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Liberty University School of Law

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Coordinates: 37°21′20″N 79°10′24″W / 37.35556°N 79.17333°W / 37.35556; -79.17333
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Liberty University School of Law
Coat of arms of the school
MottoAd Fontes (Latin)
Parent schoolLiberty University
Established2004; 20 years ago (2004)
School typePrivate
DeanTimothy Todd
LocationLynchburg, Virginia, United States
37°21′20″N 79°10′24″W / 37.35556°N 79.17333°W / 37.35556; -79.17333
Enrollment322[1]
USNWR ranking140th (2024)[2]
Bar pass rate76.81% (2022 first-time takers)
96.36% (2020 passing in two years)[1]
Websitewww.liberty.edu/law/ Edit this at Wikidata
ABA profileABA profile

The Liberty University School of Law is the law school of Liberty University, a private evangelical Christian university in Lynchburg, Virginia. The school offers the J.D., L.L.M., and J.M. degrees.[3]

History

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The Liberty University School of Law was founded in 2004 as a division of Liberty University, an evangelical school. It received provisional accreditation in 2006 and became fully accredited by the American Bar Association in 2010.[4]

The original dean was Bruce W. Green, who was responsible for guiding the school in obtaining Liberty's provisional bar accreditation in February 2006. Green resigned in May 2006 and was succeeded by Mathew D. Staver. In 2015, B. Keith Faulkner assumed the deanship.[5] He had previously served as the dean of the Campbell University Lundy–Fetterman School of Business.[5] The present dean is Morse H. Tan, a Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law graduate who was the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice, an attorney with McGuireWoods, and a Visiting Scholar at Northwestern University School of Law and the University of Texas Law School.[6]

Buildings and campus

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The School of Law is located in the Green Hall facility on Liberty's campus, and consists of 116,000 square feet (10,800 m2), all of which is located on one level. 34,000 square feet (3,200 m2) of that space is dedicated to Ehrhorn Law Library.[7] The School's Supreme Courtroom contains an exact replica of the Supreme Court of the United States judges' bench.[8][9]

Statistics and rankings

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Students and faculty

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The student to faculty ratio is 10.2 to 1.[10] For the class entering in 2023, there were 105 full-time students and no part-time students.[1] As of 2022, the school’s 330 students represented 185 undergraduate institutions and 42 states.[11]

Admissions

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For the class entering in 2023, the School of Law accepted 56.43% of applicants, with 40.54% of those accepted enrolling. The average enrollee had a 154 LSAT score and 3.56 undergraduate GPA.[1]

Bar Exam passage rates

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For the July 2015 and July 2016 examinations, the School of Law had first-time passage rates on the Virginia Bar Exam of 93% and 89% respectively.[12] These rates placed them first in 2015 and second in 2016 among the eight law schools in Virginia for the July examinations. The school has also seen recent bar exam success in other states, such as North Carolina in 2018.[13] Liberty had one of the top five first-time bar passage rates in the entire nation for 2018.[14]

First-time Virginia Bar Exam pass rates for Liberty University School of Law[15]
Month Year Liberty University's Bar Passage Rate All Bar Exam Applicants Passage Rate Rank in State
July 2023 89.29% 77.24% 4th
February 2023 100% 74.60% 1st*****
July 2022 85.71% 79.76% 6th****
February 2022 66.67% 76.38% 5th***
July 2021 66.67% 79.15% 6th
February 2021 100% 69.17% 1st**
September 2020 60.00% 78.52% 8th
July 2020 91.67% 90.62% 6th
February 2020 100.00% 64.23% 1st*
July 2019 88.24% 80.04% 3rd
February 2019 100.00% 68.66% 1st*
July 2018 86.67% 79.73% 3rd
February 2018 75.00% 60.69% 5th
July 2017 80.00% 76.43% 6th
February 2017 66.67% 70.71% 6th
July 2016 89.66% 77.79% 2nd
February 2016 50.00% 65.44% 7th
July 2015 93.33% 75.62% 1st
February 2015 60.00% 67.13% 7th
July 2014 50.00% 72.86% 7th
February 2014 60.00% 69.96% 6th
July 2013 63.89% 79.54% 7th
February 2013 100.00% 65.71% 1st*
*Tied with University of Virginia School of Law (UVa).
**Tied with Appalachian School of Law (ASL) and UVa.
***Tied with University of Richmond School of Law.
****Tied with ASL.
*****Tied with William & Mary School of Law, UVa, and Washington and Lee University School of Law.

School rankings

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The School of Law's ranking given by the U.S. News & World Report is 140 (bottom third).[10] The school has been ranked the most religious Christian law school and ranked fourth for graduates entering government and public service.[16][17]

Employment

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According to Liberty University's ABA-required disclosures, 63.7% of the 69 members of the class of 2022 obtained full-time, bar passage required employment nine months after graduation (i.e. as attorneys), 5.6% obtained full-time JD advantage employment, and 8.7% obtained full-time professional position employment. Positions as attorneys were in various size law firms, most being in 1-10 attorney firms, five graduates obtained local or state judicial clerkships, and 18 graduates obtained public interest, government, higher education, or business employment. Liberty's under-employment score was 15.9%, indicating the percentage of the class of 2022 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation.[18] As of 2024, the median starting private sector salary for graduates was $60,000 and the median public service starting salary was $57,798.[10]

ABA Employment Summary for 2022 Graduates[18]
Employment Status Percentage
Full-time employed - Bar Passage Required
 
 63.7%
Full-time employed - J.D. Advantage
 
 5.6%
Full-time employed - Professional Position
 
 8.7%
Unemployed - Not Seeking
 
 1.4%
Unemployed - Seeking
 
 2.9%
Total of 69 Graduates

Partnerships

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The School of Law has two partnerships with the Liberty Counsel:

  • The Liberty Center for Law and Policy is a joint partnership between the School of Law and the Liberty Counsel. It provides information, research, and expertise to affect legislation and public policy at the local, state, and national level.
  • The Center for Constitutional Litigation Clinic.[19]

The School of Law also partners with the Bedford Commonwealth Attorney's Office for The Prosecution Clinic in order to expose students to prosecution experience.[20]

Tuition and financial aid

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Tuition for the 2023-2024 academic year was $40,585, with estimated mandatory costs and fees totaling an additional $2,306.[21] Per Law School Transparency the average debt-financed cost of attendance for three years for 2022 graduates was $86,369 that 81% of graduates incurred.[22] In 2023, U.S. News & World Report ranked Liberty as one of the private law schools that award the most financial aid, providing a median grant of $24,000 with 100% of students receiving grants.[23]

Notable people

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Alumni

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Faculty

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "2023 Standard 509 Information Report - Liberty University School of Law". abarequireddisclosures.org. American Bar Association. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  2. ^ "Liberty University". usnews.com. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  3. ^ "Liberty Law to Offer an Online LL.M. and Two Other Online Masters Programs in Law". Retrieved 2016-10-26.
  4. ^ "School of Law awarded full accreditation approval by the ABA | Liberty University". www.liberty.edu. Retrieved 2016-10-26.
  5. ^ a b "Campbell Business Dean named Liberty Law School Dean - Campbell University". www.campbell.edu. Retrieved 2016-10-26.
  6. ^ "Morse H. Tan - Dean". liberty.edu. Liberty University. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  7. ^ "Campus Facilities | Liberty University School of Law". Law.liberty.edu. 2003-07-08. Archived from the original on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2015-04-16.
  8. ^ Martin, Laira (Fall 2015). "Top moot courtrooms". National Jurist.
  9. ^ "Law Schools Supreme Courtroom Reflects Supreme Vision | School of Law OLD". www.liberty.edu. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
  10. ^ a b c "Liberty University". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
  11. ^ "Liberty Law welcomes a record number of students". liberty.edu. Liberty University. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  12. ^ itembridge.com. "VBBE - Exam - Statistics". barexam.virginia.gov. Retrieved 2016-10-22.
  13. ^ "Law grads hit 100 percent first-time pass rate on North Carolina Bar Exam | School of Law OLD". www.liberty.edu. Retrieved 2016-10-22.
  14. ^ "The Law Schools with the Best and Worst First-Time Bar Exam Pass Rates (2018)". 22 April 2019.
  15. ^ itembridge.com. "VBBE - Exam - Statistics". barexam.virginia.gov. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  16. ^ "Liberty University School of Law". nationaljurist.com. the National Jurist / preLaw Magazine. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  17. ^ "Liberty Law named fourth in nation for graduates entering careers in government and public service". liberty.edu. Liberty University. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  18. ^ a b "Liberty University Law School Employment Summary 2022 Graduates". abarequireddisclosures.org. American Bar Association. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  19. ^ "About the Center for Constitutional Litigation and Policy". Lc.org. Retrieved 2015-04-16. [permanent dead link]
  20. ^ "News Articles | Liberty University School of Law". Law.liberty.edu. 2011-07-18. Archived from the original on 2012-08-05. Retrieved 2015-04-16.
  21. ^ "Estimated Law School Costs (2023 – 2024)". liberty.edu. Liberty University. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  22. ^ "Debt by Law School for 2022 Graduates". lawschooltransparency.com. Law School Transparency. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  23. ^ "Private Law Schools with the Most Financial Aid". usnews.com. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  24. ^ "State Rep. Matt Krause, District 93 (R-Fort Worth)". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  25. ^ "The Law Office of Todd A Kirby LC | Staff Profiles". Todd A. Kirby L.C. Retrieved 2023-08-26.
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