The Wake Forest University School of Law is one of the professional graduate schools of Wake Forest University. Located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Wake Forest University School of Law is a private American Bar Association (ABA) accredited law school and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS). The school was established in 1894. U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks the school among the Top Tier Law Schools in the nation. The current dean is Suzanne Reynolds.
Wake Forest University School of Law has a faculty of 52 Resident Faculty Members and 40 Extended Faculty Members.
The school is known for emphasizing small classes, and the entering class in 2014 had 179 students. The Class entering in 2014 had a 25/75% GPA range of 3.37-3.77 and LSAT range of 157 to 163. According to Wake Forest's official 2013 ABA-required disclosures, 56.6% of the Class of 2013 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation. The bar passage rate in North Carolina for the Class of 2014 was 79%.
Publications
The school has three student-run law journals. The school's flagship journal is the Wake Forest Law Review. The school also publishes two specialized journals, the Wake Forest Journal of Law & Policy and the Wake Forest Journal of Business and Intellectual Property Law.
Rankings
The Wake Forest University School of Law was ranked 36th in the 2017 U.S. News & World Report Best Law Schools rankings.
Student organizations
- Student Bar Association
- Phi Alpha Delta
- Black Law Students Association
- North Carolina Student Bar Association
- American Constitution Society
- Federalist Society
- Moot Court Board
- Trial Bar
Public Interest Law Organization
- Wake Forest Law Review
- "Wake Forest Journal of Law & Policy"
- Texas Young Lawyer Association National Trial Team
- AAJ Student Trial Advocacy Competition Trial Team
- OUTLaw
Student opportunities
- Metropolitan Externship in Washington, D.C. - Students spend approximately 35 hours per week interning in a government agency or non-governmental organization. In addition to this practice component, students attend a weekly class session, which explores issues common to the interns.
- Summer Study Abroad Programs in London, Venice, and Vienna.
- Inns of Court
- Guardian Ad Litem
- Pro bono Project
Clinics
The Law School offers six legal clinics, or programs that allow students to attain practical legal experience through providing legal services to real clients.
- Appellate Advocacy Clinic - Students represent clients in a variety of appellate courts, including the Fourth Circuit and the Seventh Circuit. Students handle an actual appeal from start to finish, with advice and assistance from their professor, who is counsel of record. Students also travel to Washington, D.C., to observe arguments at the United States Supreme Court.
- Child Advocacy Clinic - Students represent children in custody disputes, domestic violence situations, and in issues involving the public school system.
- Community Law and Business Clinic - A new program, this clinic provides law and graduate business students with an opportunity to develop skills needed to practice in the increasingly complex legal and regulatory environment they will encounter as professionals.
- Elder Law Clinic - Students provides free legal assistance to moderate income seniors in a variety of legal matters.
- Innocence and Justice Clinic - This clinic has its origins in the Innocence Project in which Wake Forest students review and investigate claims of innocence to determine whether DNA evidence existed that could exonerate inmates.
- Civil & Criminal Externship Clinic - Formerly referred to as the Litigation Clinic, students have the opportunity to receive real world practice experience by working with local attorneys. During the semester, all students receive civil placements with local firms, in-house counsel offices, and the Office of the United States Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina. Students also spend half of their semester working in a criminal placement. These placements have included private firms as well as prosecutors' and public defenders' offices.
Employment
According to Wake Forest's official 2013 ABA-required disclosures, 58.5% of the Class of 2013 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation. Wake Forest's Law School Transparency under-employment score is 33.3%, 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.
Costs
The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at Wake Forest University School of Law for the 2013-2014 academic year is $63,518. The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $234,471.
Notable alumni
- Rhoda Billings (J.D., 1966), Former Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court
- William Earl Britt (LL.B. 1958), Former federal judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina
- Sidney S. Eagles Jr. (J.D. 1964), Former Justice of the North Carolina Court of Appeals
- James P. Cain (JD, 1984), Former U.S. Ambassador to Denmark
- Robert L. Ehrlich (J.D., 1982), Former Governor of and Congressman for the state of Maryland
- Rocky Fitzsimmons, member of the West Virginia Senate
- Jerome B. Friedman (J.D., 1969), Federal judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
- Kay Hagan (JD, 1978), Former U.S. Senator for the state of North Carolina (2009-2015)
- Malcolm Jones Howard, (J.D. 1970), Federal judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina
- Samuel Johnson Howard (JD, 1976), 8th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Florida
- I. Beverly Lake Jr. (J.D. 1960), Former Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court
- John C. Martin (J.D. 1967), Chief Judge of the North Carolina Court of Appeals
- Warren McGraw (J.D. 1963), Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia and West Virginia Senate President
- Robert Burren Morgan (J.D.), Former U.S. Senator for the state of North Carolina (1975â€"1981)
- Edwin Monroe Stanley (LL.B., 1931), Former federal judge for the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina
- Charles H. Taylor (J.D., 1966) Former U.S. Congressman for the state of North Carolina (1991â€"2007)
- Don Vaughan (J.D., 1979) Former member of the North Carolina State Senate from Greensboro
- Hiram Hamilton Ward (LL.B., 1950) Former federal judge for the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina
- Samuel Grayson Wilson (J.D., 1974) Federal Judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia
- Christopher R. Barron (J.D.), Co-Founder of GOProud.
- Greg Habeeb (J.D., 2001) Member of the Virginia House of Delegates.
- Creigh Deeds (J.D., 1984) Member of the Virginia State Senate.
References
External links
- Official website