The Gonzaga University School of Law (also known as Gonzaga Law or GU Law) is the professional school for the study of law at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, United States. Established in 1912, the Jesuit affiliated law school is viewed as a strong institution in the Pacific Northwest. The school is fully accredited by the American Bar Association, and a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Alumni of Gonzaga University School of Law practice in all 50 U.S. states.
The current Gonzaga University School of Law building was completed in May 2000, and is situated on the Spokane River on the southern edge of the Gonzaga University campus, and also contains the large Chastek Law Library. The library houses more than 380,000 volumes and is part of the Federal Depository Library Program. The school's location in Spokane, the largest city in the Inland Northwest, allows students to take advantage of internships with private firms, and government and not-for-profit agencies, along with opportunities with both federal and state judges, as Spokane is home to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington.
Campus & history
Gonzaga University was established in 1887 as a private, Jesuit institution, and by 1912, the leadership of the University desired the creation of a law school program. Founded on the motto “A First Class Law School, or None at All,†Gonzaga University School of Law opened its doors on October 1, 1912. Two classrooms on the third floor of the Administration Building were provided for the law school. The school’s first dean was Edward J. Cannon. In June 1915, Gonzaga University School of Law graduated its first law class of 13 students.
During the first half of the 20th century, the law school continued to expand its enrollment and curriculum, and by the 1960s, the school had outgrown its facilities. Gonzaga University President Father John Leary, S.J., acquired a nearby vacant grade school in July 1962 for the law school. The former Webster School was originally built in 1901, was the victim of a fire in 1945, and was subsequently restored as a trade school. The former Webster School would house the law school for the next thirty-eight years.
In the 1970s, the law school experienced explosive growth, and the law school building underwent several renovations. In 1974, it opened one of the country's first legal clinics. By the 1990s, the law school occupied the old Webster school along with several adjacent buildings. Under Dean John Clute, fundraising was begun to build a new law school building. The class of 2000 was the last to graduate from the old law building. In late May 2000, the new Gonzaga University School of Law building, located on the banks of the Spokane River, opened its doors. The new building is 104,000 square feet (9,700Â m2), and was completed at a cost of $18.5 million. The Law School houses the Barbieri Courtroom which has been used by both the Washington Supreme Court and the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to hear oral arguments. In 2014, The National Jurist magazine's preLaw magazine gave the Law School an 'A-' rating, ranking it among the Top Law School facilities in the nation. In 2012, the law school celebrated its centennial.
Admissions
In 2015, the school enrolled 127 students in the 1L class. The median GPA was 3.25 and the median LSAT score was 153 (65th percentile).
Students of the entering class hailed from 20 states and speak at least 13 different languages. Underrepresented ethnic minorities comprised 13 percent of the 1L class. In 2017, The National Jurist Magazine's preLaw magazine named GU Law the #3 Top School for Latter-day Saint students and the #6 Most Devout Catholic Law School. GU Law consistently ranks within the top five schools for Latter-day Saint students and the top ten schools for devout Catholic students.
Rankings
The U.S. News & World Report named Gonzaga Law School
- #56 (Survey of Highly Regarded American Law Firms) (2012)
- #113 (Peer Reputation Ranking) (2018)
- #112 overall (2018)
The National Jurist named Gonzaga Law School
- 'A-' Top 46 Law School Facilities in the Nation (2014)
- 'B+' Top 37 Law Schools for Practical Training (2016)
- 'B+' Top 40 Law Schools for Small Law (2015)
- #3 Top School of Latter-day Saints (2017, 2013)
- #6 Most Devout School for Catholics (2017)
Recent editions of the The Princeton Review listed Gonzaga Law School
- "Best 169 Law Schools" (2016) (The list does not provide a final comprehensive ranking of schools overall.)
Moody's Employment Rankings named Gonzaga Law School
- #63 (2014)
Gonzaga Law has also received national recognition as supporting one of the most innovative law school curricula in the U.S. The school was one of ten schools awarded a Diversity Matters Award from the Law School Admissions Council for its diversity outreach efforts in 2013.
Bar passage rates
Graduates averaged a passage rate of between 85 and 100% on the Washington Bar Exam over recent years, consistently performing above the state average on the Washington Bar Exam. In February 2016, 100% of Gonzaga Law students taking the Washington bar exam for the first time passed. In July 2015, 86.1% of Gonzaga Law students taking the Washington bar exam for the first time passed. In February 2014, 85.7% of Gonzaga Law students taking the Washington bar exam passed (both first and non-first time takers), the highest rate of any Washington law school by 16%. In July 2013, 91% of Gonzaga Law students taking the Washington bar exam for the first time passed, while those taking out-of-state bar exams had an 89% passage rate. The Washington state average rate was 84.8% in July 2013.
Post-graduation employment
According to Gonzaga Law's official 2016 ABA-required disclosures, 69% of the Class of 2016 obtained full-time, long-term, bar passage-required employment nine months after graduation, excluding solo-practitioners. Total employment for the Class of 2016 was 89.8% while 5.4% were pursuing graduate degrees and 10% were unemployed nine months graduation.
GU Law's Law School Transparency under-employment score is 22.2%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2015 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation.
Costs
The total cost of yearly attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at Gonzaga Law is estimated as $53,287.
The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $202,601.
Degrees and curriculum
The law school offers a traditional Juris Doctor (J.D.) program comprising 90 semester hours of credit that full-time students may complete in three years. The traditional J.D. program includes two years of legal research and writing classes, although students are allowed to choose between three capstone writing courses (Advanced Advocacy, Drafting for Litigation, and Transactional Drafting). Doctrinal classes include Civil Procedure, Contracts, Property, Torts, Criminal Law, Constitutional Law, and Evidence. Students are also expected to take a Skills and Professionalism Labs, one using rules of Civil Procedure and Torts to teach practical litigation skills and another using Contracts and Property to teach practical transactional skills. The third-year curriculum includes a requirement that all students earn at least six credits in either the school's clinic or its externship program. The impetus behind this requirement is to assure that each student graduates with some experience in applying their classroom knowledge and simulated skill set in an actual law practice setting. In addition to the traditional program, the school offers an accelerated J.D. program and an opportunity for a joint J.D/M.B.A.
Clinical program
The law school opened one of the country's first legal clinics in 1974. Today, the law school is recognized in the Pacific Northwest for the Gonzaga Center for Law and Justice, a not-for-profit University Legal Assistance clinical program. Clinic students represent clients who are residents of the Spokane area, require legal representation, and who are without the means to hire a traditional lawyer. The structure of the Clinic is modeled after a large law firm, and the Clinic specializes in family law, elder law, civil rights, disability rights, and criminal defense. Students control their own case loads, and represent clients in court under the supervision of law school faculty, and with limited licenses to practice law. Students work 40 billable hours for each clinic credit hour.
The clinical programs available include:
- Business Law Clinic
- Elder Law Clinic
- Environmental Law & Land Use Clinic
- Federal Indian Law Clinic
- Federal Tax Clinic
- General Practice Clinic
- Mortgage Foreclosure Clinic
Centers and institutes
- Task Force on Race and the Criminal Justice System
- Commercial Law Center
- Institute for Law Teaching and Learning
- Center for Law in Public Service
Journals
The law school currently publishes two legal journals. Student staff members are selected based on a writing competition, editing competition, and first-year grades, or a publishable note or comment on a legal topic.
- Gonzaga Law Review
- Gonzaga Journal of International Law
William O. Douglas Lecture Series
The law school hosts an annual lecture series for the purpose of promoting a strong commitment to the freedoms of speech, religion, and assembly protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. The lecture series features distinguished individuals who share this strong commitment to the First Amendment. Guest speakers have included U.S. Supreme Court Justices William O. Douglas (1972, inaugural speaker), William H. Rehnquist (1976), Byron R. White (1982), Arthur Goldberg (1983), and Antonin Scalia (1994).
Notable people
Faculty
Full Time and Adjunct faculty
- Jane B. Korn, Dean, legal scholar on employment discrimination, particularly based on disability
- Debra L. Stephens, Washington Supreme Court Justice
Former faculty
- J. Stanley Webster (1912-1915), Washington Supreme Court Justice, U.S. Representative, U.S. District Court Judge
- Lewis B. Schwellenbach (1944-1945), Secretary of Labor, U.S. Senator, U.S. District Court Judge
- Thomas S. Foley (1958-1959), Speaker of the House, U.S. Ambassador
- Rosanna M. Peterson (1999-2010), U.S. District Court Judge
- Earl F. Martin (2005-2010), President of Drake University
Alumni
The law school's alumni actively practice in all 50 states in the nation and include U.S. federal judges, a U.S. Senator, former U.S. Representatives, and current and former U.S. Attorneys. Alumni also include five current state supreme court justices, a former Governor of Washington, state attorneys general in several states, and a NASCAR Champion.
References
External links
- Official website