David A. Clarke School of Law: Difference between revisions

| head = [[Twinette L. Johnson]]

| ranking = 147th180-192nd196 (bottom 257.69% at most) (20232024)<ref name="USNWR Profile">{{cite web|title=University of the District of Columbia (Clarke)|url=https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/university-of-the-district-of-columbia-03178|website=[[U.S. News & World Report]]|access-date=18 AprilMarch 20222024}}</ref>

| homepage = {{urlURL|http://www.law.udc.edu}}

It is named after [[David A. Clarke]] and was established in 1986 when, in response to a local grassroots campaign, the [[Council of the District of Columbia]] decided to take over assets of the [[Antioch School of Law]], whose parent institution [[Antioch University]] had decided to close it in the face of increasing financial problems. The new school was formally merged intonamed the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law in 19961998.

UDC Law was established as the District of Columbia School of Law after [[Antioch University]] decided to close its law school.<ref name="History" /> The [[Antioch School of Law]] was a [[Washington, D.C.]] school established as part of [[Antioch College]]'s [[Antioch Network]] in 1972 by [[Jean Camper Cahn]] and [[Edgar S. Cahn]], a married interracial couple dedicated to improving legal services for poor people.<ref name="Jean Camper Cahn">{{cite webnews|last1=Fowler|first1=Glenn|title=Jean Camper Cahn Is Dead at 55; Early Backer of Legal Aid to Poor|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/06/obituaries/jean-camper-cahn-is-dead-at-55-early-backer-of-legal-aid-to-poor.html|work=New York Times|date=6 January 1991 |access-date=13 July 2014}}</ref>

Eager to retain the Antioch School of Law's mission, curriculum, clinical programs, and some personnel for the benefit of the city, in 1986 Antioch School of Law students, alumni and local legal and civic leaders mounted a successful grassroots campaign to persuade the [[Council of the District of Columbia]] to pass legislation that re-established the school as the District of Columbia School of Law (DCSL).<ref name="Antioch Law">{{cite webnews|title=Antioch Law School Gains|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/10/09/us/antioch-law-school-gains.html|work=New York Times|date=9 October 1986 |access-date=13 July 2014}}</ref> The [[Council of the District of Columbia]] later passed legislation merging the School of Law with the [[University of the District of Columbia]] in 1996.<ref name="History" /> In 1998 President Clinton signed legislation renaming the School after former D.C. Council Chair [[David A. Clarke]], a civil rights leader and long-time advocate for the law school and its mission.<ref name="History" />

On May 15, 2020, the council of the [[American Bar Association|American Bar Association's]] Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar met remotely and determined this school and nine others had significant noncompliance with Standard 316.<ref name=ABA2020>{{cite web|url= https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/legal-ed-posts-public-notice-for-schools-out-of-compliance-with-bar-passage-standard?sc_sid=00954663&promo=&additional4=&additional5=&sfmc_j=216248&sfmc_s=46716697&sfmc_l=1527&sfmc_jb=141&sfmc_mid=100027443&sfmc_u=7034218 |title=10 law schools are out of compliance with bar passage standard, ABA legal ed section says|publisher=Stephanie Francis Ward, ABA Journal, May 28, 2020|access-date=May 30, 2020}}</ref> This Standard was revised in 2019 to provide that at least 75% of an accredited law school's graduates who took a bar exam must pass one within two years of graduation.<ref name=ABA2020 /> The school had been asked to submit a report by Feb. 1, 2021; and, if the council did not find the report demonstrated compliance, the school would be asked to appear before the council at its May, 2021 meeting.<ref name=ABA2020 /> By August 2020, the School of Law was able to demonstrate compliance, asserting the class of 2018 had a two-year bar passage rate of 75.3%, and its class of 2019 was showing progress toward a 75% pass rate.<ref name=InCompliance>{{cite web|url=https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/two-law-schools-dinged-for-bar-pass-standard-now-found-to-be-in-compliance?sc_sid=00954663&promo=&additional4=&additional5=&sfmc_j=262618&sfmc_s=46716697&sfmc_l=1527&sfmc_jb=156&sfmc_mid=100027443&sfmc_u=8217264 |title=2 law schools dinged for bar pass standard are now found to be in compliance|publisher=Stepanie Francis Ward, ABA Journal, August 25, 2020}}</ref> The August council also specifically found that the school was in compliance with Standards 501(b) and Interpretation 501–1, which deal with admissions policies and practices.<ref name=InCompliance /> However, in late 2022, the school was again found out of compliance for having an actual 67.24% pass rate for the class of 2019.<ref name=ABA2022>{{cite web|url= https://www.abajournal.com/web/article/three-law-schools-found-to-be-out-of-compliance-with-standard-316?utm_medium=email&utm_source=salesforce_609788&sc_sid=00954663&utm_campaign=weekly_email&promo=&utm_content=&additional4= |title=3 law schools dinged for low bar pass rates|publisher= Stephanie Francis Ward, ABA Journal, December 14, 2022|accessdate=December 16, 2022}}</ref> The school indicated the 2019 results were an anomaly.<ref name=ABA2022/> The ABA determined the school was back in compliance by March of 2023.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.abajournal.com/web/article/a-few-law-schools-dinged-on-bar-pass-rates-last-year-see-improvement?utm_medium=email&utm_source=salesforce_639343&sc_sid=00954663&utm_campaign=weekly_email&promo=&utm_content=&additional4=&additional5=&sfmc_j=639343&sfmc_s=46716697&sfmc_l=1527&sfmc_jb=26006&sfmc_mid=100027443&sfmc_u=18925103 |title=3 law schools dinged on bar pass rates see improvement; another back in compliance with diversity standard|publisher=Stephanie Francis Ward, ABA Journal, March 6, 2023|accessdate=March 14, 2023}}</ref>

=== Curriculum ===

UDC Law requires more hands-on work in a clinical setting – on real cases on behalf of low-income people and the public interest – than any other U.S. law school. The school requires full-time first year students to take courses on [[Civil Procedure]], [[Contracts]], [[Criminal Law]], [[Criminal Procedure]], Law & Justice, Lawyering Process, and [[Torts]].<ref name="Curriculum FT">{{cite web|title=Full-time J.D. Program Curriculum|url=http://www.law.udc.edu/?page=FullTimeCurriculum|website=University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law|access-date=13 July 2014|archive-date=3 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140703115046/http://www.law.udc.edu/?page=FullTimeCurriculum|url-status=dead}}</ref> Upper-division full-time students are required to take clinical courses and courses on [[Constitutional Law]], [[Evidence]], [[Moot Court]], Professional Responsibility, and [[Property]].<ref name="Curriculum FT" />

Each first-year UDC Law student providesis required to perform a minimum of 40 hours of community service with a DC non-profit or government agency as part of the Community Service Law and Justice course.<ref>[http://www.law.udc.edu/?page=CommunityService Law and Justice]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170705090648/http://www.law.udc.edu/?page=CommunityService |date=2017-07-05 }} course.</ref> After completion of the first year, all UDC Law students are eligible for a paid summer public interest fellowships.<ref>[http://www.law.udc.edu/?page=Fellowshipsdd Summer Public Interest Fellowship] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180105233712/http://www.law.udc.edu/?page=Fellowshipsdd |date=2018-01-05 }}. </ref> UDC Law also has an externship program that allows students to earn academic credit for closely supervised law-related work done in conjunction with the UDC Law's Externship Course.<ref>[http://www.law.udc.edu/?page=Externships Externship Program] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170705090512/http://www.law.udc.edu/?page=Externships |date=2017-07-05 }}, allowing students to earn academic credit for closely supervised law-related work done in conjunction with the School of Law's Externship Course.</ref> In addition, UDC Law has a [[Service learning programs|service-learning program]] that facilitates law student, staff and faculty service at family detention centers in Texas and elsewhere.{{cn|date=March 2024}}

However, the heart of UDC Law's experiential program areis its [[legal clinics]], and all upper-division students are required to take two clinical classes.<ref name="Clinics">{{cite web|title=Introduction to the Clinical Program|url=http://www.law.udc.edu/?page=ClinicIntro|website=University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law|access-date=13 July 2014|archive-date=3 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140703115102/http://www.law.udc.edu/?page=ClinicIntro|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Admissions =Ranking===

== Employment ==

According to UDC Law's 2019 [[American Bar Association|ABA]]-required disclosures, 38.8% of the Class of 2018 obtained full-time long-term JD-required employment nine months after graduation. Most of the graduates employed worked for law firms of 2-10 attorneys or the government.<ref name="ABA Employment">EMPLOYMENT SUMMARY FOR 2018 GRADUATES. http://www.abarequireddisclosures.org/EmploymentOutcomes.aspx</ref>

The 2018–2019 tuition rates for full-time students are $12,838 for District residents, $18,756 for metropolitan area residents, and $24,674 per semester for non-District residents. Tuition rates for part-time, visiting and non-matriculating students are $402 per credit hour for D.C. residents, $601 per credit hour for metropolitan area residents, and $802 per credit hour for non-District residents. The total cost of attendance (including the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at UDC Law for the 2018–2019 academic year is estimated to be $55,301 for full-time students who are D.C. residents and $78,973 for full-time students who are non-residents.<ref name="509 Info"/> The total debt for graduates as calculated by [[Law School Transparency]] is $158,946.<ref>{{cite web |title=University of The District of Columbia |url=https://www.lawschooltransparency.com/schools/udc/costs |website=lawschooltransparency.com |publisher=[[Law School Transparency]] |access-date=9 March 2024}}</ref>

*[[Tiffany T. Alston]] (2002), member of the [[Maryland House of Delegates]] suspended from office in 2012 after being found guilty of stealing General Assembly funds<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.alstongray.com/team/tiffany-gray |title=Biography, Tiffany Alston, Senior Marketing Director |website=Alston Gray.com |publisher=World Financial Group |access-date=March 14, 2021 }}{{Dead link|date=May 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

*[[Thelma Buchholdt]] (1988) (deceased), member of the [[Alaska House of Representatives]] from 1974 through 1982 and author<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.udc.edu/2017/03/03/womens-history-month-thelma-g-buchholdt/ |title=Thelma G. Buchholdt: UDC Alum: Alaska Legislator, Civil Rights Leader, and Author |website=Women’s History Month |publisher=University of the District of Columbia |location=Washington, DC |access-date=March 14, 2021}}</ref>

*[[Tom Devine (lawyer)|Tom Devine]] ([[Antioch School of Law|Antioch]] 1980), attorney specializing in [[whistleblower]] rights<ref>{{cite news |last=Libertelli |first=Joe |date=February 4, 2020 |title=UDC Law Whistleblower Clinic's Tom Devine, '80 in the News - in Liberia! |url=https://www.law.udc.edu/news/487988/UDC-Law-Whistleblower-Clinics-Tom-Devine-80-in-the-News---in-Liberia.htm |work=UDC News: Alumni Updates |publisher=University of the District of Columbia |location=Washington, DC }}{{Dead link|date=October 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

[[Category:Historically black law schools|Historically black law schools]]