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Belmont University College of Law

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Coordinates: 36°08′04″N 86°47′33″W / 36.13442°N 86.79257°W / 36.13442; -86.79257
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Belmont University College of Law
Parent schoolBelmont University
Established2011
School typePrivate
DeanAlberto Gonzales
LocationNashville, Tennessee, US
Enrollment276
USNWR ranking105th (2024) [1]
Bar pass rate94.29% (who sat for a bar examination within two years of their date of graduation)
Websitewww.belmont.edu/law
ABA profileBelmont Law

Belmont University College of Law is a private law school in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 2011, the College of Law was accredited by the American Bar Association in 2013.[2]

History

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Belmont University announced plans for the College of Law in 2009, with the first class beginning in 2011.[3] Belmont Law was accredited by the American Bar Association in 2013, making it the first new accredited law program in Tennessee in more than 50 years [2] and the first new law school in Middle Tennessee in nearly 100 years.[3] Belmont Law achieved American Bar Association accreditation in the earliest possible time allowed by accreditation guidelines.[2]

Curriculum

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The college's curriculum includes the Juris Doctor (J.D.) with specialized certificate programs available in Criminal Law, Health Law, and Entertainment Law.[4] The College of Law curriculum focuses on creating practice-ready attorneys with a practicum requirement in each semester to help students become proficient in the "practice" of law.[5] These practicums give instruction in all aspects of the practice of law, such as legal writing, legal research, client interviewing, document drafting, litigation, negotiation, and more.[5]

In 2017, a dual JD/MBA program was launched, allowing students to take classes for both degrees concurrently and complete requirements for both degrees within three years.[6]

Facilities

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Belmont Law Baskin Center
Belmont Law Baskin Center

The law school is located in the Randall and Sadie Baskin Center building, a 75,000-square-foot LEED Gold building atop a five-level underground garage.[7] The Randall and Sadie Baskin Center houses more than a dozen large classrooms, a trial courtroom, an appellate court room, faculty offices, student commons, and a two-story law library.[8]

Organizations and publications

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Students can participate in local and national competitions through the Board of Advocates program, which includes mock-trial, moot-court, and transactional teams.[5] The moot-court team has won numerous competitions, including: National Champions of the 17th Annual Emory Civil Rights and Liberties Moot Court Competition[9], 2017, 2023 Regional Champions of the American Bar Association’s (ABA) National Appellate Advocacy Competition[10][11], National Champions of the 2018 Emory Civil Rights and Liberties Moot Court Competition.[12]

The College of Law publishes two academic journals, the Belmont Law Review[13] and the Belmont Law Journal (Dean Deborah Farringer mereged the Criminal Law Journal,[14] Entertainment Law Journal, and Health Law Journal[15] into a single journal in the Summer of 2023.)[16][17][18]

Employment

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Statistics for the class of 2018 indicate 96% of students are employed in some capacity, with 95% employed in bar-passage-required or J.D.–advantage positions.[19] Most graduates remain in state, with 89% employed in Tennessee.[20] Of those employed, 63% work at a law firm, 14.5% work in business or industry, 18.5% work in government or judicial clerkships, and 4% work in public interest.[20]

Belmont Law's Law School Transparency under-employment score is 6.4%, which reflects the percentage of the Class of 2018 that is unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a nonprofessional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation.[21]

Bar passage

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On the July 2019 bar exam, 97.18% of Belmont Law's first-time test takers and 94.52% of its total takers passed,[22] the highest of any law school in Tennessee and 23.62% higher than Tennessee's 70.90% pass rate.[23] In 2018, 94.52% of Belmont Law's first-time test takers and 90.79% of its total takers passed the bar exam,[24] ranking 12th in the nation and 2nd in the state of Tennessee for bar passage.[25] Belmont's success has been attributed to the bar preparation course created by Jeff Kinsler, Belmont Law's founding Dean.[26]

In 2023, the bar passage rate for first time test-takers was 93.4%, ranking 1st out of 5 programs in Tennessee.[27]

TN Bar Passage Statistics for Belmont Law
Exam Date 1st Time Pass Rate Total Pass Rate
July, 2024[28] 94.79% 92.93%
July, 2023[29] 93.41% 90.43%
July, 2022[30] 86.60% 86.87%
July, 2021[31] 88.75% 85.71%
July (October), 2020[32] 82.56% 81.82%
July, 2019[33] 94.52% 97.18%
Bar Pass Outcomes Within Two Years of Graduation[34][35]
Graduation Year Total Pass Rate
2021 95.65%
2020 94.95%
2019 100.00%
2018 100.00%
2017 94.74%
2016 94.29%
2015 96.51%

Costs

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Tuition for the 2022-2023 school year is $48,660,[36] with 49% of students receiving scholarships.[37] Belmont Law ranks #104 in terms of highest tuition among full-time law students based on 283 tuition rates from 194 law schools, with in-state tuition counting separately.[38]

References

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  1. ^ "Belmont University College of Law". usnews.com. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "Belmont law program receives accreditation". Nashville Business Journal. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Belmont University announces College of Law". The National Jurist. October 19, 2009. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  4. ^ "School Detail Information". Law School Admission Council. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c "Legal Insight 2017". Newsweek. 2017. Archived from the original on April 12, 2017. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  6. ^ "Belmont launching joint JD/MBA". Nashville Post. April 10, 2017. Archived from the original on June 20, 2017. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  7. ^ "Belmont law building earns LEED Gold". Nashville Post. October 31, 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  8. ^ "School Detail Information". officialguide.lsac.org. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  9. ^ "Law Moot Court Wins National Emory Civil Rights and Liberties Competition". www.belmont.edu. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  10. ^ "Moot Court Team Advances to National Finals | Belmont University News & Media". February 28, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  11. ^ "Belmont Law Moot Court Teams Place in ABA Appellate Advocacy Competition | Belmont University News & Media". March 23, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  12. ^ "College of Law Moot Court Team Named National Champion at Tournament | Belmont University News & Media". October 22, 2018. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  13. ^ "Belmont Law Review". Belmont Law Review. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  14. ^ "Belmont Criminal Law Journal". www.belmontcriminallaw.com. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  15. ^ "Belmont Health Law Journal". www.belmonthealthlaw.com. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  16. ^ "Belmont Criminal Law Journal". www.belmontcriminallaw.com. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  17. ^ "Belmont Entertainment Law Journal". www.belmontentertainmentlaw.com. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  18. ^ "Belmont Health Law Journal". www.belmonthealthlaw.com. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  19. ^ "Of Note: 17 May 2019". Nashville Post. May 17, 2019. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  20. ^ a b Hefner, April (May 16, 2019). "College of Law Announces Record Employment Rate for Class of 2018". Belmont University News & Media. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
  21. ^ "Belmont University". Law School Transparency. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  22. ^ "July 2019 UBE TN School Statistics" (PDF). Tennessee Board of Law Examiners. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 17, 2019.
  23. ^ "Belmont tops in bar passage". Nashville Post. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
  24. ^ "Notes: Vanderbilt, Belmont top bar exam result". Nashville Post. October 8, 2018. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  25. ^ Zaretsky, Staci (October 3, 2019). "The Top 50 Law Schools By First-Time Bar Exam Pass Rates (2018)". Above the Law. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
  26. ^ Kinsler, Jeff (August 24, 2018). "The Secret to 85% First-Time Bar Passage Rates". North Carolina Central Law Review. 40 (1): 92–121. SSRN 3232216 – via SSRN.
  27. ^ Joslin, Stacey (October 10, 2023). "What schools have the best first-time bar passage rate?". Tennessee Bar Association. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  28. ^ Tennessee Board of Law Examiners. "July 2024 School Statistics - Re-Exam" (PDF).
  29. ^ Tennessee Board of Law Examiners. "JULY 2023 School Statistics - Re-examination" (PDF).
  30. ^ Tennessee Board of Law Examiners. "All Schools: Re-Exam Statistics July 2022 Exam" (PDF).
  31. ^ Tennessee Board of Law Examiners. "School Statistics - Re-Exam Statistics* July 2021 Exam" (PDF).
  32. ^ Tennessee Board of Law Examiners. "School Statistics - Re-Exam July 2020 Applicants OCTOBER ASSESSMENT" (PDF).
  33. ^ Tennessee Board of Law Examiners. "July 2019 UBE TN School Statistics - Retakes" (PDF).
  34. ^ American Bar Association. "Bar Passage Data Ultimate (Graduation Year)".
  35. ^ American Bar Association. "Bar Passage Data Ultimate (Graduation Year)".
  36. ^ "Law School Overview". U.S. News & World Report.
  37. ^ "BELMONT UNIVERSITY - 2018 Standard 509 Information Report" (PDF). American Bar Association Standard Disclosures. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 17, 2019.
  38. ^ "Belmont University". Public Legal. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2019.

36°08′04″N 86°47′33″W / 36.13442°N 86.79257°W / 36.13442; -86.79257

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