George Mason University School of Law
Encyclopedia
George Mason University School of Law (Mason Law or GMUSL) is the law school of George Mason University
George Mason University
George Mason University is a public university based in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of and adjacent to the city of Fairfax. Additional campuses are located nearby in Arlington County, Prince William County, and Loudoun County...

, a state university
State university system
A state university system in the United States is a group of public universities supported by an individual state, or a similar entity such as the District of Columbia. These systems constitute the majority of public-funded universities in the country...

 in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The law school is located in Arlington, further east of the university's main campus in Fairfax.

George Mason University School of Law was authorized by the Virginia General Assembly in March 1979 and was founded on July 1, 1979. The American Bar Association provisionally approved the school in the fall of 1980 and granted full approval in 1986.

Because of its advantageous location and growing reputation, George Mason University School of Law is a selective institution. The law school received 5,092 applications for fall 2008 JD admission and made offers of admission to twenty percent of those applicants. George Mason has 717 students in its J.D., LL.M.
Master of Laws
The Master of Laws is an advanced academic degree, pursued by those holding a professional law degree, and is commonly abbreviated LL.M. from its Latin name, Legum Magister. The University of Oxford names its taught masters of laws B.C.L...

, and J.M.
Master of Laws
The Master of Laws is an advanced academic degree, pursued by those holding a professional law degree, and is commonly abbreviated LL.M. from its Latin name, Legum Magister. The University of Oxford names its taught masters of laws B.C.L...

 programs. The median LSAT
Law School Admission Test
The Law School Admission Test is a half-day standardized test administered four times each year at designated testing centers throughout the world. Administered by the Law School Admission Council for prospective law school candidates, the LSAT is designed to assess Reading Comprehension,...

 score among those offered admission to the full-time program for the fall 2011 entering J.D. class was 164 and the median GPA was 3.72. Over 15% of the students in the first year class hold graduate degrees including Ph.D.s. Merit-based scholarships are offered to the most qualified applicants and average $12,000 per year, which is sufficient to cover the majority of the tuition for in-state students.

Tuition costs $20,556 for in-state students and $34,220 for non-residents, exclusive of books, and other costs. The first-time bar passage rate for all graduates is 93.2%, one of the highest of any Virginia law school.

Rankings

  • 25th best law school - The Consus Group.
  • 40th best law school - The 2011 publication of U.S. News and World Report ranks Mason Law 40th among the "Top 100" American law schools.
  • 25th - Law school selectivity The Consus Group.
  • 21st - Scholarly impact of the faculty based on per capita citations to faculty scholarship.
  • 24th best intellectual property law program.
  • 33rd - Student quality based on 75th percentile LSAT scores.

Curriculum

GMUSL is somewhat distinctive in offering a wide variety of intensive law tracks, each of which requires that approximately one-third of the credits for graduation be completed in the track, and law sequences, which have a less restrictive credit requirement as compared to the track program. The law tracks include Corporate and Securities Law, Intellectual Property Law, Litigation Law and Regulatory Law. The International Business Law track was offered until the fall of 2005.

The law sequences include Corporate and Securities Law, Criminal Law, Intellectual Property Law, International Business Law, Litigation Law, Legal and Economic Theory, Personal Law, Regulatory Law and Tax Law.

Also, the school boasts a rigorous Legal Research, Writing and Analysis (LRWA) curriculum. Mason Law requires its students to complete 4 semesters (2 years) of LRWA coursework. Students acquire the necessary skills for trial and appellate practice. The first year LRWA curriculum is taught by third-year (and fourth-year evening) law students under the guidance of full-time faculty. During the first semester, students learn how to conduct legal research and write a predictive memorandum, while during the second semester, students compete in intramural oral arguments while producing both predictive and persuasive memoranda. The second year of LRWA is taught by distinguished legal practitioners, and consists of Appellate Writing and Legal Drafting. Student transcripts bear a separate grade point average (GPA) for LRWA and writing-intensive coursework in addition to the overall GPA. Students must successfully complete 89 credits to graduate.

First year curriculum

In addition to two semesters (2 credits per semester) of LRWA, the first year curriculum is filled with foundation courses. First year day students cover the following legal foundation courses: Torts (4 credits), Contracts (5 credits), Property
Property
Property is any physical or intangible entity that is owned by a person or jointly by a group of people or a legal entity like a corporation...

 (4 credits), Civil Procedure
Civil procedure
Civil procedure is the body of law that sets out the rules and standards that courts follow when adjudicating civil lawsuits...

 (4 credits) and Criminal Law
Criminal law
Criminal law, is the body of law that relates to crime. It might be defined as the body of rules that defines conduct that is not allowed because it is held to threaten, harm or endanger the safety and welfare of people, and that sets out the punishment to be imposed on people who do not obey...

 (3 credits). In addition, every student is required to complete one semester of "Economic Foundations of Legal Studies
Law and economics
The economic analysis of law is an analysis of law applying methods of economics. Economic concepts are used to explain the effects of laws, to assess which legal rules are economically efficient, and to predict which legal rules will be promulgated.-Relationship to other disciplines and...

," a basic economics course taught by distinguished economists and a course entitled "The Founders' Constitution," which provides an introduction to constitutional thought and jurisprudence
Jurisprudence
Jurisprudence is the theory and philosophy of law. Scholars of jurisprudence, or legal theorists , hope to obtain a deeper understanding of the nature of law, of legal reasoning, legal systems and of legal institutions...

. First-year students may not take any electives.

The first year students are graded according to a mandatory 2.9 curve (2.95 for LRWA).

Second year curriculum

In their second year of study, day students must complete a 4 credit Constitutional Law
Constitutional law
Constitutional law is the body of law which defines the relationship of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the legislature and the judiciary....

 course and complete an additional 4 credits of LRWA. Students may select from a variety of upper-level electives in addition to these requirements.

Admissions process

The admissions process at the School of Law is competitive and selective. In 2007, Mason Law was ranked 25th in law school selectivity by the Consus Group, which is less than older institutions such as Virginia
University of Virginia School of Law
The University of Virginia School of Law was founded in Charlottesville in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson as one of the original subjects taught at his "academical village," the University of Virginia. The law school maintains an enrollment of approximately 1,100 students in its initial degree program...

 (8th), Georgetown
Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center is the law school of Georgetown University, located in Washington, D.C.. Established in 1870, the Law Center offers J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. degrees in law...

 (11th) and George Washington
The George Washington University Law School
The George Washington University Law School, commonly referred to as GW Law, is the law school of The George Washington University. It was founded in 1825 and is the oldest law school in Washington, D.C. The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a charter member of the...

 (20th) but ahead of Washington and Lee
Washington and Lee University School of Law
The Washington and Lee University School of Law is a private American Bar Association-accredited law school located in Lexington in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia. Facilities are currently on the campus of Washington and Lee University in Sydney Lewis Hall...

 (27th), William and Mary
Marshall-Wythe School of Law
William & Mary Law School, located in Williamsburg, Virginia, is the oldest law school in the United States. William & Mary Law School is a part of the College of William & Mary, the second oldest college in the United States. The Law School maintains an enrollment of about six hundred students...

 (29th), and Washington College of Law
Washington College of Law
American University Washington College of Law is the law school of American University. It is located on Massachusetts Avenue in the Spring Valley neighborhood of northwest Washington. WCL is ranked 50th among law schools by US News and World Report...

 (43rd). The primary factors considered in the admissions process are performance on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and undergraduate grade point average. The admissions committee also considers the difficulty of undergraduate major, undergraduate institution, possession of advanced degrees, writing ability (as indicated in the LSAT writing sample and in the personal statement), recommendations, extracurricular activities, employment experience, demonstrated commitment to public and community service, leadership skills and experience, history of overcoming personal or professional challenges, and other factors.

The School of Law follows a rolling admissions process and starts making admission decisions in January, ending in May. Students must use the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) to submit their LSAT scores, college transcripts and letters of recommendation.

Journals


Clinics


Student organizations




External links


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