|
The University of Alabama School of Law
Box 870382
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
Phone: 205.348.5440; Fax: 205.348.3917
E-mail: admissions@law.ua.edu; Website:
www.law.ua.edu
Applicants (Freshman Class; 2005 - 2006)
|
Applied: |
1,071 |
|
Accepted: |
283 |
|
Enrolled: |
157 |
|
Average Age: |
25 |
Student Body (2005 - 2006)
|
Median LSAT: |
163 |
|
Median GPA: |
3.47 |
|
Women: |
39% |
|
Minority: |
9% |
| Passed
Bar Exam on first try: |
98% |
Tuition (In State)
Tuition (Out of State)
Placement
| Placed
within 9 months: |
77% |
| Average
starting salary: |
$23,000 - $105,000 |
Areas of placement
|
Academic: |
4% |
|
Business: |
9% |
|
Government: |
9% |
|
Judicial Clerks: |
17% |
| Law
Firm (2 - 10 attorneys): |
16% |
| Law
Firm (11 - 25 attorneys): |
9% |
| Law
Firm (26 - 50 attorneys): |
11% |
| Law
Firm (51 - 100 attorneys): |
7% |
| Law
Firm (100+ attorneys): |
5% |
|
Military: |
8% |
|
Public Interest: |
5% |
Library Resources
|
Number of Volumes: |
581,559 |
|
Number of Titles: |
136,194 |
|
Number of Subscriptions: |
3,368 |
Introduction
The University
of Alabama School of Law, the only public
law school in Alabama, offers students a
nationally recognized, progressive legal
education. The law school has served as the
training ground for state and national
leaders in the legal profession, business,
and government. Law students are provided
with an abundance of cultural, academic, and
athletic opportunities through the
university. The curriculum is traditional
but diverse. The law school is
student-centered; faculty and administration
are accessible to students. Although the
faculty’s first priority is teaching, the
professors are actively engaged in scholarly
research and writing. Alabama is accredited
by the ABA and the AALS.
Library and Physical Facilities
The law
school building, which sits on 23 acres of
the
University of
Alabama’s campus in Tuscaloosa, was designed
by Edward Durell Stone, who was the
architect for the Museum of Modern Art in
New York, the US Embassy in New Delhi, and
the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts,
to name a few. Construction on a new wing
and renovations to the existing building are
underway. Completion is scheduled for fall
2006. The Bounds Law Library provides users
with a substantial research collection of
Anglo American and international legal
materials. The library includes a computer
lab, student study carrels, the Hugo Black
Study, the Howell Heflin Conference Room,
and the Payne Special Collections Room. The
school is on a wireless network.
Special and Summer Programs
Clinical
programs enable law students to gain
valuable practical experience in
interviewing clients, preparing cases, and
participating in courtroom presentations.
During the second and third years, students
can choose to participate in the Elder Law,
Civil (student legal and domestic violence),
Sustainable Communities, Capital Defense, or
Public Defender Clinics.
The externship
program offers students practical experience
while receiving credit. Externships are
available during the summers and the second
and third academic years. The law school’s
Public Interest Institute awards grants to
encourage students to participate in the
area of public interest and honors students
who perform public interest work.
The joint
JD/MBA program offers select students an
opportunity to earn both an MBA and JD in
four years. The Graduate Program for
International Students provides
international lawyers an opportunity to earn
an LLM degree. The law school also offers a
part-time LLM in Taxation program for JD
degree holders.
The law
school’s two summer programs at the
University of Fribourg in Fribourg,
Switzerland, and the Australian National
University in Canberra, the capital of
Australia provide unique international
experience. Students may earn four to five
credit hours in the Switzerland program and
five credit hours in the Australian program.
Both programs include a course surveying the
host country’s national law and a
comparative doctrinal course. Summer school
is open to students who have completed the
first year.
Admission
A student
must obtain a bachelor’s degree at an
accredited institution before enrolling, but
may apply during his or her senior year.
Applicants must take the LSAT, preferably in
June or October in the year preceding
enrollment, and register for LSDAS.
Transcripts must show all schools attended.
Application
materials are available in the summer each
year and accepted as early as August. March
1 is the application deadline. Applications
are processed on a rolling basis; thus,
applicants are encouraged to submit
competitive applications early. The two most
significant factors for admission are the
undergraduate GPA and LSAT score. However,
the law school believes that the law school
experience is enriched by a diverse group of
students. The Admissions Committee also
considers other factors, such as honors,
activities, unique work or service
experience, difficulty of undergraduate
courses, writing ability, trends in academic
performance, leadership roles, travel
experience, exceptional talents, career
achievements, graduate school performance,
and history of overcoming adversity. Written
letters of recommendation are not required,
but are encouraged. The law school
recommends that letters be submitted to the
LSDAS. Students are admitted only for the
fall semester and only for full-time study.
Student Activities
A broad
range of student activities adds to the
students’ law school experience. Student
organizations represent diverse interests.
These include the Student Bar Association,
Black Law Students Association, Public
Interest Law Association, Civil Rights
Students Association, Dorbin Association
(women’s support group), Law Students for
Choice, Gay-Straight Alliance, Environmental
Law Society, International Law Society, Just
Democracy, Labor and Employment Law Society,
Law Democrats, Law Republicans, Business Law
Society, Criminal Law Student Association,
Defense Lawyers Association, Future Trial
Lawyers Association, Christian Legal
Society, Sports and Entertainment Law
Society, and Latin American Law Association.
The School of
Law also offers numerous writing
opportunities. The Alabama Law Review,
a nationally recognized law journal, is
edited by students and devotes substantial
space to national and state issues. The
Journal of the Legal Profession and the
Law and Psychology Review are also
student-edited law journals.
Moot court and
trial advocacy teams have enjoyed
exceptional success over the years. The law
school sponsors teams in several moot court,
specialty, and trial advocacy competitions.
The moot court and trial advocacy teams have
won many team and individual awards in both
regional and national competitions.
Expenses and Financial Aid
The majority
of students enrolled in the School of Law
finance their legal education through loans,
savings, earnings, or contributions from
their families. Scholarships are awarded to
approximately 30–35 percent of the law
students. Applicants are considered
automatically for first-year scholarships,
which are typically based on factors such as
GPA and LSAT performance, and may be based
on other factors such as economic need. As
part of the scholarship program, outstanding
nonresident students may receive a
nonresident tuition waiver. Scholarships
sometimes are renewable during the second
and third years —depending upon funding, the
student’s need, and whether the recipient
maintains stated levels of academic
achievement. Following acceptance by the law
school, each admitted student who applies
for federal aid through the Free Application
for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) receives a
financial aid packet from the university’s
Financial Aid Office. Information on loans
can be obtained by contacting Student
Financial Aid, the University of Alabama,
Box 870162, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0162.
Phone: 205.348.6756;
www.financialaid.ua.edu. Applicants
should complete the FAFSA form as soon after
January 1 as possible, and may apply online
at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
Career Services
The Career
Services Office assists students in their
efforts to find employment. The office
provides individual career counseling, group
presentations, speaker programs, and library
and database resources. Seminars are
presented on résumé writing, interviewing
techniques, job-search techniques, judicial
clerkships, and nontraditional legal jobs,
to name a few. Extensive on-campus
interviewing occurs. The law school also
participates in job fairs in Atlanta, New
York City, Chicago, and Washington, DC. The
employment rate within nine months of
graduation was 98 percent for the class of
2004.
Housing
The
University of Alabama maintains residence
halls and units for students; however, most
law students live off campus. The cost of
living in Tuscaloosa for a single law
student ranges from approximately $500 to
$1,100 per month. For information on
university housing, students must contact
the Office of Residential Life, The
University of Alabama, Box 870399,
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0399. Phone:
205.348.6676 or e-mail: reslife@sa.ua.edu. |
