UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE SCHOOL OF LAW
YOU ARE ...
CURIOUS University of Baltimore School of Law / 3
INSPIRED Professor Audrey McFarlane
Educating tomorrow’s lawyers. Greetings from the University of Baltimore School of Law! We’re proud to introduce you to our school, to the rigorous, fast-paced legal education we provide and to our stateof-the-art law center in which that education takes place. Our extraordinary, light-filled building makes a physical statement about this law school’s vision for the future: We aim to prepare students for the 21st-century legal marketplace, and we continue to innovate to meet the challenges of a rapidly evolving profession. For more than 90 years, the University of Baltimore School of Law has been graduating excellent, practice-ready lawyers. That excellence is recognized nationwide: In the last two years, we jumped 24 spots in U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings of law schools, while our clinical program was ranked No. 21 nationally. And, according to The National Law Journal, we place a larger percentage of our students in state judicial clerkships than all but two other law schools. Our world-class faculty guides students through the study of legal doctrine and contemporary legal theory. Meanwhile, from an early stage of their careers here, UB students confront the real-world challenges of legal practice by participating in our clinics and externships across the BaltimoreWashington, D.C., region. The UB School of Law will train you to write, reason and advocate as an attorney. A UB legal education will equip you with the knowledge and skills you need to attain your professional goals and to help expand access to justice in our community and around the world. Thank you for your interest in the University of Baltimore School of Law. Please visit us and ask questions to find out if UB is the right law school for you.
Ronald Weich Dean
University of Baltimore School of Law / 5
“ As an immigrant from Ukraine, I could have been confused by the demands of law school. But at UB, all my questions were answered. Faculty and staff are willing to meet with any student to clarify issues—academic or otherwise—and the law school leads you step by step through the careershaping process. Each class, each event and each internship has taught me something new, which will make me a better attorney. UB has given me so much more than I ever expected.” Ilona Lashkevych current law student While at UB: law clerk, Silverman|Thompson|Slutkin|White; intern with Judge Sherrie R. Bailey of the Circuit Court for Baltimore County; intern, legal department of the Johns Hopkins Health System and Johns Hopkins Medicine; intern, Medifast; staff associate, University of Baltimore Law Review; treasurer, International Law Society; member, Royal Graham Shannonhouse III Honor Society, Phi Delta Phi and the Women’s Bar Association B.A., UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE
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CONFIDENT University of Baltimore School of Law / 7
Set your foundation. University of Baltimore School of Law faculty will teach, mentor, inspire and guide you. With distinguished credentials and wide-ranging experience, they are scholars, judges and practitioners dedicated to you and to your legal education. That education will take place in the John and Frances Angelos Law Center, a LEED Platinum-certified model of innovative architecture. You will learn the law in energizing classrooms full of natural light and leading-edge technology. These dynamic spaces enhance engagement and collaboration among students, faculty and staff, producing leaders in the legal community.
YEAR ONE AT UB: Your first-year curriculum includes the following courses: • Civil Procedure I • Constitutional Law I • Contracts I and II • Criminal Law • Introduction to Advocacy • Introduction to Lawyering Skills • Law in Context (choice of courses) • Property • Torts For more information about your first year, visit law.ubalt.edu/firstyear.
Ground your legal education in year one, then pursue a customized course of study to meet your career goals. Your UB School of Law education begins in your first year with a firm grounding in the doctrinal and theoretical foundations of law. In subsequent years, you can focus your studies through one of our nine concentrations or six dual-degree programs. Each concentration requires you to participate in at least one experiential course or activity, through which you’ll apply what you’ve learned in the classroom to a real-world setting. Dual-degree programs allow you to take an interdisciplinary approach to the law while working toward an additional graduate degree. Need more options? Combine courses to build your own, individualized curriculum.
Estate Planning A concentration in estate planning focuses on methods to dispose of estates by will, life insurance and inter vivos arrangements while considering resulting tax and administrative problems. In this concentration, you will learn estate law and gather and analyze facts to plan and draft wills, trusts and related documents. You can gain practical experience in courses such as the Planning for Families and Seniors Workshop.
CONCENTRATIONS Business Law The business law concentration allows you to enroll in courses ranging from taxation and banking to international trade and finance. You’ll apply your classroom learning to one of several experiential courses, such as the Community Development Clinic or the Attorney Externship Program. Criminal Practice A concentration in criminal practice expands upon what you learn in the required survey class in criminal law, allowing you to explore
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constitutional, evidentiary and procedural issues. You have multiple options to gain experience in the practice of criminal law, including the Criminal Practice and Innocence Project clinics and a range of externships. You can also take a seminar—a limited-enrollment course with a maximum of 20 students per section—that allows you to focus on current issues related to criminal law.
Family Law The family law concentration focuses on marriage, divorce and custody. You will learn about support obligations in the family, intrafamily litigation, separation agreements, premarital controversies, the legal position of married women, intrafamily tort liability, child custody, adoption, alimony, property disposition and jurisdiction. Apply the concepts you’ve learned in class to your work in the Bronfein Family Law Clinic or the Mediation Clinic for Families.
Intellectual Property The intellectual property concentration includes courses that focus on trade secrets, patents, copyrights and trademarks. Coursework also addresses the policies underlying the protection of intellectual property and compares the different ways intellectual property can be used to shelter commercial interests in technology and the arts. You can fulfill the experiential requirement with an externship or by participating in a moot court team related to the field. International Law The international law concentration focuses on the nature and sources of international law; procedures for handling disputes; sanctions; the roles of individual, state, regional and world organizations; the law of the sea and space; and an analysis of current challenges. You can choose from a range of experiential options in this concentration, which can involve completing an externship, becoming a student fellow in the Center for International and Comparative Law or participating in the Immigrant Rights Clinic. Litigation and Advocacy The litigation and advocacy concentration focuses on the tools needed for a successful career in the courtroom. In required courses, you will learn about federal and state rules of evidence, the process of litigation, and how to counsel clients and craft written and oral advocacy. Elective courses allow you to examine more in-depth issues, and a range of clinical offerings encourages you to apply what you’ve learned in the classroom. Public Service A concentration in public service allows you to select one of two subspecialties: public interest and individual rights or government service and regulatory institutions. Each subspecialty includes an externship or a clinical requirement, such as the Innocence Project or Saul Ewing Civil Advocacy clinics.
Real Estate Practice The real estate practice concentration offers extensive study of various issues in real estate law. Core courses cover land use and real estate finance. From there, you can choose from such electives as construction law, environmental law and local economic development. Participating in the Community Development Clinic allows you to practice the skills you learn in the classroom and to gain experience in real estate law. Learn more about your concentration options at law.ubalt.edu/concentrations. DUAL-DEGREE PROGRAMS J.D./LL.M. in Taxation If you have an interest in taxation, you can pursue both a Juris Doctor and a Master of Laws in Taxation at the UB School of Law. The LL.M. degree can be earned by taking as few as 15 additional credits in the graduate tax program. J.D./MBA Through this joint program, you can earn a Juris Doctor and a Master of Business Administration degree in an integrated sequence of courses over three to four years. The MBA program, offered by UB’s Merrick School of Business, is accredited by AACSB International. Online MBA courses provide flexibility and convenience.
J.D./M.S. in Criminal Justice The joint Juris Doctor/M.S. in Criminal Justice program combines the Juris Doctor with study of the criminal justice system. Since criminal justice students come from many backgrounds— including law enforcement, field administration, planning, research and casework—you will gain insight into the criminal justice system from your classmates as well as from faculty. J.D./M.S. in Negotiations and Conflict Management This dual Juris Doctor/M.S. in Negotiations and Conflict Management provides you with a thorough understanding of what conflict is, why it happens and how to manage it. The M.S. program in UB’s College of Public Affairs will teach you how to facilitate understanding, mitigate destructive aspects of conflict, and mediate and implement structured resolutions. J.D./M.P.P. or Ph.D. in Public Policy This dual degree is ideal if you are interested in using your law degree to influence public policy. The graduate program is offered at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and is accredited by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration. Learn more about dual-degree programs at law.ubalt.edu/dualdegree.
J.D./M.P.A. The Juris Doctor/Master of Public Administration program is ideal if you want to work in federal, state or local government agencies as well as in nonprofit or quasi-governmental organizations. The M.P.A. program in UB’s College of Public Affairs is accredited by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration. Online M.P.A. courses provide you with flexibility and convenience in this dual-degree program.
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Put your legal education to work. FIRST SUMMER, FIRST HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE At UB, opportunities for practical experience are woven throughout your education, beginning with your first summer. UB’s Experience in Legal Organizations (EXPLOR) program places you in a legal setting during the summer after your first year of law school. For more than 20 years, EXPLOR students have worked in government agencies, judges’ chambers, law firms and public-interest and nonprofit organizations, where they gain valuable legal experience. Flexible hours allow you to work and attend summer classes if you wish. WORK WITH REAL CLIENTS We’re serious about preparing practice-ready attorneys. That’s why during your legal education here, you are required to complete 6 experiential learning credits, which allow you to gain experience while earning your law degree. Three credits must come from work in a clinic or an externship, helping real clients with real legal issues. The other 3 credits may come from work in a second clinic or an externship, but you can also earn them by participating in a moot court or mock trial team (see page 19) or by taking a workshop or simulation course. More information about UB’s clinical law program is available on pages 16-17. Externships are supervised by a licensed attorney or judge in the workplace and are combined with a classroom component. The class allows you to discuss your experiences and observations with your classmates. UB offers attorney, judicial and corporate-counsel externship programs. Hands-on learning is central to the UB School of Law’s curriculum. We seek to ensure that each graduate is ready to make the transition from law student to law practitioner.
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Examples of field placements at which UB students have gained real-world experience: • Acton Mobile (in-house corporate counsel) • Alexander & Cleaver • Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office • ConnectYourCare • Conti Fenn & Lawrence • Elville and Associates • Fedder and Garten • Frost & Associates • Funk & Bolton • Hermina Law Group • House of Ruth Maryland • John H. Denick & Associates • Maryland Disability Law Center • Maryland Office of the Attorney General • Maryland Office of the Public Defender • Maryland State Ethics Commission • Maryland state trial and appellate courts • Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service • Medifast (in-house corporate counsel) • Miller & Zois • Project HEAL • Scarlett, Croll & Myers • Silverman|Thompson|Slutkin|White • Sinclair Broadcasting Group • Social Security Administration • Stahl & Block • TD Ameritrade (in-house corporate counsel) • Transamerica (in-house corporate counsel) • U.S. Department of Justice • U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland • U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission • Wase, Wase & Grace • Whiteford, Taylor & Preston • Women’s Law Center of Maryland
GAIN ADDITIONAL LEGAL EXPERIENCE UB School of Law students are ambitious. Often, they seek practical experiences beyond for-credit options such as externships or clinics. Some of our day students work part time while carrying a full course load; class schedules allow you to work up to two full days a week. We want you to gain as much legal experience as possible
while you’re in law school and to work with organizations that are meaningful to you. In fact, as your legal education progresses, you can combine day and evening classes to create a customized law school experience that matches your specific goals and ambitions.
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“ Even as an evening student with a full-time job, I have been able to attend regional and national conventions for law students and to compete against other schools in mock trial competitions. I can safely say that there is no place like UB. This school builds a different kind of lawyer. You will be challenged here, but if you are committed and do the work, you will get more out of coming here than you would at any other law school.” David Fraser current law student While at UB: president and former evening representative, Student Bar Association; participant, American Bar Association Section of Labor and Employment Law’s Employment Litigation Student Trial Advocacy Competition; student-attorney, Community Development Clinic; parliamentarian and evening representative, Black Law Students Association; participant, National Black Law Students Association’s Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition B.A., JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND
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STAT: In summer 2016, 124 students participated in the UB School of Law’s EXPLOR program.
DEDICATED University of Baltimore School of Law / 13
EXPERIENCED 14 / law.ubalt.edu
“ At UB, I have learned not only theoretical, ‘black letter’ law but also how to be a lawyer. Experiences like the EXPLOR program helped me fine-tune my research and writing skills. And, while interning for Judge Hong, I began to learn the intricacies of the trial process. Although classes such as Evidence provide insight, witnessing a trial from start to finish was a unique experience that was important for my education.” Sean Fox current law student While at UB: summer associate, Eccleston and Wolf; business editor, University of Baltimore Law Review; member, John J. Gibbons Criminal Procedure Moot Court Team; member, Honor Board; intern, Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City and with Judge Jeannie J. Hong of the Baltimore City Circuit Court; member, Royal Graham Shannonhouse III Honor Society B.A., ROWAN UNIVERSITY, GLASSBORO, NEW JERSEY
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“ Making the choice to go to the University of Baltimore School of Law was the best decision I have ever made. You gain truly practical experience and have an unbeatable support system within the school. At UB, they make sure you are exposed to the outside legal world and are prepared when you go to start your legal career.” Rachel Melchor current law student While at UB: law clerk, U.S. Department of Justice’s Federal Bureau of Prisons; law clerk, Schlachman, Belsky & Weiner; intern with Judge Michael Wachs of the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County; symposium editor, University of Baltimore Law Review; vice president, Women’s Bar Association; secretary, Criminal Law Association; member, Royal Graham Shannonhouse III Honor Society B.A., UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND
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STAT: During the 2015-16 academic year, 117 students participated in the UB School of Law’s externship program.
PRACTICAL University of Baltimore School of Law / 17
Clinical education: studentattorneys representing clients. Under Maryland Rule 19-217, University of Baltimore clinic students actually represent clients with the supervision of our world-class clinical faculty. When you enroll in the clinical program, you’ll learn to be a lawyer in a way you couldn’t through classroom work alone. You will meet with clients, research their cases and plan how best to meet their legal needs.
CLINICS AT THE UB SCHOOL OF LAW As a student in The Bob Parsons Veterans Advocacy Clinic, you will help veterans obtain benefits and assist them with other service-related legal needs. In 2015-16: Student-attorneys in The Bob Parsons Veterans Advocacy Clinic represented disabled veterans, filing claims with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Students also represented veterans before the military service departments in discharge upgrade cases; many of these clients had been given less-than-honorable discharges because of mental health conditions. Additional student responsibilities included providing education and legal counseling at homeless shelters, conducting intake interviews with justice-involved veterans at the Baltimore City Veterans Treatment Court, and advocating on behalf of veterans seeking better access to VA care and resources. Bronfein Family Law Clinic students learn multidimensional lawyering through litigation, legislative advocacy and community education. You will serve as a lawyer for the clinic’s clients, who seek civil protection orders in cases of domestic violence, and will be involved in family matters, including divorce, child custody, child adoption and child support. In 2015-16: Bronfein Family Law Clinic studentattorneys represented low-income clients in civil domestic-violence cases and in divorce, childcustody, child-support and paternity matters. In addition, students conducted legal research and testified in support of seven bills introduced in the Maryland General Assembly. Other students provided legal presentations to clients of the Youth Empowerment Society, a drop-in center for homeless young people. 18 / law.ubalt.edu
The Community Development Clinic provides a wide variety of transactional legal services to and advocacy for historically underserved communities in Baltimore. You will provide legal representation about matters including business formation, operations and financing, land use and real estate acquisition to community associations, nonprofit organizations and small-business owners. In 2015-16: As part of the “right to water” initiative to stop water shutoffs to low-income, predominantly African-American households in Baltimore, Community Development Clinic student-attorneys took part in a meeting with the United Nations Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, which visited Baltimore during a 10-day fact-finding trip to the United States. Participating students subsequently submitted a human-rights complaint to the U.N. The Criminal Practice Clinic offers you the opportunity to practice criminal law in Maryland’s trial courts. In 2015-16: Student-attorneys in the Criminal Practice Clinic prosecuted and defended people in criminal cases in more than a dozen jurisdictions across Maryland. Cases involved drug possession, DUI, domestic violence and disorderly conduct and were heard by judges and masters. Several students also participated in a jury trial. In the Disability Law Clinic, you will represent patients in involuntary civil commitment hearings within the Sheppard Pratt Health System. You will engage in client interviews and counseling, medical-record file review, and case preparation and development. Representation culminates with an administrative hearing.
In 2015-16: Disability Law Clinic clients included children with post-traumatic stress disorder and adults with schizophrenia, major depression or bipolar disorder. Student-attorneys assisted clients exhibiting dangerous behavior to themselves or to others and advocated for less restrictive forms of intervention and the need for inpatient care. Other cases involved community-based treatment options, medication noncompliance and voluntary admissions. Students learned about the role of the lawyer and gained interviewing, counseling and trial-advocacy skills.
In 2015-16: Under the supervision of Michele Nethercott, professor and clinic director, studentattorneys worked on the case of Malcolm Bryant, a Baltimore man who served nearly 18 years in prison for a murder he did not commit. In May 2016, the Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office dropped all charges against Bryant after DNA evidence indicated he was not the killer.
incarceration in Maryland: the unjust pretrial detention of low-income individuals who have been accused of crimes in Baltimore. Students will represent indigent criminal defendants to challenge unfair and improper bail determinations. Working with the Office of the Public Defender and under faculty supervision, you will screen cases for intake, represent clients in bail-review hearings, file habeas corpus petitions and undertake appellate litigation. You will also collect and analyze data to inform the development of litigation and legislative strategies that support systemic law-reform efforts to reduce incarceration rates.
In the Juvenile Justice Project, you will represent clients who were convicted of criminal offenses before the age of 18 and sentenced to life or to life without parole. Many of these clients have already served decades of their sentences, having grown up behind bars. Representation by the clinic’s student-attorneys may be the first meaningful opportunity these men and women have to present a complete picture of who they are to a court or to an agency capable of permitting their return home.
In the Saul Ewing Civil Advocacy Clinic, you will represent low-income clients in civil litigation. Caseloads are diverse, touching on many areas of civil practice, including housing, consumer rights, education and public benefits. Under faculty supervision, you will engage in the full range of activities involved in representing clients in litigation. The clinic also takes part in law reform projects to enhance civil legal policy and practice affecting low-income families and children.
In 2015-16: Students and faculty represented immigrants from 14 countries, including Afghanistan, Rwanda and El Salvador. Some of these clients were held in immigration detention while facing deportation to countries in which they feared persecution. Student-attorneys interviewed clients, witnesses and experts; gathered evidence to prove their clients’ claims; and argued the cases on paper and in court. Eleven clients whose cases concluded during the academic year won the right to stay in the United States.
In 2015-16: Student-attorneys represented clients before the Maryland Parole Commission, presenting factual and legal justifications for their clients’ release. Students also advocated before the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County, arguing that a client’s life sentence was illegal under recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions involving juvenile defendants. In addition, student-attorneys presented testimony before the Maryland General Assembly in support of a bill that would have removed the governor from the parole process.
In 2015-16: Civil Advocacy Clinic student-attorneys advocated for tenants suffering from uninhabitable housing conditions. Additional clients included workers who had not been paid for their services, disabled individuals who needed mobility services, low-income families denied food stamps and discharged workers seeking unemployment insurance benefits. Students also advocated in support of several bills in the General Assembly designed to benefit disadvantaged Marylanders.
In the Human Trafficking Project, student-attorneys work to vacate the prostitution convictions of human-trafficking victims under Maryland’s 2011 “vacatur” law. You will also create informational materials about forthcoming changes to the state’s expungement law and about the enactment of the Maryland Second Chance Act, which permits certain nonviolent misdemeanor convictions to be shielded.
As a student in the Mediation Clinic for Families, you will collaborate with the court system and with a variety of Maryland legal organizations. You will represent clients in the mediation process, co-mediate family law disputes and engage in projects designed to improve the practice of family mediation.
Immigrant Rights Clinic students represent low-income immigrants in Immigration Court, in Maryland District Court and before the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Citizenship and Immigration Services. Caseloads are diverse, as are the clinic’s clients. During your clinical experience, you will touch on many areas of immigration practice—asylum law, trafficking protection, protection for battered immigrants, family reunification and naturalization—while representing clients from all over the world.
In 2015-16: Clinic students helped represent human-trafficking survivors in vacatur, expungement and shielding cases. Students also testified before the Maryland General Assembly in support of a bill that would expand post-conviction relief for human-trafficking survivors. Other students drafted a petition for a client with federal convictions to receive a presidential pardon. As a student in the Innocence Project Clinic, you will defend people who claim they have been wrongly convicted. You will review records, interview clients and witnesses, conduct legal research, devise investigative strategies, draft pleadings and
argue motions with supervision from a criminal defense attorney. You will develop an understanding of the post-conviction process and of issues such as eyewitness identification, forensic evidence and police interrogation methods.
In 2015-16: Student-attorneys in the Mediation Clinic for Families represented clients and served as mediators in court-referred child custody disputes. Students also represented clients using the collaborative practice model, in which parties and attorneys seek to resolve a case without using litigation to determine issues of property distribution, child access and child support. In these cases, student-attorneys worked with financial and child-development experts. In addition, students co-mediated an international abduction case under a Hague Convention. In the new Pretrial Justice Clinic, you will help challenge one of the major sources of mass
Tax Clinic student-attorneys represent low-income taxpayers in federal tax disputes. Cases involve administrative controversies before the IRS and litigation in federal courts. You will be responsible for all aspects of representing clients, including interviewing and counseling clients, developing case strategy, engaging in fact investigation and discovery, drafting documents, negotiating with adversaries, and conducting hearings and trials. You may also appear at the U.S. Tax Court in Baltimore to assist unrepresented taxpayers. In 2015-16: Student-attorneys in the Tax Clinic obtained relief from IRS collection for numerous taxpayers. In September, students tried and briefed an “innocent spouse” case in U.S. Tax Court and negotiated settlements with IRS area counsel in Tax Court cases with issues ranging from the deductibility of damages for personal injury to the Earned Income Tax Credit. To learn more about the clinical program, visit law.ubalt.edu/clinics. University of Baltimore School of Law / 19
Build skills doing what you love. The UB School of Law’s centers are designed to help you customize your legal education and allow you to pursue work you’re passionate about while enriching your knowledge of the law. Our centers foster academic leadership, community engagement and advocacy for innovative legal policy. By participating in a center’s work, you will help effect positive change in the legal system. You’ll also have the opportunity to enhance your oral advocacy and writing skills by competing for a spot on one of the law school’s oral advocacy teams or by joining a student-run journal.
CENTERS Center on Applied Feminism: The center works with students to apply the insights of feminist theory to create social change and to reform law. In addition to holding a yearly conference and regular colloquia on emerging legal areas that intersect with feminism, the center helps students plan for careers in feminist advocacy. In 2015-16: The Ninth Annual Feminist Legal Theory Conference, “Applied Feminism Today,” featured a keynote speech by former federal Judge Nancy Gertner, who discussed her experiences as both an advocate and a judge. Center for International and Comparative Law: The center offers fellowships to those students most active in the international law concentration. Fellows participate in projects involving human rights, national security and international trade. The center is involved in several projects, including partnerships in Brazil, China, India, Israel, the Netherlands, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. In 2015-16: In July, the center helped organize the 2015 World Congress for the International Association for the Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy in Washington, D.C. Mortimer Sellers, professor and center director, currently serves as the association’s president.
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Center for the Law of Intellectual Property and Technology: The center promotes research, education and legal practice in three intertwined areas of law. One aspect of the center’s focus is intellectual property law, including copyright law, patent law, trade secret law and trademark law. The center also examines and publicizes legal issues stemming from the use of cuttingedge technologies. Finally, it supports the use of technology to understand the law. In 2015-16: In April, the center held its second annual conference, which examined current issues in copyright law and featured a keynote address by Robert Kasunic, J.D. ’92, the U.S. Copyright Office’s associate register of copyrights. Center for Medicine and Law: The center focuses on legal issues in contemporary medicine and health care. To support these efforts and in collaboration with Johns Hopkins Medicine, the center operates The Johns Hopkins University/UB School of Law collaborative program in Medicine and the Law. This educational partnership features lectures at both universities and a trial simulation course, in which law students interact with medical residents while building oral and written advocacy skills. In 2015-16: The center’s faculty have filed amicus briefs in cases dealing with the intersection of health care and intellectual property law and have also testified before Congress on related matters.
Professor Christopher Peters
Center for Sport and the Law: The center sponsors academic symposia, generates scholarship and engages in community partnerships. It provides students with enhanced understanding of the legal structures and institutions that shape various athletic contexts and of the field’s increasingly complex university compliance requirements. In 2015-16: The Ninth Annual UB Sports Law Symposium, “What Lawyers in Sports Really Do (and How I Got My Sports Job),” featured talks by prominent football agent Tom Condon, J.D. ’81, and by Pat Moriarty, J.D. ’08, the Baltimore Ravens’ senior vice president for football administration. Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children and the Courts: Working to foster collaboration between the UB School of Law and the courts, the center promotes family justice reform, including the concept of a Unified Family Court system. The center is committed to ensuring that the practice of family law in Maryland, the nation and the world improves the lives of children and families and the health of communities. In 2015-16: In April, the center hosted its Eighth Annual Urban Child Symposium, “The Education of the Urban Child,” which attracted national scholars and featured a keynote address by James Cole Jr., general counsel and deputy secretary of education for the U.S. Department of Education.
ADVOCACY TEAMS AND COMPETITIONS
JOURNALS
Advocacy teams and competitions accustom you to the etiquette and environment of a courtroom while sharpening the skills you need to build a persuasive argument. The UB School of Law offers two types of advocacy activities:
As a member of a student-run law journal, you will gain experience in research and writing and will work closely with your peers to produce a scholarly publication. Journal members solicit articles from law faculty across the country and also write comments on topics of their own choosing. Each journal sets academic requirements for membership and selects members through a writing competition. You can earn as many as 8 academic credits by participating in a journal.
Moot Court Teams UB sponsors several moot court teams. Students who participate in these teams build their written and oral advocacy skills by composing briefs and making appellate oral arguments in regional and national competitions. The Byron L. Warnken Moot Court Competition is held each year to select students for UB’s moot court teams. Trial Teams Trial teams conduct full trials in a competitive atmosphere. Students who participate in these teams learn how to present a case to a jury using persuasive trial tactics. UB sponsors teams in four trial competitions: • American Association for Justice Student Trial Advocacy Competition
• University of Baltimore Law Review • University of Baltimore Law Forum • University of Baltimore Journal of Land and Development • University of Baltimore Journal of International Law To learn more about a specific journal, visit law.ubalt.edu/academics/publications.
• American Bar Association Section of Labor and Employment Law Student Trial Advocacy Competition • National Black Law Students Association Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition • National Trial Competition.
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“ At the end of my EXPLOR summer internship, the firm asked me to continue working in the fall for academic credit through the attorney externship program. Afterward, I continued at the firm part time. The EXPLOR program opened the door to a great relationship and work experience.” Maame Amponsah, J.D. ’16 While at UB: legal intern, The Law Offices of Erika E. Cole; 2015-16 managing editor, Journal of Land and Development; participant, winter 2014 study abroad in Curaçao B.S., MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY, ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA
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PREPARED University of Baltimore School of Law / 23
At the crossroads of a vibrant legal community. Living and studying in Baltimore will expose you to diverse legal opportunities, including an extensive range of government and nonprofit organizations in Maryland and in Washington, D.C., only an hour away. No matter what type of law you want to practice, you’ll find your best legal education right here. Your UB School of Law education will teach you to appreciate all angles and perspectives on issues and to collaborate with others to achieve the best results. You can gain experience by working with legal organizations, doing pro bono work, joining student groups and organizations, or participating in programming sponsored by the law school. The UB School of Law brings members of the legal community to campus for panel discussions, symposia and mentoring while also placing students with practitioners in the field to ensure a dynamic, interactive and well-rounded legal education. The main entrance to UB’s John and Frances Angelos Law Center is just one block south of Baltimore’s Penn Station, which is served by Amtrak and Maryland’s MARC train system. The Light Rail’s University of Baltimore-Mount Royal stop is two blocks from the Angelos Law Center, and the State Center Metro stop is four blocks from campus. The Jones Falls Expressway (I-83), which runs through the heart of Baltimore, has two exits at the University.
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albany: 330 miles boston
hartford: 312 miles
providence
200 M I L E S
15 0 M I L E S
100 M I L E S
new york city: 187 miles harrisburg 50 M I L E S
philadelphia: 102 miles
university of baltimore
washington, d.c.: 41 miles alexandria: 46 miles
richmond
norfolk
STAT: In 2015, 25.47 percent of the UB School of Law’s graduating class secured a judicial clerkship in a state trial, state appellate or federal court. The national average for such placements is 10 percent, as reported by the National Association for Law Placement.
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INVOLVED 26 / law.ubalt.edu
“ I entered the UB School of Law as a first-generation law student. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was blown away. All my classmates were willing to share notes and form study groups for final exams. Also, there are so many clubs on campus and great ways to get involved in the legal community, which is very welcoming. It isn’t uncommon for the attorneys I meet to introduce me to their connections at networking events.” Christian Kim current law student While at UB: summer legal researcher, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom; president, Asian Pacific American Law Student Association; 1L and 2L representative, Student Bar Association; intern, Hermina Law Group and with Judge Althea Handy of the Baltimore City Circuit Court; law clerk, The Law Office of Hayley Tamburello B.S., UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND
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STAT: More that one-third of judges currently serving the state of Maryland are UB School of Law alumni.
More than 90 percent of recent UB School of Law graduates found jobs within 10 months of graduation. Here are some of the organizations where they work: • Ballard Spahr • Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services • ConnectYourCare • Council Baradel • Delaware Department of Justice • DLA Piper • Duane Morris • Eccleston and Wolf • Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. • Gordon Feinblatt • Hogan Lovells • Homeless Persons Representation Project • House of Ruth Maryland • Kramon & Graham • Law Office of Laura E. Burrows • Law Offices of Peter G. Angelos • Maryland Legal Aid • Maryland state trial and appellate courts • Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service • Miles & Stockbridge • Niles, Barton & Wilmer • Northrup Grumman • Maryland Office of the Public Defender • Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City • Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore County • Pessin Katz Law • Saul Ewing • Semmes, Bowen & Semmes • Silverman | Thompson | Slutkin | White • Social Security Administration • T. Rowe Price • Under Armour • U.S. Bankruptcy Court • U.S. Department of Justice • Venable • Women’s Law Center of Maryland
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Put your law degree to work. Become part of the network. Baltimore is home to a large, active legal community willing to support you as you embark on a legal career. Roughly 2,800 UB School of Law alumni live or work in Baltimore. If you include all of Maryland and Washington, D.C., nearly 10,000 UB law alumni are nearby. Many enthusiastically mentor UB law students and enjoy watching new generations of UB-trained lawyers succeed. Many students pursue a legal education with the intention of practicing law. These students dream of advocating for clients in court, helping individuals complete an estate plan or providing legal advice in business transactions. Others may not ever intend to practice law but know a law degree will further their career goals. A UB School of Law education will prepare you for whatever career path you choose. Of Class of 2015 graduates, 60.4 percent found employment in positions for which bar admission was required. An additional 29.4 percent of the Class of 2015 found employment in positions for which a J.D. was required or preferred by the employer. The national average for graduates landing J.D.-advantage positions is 14.5 percent. Alumni from the UB School of Law are employed in business and industry, in legislative and other government positions, and in regulatory and policy analysis roles. Employment data are collected annually by the UB Law Career Development Office. Additional employment data can be found at law.ubalt.edu/career.
TEN-MONTH SURVEY OF 2015 GRADUATES Total number of graduates Number of graduates who reported Percentage of reporting graduates employed
267 266 92.1%
PRACTICE SETTING Academic 2% Business or industry 15.5% Judicial clerkships 27.8% Private practice 33.9% Government 17.1% Public interest 3.7% Unknown 0.3% TYPE OF POSITION Bar passage required 60.4% J.D. advantage 29.4% Other professional 6.9% Nonprofessional 3.3% Pursuing an additional full-time degree 0.4% Unemployed—seeking employment 4.9% Unemployed—not seeking employment 1.5% Unknown 0.4%
The employment information presented is self-reported by UB School of Law graduates. We regularly collect employment information from our most recent graduating class, following guidelines established by the National Association for Law Placement and the American Bar Association.
92.1 percent of reporting Class of 2015 graduates are employed*:
*99.6 percent of Class of 2015 graduates reported on their employment status.
10-MONTH SURVEY OF 2015 GRADUATES
number of graduates: 267 number of graduates reported: 266
percentage of reported graduates employed: 92.1%
Practice Setting
public interest: 3.7% unknown: 0.3% government: 17.1%
academic: 2% business or industry: 15.5%
private practice: 33.9% judicial clerkships: 27.8%
Type of position: breakdown of reporting Class of 2015 graduates
bar passage required: 60.4%
What is J.D. advantage? The National Association for Law Placement defines it as “a category of jobs for which bar passage is not required but for which a J.D. degree provides a distinct advantage.”
j.d. advantage: 29.4%
other professional: 6.9%
nonprofessional: 3.3% pursuing an additional full-time degree: 0.4% unknown: 0.4%
unemployed—seeking employment: 4.9% unemployed—not seeking employment: 1.5%
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“ The alumni network from the University of Baltimore is very strong, especially in the Washington, D.C.-Baltimore area. The alumni networking events are great for meeting people with different experiences and for really making connections. For instance, I met an alum who works for the Securities and Exchange Commission, a regulator I deal with a lot in my securities enforcement practice.” Ashley Bashur, J.D. ’09 Counsel, WilmerHale, Washington, D.C.
While at UB: intern with Judge Irma S. Raker, formerly of the Maryland Court of Appeals; class valedictorian Since law school: Bashur works in WilmerHale’s Securities Litigation and Enforcement practice group, where she focuses on complex securities enforcement matters. She has worked at the firm since she graduated from UB.
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CONNECTED University of Baltimore School of Law / 31
You’re ready for UB. What’s next? Just a few steps stand between you and the beginning of your law career. GETTING STARTED • Visit the Law School Admission Council online at www.lsac.org. There, you’ll find our application, information about the LSAT and a guide to the law school application process.
• First-year and transfer applicants are required to register for the Credential Evaluation Service. • Applicants for all programs are encouraged to apply through LSAC. If you need to use a paper application, you may download the 2016 application at law.ubalt.edu/applynow. • The School of Law admits students on a rolling basis. First-year applications are accepted for the fall semester only.
Scholarships for Maryland Residents You are automatically considered for Maryland Higher Education Commission scholarships if you complete the FAFSA by May 1, are a Maryland resident and meet need-based requirements.
Scholarships for Academic Excellence
Fall 2016 Entering Class*
Upper-level students who excel academically in law school are eligible for scholarships through the Royal Graham Shannonhouse III Honor Society.
Day Program Median GPA: 3.14 Median LSAT score: 152 Gender: 50% male | 50% female Median age: 24
Learn more about these scholarships at law.ubalt.edu/scholarships.
Evening Program Median GPA: 3.24 Median LSAT score: 150 Gender: 44% male | 56% female Median age: 28
SCHOLARSHIPS AND GRANTS At the UB School of Law, we offer scholarships and grants to as many of our most qualified applicants as possible. Roughly 71 percent of fall 2016 admitted applicants were offered a scholarship or grant. The average offer to admitted applicants was $13,800 for Maryland residents and $22,500 for students from out of state. For the fall 2016 entering class, 59 percent of enrolled students received scholarships or grants.
VISIT US The Office of Law Admissions can help you explore the opportunities offered by the UB School of Law. Schedules for classroom visits and counseling appointments can be found at law.ubalt.edu/admissions.
Ethnicity Asian: 6.05% American Indian/Alaskan Native: 0.47% Black: 20% Caucasian (non-Hispanic): 61.86% Hispanic: 2.79% Identify with two or more ethnicities: 4.19% Not specified: 4.65% Students come from 93 undergraduate institutions and from 19 states. *data as of Aug. 15, 2016
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University of Baltimore School of Law Office of Law Admissions 1420 N. Charles St. Baltimore, MD 21201 lawadmissions@ubalt.edu 410.837.4459
University of Baltimore School of Law Office of Law Admissions 1420 N. Charles St. Baltimore, MD 21201 lawadmissions@ubalt.edu 410.837.4459 law.ubalt.edu/admissions