University of Connecticut School of Law

The University of Connecticut School of Law (UConn Law) is a public law school associated with the University of Connecticut and located in Hartford, Connecticut. It is the only public law school in Connecticut and one of only four[3][4][5] in New England. The school was ranked 50th overall and 6th for its part-time program[6] in the 2021 Best Law Schools ranking by U.S. News & World Report.

University of Connecticut School of Law
Thomas J. Meskill Law Library
Parent school	University of Connecticut
Established	1921
School type	Public
Endowment	$22 million
Parent endowment	$421.9 million
Dean	Eboni S. Nelson
Location	Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Enrollment	488
Faculty	159[1]
USNWR ranking	50th (2021)
Bar pass rate	80.42%[2]
Website	www.law.uconn.edu
ABA profile

Background

Founded in 1921, the Law School is accredited by the American Bar Association, and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Its Collegiate Gothic-style buildings, constructed in 1925 (except for the new library, which was completed in 1996), housed the Hartford Seminary until 1981, and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[7] UConn Law has repeatedly been ranked the top public law school in New England by U.S. News and World Report,[8][9] and the University of Connecticut is also ranked among the top 25 public research universities nationally.[10]

Academics

In addition to the Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree, the law school offers several joint degrees, including the J.D./LL.M. (Juris Doctor/Master of Laws, Insurance Law), J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration), J.D./M.L.S. (Juris Doctor/Master of Library Science), J.D./M.P.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Public Affairs Administration), J.D./M.P.H. (Juris Doctor/Master of Public Health), and J.D./M.S.W. (Juris Doctor/Master of Social Work). UConn Law offers one of only two LL.M programs in insurance law in the United States.[11] The faculty are known particularly for their strength in insurance law and intellectual property law.[12]

The law school has 488 JD students[13] and a student:faculty ratio of 5:1.[14] Entering first-year students join small discussion-based courses of only 20-30 students. Students may pursue concentrations in Corporate & Regulatory Compliance (J.D. and LLM), Energy and Environmental Law (J.D. and LLM), Human Rights & Social Justice(J.D. and LLM), Intellectual Property and Information Governance (J.D. and LLM), Law and Public Policy Certificate (J.D.), Tax Studies Certificate (J.D. and LLM), Transactional Practice Certificate (J.D.), Financial Services Regulation Certificate (LL.M.), Foundational Certificates in U.S. Law (LLM).[15]

In addition, UConn Law offers 19 clinics and field placement programs that provide hands-on, practical training to upper-level students who earn up to 10 credits for their work. These clinics include Animal Law, Asylum and Human Rights, Energy and Environmental Law, Children's Advocacy, Criminal, Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship Law, Mediation, U.S. Attorney's, and Tax clinics.[15] Seminars in a multitude of different substantive areas are available to upper-level students for about 3 credits. Internships and field work are available to upper-level students. Research positions are open to upper-level students under the direction of a faculty adviser.

Library

The Thomas J. Meskill Law Library contains 590,414 hard-copy volumes, 290,352 microform volume equivalents,12,500 periodicals and subscribes to 70,153 serial publications. The Law Library has access to hundreds of electronic databases, including Westlaw, Lexis and Bloomberg. It is also home to the most comprehensive collection of insurance materials in the country.[16] The facility, 120,000-square-foot (11,000 m²), is one of the largest law libraries in the country. It is home to five classrooms, 12 group study rooms, an adaptive technology study room, a meditation room, a cafe, two student lounges, and 285 study carrels, with total seating for 964. The library is also the home of a collaborative work space for the law school's student organization and more than 70,000 feet (21,000 m) of shelving.[16] Collections include federal and state statutes as well as judicial opinions, treatises and other primary sources. There are substantial collections of international legal materials, U.S. government publications, and insurance law materials.[17]

The Law Library works closely with the University of Connecticut Libraries, which form the largest public research collection in the state of Connecticut. The main library is the Homer D. Babbidge Library, formerly the Nathan Hale Library, at the Storrs campus, which underwent a $3 million renovation that was completed in 1998, making it then the largest public research library in New England.[18]

Law Journals and Publications

There are four scholarly journals edited on campus: the Connecticut Law Review, the Connecticut Public Interest Law Journal, the Connecticut Insurance Law Journal, and the Connecticut Journal of International Law. The Connecticut Law Review is the oldest, largest, and most active student-run publication at the School of Law. Five times per year, the organization publishes a high quality journal of interest to the general legal community. The journal has a circulation that spans all 50 states as well as 13 foreign countries. Members of Connecticut Law Review are responsible for the entire production process from article selection and editing through the layout of the final copy.[19]

Admission

According to the University of Connecticut's official 2020 ABA-required Standard 509 Information Report, the University offered admission to 45.11 percent of applicants. For the 2020 first-year class, the University of Connecticut School of Law received 1,206 completed applications and offered admission to 544 applicants, of which 165 enrolled.[20]

LSAT	All	Full Time	Part Time
75th Percentile	160	160	160
50th Percentile	158	158	158
25th Percentile	156	155	156

UPGA	All	Full Time	Part Time
75th Percentile	3.68	3.69	3.58
50th Percentile	3.53	3.55	3.50
25th Percentile	3.34	3.37	3.18

Employment

UConn Law's two-year bar passage rate was 91.61 percent for the Class of 2017.[21]

Ten months after graduation, 90.4 percent of the Class of 2019 was employed.[22] University of Connecticut's Law School Transparency under-employment score is 11.3%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2016 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation.[23]

Costs

The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at University of Connecticut School of Law:

Juris Doctorate:

• In-State: $51,210
• NE Compact: $72,642
• Out-of-State: $82,252[24]

After one year of residency, students are able to apply for in-state tuition to help reduce costs of tuition.

Master of Laws:

• Insurance Law: $52,680
• US Legal Studies: $50,016
• Human Rights and Social Justice: $50,016
• Energy and Environmental Law: $50,016

Doctor of the Science of Laws:

• In-State: $30,768
• NE Compact: $37,338
• Out-of-State: $39,132

Tuition costs for Master of Laws programs is for all students (in state, northeast compact, and out of state).[25]

The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is at maximum $227,991 for out-of-state residents, but there is the opportunity to apply for in-state tuition after one year of residency in Connecticut, so this cost is dramatically reduced to $122,016.[26]

Faculty

13 members of the full-time faculty hold doctoral degrees. Notable faculty members include:

• Loftus Becker, Professor Emeritus
• Sara Bronin, Thomas F. Gallivan Chair in Real Property Law and Faculty Director, Center for Energy and Environmental Law
• Timothy Fisher, Dean Emeritus and Professor of Law
• James Kwak, Professor of Law
• Peter Lindseth, Olimpiad S. Ioffe Professor of International and Comparative Law
• Steven Wilf, Anthony J. Smits Professor of Global Commerce

Notable alumni

• Bethany J. Alvord, 1982, Judge of the Connecticut Appellate Court[27]
• Elizabeth B. Amato, 1982, Senior Vice President at United Technologies Corporation[28]
• Bessye Anita Warren Bennett, 1973, the first African American woman to practice law in Connecticut[29]
• Leonard C. Boyle, 1983, Deputy Chief State's Attorney (Operations) for the State of Connecticut;[30] Chief, Criminal Division at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut (1999-2004); Commissioner of the State of Connecticut Department of Public Safety (2004-2007); Director of the FBI's Terrorist Screening Center (2007-2009)[31]
• Vanessa Lynne Bryant, 1978, U.S. District Judge for the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut
• Justin Clark, 2004, Deputy Assistant to the President and White House Director of Public Liaison.
• Eric D. Coleman, 1977, Deputy President pro tempore in the Connecticut Senate.
• Joe Courtney, 1978, U.S. Representative for Connecticut's Second District
• Alfred V. Covello, 1960, Senior U.S. District Judge for the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut
• Bill Curry, 1977, political analyst and journalist; two-time Democratic nominee for Governor of Connecticut; White House advisor in the administration of Bill Clinton
• Emilio Q. Daddario, 1942, U.S. Representative for Connecticut's First Congressional District (1959-1971)
• John A. Danaher III, 1980, Judge of the Connecticut Superior Court; Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Public Safety (2007-2010); U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut (2001-2002)
• Gregory D'Auria, 1988, Associate Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court (2017–present);[32] Solicitor General and Associate Attorney General of the State of Connecticut (2011-2017)[32][33]
• Robert M. DeCrescenzo, 1988, Shareholder at Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, P.C.; Mayor of East Hartford, Connecticut (1993-1997)[34]
• Alexandra Davis DiPentima, 1979, Chief Judge of the Connecticut Appellate Court
• Kari A. Dooley, 1988, Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut
• Christopher F. Droney, 1979, U.S. Circuit Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
• Dennis G. Eveleigh, 1972, Associate Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court
• J. Michael Farren, 1982, Deputy White House Counsel to President George W. Bush
• C. Frank Figliuzzi, 1987, Assistant Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Counterintelligence Division (2011-2012)
• Robert Giaimo, 1943, U.S. Representative for Connecticut's Third Congressional District (1959-1981)
• Mary Glassman, 1986, First Selectman of Simsbury, Connecticut
• Bernard F. Grabowski, 1952, U.S. Representative from Connecticut (1963-1967)
• F. Herbert Gruendel, 1984, Judge of the Connecticut Appellate Court[35]
• Lubbie Harper Jr., 1975, Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court[36]
• Francis X. Hennessy, 1961, Deputy Chief Court Administrator and Judge of the Connecticut Appellate Court[37]
• Wesley W. Horton, 1970, appellate attorney who argued Kelo v. New London on behalf of the New London before the U.S. Supreme Court and partner at Horton, Shields & Knox, P.C.
• Denise R. Johnson, 1974, First woman appointed to the Vermont Supreme Court
• Joette Katz, 1972, Associate Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court (1992-2011)
• Christine E. Keller, 1977, Judge of the Connecticut Appellate Court[38]
• Edward Kennedy, Jr., 1997, Member of the Connecticut Senate representing the 12th Senate District;[39] Member at Epstein Becker & Green, P.C.[40]
• Robert M. Langer, 1973, head of Wiggin and Dana LLP's Antitrust and Consumer Protection Practice Group[41]
• Douglas S. Lavine, 1977, Judge of the Connecticut Appellate Court[42]
• Richard Lehr, 1984, veteran journalist, author, and Professor of Journalism at Boston University[43]
• Thomas Leonardi , 1954, former Connecticut's Insurance Commissioner and insurance executive
• Martin Looney, 1985, Majority Leader, Connecticut Senate
• Konstantina Lukes, 1966, Mayor of Worcester, Massachusetts (2007-2010)
• Robert J. Lynn, 1975, Chief Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court[44]
• Joan G. Margolis, 1978, U.S. Magistrate Judge for the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut[45]
• Donna F. Martinez, 1978, U.S. Magistrate Judge for the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut[46]
• Andrew J. McDonald, 1991, Associate Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court (2013–present);[47] Member of the Connecticut Senate representing the 27th Senate District (2003-2011)[47]
• Thomas Joseph Meskill, 1956, Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (1992-1993); Governor of Connecticut (1971-1975); U.S. Representative for Connecticut's Sixth Congressional District (1967-1971)
• Chris Murphy, 2002, U.S. Senator from Connecticut
• Kathleen Murphy, 1987, President, Fidelity Personal Investing, a unit of Fidelity Investments; former Chief Executive Officer of ING U.S. Wealth Management; named to Fortune Magazine's 50 Most Powerful Women in Business List
• John Garvan Murtha, 1968, Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Vermont, Chief Judge (1995-2002)
• Kevin J. O'Connor, 1992, Associate Attorney General of the United States (2008-2009); U.S. Attorney for District of Connecticut (2002-2006)
• Richard N. Palmer, 1977, Associate Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court
• Michele Pearce, 1996, Acting General Counsel of the Department of the Army
• Randall Pinkston, 1980, CBS News Correspondent[48]
• Juan Ramirez, Jr., 1975, Judge of the Florida District Court of Appeals, Third District
• Lewis Rome, 1957, Connecticut State Senate leader and chair of the UConn Board of Trustees
• Ronald A. Sarasin, 1963, U.S. Representative for Connecticut's Fifth Congressional District (1973-1979)
• Pedro Segarra, 1985, Mayor of Hartford, Connecticut (2010-2015)
• Mickey Sherman, 1971, criminal defense attorney who represented Michael Skakel
• William St. Onge, 1948, U.S. Representative for Connecticut's Second Congressional District (1963-1970)
• Kevin Sullivan, 1982, Connecticut's 86th Lieutenant Governor, served as Senate President Pro Tempore from 1997 - 2004 in the Connecticut Senate
• Christine S. Vertefeuille, 1975, Senior Associate Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court
• Ariane D. Vuono, 1984, Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Appeals Court[49]
• Terence S. Ward, 1982, Federal Defender for the District of Connecticut[50][51]
• William A. Webb, 1974, U.S. Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina

Deans of the School of Law

1. 1921—1933 George Lilliard[52]
2. 1932—1933 Farrell Knapp[52]
3. 1933—1934 Thomas A. Larremore[53]
4. 1934—1942 Edward Graham Biard[53]
5. 1942—1946 Laurence J. Ackerman[54]
6. 1946—1966 Bert Earl Hopkins, J.S.D.[55]
7. 1966—1967 Cornelius J. Scanlon[56] (interim)
8. 1967—1972 Howard R. Sacks[57]
9. 1972—1974 Francis C. Cady[58] (interim)
10. 1974—1984 Phillip I. Blumberg[59]
11. 1984—1990 George Schatzki[60]
12. 1990—2000 Hugh C. MacGill[61]
13. 2000—2006 Nell Jessup Newton[62]
14. 2006—2007 Kurt A. Strasser[63] (interim)
15. 2007—2012 Jeremy R. Paul[64]
16. 2012—2013 Willajeanne F. McLean[65] (interim)
17. 2013—2020 Timothy Fisher[66]
18. 2020— Eboni Nelson[67]

Gallery

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See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Hartford, Connecticut

References

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External links

• Official website