Washburn University School of Law
Encyclopedia
The Washburn University School of Law, commonly referred to as Washburn Law, is a public law school
located on the main campus of Washburn University
in Topeka, Kansas
. Washburn Law was founded in 1903. The school has 79 faculty members and 445 students. The school has been accredited by the American Bar Association
since 1923 and has been a member of the Association of American Law Schools
since 1905. The 2010 edition of US News and World Report's Best Law Schools ranked Washburn in the third tier for ABA accredited schools, and ranked its Legal Writing program 17th among all law schools in the country. In the 2010 edition of the National Jurist Best value law schools Washburn Law was ranked 31st overall. Washburn Law was also listed under the outstanding category in the 2010 edition of the Princeton Review's best law schools release. The SSRN ranks Washburn Law's tax program as #19 overall and its tax faculty as #9 overall. Washburn's Law Review was also ranked #75 overall according to the 2010 ranking by the Association of American Law Schools
(AALS). The IRLG ranked Washburn Law #58 overall in its 2009 ranking of law schools. Law & Politics 2010 ranking of law schools ranked Washburn law #105 overall among ABA approved law schools. In 2011, US News and World Report moved Washburn in to the ranked listings, at #140 in the nation.
The Washburn Law Library is the largest law library in the state of Kansas with over 385,000 volumes. It has been ranked as one of the top 20 law school libraries in the country. The law library maintains Washlaw, one of the nation's leading Internet legal research portals.
The Washburn Law Clinic functions as an in-house general practice law firm, providing representation in practice concentration areas such as Children and Family Law, Criminal Defense, State Tribal Court Practice, Civil Litigation, Criminal Appellate Advocacy, and Small Business and Transactional Law. Regardless of the subject matter of the clinic cases, the skills that students acquire through their clinical experience are transferable to future practice.
, Contracts, Criminal Law
, Criminal Procedure
, Torts, Constitution
and Property
. In addition, all entering students participate in the law school's academic support program, Ex-L (Expert Learning). Ex-L consists of an elaborate and rigorous First-Week Program designed to teach law students the law school learning strategies they need to succeed. It includes a structured study group component in which groups of four to six students meet twice per week to apply cooperative learning strategies to their law school learning under the supervision of carefully trained upper-division students.
Law school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
located on the main campus of Washburn University
Washburn University
Washburn University is a co-educational, public institution of higher learning in Topeka, Kansas, USA. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and business. Washburn has 550 faculty members, who teach more than 6,400 undergraduate students and...
in Topeka, Kansas
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
. Washburn Law was founded in 1903. The school has 79 faculty members and 445 students. The school has been accredited by the American Bar Association
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
since 1923 and has been a member of the Association of American Law Schools
Association of American Law Schools
The Association of American Law Schools is a non-profit organization of 170 law schools in the United States. Another 25 schools are "non-member fee paid" schools, which are not members but choose to pay AALS dues. Its purpose is to improve the legal profession through the improvement of legal...
since 1905. The 2010 edition of US News and World Report's Best Law Schools ranked Washburn in the third tier for ABA accredited schools, and ranked its Legal Writing program 17th among all law schools in the country. In the 2010 edition of the National Jurist Best value law schools Washburn Law was ranked 31st overall. Washburn Law was also listed under the outstanding category in the 2010 edition of the Princeton Review's best law schools release. The SSRN ranks Washburn Law's tax program as #19 overall and its tax faculty as #9 overall. Washburn's Law Review was also ranked #75 overall according to the 2010 ranking by the Association of American Law Schools
Association of American Law Schools
The Association of American Law Schools is a non-profit organization of 170 law schools in the United States. Another 25 schools are "non-member fee paid" schools, which are not members but choose to pay AALS dues. Its purpose is to improve the legal profession through the improvement of legal...
(AALS). The IRLG ranked Washburn Law #58 overall in its 2009 ranking of law schools. Law & Politics 2010 ranking of law schools ranked Washburn law #105 overall among ABA approved law schools. In 2011, US News and World Report moved Washburn in to the ranked listings, at #140 in the nation.
The Washburn Law Library is the largest law library in the state of Kansas with over 385,000 volumes. It has been ranked as one of the top 20 law school libraries in the country. The law library maintains Washlaw, one of the nation's leading Internet legal research portals.
Dual degree programs
- Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration
- Juris Doctor/Master of Social Work
Certificate programs
- Advocacy Certificate
- Business and Transactional Law Certificate
- Estate Planning Certificate
- Family Law Certificate
- International and Comparative Law Certificate
- Natural Resources Law Certificate
- Tax Law Certificate
Centers and programs
- Business and Transactional Law Center
- Children and Family Law Center
- Center for Excellence in Advocacy
- Center for Law and Government
The Washburn Law Clinic functions as an in-house general practice law firm, providing representation in practice concentration areas such as Children and Family Law, Criminal Defense, State Tribal Court Practice, Civil Litigation, Criminal Appellate Advocacy, and Small Business and Transactional Law. Regardless of the subject matter of the clinic cases, the skills that students acquire through their clinical experience are transferable to future practice.
Publications
- The Washburn Law Journal
- Family Law Quarterly (edited by faculty and students at Washburn Law; published by the American Bar Association Section of Family Law.
Curriculum
The first-year curriculum includes Legal Writing, Civil ProcedureCivil procedure
Civil procedure is the body of law that sets out the rules and standards that courts follow when adjudicating civil lawsuits...
, Contracts, 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...
, Criminal Procedure
Criminal procedure
Criminal procedure refers to the legal process for adjudicating claims that someone has violated criminal law.-Basic rights:Currently, in many countries with a democratic system and the rule of law, criminal procedure puts the burden of proof on the prosecution – that is, it is up to the...
, Torts, Constitution
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....
and Property
Property law
Property law is the area of law that governs the various forms of ownership in real property and in personal property, within the common law legal system. In the civil law system, there is a division between movable and immovable property...
. In addition, all entering students participate in the law school's academic support program, Ex-L (Expert Learning). Ex-L consists of an elaborate and rigorous First-Week Program designed to teach law students the law school learning strategies they need to succeed. It includes a structured study group component in which groups of four to six students meet twice per week to apply cooperative learning strategies to their law school learning under the supervision of carefully trained upper-division students.