
USNWR ranking Rank Not Published[3]
Website http://www.law.udc.edu/

The University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law (also known as UDC Law) is the District of Columbia's public law school located near the Van Ness – UDC Metro station in Washington, D.C.

According to UDC Law's 2017 ABA-required disclosures, 78.35% of the Class of 2016 obtained JD-required or advantage employment nine months after graduation.[4]

History

UDC Law was established as the District of Columbia School of Law after Antioch University decided to close its law school.[1] The Antioch School of Law was a Washington, D.C. school established in 1972 by Jean Camper Cahn and Edgar S. Cahn, a married interracial couple dedicated to improving legal services for poor people.[5]

Eager to retain the Antioch School of Law's mission, curriculum, clinical programs, and personnel for the benefit of the city, in 1986 Antioch School of Law students, alumni and local legal and civic leaders mounted a successful grassroots campaign to persuade the Council of the District of Columbia to pass legislation that re-established the school as the District of Columbia School of Law (DCSL).[6] The Council of the District of Columbia later passed legislation merging the School of Law with the University of the District of Columbia in 1996.[1] In 1998 President Clinton signed legislation renaming the School after former D.C. Council Chair David A. Clarke, a civil rights leader, former Chair of the Council of the District of Columbia and long-time advocate for the law school and its mission.[1]

The District of Columbia School of Law was awarded provisional accreditation by the American Bar Association in 1991, while the David A. Clarke School of Law was awarded provisional accreditation shortly after its renaming in 1998.[1] It was awarded full accreditation by a unanimous vote of the ABA House of Delegates on August 8, 2005.[1]

Mission

The David A. Clarke School of Law has carried on the original mission of The Antioch School of Law. UDC Law's mission is:

  1. to recruit and enroll students from groups underrepresented at the bar,
  2. provide a well-rounded theoretical and practical legal education that will enable students to be effective and ethical advocates, and
  3. to represent the legal needs of low-income residents through the school's legal clinics.[7]

Academics

Curriculum

UDC Law requires more hands-on work in a clinical setting - on real cases on behalf of low-income people and the public interest - than any other U.S. law school. The school requires full-time first year students to take courses on Civil Procedure, Contracts, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Law & Justice, Lawyering Process, and Torts.[8] Upper-division full-time students are required to take clinical courses and courses on Constitutional Law, Evidence, Moot Court, Professional Responsibility, and Property.[8]

Degrees offered

UDC Law students can earn their J.D. in three years as full-time students or in four years as part-time students.[9] The school also offers a two-year LL.M. program with concentrations in Clinical Education, Social Justice, and Systems Change.[10]

Faculty[11]

The school had 28 full-time faculty and three part-time/visiting faculty, including Antioch founder Edgar S. Cahn, as of Spring 2018.[12]

Experiential learning

Each first-year UDC Law student provides a minimum of 40 hours of community service with a DC non-profit or government agency as part of the Law and Justice course. After completion of the first year, all UDC Law students are eligible for a paid Summer Public Interest Fellowship. UDC Law also has an Externship Program, allowing students to earn academic credit for closely supervised law-related work done in conjunction with the School of Law's Externship Course. In addition, UDC Law has a service-learning program that facilitates law student, staff and faculty service at family detention centers in Texas and elsewhere.

However, the heart of UDC Law's experiential program are its legal clinics, and all upper-division students to take two clinical classes.[13]

The school offers the following clinics:[13]

  • Community Development Clinic
  • Criminal Law Clinic (with DC Law Students in Court, located in the UDC Law building)
  • Whistleblower Protection Clinic - at the Government Accountability Project
  • General Practice Law Clinic
  • Housing & Consumer Law Clinic
  • Immigration & Human Rights Clinic
  • Juvenile & Special Education Law Clinic
  • Legislation Clinic
  • Low-Income Taxpayers Clinic

U.S. News & World Report ranked UDC Law 6th for clinical training in its 2017 ranking of ABA-accredited law schools.[3][14]

Student life

UDC Law enrolled 366 students for the 2012-2013 academic year including 330 students pursuing a J.D.[2] 57.3% of UDC Law's JD student were enrolled full-time.[2] 51.8% of J.D. students were racial minorities and 57.9% were female.[2]

UDC Law students can participate in more than 30 student organizations, reflecting a variety of legal and social justice interests.[15]

Admissions

UDC Law had a 39.6% acceptance rate in 2017 with the school receiving 548 applications.[2] The school's matriculation rate was 38% with 82 of the 217 admits enrolling.[16]

The median LSAT score for students enrolling in UDC in 2013 was 149 (40th percentile)[17] and the median GPA was 3.07.[2]

Employment

ABA Employment Summary for 2016 Graduates[18]
Employment Status Percentage
Employed - Bar Passage Required
 
 40.2%
Employed - J.D. Advantage
 
 38%
Employed - Professional Position
 
 4.1%
Employed - Non-Professional Position
 
 3.1%
Employed - Law School/University Funded
 
 1.0%
Employed - Undeterminable
 
 0.0%
Pursuing Graduate Degree Full Time
 
 0%
Unemployed - Start Date Deferred
 
 0.0%
Unemployed - Not Seeking
 
 0%
Unemployed - Seeking
 
 11.3%
Employment Status Unknown
 
 2%
Total of 97 Graduates

According to the school's official 2016 ABA-required disclosures, 78.3% of the Class of 2016 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required or JD-advantage employment nine months after graduation. 13 of the 97 were employed as judicial clerks. An equal number were either unemployed or their status was unknown.

Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland were the top employment locations for 2016 graduates.

Costs

The 2018-2019 tuition rates for full-time students are $5,919 per semester for D.C. residents, $8,878 for metropolitan area residents, and $11,837 per semester for non-District residents. Tuition rates for part-time, visiting and non-matriculating students are $402 per credit hour for D.C. residents, $601 per credit hour for metropolitan area residents, and $802 per credit hour for non-District residents. The total cost of attendance (including the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at UDC Law for the 2017-2018 academic year is estimated to be $44,306 for full-time students who are D.C. residents and $56,320 for full-time students who are non-residents.[19]

Total cost of attendance can be dramatically lowered if the student lives in shared space. The UDC Law Office of Admission works with incoming students to connect them to alumni and friends of the School of Law who may have suitable accommodation in their, or their associates' homes.

The average annual increase in tuition and fees for DC residents at UDC Law for the past five years has been 9%.[20]

The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $159,633.[20]

Ranking

The 2018 addition of U.S. News & World Report's annual law school rankings ranked UDC Law #8 for clinical legal training.[21]

Notable alumni

Public Interest

  • Thomas Devine, (Antioch, 1980) Legal Director, Government Accountability Project
  • Melinda Douglas, (Antioch, 1981) founder and Executive Director, Alexandria Defender Service
  • Sandra Mattavous-Frye (Antioch, 1983), Peoples’ Counsel, Washington, DC.
  • Paula Carmody, (Antioch, 1980) Maryland Peoples’ Counsel.
  • Jonathan M. Smith, (Antioch, 1984) Executive Director, Washington Lawyers’ Committee
  • Karen Newton Cole, (Antioch, 1986) Director, Neighborhood Legal Services, Washington, DC
  • Tammy Seltzer (1996) Director, University Legal Services’ DC Jail & Prison Advocacy Project
  • Rochanda Hiligh-Thomas, (1996), Executive Director, Advocates for Justice in Education, Washington, DC
  • Naomi Smoot (2013), Executive Director, Coalition For Juvenile Justice, Washington, DC
  • Mike Ewall (2011), Executive Director, Energy Justice Network
  • Stephen Milliken (Antioch, 1978) Executive Director, JusticeAid (and retired DC Superior Court Judge)
  • Gwynn Swinson, (Antioch, 1976), Co-Founder, North Carolina Governor’s Conference for Women, Board Member, UNC Greensboro

Federal government

State and local government

Judiciary

  • Thomas Kilbride, former Chief Justice and current Associate Justice, Supreme Court of Illinois (Antioch, 1981)[25]
  • Michael D. Wilson, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Hawaii (Antioch, 1979)[26]
  • Kevin M. Dougherty, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania (Antioch, 1987)
  • Joan A. Lenard (Antioch, 1976) is an American lawyer and United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
  • Linda Christopher (Antioch, 1980), Associate Justice, New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division
  • Anil Singh (Antioch, 1986), Associate Justice, N.Y. State Supreme Court Appellate Division, was the first Indian American NY State Supreme Court and Appellate Division Justice.
  • Karen Clopton (Antioch, 1983) First African American woman Chief Administrative Law Judge, California Public Utilities Commission
  • Charles Rainey, (Antioch, 1983) Chief Administrative Law Judge, Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.
  • Daniel Sanchez, (Antioch, 1976) former judge, First Judicial District Court, Arizona
  • Selden Pedon, (2000) Summary Court Judge, Greenville, South Carolina
  • Charles Hayden, (Antioch, 1981), Judge, Philadelphia Municipal Court
  • Richard Montelione, (Antioch, 1983) Judge, Kings County Criminal Court, Brooklyn, NY
  • Russell F. Canan (Antioch, 1976) Senior Judge, DC Superior Court
  • J. Ramsey Johnson (Antioch, 1976) Associate Judge, DC Superior Court
  • Betty Jean Hall, (Antioch, 1976) Chief Administrative Appeals Judge, US Dept. of Labor
  • Robert Owens, (Antioch, 1978) Asst. Chief Immigration Judge, US Dept of Justice, EOIR
  • Shana Frost Matini (1996) D.C. Superior Court Magistrate Judge.
  • Tyrona DeWitt (2002) D.C. Superior Court Magistrate Judge.
  • Michele Varicchio (Antioch, 1985), Judge, Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas, PA
  • Maureen Skerda (Antioch, 1985), Presiding Judge, Warren-Forest County Court of Common Pleas, PA
  • Kathryn Hens-Greco (Antioch, 1985) Judge, Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, PA
  • Maximino Munoz (Antioch, 1985) Presiding Judge, El Paso Municipal Court, TX

Academia

Arts

  • Aviva Kempner, documentary filmmaker (Antioch, 1976)[29]
  • Evan Mascagni, (2011) documentary filmmaker, (Circle of Poison)

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "School of Law History". University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "University of the District of Columbia - 2013 Standard 509 Information Report" (PDF). University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  3. 1 2 "University of the District of Columbia (Clarke)". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  4. ↑ American Bar Association Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar (2017). Employment Summary for 2016 Graduates. Washington, DC: 7 April 2017
  5. ↑ Fowler, Glenn. "Jean Camper Cahn Is Dead at 55; Early Backer of Legal Aid to Poor". New York Times. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  6. ↑ "Antioch Law School Gains". New York Times. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  7. ↑ "School of Law History - UDC David A. Clarke School of Law". www.law.udc.edu. Retrieved 2018-01-05.
  8. 1 2 "Full-time J.D. Program Curriculum". University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  9. ↑ "Part-time J.D. Program Curriculum". University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  10. ↑ "Master of Laws (LL.M.) Program". University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  11. ↑ "School of Law Faculty - UDC David A. Clarke School of Law". www.law.udc.edu. Retrieved 2018-01-05.
  12. ↑ "School of Law Faculty - UDC David A. Clarke School of Law". www.law.udc.edu. Retrieved 2018-01-05.
  13. 1 2 "Introduction to the Clinical Program". University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  14. ↑ "UDC Law 2016 Graduate Employment Statistics" (PDF).
  15. ↑ "Student Organizations". University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law. Retrieved 5 Jan 2018.
  16. ↑ "Standard 509 Reports". www.abarequireddisclosures.org. Retrieved 2018-01-05.
  17. ↑ "LSAT Percentiles Table". Cambridge LSAT. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  18. ↑ "Employment Summary for 2016 Graduates" (PDF).
  19. ↑ "Cost of Attendance and Student Need". University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law. Archived from the original on 2008-10-24. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
  20. 1 2 "University of The District of Columbia Profile: Costs". Law School Transparency. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  21. ↑ "U.S. News Best Grad School Rankings". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  22. ↑ "Jon B. Wellinghoff". Stoel Rives. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  23. ↑ "Keiffer Jackson Mitchell, Jr". Maryland House of Delegates. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  24. ↑ "Penfield Tate III's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  25. ↑ "Thomas L. Kilbride, Supreme Court Justice Third District". Illinois Courts. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  26. ↑ "Michael D. Wilson, '79 Nominated for Hawaii Supreme Court". University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  27. ↑ "Andrea Lyon, '76 Appointed Dean of Valparaiso Law". University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  28. ↑ "Joyce E. McConnell". West Virginia University. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  29. ↑ "Aviva Kempner - Biography". San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. Retrieved 14 July 2014.

Coordinates: 38°56′37″N 77°03′48″W / 38.9435°N 77.0633°W / 38.9435; -77.0633

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