District of Columbia -- David A. Clarke School of Law, University of the District of Columbia -- Accreditation: Full ABA -- Year Founded: 1972

The David A. Clarke School of Law is the law school of the University of the District of Columbia (UDC). It is Washington, D.C.'s only public law school.



The David A. Clarke School of Law evolved from two predecessor schools: the Antioch School of Law and the District of Columbia School of Law. Antioch School of Law was created in 1972 by Edgar S. and Jean Camper Cahn, who were instrumental in creating the federal Legal Services Corporation and who, generally, championed the rights of low-income people and minorities. The School was also committed to training public interest lawyers and pioneered a comprehensive law clinic education model adopted now, in small part at least, in nearly every law school in the country.

After Antioch University decided to close many of its units around the country, in 1986 the Council of the District of Columbia passed legislation that established the District of Columbia School of Law (DCSL) to retain Antioch School of Law's mission, curriculum, clinical programs, and personnel for the benefit of the District of Columbia. The School was awarded provisional American Bar Association accreditation in 1991 and rapidly grew to nearly 300 students.

In 1996, the Council of the District of Columbia passed legislation merging the School of Law with the University of the District of Columbia. On April 28, 1998, President Clinton signed legislation re-naming the School of Law. The new University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law (UDC-DCSL) is named after former D.C. Council Chair David A. Clarke, a civil rights and humanitarian leader and who ardently advocated for the School of Law's educational, diversity, and public service missions.

In 1998, a new grant of provisional ABA accreditation was awarded to the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law, and in 2004, the School of Law applied for full accreditation. The School of Law received full ABA accreditation on August 8, 2005 with a unanimous vote of the ABA House of Delegates.



Facts About the School of Law

MEETING THE MISSION: The mission of the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law (UDC-DCSL) is to

recruit and enroll students from groups under-represented at the bar, provide a well-rounded theoretical and practical legal education that will enable students to be effective and ethical advocates, and represent the legal needs of low-income District of Columbia residents through the school's legal clinics.

DIVERSITY: UDC-DCSL is one of only six American Bar Association (ABA) accredited law schools at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). It has the sixth highest percentage of African-American law students enrolled in the 200 ABA-accredited law schools.

UDC-DCSL is one of the most diverse law schools in the nation.

• 51% of students are members of minority groups.
• 60% of students are women.
• The average age is 31.

SERVICE: UDC-DCSL students and faculty provided 85,000 hours of legal services during 2008-09 on behalf of some of the District of Columbia's most vulnerable citizens.

• All students provide 40 hours of community service to non-profit public interest groups, the judiciary or federal and local government in the first year of law school.
• All students perform a minimum of 700 hours of faculty-supervised representation of low-income District of Columbia residents in the school's outstanding clinical programs.
• All first-year students who provide 400 hours in public interest, public service, or public policy summer jobs receive $3,000 stipends through the Joseph Rauh Public Interest Fellowship Program. In 2008, 50 summer fellows worked at a wide variety of public interest organizations, government agencies and judges' chambers.

CLINICAL PROGRAMS: Students and faculty provide high-quality legal services to more than 1,000 low-income District of Columbia residents each year, the majority of whom would otherwise be denied access to justice. Clients include women and children affected by the AIDS epidemic; children with special educational needs or those who are abused or neglected; tenants and tenant organizations fighting illegal rent increases or seeking to purchase and renovate buildings; immigrants; seniors; people with mental retardation and other disabilities; individuals seeking to start small businesses and non-profit organizations; government whistleblowers fired for exposing fraud, waste and mismanagement; and low-income tax-payers moving from welfare to work, among others.

HIGHLY RANKED:

• Top 10 in the nation in Law School Clinical Programs (US News and World Report, 2010).
• Tied for 2nd in the nation in diversity (US News and World Report, 2010).
• 5th most chosen by older students (Princeton Review, 2009).
• 6th in the nation in percent of African American Students (ABA).
• 6th most diverse faculty (Princeton Review, 2009).
• 9th in the nation in percent of Minority students (ABA).

ACCREDITATION: The School of Law is fully accredited by the American Bar Association. For accreditation information, contact the American Bar Association Section on Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, 321 North Clark Street, 21st Floor, Chicago, IL 60654; Tel: 312-988-6743.

LOW TUITION: UDC-DCSL is one of the most affordable law schools in the nation. Tuition rates for full-time students are $7,350 per year for D.C. residents and $14,700 for non-District residents. Tuition rates for part-time students are $250 per credit hour for District residents and $500 per credit hour for non-District residents. Students living in D.C. for one year are eligible for the D.C. tuition rate.

SCHOLARSHIPS & FINANCIAL AID: The School of Law will award up to 20 full three-year Advocate for Justice scholarships EACH YEAR to applicants who have both outstanding academic credentials and a proven commitment to public service. The School also provides a significant number of additional merit and need-based scholarships and financial aid awards. More than half of our students receive at least partial scholarship or grant funding.

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http://www.law.udc.edu/?page=Facts

Contact Info

UDC David A. Clarke School of Law
Building 38, Level 2
4200 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20008
lawwebmaster@udc.edu
Ph: 202-274-7400
Fx: 202-274-5583