Clear Admit Law Admissions Portal » School: University of Virginia

University of Virginia School of Law Hosts Trial Advocacy College

Clear Admit — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:00:13 +0000

The University of Virginia School of Law hosted the Trial Advocacy College this past week, a collection of workshops and lectures geared at giving law students and experienced lawyers a chance to advance their skills in persuasion and advocacy. The college included over 100 lawyers from all over the US as well as 35 UVA Law students.

Director of the College and a George Washington University Law School professor, Stephen A. Saltzburg states: ”It’s a bit like spring training for lawyers. Trial lawyers get together and they remind themselves what makes them good. And they share that with other lawyers and law students. There’s an incredible amount of learning and energy that takes place.”

The Trial Advocacy College was co-founded by Saltzburg and Herbert J. Stern, a former federal judge, in 1981. They worked together with the Law School and Virginia Continuing Legal Education. The college continues to attract trial lawyers from all over the country and serves as an invaluable resource year after year.

For the full press release, go here.

Trivia Tuesday: International Study at UVA Law

wplawadmin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:00:59 +0000

In this edition of Trivia Tuesday, Clear Admit’s weekly glimpse into the programs and opportunities that differentiate leading law schools, we’re taking a look at the various international programs available to students at University of Virginia School of Law.

Virginia Law sponsors international exchange programs at law schools including University of Auckland in New Zealand, Tel Aviv University in Israel, Bucerius Law School in Germany, Melbourne Law School in Australia, and Waseda University in Japan. Second- and third-year UVA law students can opt to spend a semester at one of these law schools to take law-related courses focused on the host country’s legal system. All international study programs are conducted in English. Students who are selected to participate in these programs generally go abroad during the fall of their third year; those who plan to study in Tel Aviv, however, must do so during the spring of their second year. To maximize the chance that they are given a place at a foreign law school, students may apply for more than one international exchange program, although they are only permitted to complete one during their time at Virginia Law. Most programs are worth 12 Virginia credits, excepting the 13-credit program at Bucerius Law School in Germany, and are treated as equivalent to a semester of residence at Virginia Law. Students can earn additional credit by completing an independent research project abroad.

Third-year students who are interested in studying abroad at an institution with which Virginia Law does not have a formal partnership can apply to the Student-Initiated Study Abroad program, through which they can create their own course of study at any approved law faculty outside the United States. To be approved to study abroad, students are required to submit a detailed summary of their proposed curriculum and a research project they plan to complete at the host institution. Successful completion of the Student-Initiated Study Abroad program, which includes performing satisfactorily on coursework and writing an independent research paper that will be graded by a Virginia Law professor selected by the student, is worth 15 credits.

During January Term, a limited number of Virginia Law students have the opportunity to travel to Paris and take a course on French public and private law at the Université Panthéon- Assas Paris II. This one-credit course, taught in English by a Panthéon-Assas faculty member, is capped at 20 students and lasts for 11 days. In addition to the course, students attend a series of speeches by French legal practitioners and judges and tour various legal institutions in Paris, including the Conseil d’État and the Palais de Justice.

For more information about special programs at Virginia Law, be sure to read the Clear Admit Guide to University of Virginia School of Law – available for immediate download!

Record Number of UVA Law Graduates Clerking

Clear Admit — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 15:37:24 +0000

The most recent graduating class at University of Virginia Law school hold the highest number of clerkships in the school’s history. Out of the recent graduating class, one hundred lawyers obtained clerkships. This is a sharp increase in comparison to last year, where only 77 graduates worked in these positions. This year the number of graduates clerking in the U.S. Supreme court places UVA Law School as placing the second highest amount of alums in this domain. There are four Supreme Court Clerkships, along with 74 alums working in the federal courts. Additionally, there is one alum working with the International Court of Justice and 21 hold clerkships in state courts spanning 30 states.

Director of judicial clerkships at UVA Law School, Ruth Payne ’02 states that “What I’ve found is that once we’ve put a UVA student in a clerkship, the judge will frequently come back and hire from us every year. Our students are known for just going in and getting the job done — being workmanlike, taking the work seriously, putting their nose to the grindstone, doing the research and producing high-quality writing. I hear from judges all the time who say, ‘I’m really glad I hired this student. Can you make sure applicants are looking at me next year from Virginia?’”

Although there are many factors behind the raise in numbers, one being more graduates being interested in becoming public defenders, UVA Law School’s reputation should serve it well for future students interested in clerking after graduation.
For the original press release, go here.

Clear Admit’s Law School Guides Now Available for Free Download

Clear Admit — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 18:10:57 +0000

We’re pleased to announce that we’re now offering all 12 titles in our Law School Guide series for free to our audience. To download free copies of these comprehensive and objective research publications, click here.

U.S. Law schools profiles include:
University of California, Berkeley, School of Law
University of Chicago Law School
Columbia Law School
Georgetown University Law Center
Harvard Law School
University of Michigan Law School
New York University School of Law
Northwestern University School of Law
University of Pennsylvania Law School
Stanford University Law School
University of Virginia School of Law
Yale Law School

Each guide includes a detailed overview of every aspect of law school from student body demographics and academics to career placement and life on campus. Not only will these guides help you save time during the school research process, but they also allow you to easily compare peer programs by presenting key data side-by-side .

Whether you’re a college junior considering applying to law school next fall, an experienced professional looking to enter the legal field or an applicant who’s in the throes of drafting his or her applications for admission in fall 2012, our free guides are the best place to turn for easy-to-read school-specific information.

Visit the “Law School Guides” tab on our blog to get your free guides today. Best of luck in the law school admissions process!

The Fish and Wildlife Foundation and University of Virginia Law School Implement Environmental Conservation Program

Clear Admit — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 13:32:17 +0000

The Fish and Wildlife Foundation and University of Virginia Law School are working together to implement a conservation program focused on giving law and graduate students resources to help save endangered environments. The program will also allow students to pursue summer internships at the Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s development locations. Students will learn about the social, environmental and economic factors facing environmental conservation. Another component of the program will be a master’s degree in conservation biology as well as an interdisciplinary course offerings examining policy and conservation science. The first course of this kind will be offered in the spring semester of 2012.

Professor and head of the Law School’s Environmental Law and Conservation Clinic, Leon Szeptycki, said: The opportunity for law students to work with scientists — the students, faculty and NFWF staff that will participate in the partnership — is a new and critically important piece of their training. Lawyers, especially environmental lawyers, work with scientists and scientific materials on an almost-everyday basis, and it is something that is usually left completely out of legal training.”

The collaboration should lead to an increased understanding of the complex problems facing conservation initiatives among students pursuing this direction. The growth of the program will allow for increased collaboration with other departments such as economics, humanities, and social psychology.

For the full press release, go here.

UVA Law School Panel Deems that Removal of LSAT Would Not Increase Diversity

wplawadmin — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 11:00:14 +0000

At a conference focused on how to increase diversity at law schools hosted by University of Virginia, a panel discussed the possible positive and negative effects of potentially removing the LSAT from admissions criteria in a discussion entitled “Eliminating the LSAT in Law School Admissions: A Boon or Detriment to the Diversification of the Legal Profession?” The panel ultimately felt that removal of the LSAT might actually be a detriment to the diversity of the legal student body.

Alex Johnson, moderator of the discussion and former chair of the Board of Trustees of the Law School Admissions Council, said: “At least today the LSAT allows a student with a [good] score to say, ‘I can compete, no matter what I majored in, no matter what school I went to, no matter what background I have. It levels the playing field and at least gives you an opportunity.”

Johnson feels that eliminating the standardized exam would lead to admissions committees to weigh other subjective factors more heavily, such as alumni connections, college prestige and what applicants majored in. Others, however, feel that law schools’ emphasis on the LSAT discourages potential lawyers from even applying. Furthermore, school rankings may create pressure on admissions committees to uphold high ratings and may thereby decrease the diversity of the incoming student body.

The discussion stemmed from the fact that median LSAT scores of African American and Hispanic applicants are lower than those of Caucasian applicants. This trend, however, is also seen in other major standardized tests across the board, such as the SAT and GMAT.

For the full press release, go here.

The University of Virginia Law School to hold Diversity Conference Nov 11-12th

wplawadmin — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 11:00:11 +0000

The University of Virginia Law school will hold a conference focused on promoting diversity in the legal profession on November 11^th-12^th. The conference is free and open to the public, hoping to bring together students, academics and professionals to discuss issues. Participants will include NAACP General Counsel Kim Keenan ’87, two Virginia Supreme Court justices and numerous high-profile legal professionals and civil rights activists.

On Friday, the event will start with a discourse by Cleo Powell, a Virginia Supreme Court Justice, entitlted “Justice? Unlikely!” Cleo Powell is a ’82 graduate and the first African-American woman to be elected to the Virginia Supreme Court. The events following the conversation will include panels focused on increasing diversity and discussions centered on whether or not to remove the LSAT as a key part of admissions materials. There will also be discussions on the effect of the state bar exam on potential legal professionals of color and the experience of law school in general. The keynote speech “Pro Bono and Professionalism: Keys to a Winning Career” will be given by general counsel of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Kim Keenan.

Law professor and organizer of the conference, Alex M. Johnson Jr. stated: “Although most all would agree with Justice O’Connor’s opinion in Grutter that having a diverse law school and bar is beneficial for both the profession and our society, in the years since the opinion, significant progress in increasing diversity in law schools and the bar has not been achieved. This conference addresses the impediments to diversification and what can be done to lessen or remove them.”

To view the schedule and for the full press release, go here.

Application Periods at Leading Law Schools

wplawadmin — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 11:00:55 +0000

Below is a list of the early decision deadlines (when applicable) and application review periods for the leading law schools:

Berkeley / Boalt
Application Period: September 1 – February 1

Boston College
Application Period: Mid-September – March 1

Boston University
Binding Early Decision Deadlines: December 1
Application Period: September 15 – March 1

Chicago
Early Decision Deadline: December 1
Application Period: September 1 – February 1

Columbia
Early Decision Deadline: November 15
Application Period: September 1 – February 15

Cornell
Early Action Deadline: November 1
Application Period: September 1 – February 1

Duke
Early Decision Deadline: November 4 (Round I) and January 7 (Round II)
Application Period: September – February 15

Emory
Application Period: September – March 1.

Fordham
Early Decision Deadline: October 15
Application Period: September 1 – March 1

George Washington
Early Decision Deadline: December 15
Application Period: October 1 – March 31

Georgetown
Early Decision Deadline: March 1
Application Period: October 1 – March 1

Harvard
Application Period: September 15 – February 1

Illinois
Early Decision Period: October 31
Application Period: September 15 – March 1

Iowa
Application Period: September 1 – March 1

Michigan
Early Decision Deadline: November 15
Application Period: September 1 – February 15.

Minnesota
Early Action Deadline: November 15
Application Period: September 1 – April 1

New York University
Early Decision Deadline: November 15
Application Period: September – February 15

Northwestern
Early Decision Deadline: December 1
Application Period: September 1 – February 15

Notre Dame
Early Decision Deadline: November 1
Application Period: October 1 – February 15

Stanford
Application Period: September 1 – February 1

UCLA
Early Decision Deadline: November 15
Application Period: September – February 1

University of Pennsylvania
Early Decision Deadline: November 15
Application Period: September 1 – March 1

USC / Gould
Application Period: September 1 – February 1

U Texas-Austin
Early Decision Deadline: November 1
Application Period: September – February 1

U Virginia
Application Period: September 1 – March 1

University of Washington
Application Period: October 1 – February 15

Vanderbilt
Application Period: September 10 – March 15.

Washington and Lee
Application Period: September 1 – March 1

Washington University in St. Louis
Application Period: late September – March 1 (recommended deadline; applications accepted after this date on space-available basis)

William and Mary
Application Period: September 1 – March 1

Yale
Application Period: September 15 – February 15

Trivia Tuesday: UVA School of Law’s External Studies Program and International Study Opportunities

wplawadmin — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 11:00:43 +0000

In this edition of Trivia Tuesday, we’re taking a look at the array of opportunities that Virginia Law students have to study, and even acquire practical legal experience, abroad. This information can be useful to UVA applicants who wish to draw parallels in their personal statement or supplemental essay between their internationally-oriented career goals and the Virginia Law offerings they could pursue to prepare for their career of choice.

The most distinctive international offering at UVA is the External Studies Program, which allows 3Ls to spend a semester away from Virginia Law and complete an externship. In doing so, students conduct research in a practice area or academic topic of their personal interest over a more extended period of time than a summer internship or clerkship allows. Each extern is sponsored by a host organization that is educational, charitable, governmental or non-profit in nature, such as the War Crimes Chamber of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Balkans. In addition to conducting research and externing for their chosen organization, External Studies Program participants also complete a substantial research paper on a legal topic relevant to their externship position. External Studies externships are also available with domestic U.S. organizations.

Another international opportunity at Virginia Law is studying abroad at an institution with which UVA has an official exchange program. There are six such exchange programs available to upper-level UVA Law students, in countries such as Germany, Japan and Israel, at which all courses are conducted in English. Students who are selected to participate in these programs generally go abroad during the fall of their third year. Most programs are worth 12 Virginia credits, excepting the 13-credit program at Bucerius Law School in Germany, and are treated as equivalent to a semester of residence at Virginia Law. Students can earn additional credit by completing an independent research project abroad.

Third-year students who are interested in studying abroad at an institution with which Virginia Law does not have a formal partnership can apply to the Student-Initiated Study Abroad program, through which they can create their own course of study with any approved law faculty outside the United States. Successful completion of the Student-Initiated Study Abroad program, which includes performing satisfactorily on coursework and writing an independent research paper that will be graded by a Virginia Law professor selected by the student, is worth 15 credits. Only 3Ls are eligible to participate.

Finally, a limited number of Virginia Law students have the opportunity to travel to Paris and take a course on French public and private law at the Université Panthéon- Assas Paris II during UVA’s January term. This one-credit course, taught in English by a Panthéon-Assas faculty member, is capped at 20 students and lasts for 11 days. In addition to the course, students attend a series of speeches by French legal practitioners and judges and tour various legal institutions in Paris, including the Conseil d’État and the Palais de Justice.

For more information about international study and externship programs at Virginia Law, or other special programs, be sure to read the Clear Admit Guide to University of Virginia School of Law – available for immediate download!

Kaplan To Host Mock Admissions Event Attended By Michigan, UVA, UCLA and GW Adcom Members

wplawadmin — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 15:22:56 +0000

Looking for a useful way to prepare for the upcoming law school admissions season? Our friends at Kaplan have informed us about an online event this Monday, August 1 that promises to provide a behind-the-scenes view of admissions committees at four leading law schools. Read on to learn more about this event:

For the first time, prospective law school applicants will have an opportunity to see what really goes on behind the scenes of a law school admissions committee meeting at Kaplan Test Prep’s live, online “Who Gets In? You Be the Judge: A Mock Admissions Event.” On Monday, August 1 at 8:00 PM EST, admissions officers from the University of Michigan Law School, University of Virginia School of Law, UCLA School of Law and George Washington University Law School will review, discuss and analyze “applicants’’’ LSAT scores, undergraduate transcripts, personal statements, diversity statements, letters of recommendation, resumes and work experience, academic misconducts, criminal records, application addenda and more to show attendees exactly how they arrive at their ultimate decisions. Throughout the event, attendees will have the unique opportunity to interact directly with the admissions officers, ask questions and weigh in with their own opinions on panelists’ deliberations and verdicts.

“This first of its kind event will demystify the law school admissions process like never before with an exclusive look into how the actual decision makers arrive at their final judgments about applicants,” said Jeff Thomas, director of pre-law programs, Kaplan Test Prep. “We already know that an applicant’s LSAT score is by far the most important admissions factor, but this event will give attendees a thorough, holistic view of exactly what top ranked law schools are looking for in an entering class. What they learn may alter their own admissions strategies and make a difference in their chances of getting in, so it’s a must-attend event.”

“I am very pleased that Kaplan is hosting this online forum that will allow us to reach a larger audience and help a greater number of aspiring lawyers better understand the admissions process,” said Anne M. Richard, senior assistant dean for admissions, University of Virginia School of Law. “Admissions decisions are made by professionals who are doing their best to admit applicants they believe have the greatest chance of succeeding at their institutions and making valuable contributions to the legal profession.”

To register for the “Who Gets In? You Be the Judge: A Mock Admissions Event,” students can visit www.kaplanlsat.com/mockadmissions.

To read the full press release, click here.