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New England Law At-a-Glance

Fall 2009 Matriculants At-a-Glance

 Tuition (2010-2011)

July 2009 Massachusetts Bar Passage Rate

88% for first-time takers

History

• Founded in 1908 as Portia Law School, the only law school established exclusively for the education of women
• Coeducational since 1938
• Renamed New England School of Law in 1969
• With three other independent law schools, New England Law is a founding member of the Consortium for Innovative Legal Education.

Accreditation/Membership

• American Bar Association
• Association of American Law Schools

Degrees Granted

• J.D. (Juris Doctor)
• LL.M. (Master of Laws) in Advanced Legal Studies – for foreign lawyers with law degrees from institutions outside the United States who want to increase their knowledge of the American legal system

Divisions Offered

• Full-time day division – 3 years
• Part-time evening division – 4 years
• Part-time day division – 4 years
• Special part-time division – up to 6 years (strictly for parents with primary or sole child-rearing responsibilities)

Financial Aid (financial aid is awarded by the law school on an annual basis)

• Receiving Federal loans/other aid:
  • Full Time Students: 86%
  • Part Time Students: 81%
• Receiving Grants and Scholarships:
  • Full Time Students: 64%
  • Part Time Students: 42%

Academic Centers:

• The Center for International Law and Policy
• The Center for Law and Social Responsibility
• The Center for Business Law

Clinical Programs

• Administrative Law
• Criminal Procedure (Office of the District Attorney)
• Environmental Law
• Family Law
• Federal Courts
• Government Lawyer (Office of the Attorney General)
• Health Law
• Immigration Law
• International Law
• Land Use Law
• Lawyering Process
• Massachusetts Practice (Clerkship)
• Mediation
• Mental Health Law
• Public Interest Law
• Tax Law

Advocacy Teams

• Interscholastic Competition
  • ABA Client Counseling Competition
  • ABA National Appellate Moot Court
  • Environmental Moot Court
  • Frederick Douglass Moot Court
  • National Child Welfare Moot Court Competition
  • National Mock Trial Competition
  • National Tax Moot Court
  • Philip C. Jessup International Law
• In-House Competition
  
  • Client Counseling Competition

Student Organizations

New England Law is home to dozens of student organizations.

Special Programs

• Charles Hamilton Houston Enrichment Program (CHHEP)
• Clinical Programs (see above)

Volunteer Opportunities

• New England Innocence Project (NEIP)
• Suffolk Lawyers for Justice, Inc. (SLJ)
• Friends of CASA, Inc.
• Shelter Legal Services Foundation, Inc.
• Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program

Law Library

• 320,000 bound volumes
• New England Law has more hours of reference service than any local law school
• Approximately 40 Windows XP workstations
• 16 laptops (both PC and Mac Powerbooks) circulate for three hour periods, for in-library use

Career Services (Class of 2008)

• 90% of the graduating class was employed or enrolled in a full-time advanced degree program within nine months of graduation.

• Class of 2008 Employment Categories:

• Starting salaries for the Class of 2008 are:

  • Private Practice:
    Average:  $78,679  Highest:  $160,000

  • Business/Corporations:
    Average:  $73,455  Highest:  $151,000

  • Government:
    Average:  $49,300  Highest:  $65,000

  • Judicial Clerkships:
    Average:  $45,608  Highest:  $59,700

  • Public Interest:
    Average:  $47,150  Highest:  $60,000