Southern University Law Center, a campus of the Southern University System, opened for instruction in September 1947. Its concept was born out of a response of a lawsuit by an African American resident, Charles J. Hatfield, III, seeking to attend law school at a state institution. On December 16, 1946, Louisiana State Board of Education took steps to establish a Law School for blacks at Southern University to be in operation for the 1947-1948 session. The University is a member-school of Thurgood Marshall College Fund.
There are full-time, part-time, and evening programs. For students who want to pursue the JD and MPA, the school offers a joint-degree program in cooperation with the Nelson Mandela School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs. There's also a study-abroad program in London, in which students take courses with international subject matter. SULC also publishes two legal journals: its traditional Law Review as well as The Journal of Race, Gender and Poverty. SULC's students also learn two different systems of law: Louisiana is a civil law jurisdiction (in the tradition of France and Continental Europe), while law in every other state is based on the common law tradition.
According to SULC's 2013 ABA-required disclosures, 22.8% of the Class of 2013 obtained full-time, long-term, bar passage-required employment nine months after graduation, excluding solo practitioners.
History
Plans for the law school were approved by the State Board of Education at its January 10, 1947, meeting. On June 14, 1947, the Board of Liquidation of State Debt appropriated $40,000 for the operation of the school. The Southern University Law School was officially opened in September 1947 to provide legal education for African-American students.
After 38 years of operation as a School of Law, the Southern University Board of Supervisors re-designated the school as the Southern University Law Center.
From 1972 to 1974, the law school dean was Louis Berry, the civil rights attorney originally from Alexandria, Louisiana.
Today, the law school remains as one of only two public law schools and the most diverse in the state of Louisiana.
Accreditation
The Law Center program is accredited by the American Bar Association, the Supreme Court of Louisiana, the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and the Association of American Law Schools. It is approved also by the Veterans Administration for the training of eligible veterans.
Clinical program
The clinical education program at Southern University Law Center is ranked 42nd out of 216 clinical education programs nationally by the American Bar Association. At Southern University Law Center, clinical education is available to third years students but not required.
- Administrative/Civil Law Clinic
- Criminal Law Clinic
- Domestic Violence Clinic
- Elder Law Clinic
- Juvenile Law Clinic
- Low-income Taxpayer Clinic
- Mediation Clinic
Physical plant
Housed in the 93,400-square-foot (8,680Â m2) A. A. Lenoir Hall, the Law Center's program of study is designed to ensure that students graduate with a comprehensive knowledge of civil law and common law. Though emphasis is given to the substantive and procedural law of Louisiana, with its French and Spanish origins, Anglo-American law is integrated into the curriculum.
Employment
According to SULC's official 2013 ABA-required disclosures, 22.8% of the Class of 2013 obtained full-time, long-term, bar passage-required employment nine months after graduation, excluding solo-practitioners. SULC's Law School Transparency under-employment score is 39.8%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2013 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation.
According to The Faculty Lounge, 43.2% of the Class of 2012 was employed in full-time, long-term positions requiring bar admission, ranking 161st out of 197 law schools.
Costs
The total cost of full-time attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at SULC for the 2013-2014 academic year is $31,078 for Louisiana resident and $39,678 for non-residents. The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $122,502.
Other accomplishments
- Ranking fifth among law schools for "Most Affordable" in 2015 by Linkedin.
- Ranking among the "Best Law Schools for Public Service" in 2012 by preLaw Magazine.
- Ranking first among law schools awarding "Law Degrees With Most Financial Value at Graduation" in 2011 by U.S. News & World Report.
- Ranking fourth most popular law school by U.S. News & World Report.
- Ranking in the top ten among law schools for competitiveness and diverse faculty and student body in the 2000 edition of The Princeton Review: The Best Law Schools.
- Ranking third among institutions awarding law degrees to African Americans by Black Issues in Higher Education (2000)
- Ranking first among accredited law schools in the country for women-friendliness in a Woman’s Guide to Law Schools (1999)
- Ranking in the top 20 percent of the nation’s accredited law schools in favorable student/faculty ratio (13:1)
Notable alumni
- Jesse N. Stone, Jr. (1950) -- Louisiana Supreme Court Associate Justice, Chancellor of SULC 1971-72, President of SU System 1975-85, civil rights attorney, and political leader.
- Alfred C. Williams (1977) -- Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for East Baton Rouge Parish since 2012; Baton Rouge attorney and former school board member
- Mike Foster (2004) -- former Governor of Louisiana
- Rick Gallot â€" Tenth president of Grambling State University and Democrat member of both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature: House (2000-2012), Senate (2012-2016)
- Kip Holden (1985) -- Mayor of Baton Rouge (2005â€"present)
- Jody Amedee (ca. 1995) -- Louisiana state senator from District 18
- Sherman Q. Mack (1999) -- District 95 state representative
- Jeff Cox, judge of the 26th Judicial District in Bossier and Webster parishes since 2005
- Michael Owens Craig, judge of the 26th Judicial District Court since 2009
- Stephen Dwight (c. 2003) - Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 35 in Calcasieu and Beauregard parishes since 2016
- Cleo Fields (1987) - former United State Congressman for Louisiana's 4th Congressional District 1993-1997, former gubernatorial candidate,
- Randal Gaines â€" member of the Louisiana House since 2012 for St. Charles and St. John the Baptist parishes
- Hunter Greene â€" former state representative and family court judge in East Baton Rouge Parish
- John Michael Guidry, circuit court judge since 1997 and former member of both houses of the Louisiana legislature from Baton Rouge
- Jimmy Harris â€" African-American Democrat member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for New Orleans since 2016
- Jay Luneau (1992) -- member of the Louisiana State Senate from Alexandria since 2016
- Marcus Hunter (2005) -- member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 17 in Ouachita Parish
- Edward C. James â€" member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 101 in East Baton Rouge Parish since 2012
- Faith Jenkins -- Miss Louisiana 2000, Miss America 2001 first runner-up, attorney, legal analyst, and TV personality.
- Edmond Jordan -- member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 29 in West and East Baton Rouge parishes since 2016
- Taylor Townsend (Louisiana politician) (1989) -- Louisiana State Representative from the 23rd District.
- Rick Ward, III - Louisiana state senator from District 17; native and resident of Iberville Parish
- Robert M. Marionneaux (1995) -- Louisiana State Representative from District 18 from 1996â€"2000, Louisiana State Senator from District 17 from 2000 to 2012.
- Jonathan W. Perry (1998) -- State representative from Vermilion and Cameron parishes.
- Stephanie A. Finley (1991), United States Attorney
- Meshea Pooreâ€"member of the West Virginia House of Delegates
- Terry Reeves - district attorney for Winn Parish (1991-2005)
- Ledricka Thierry (Class of 2003) -- African-Americzn member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for St. Landry Parish since 2009
- Ebony Woodruffâ€"African-American state representative for Jefferson Parish since 2013
References
External links
- Southern University