University of Virginia School of Law

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Rank 8

MAILING ADDRESS¹

580 Massie Road

Charlottesville, VA 22903

MAIN PHONE

434-924-7354

REGISTRAR'S PHONE

434-924-7347

ADMISSIONS PHONE

434-924-7351

CAREER SERVICES PHONE

434-924-7349

WEBSITE

http://www.law.virginia.edu/html/index.htm

Overview ⁵

Founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819, the University of Virginia School of Law is the second-oldest continuously operating law school in the nation. Consistently ranked among the top law schools, Virginia is a world-renowned training ground for distinguished lawyers and public servants, instilling in them a commitment to leadership, integrity and community service.

Virginia is justly famous for its collegial environment that bonds students and faculty. At Virginia, law students share their experiences in a cooperative spirit, both in and out of the classroom, and build a network that lasts well beyond their three years here.

Student-Faculty Ratio ⁶

9.3:1

Admission Criteria ⁷

	LSAT	GPA
25th-75th Percentile	164-170	3.48-3.94
Median	169	3.86

The above LSAT and GPA data pertain to the 2016 entering class.

Director of admissions	Cordel L. Faulk
Application deadline	March 5

Law School Admissions details based on 2016 data.

Admission Statistics ⁷

Approximate number of applications	4794
Number accepted	952
Percentage accepted	19.9%

The above admission details are based on 2016 data.

Law School Cost ⁸

	VIRGINIA RESIDENT	NONRESIDENT
Tuition and Fees:	$56,300	$59,300
Living Expenses (details below):	$16,808	$16,808
Books and Supplies:	$1,800	$1,800
Loan Fees	$220	$220
Total	75,128	$78,128
Average Grad PLUS Fees:	$1,610	$1,730
Health Insurance	$2,735	$2,735
Total With Grad PLUS Fees:	$79,473	$82,593

Class Ranking and Grades ^9-10

The Law School does not use or disclose class rank except for limited purposes, such as determination of specific academic awards.

Faculty policy requires that instructors award grades in each course to a mean that will be enforced by the vice dean of the Law School. Instructors should ensure that grades have an adequate distribution around this mean.

Under the current grading system, there are 10 possible grades that can be used by the faculty in evaluating performance in courses and seminars (including Independent Research and the graded portion of Externships): A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, D and F. In a few select courses, the grades S (Satisfactory) and U (Unsatisfactory), or CR (Credit) and NC (No Credit) are awarded. No credit will be awarded for a course in which a student receives an F, NC, U, W (Withdrawn) or WF (Withdrawn Failing) grade. The grades U and NC are treated as F grades for all purposes.

The numerical grade point values for letter grades are as follows:

Letter Grade	Value
A	4.3
A	4.0
A-	3.7
B+	3.3
B	3.0
B-	2.7
C+	2.3
C	2.0
D	1.0
F	0.0

Honors ¹¹

Established in 1842, the University of Virginia 's Honor System is one of the school's most venerated traditions. Administered solely by students, the Honor System requires that an individual act honorably in all relations and phases of student life. More specifically, the system rests on the premise that lying, cheating, and stealing are breaches of the spirit of honor and mutual trust and are not to be tolerated within the University community.

Awards ¹²

Name of Award	Awarded to / Awarded for
Bracewell & Giuliani Oral Advocacy Awards	Established by the Houston firm in 1988 in connection with the Legal Research and Writing Program, this award honors one student from each first-year small section for his or her outstanding appellate brief and one student from each first-year small section for outstanding oral advocacy. Honorees receive a monetary award and certificate.
Mortimer Caplin Public Service Award	Established in 1992 by Mortimer Caplin, ’40, the commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service under President John F. Kennedy, this award is given at commencement to a graduating student who is entering a career in the public service sector and who demonstrates the qualities of leadership, integrity and service to others.
Mortimer Caplin Public Service Fellowship	This fellowship is given to exceptional law students who accept low-paying or unpaid public service internships during the summer.
Edwin S. Cohen Tax Prize	This monetary prize is given annually to the graduating student who has demonstrated, by the sustained excellence of his or her performance in tax courses, superior scholarship in the tax area.
Claire Corcoran Award	This award is presented to one or two second-year students who have demonstrated the most commitment to public interest work.
Hardy Cross Dillard Prize	Established in honor of Hardy Cross Dillard, retired judge of the International Court of Justice and former dean and James Monroe Professor of Law, this monetary prize and plaque are awarded to the author of the best student note in a current volume of the Virginia Journal of International Law.
Hardy Cross Dillard Scholarships	These scholarship are given to exceptional members of the entering class based on — in addition to financial need — prior academic achievement, leadership, integrity, service to others, success in endeavors outside the classroom and maturity. All applicants are considered for the scholarships; no separate application is required.
Faculty Award for Academic Excellence	This award is presented to the student who has had the most outstanding academic record during his or her three years in Law School.
Linda Fairstein Public Service Fellowship	This fellowship is given to exceptional law students who accept low-paying or unpaid public service internships during the summer.
Carl M. Franklin Prize	Established at his 50th reunion in 1998 by Dr. Carl M. Franklin '48, the award recognizes the student with the highest grade point average at the end of his or her first year of law school. The winner receives a cash award and a plaque recognizing this scholastic achievement.
Robert E. Goldsten (’40) Award	Established by Robert E. Goldsten, this award is given to the student who has, in the opinion of the faculty, contributed the most to classroom participation. The winner receives a monetary award and a lifetime membership in the University of Virginia Alumni Association.
Eppa Hunton IV Memorial Book Award	Established in 1977 by the Richmond, Va., law firm Hunton & Williams, in honor of Eppa Hunton IV ’’27, this award is presented annually to a third-year student who has demonstrated unusual aptitude in litigation courses and shown a keen awareness and understanding of the lawyer’s ethical and professional responsibility.
Margaret G. Hyde Award	Established in 1930 by Forrest J. Hyde Jr. ’15, this monetary award is given to an outstanding member of the graduating class whose scholarship, character, personality, activities in the affairs of the school and promise of efficiency have, in the opinion of the law faculty, entitled him or her to special recognition.
Jackson Walker LLP Award	This monetary award is presented by the Dallas law firm to the student who has attained the highest grade point average in his or her class after four semesters.
Herbert L. Kramer/Herbert Bangel Community Service Award	Established in 1989 by Herbert Kramer ’52, this monetary award is given annually to a third-year student who has contributed the most to the community during law school.
Thomas Marshall Miller Prize	Established by Emily Miller Danton in 1982 in memory of her father, Thomas Marshall Miller, who attended the Law School, this monetary award is given annually to an outstanding and deserving member of the graduating class selected by the faculty.
Monroe Leigh Fellowship in International Law	This fellowship was established in honor of Monroe Leigh ’47, who in a legal career that spanned six decades advised governments and private companies and furthered the development of international legal institutions as a scholar and public servant. The fellowship provides a total of $10,000 for one or two students to pursue a public international law project of their own choosing during the summer following their first, second or third year.
National Association of Women Lawyers Award	This honorary membership in the National Association of Women Lawyers is awarded each year to an outstanding woman in the graduating class.
Norton Rose Fulbright Best Memorandum Award	Established in 2005 in connection with the Legal Research and Writing Program, the award honors one student from each first-year small section for his or her outstanding major memorandum of law submitted at the end of the student’s fall semester. Honorees receive a monetary award and plaque.
John M. Olin Prize in Law and Economics	The Olin Foundation gives a monetary award to the graduate or graduates who have produced outstanding work in the field of law and economics.
Powell Fellowship in Legal Services	Established in honor of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr., the Powell Fellowship awards $40,000 to a graduating student or to a judicial clerk to enable him or her to work in public interest law and to enhance the delivery of legal services to the poor under the sponsorship of a public interest organization. The award is made for one year with the expectation that it will be renewed for an additional year.
Pro Bono Award	This award recognizes the student who exhibits the most extraordinary commitment to pro bono legal service during his or her years at the Law School. The award is the highest recognition offered through the Law School's voluntary pro bono program, which encourages all students to provide at least 75 hours of free legal services to the indigent.
Pro Bono Service Awards	These awards are presented to graduates who have successfully fulfilled the requirements of the Law School's Pro Bono Program.
Mary Claiborne and Roy H. Ritter Prizes	These four prizes for character, honor and integrity were established in 1985 by C. Willis Ritter ’65 to honor his parents. Under the terms of the award, four monetary prizes are given annually to two female and two male members of the second-year class. The prize is applied against each recipient’s tuition during his or her final year of study. In addition, each recipient is given an appropriate certificate and the names of the winners also appear on a plaque in the library.
Rosenbloom Award	This monetary award was established by Daniel Rosenbloom ’54 to honor a student with a strong academic record who has significantly enhanced the academic experience of other law students by volunteering support and assistance to them. Contact the assistant dean for student affairs in the early spring for more information.
Shannon Award	Established by the Z Society to encourage outstanding scholarship at the University, the Shannon Award is presented each year to the student with the highest academic record after five semesters.
Earle K. Shawe Labor Relations Award	Established in honor of the late Hardy C. Dillard by Earle K. Shawe ’’34, this monetary award is given to the graduating student who shows the greatest promise of becoming a successful practitioner in the field of labor relations. Shawe is the founder and senior partner of Shawe & Rosenthal, a Baltimore firm devoted exclusively to labor and employment law.
James M. Shoemaker, Jr., Moot Court Awards	These awards are given to the final-round participants in the William Minor Lile Moot Court competition.
James C. Slaughter Honor Award	This monetary award was established by the Textile Veterans Association in honor of James C. Slaughter ’51, and is presented to an outstanding member of the graduating class.
Stephen Pierre Traynor Award	This award for excellence in appellate advocacy was established in 1970 by the late Roger J. Traynor, former chief justice of the California Supreme Court, in memory of his son. The monetary award is presented to the participant in the final round of the William Minor Lile Moot Court Competition who, in the opinion of the judges of the final round, presents the best oral argument.
Roger and Madeleine Traynor Prize	Established in 1980 by a gift from retired Chief Justice and Mrs. Traynor of California, these prizes are awarded each year to acknowledge the best written work by two graduating students. Each winner receives an appropriate certificate and a monetary award
Trial Advocacy Award	The Virginia Trial Lawyers Association presents an award to a graduating student who best exemplifies the attributes of an effective trial lawyer.
Virginia State Bar Family Law Book Award	Established by the Family Law Section of the Virginia State Bar and the Virginia Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, this award is presented to the graduating student who has demonstrated the most promise and potential for the practice of family law.

Journals ¹³

Journal of Law & Politics

The Journal of Law & Politics is the first and only nonpartisan publication devoted exclusively to examining the interaction between law and politics. Founded in 1983 under the guidance of then-Circuit Judge Antonin Scalia, this interdisciplinary publication consists of articles, essays, and commentaries by scholars, practitioners and national political leaders.

Virginia Environmental Law Journal (VELJ)

VELJ is dedicated to providing a national forum for research and discussion in the areas of environmental and natural resource law. Published quarterly by Law School students, the journal includes articles by scholars, practitioners and environmental professionals, as well as student notes, on a broad array of topics from environmental justice to corporate liability.

Virginia Journal of Criminal Law

The Virginia Journal of Criminal Law, created in 2010, publishes scholarly articles on criminal law and procedure twice yearly. The journal also sponsors legal symposia and conferences.

Virginia Journal of International Law (VJIL)

As the oldest continuously published, student-edited law review in the United States devoted exclusively to the fields of public and private international law, the Virginia Journal of International Law is considered by many to be the finest and most authoritative journal of its kind. Positions on the journal's editorial board are open to all students in the Law School and in other schools of the University who successfully complete a written tryout that is conducted every spring and fall.

Virginia Journal of Law & Technology (VJoLT)

UVA Law's only e-journal, VJoLT, provides a forum for students, professors and practitioners to discuss emerging issues at the intersection of law and technology. Recent issues of the journal have included articles on biotechnology, telecommunications, e-commerce, Internet privacy and encryption. Because VJoLT publishes full text articles directly to the Web, its audience is not limited by a fixed number of subscriptions; anyone with Internet access can read an article that the journal has ever published free of charge on www.vjolt.net.

Virginia Journal of Social Policy & the Law

This journal is a student-edited law journal which publishes articles exploring the intersection of law and social policy issues. Recognizing the significance of the law and legal institutions on social conditions, the journal provides a forum in which to examine contending legal, judicial and political perspectives. Among the issues the journal addresses are: health care policy, welfare reform, criminal justice, voting rights, civil rights, family law, employment law, gender issues, education and critical race theory.

Virginia Law & Business Review

The Virginia Law & Business Review is a premier journal of business law scholarship. It is published three times a year by law students of the University of Virginia. The student-editors are members of the Virginia Law & Business Review Association, a not-for-profit corporation chartered in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The journal addresses accounting, antitrust law, bankruptcy law, commercial law, corporations law, corporate finance, corporate governance, employment law, mergers and acquisitions, real estate law, securities regulation, secured transactions, takeover litigation, venture capital financing and other corporate law subjects.

Virginia Law Review

The Virginia Law Review is a journal of general legal scholarship that publishes eight times a year.

Virginia Sports & Entertainment Law Journal (VaSE)

VaSE focuses on all aspects of both sports and entertainment law. Published biannually by the students and the Law School, the journal features articles written by sports and entertainment law professors, as well as those written by experienced practitioners in the sports and entertainment law fields. In addition, law students interested in sports or entertainment law are invited to join through a written tryout process held each semester.

Virginia Tax Review (VTR)

VTR is published four times each year and focuses primarily on federal and international taxation, as well as pure business legal issues. Founded in 1980, it is one of the oldest student-run law journals at the University of Virginia School of Law and is regarded as a top tax specialty journal. The journal encourages participation by students interested in tax or general corporate law.

Moot Court ¹⁴

Students compete in appellate moot court and trial advocacy competitions nationwide, and the Law School also is home to one of the most famous moot court competitions.

William Minor Lile Moot Court Competition

About 80 second-year students, competing in two-person teams, hone their oral argument skills in the annual William Minor Lile Moot Court Competition. Distinguished federal and state judges preside in the semifinal and final rounds. Winners receive a cash prize and their names are inscribed on a plaque located outside the three moot courtrooms.

Extramural Moot Court

Extramural Moot Court allows students to compete in moot competitions nationwide

The Philip C. Jessup Moot Court

Each year law students compete in the Philip C. Jessup International Moot Court Competition, the largest moot court competition in the world, with over 100 countries and 500 law schools participating. The competition simulates a dispute before the International Court of Justice and participating students gain expertise in both public and private international law. Selection for the Jessup Team is based upon a formal tryout and an interview.

Clinical Programs ^15-32

Under the supervision of an attorney, students perform the lawyer functions associated with their cases, including client and witness interviews, factual development, legal research, preparation of pleadings and negotiation. Students with third-year practice certification may also be responsible for courtroom advocacy.

Appellate Litigation Clinic:

This yearlong clinic allows 12 students to engage in the hands-on practice of appellate litigation through actual cases before various federal circuit courts of appeals. The students are teamed up and assigned to handle primary responsibility for work on at least one appellate case during the course of the year. In addition, the students work together as a small law firm to provide secondary-level assistance to each other.

Child Advocacy Clinic:

This yearlong clinical course includes two semesters of supervised legal representation of children and weekly course meetings. In the fall semester, the weekly course meetings will include case supervision supported by clinical instruction, readings, and guest speakers. In the spring semester, the majority of the weekly course meetings will be focused on case supervision. Students earn four (4) credits during the fall semester and four (4) credits during the spring semester. This clinical course is offered by JustChildren, a program of the Legal Aid Justice Center in Charlottesville. Though most of the legal work will involve the representation of clients in the juvenile justice system or children being denied legally mandated educational opportunities, students may also represent children in cases involving immigration, services for incarcerated children, mental health and developmental disabilities law, and foster care and social services law. Students will gather factual information and conduct legal research to analyze their client’s legal rights. Students will represent children in negotiations and administrative hearings and will participate in court proceedings to the extent permitted by law. Students will also have the opportunity to work on policy issues impacting children. Opportunities to work on impact litigation also may arise during the year.

Criminal Defense Clinic:

Each student represents defendants in actual criminal cases pending in the local courts under the direct supervision of an experienced local criminal defense attorney. The students themselves — not their supervising attorneys — perform all of the lawyering functions associated with their cases, including interviewing, investigation, research, plea negotiation and courtroom advocacy. In regular conferences, supervising attorneys guide the students’ case preparation, give practical advice and help develop defense strategies. The full clinic meets twice weekly in seminar sessions where substantive areas of criminal defense practice are covered, including client management, evidentiary issues, criminal procedure, sentencing options and ethical responsibilities. During the second half of the semester the emphasis is on work-shopping individual cases, and may occasionally include trial simulation exercises. At the conclusion of each case the student prepares a brief memorandum reciting the narrative of the case and making critical reflections on the decisions made during the representation that affected the outcome.

Employment Law Clinic:

Students will receive classroom instruction only during the fall semester in the substantive and procedural aspects of employment advocacy. There will be no classroom instruction during the spring semester, but the clinical aspect of the course (participating in actual cases under the supervision of an attorney) is required both semesters. In cooperation with the Legal Aid Justice Center and local attorneys, students will participate throughout the year in litigating actual employment cases. These cases may include unemployment compensation claims, unpaid wage litigation, or any other claims arising out of the employment relationship. Specific assignments will vary according to the inventory of cases available at the time, but students should be able to conduct client interviews, participate in discovery, draft motions, and assist with trial preparation. Students also may argue some motions (with appropriate Third Year Practice Certification); 2Ls may provide direct representation in unemployment insurance hearings. Students will be expected to arrange a satisfactory schedule with their supervising attorney.

Entrepreneurial Law Clinic:

As preparation for advising startup companies, students participate in a series of class sessions over the first half of the semester covering the topics most frequently encountered by startup businesses, including pre-venture counseling, entity choice, formation documents, shareholder agreements, IP protection, etc. Then, students receive first-hand experience in working with real startup companies under the supervision of the course instructor and supervisor. The students take the lead role in working with the entrepreneurs, including conducting interviews, performing research, providing a legal plan for the business, identifying documents to be drafted and drafting documents. (The clinics does not provide counsel on: litigation, patents, securities regulation, tax matters, public mergers or acquisitions, or international trade.)

Environmental Law and Conservation Clinic:

Students in the clinic represent environmental nonprofits, citizens’ groups and other community organizations seeking to protect and restore the environment of Virginia and other parts of the country. The clinic works closely with lawyers at the Southern Environmental Law Center, a preeminent environmental public interest law firm headquartered in Charlottesville. Students participate in a range of activities on environmental matters. They comment on administrative rules, participate in permitting proceedings, advocate before state administrative agencies and boards, and contribute to factual investigations and litigation. Although much of the clinic’s work consists of traditional legal advocacy and counseling, clinic students also typically deal with the role of broader public advocacy in environmental disputes. The clinic explores the limits of the law in protecting natural resources and examines cooperative and innovative ways of protecting and restoring the environment.

Family Alternative Dispute Resolution Clinic:

In this clinic, students serve not as attorneys representing clients, but as mediators assisting the parties to develop mutually agreeable resolutions to their disputes. Students learn about the differences between litigation and mediation while enhancing their negotiation skills—skills that are important in many different substantive law areas. In addition, students will gain a solid understanding of mediation ethics, creative problem-solving and the role of neutral facilitator versus that of advocate.

First Amendment Clinic:

Supervised by the legal staff of the Thomas Jefferson Center and attorneys from Baker Hostetler, students work as a team in conducting legal research, meeting with clients and co-counsel, and drafting legal memoranda and briefs. Assignments involve both appellate-level and trial-level litigation, but more frequently the former including the U.S. Supreme Court.

Health Law Clinic:

Representation may include appearing in legal proceedings, negotiations, administrative hearings, and court proceedings (to the extent permitted by law). Students may also address systemic issues related to the provision of community-based services, the rights of the institutionalized, health care in jails and prisons, and the interface between the civil and criminal justice systems. Instruction in the substantive law of these areas will be provided in a classroom component throughout the clinic as dictated by the needs of the clients. The classroom component provides a forum for students to learn mental health, disability, public benefits, medical debt and elder law pertinent to the cases they are handling, as well as for the discussion of practice and ethical issues arising in those cases. Topics relating to client competence and autonomy issues involving mentally ill and elderly clients also are addressed. Under the supervision of an attorney, students directly perform all the lawyerly functions associated with their cases, including client and witness interviews, factual development, legal research, preparation of documents and pleadings, and negotiation and advocacy in administrative forums and courts (to the extent permitted by law). Students meet weekly with the supervising attorney to discuss the readings, if any, assigned for that particular week and to receive case supervision, along with instruction concerning client interviewing and counseling, negotiation and case preparation. The supervising attorney accompanies each student to all administrative proceedings and court appearances. This clinic is offered in conjunction with the Legal Aid Justice Center.

Litigation and Housing Law Clinic:

The clinic includes both a one-semester seminar to teach basic substantive housing law and yearlong supervised client representation in housing-related cases and matters. The caseload includes trials, administrative proceedings and interaction with low-income clients. Students handle eviction cases, rent escrow cases, grievance hearings, abatement of substandard building conditions and other enforcement of residents' rights. Under the supervision of an attorney, students perform all the lawyer functions associated with their cases, including client and witness interviews, factual development, legal research, preparation of pleadings and negotiation. Issues arise under private landlord-tenant contracts, federally subsidized rental programs and anti-discrimination statutes such as the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Immigration Law Clinic:

Clients come from diverse backgrounds and frequently have unusual factual scenarios that bring them to the doors of Legal Aid. Students are expected to work with the clients and understand what they want and what we can pursue for them through available legal mechanisms. Women victims of violence are a priority with the clinic and can qualify for asylum and other special remedies such as through the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and U visa petitions. The clinic currently has several so-called gang asylum cases from Central America. Other categories of cases include clients appealing denials of applications for status, clients appealing for special categorization or procedures and clients who have cases complicated by past criminal or immigration history.

Innocence Project at the UVA School of Law:

Preliminary cases are assigned to individual clinic students for factual development and evaluation to determine whether or not the clinic should accept the case. The decision to accept or decline representation will be made by the full clinic with the final decision being made by Professors Deirdre Enright and Jennifer Givens. Students work in teams of 3-4 to investigate and litigate the cases that are accepted. In every case, students are directed and assisted by the clinic professors, but as students demonstrate competence and confidence, they may earn the opportunity for greater independence. Although the clinic will have a mandatory classroom component, most time will be devoted to casework — interviewing potential clients and witnesses, general investigation, reviewing case files, collecting records, searching court files and drafting pleadings. Students will likely visit inmates at correctional centers, and conduct investigation in a wide variety of socioeconomic settings accompanied by a clinic professor, private investigator or, in some instances, another student.

International Human Rights Law Clinic:

Clinic projects are selected to build the knowledge and skills necessary to be an effective human rights lawyer; to integrate the theory and practice of human rights; and to expose students to a range of human rights issues. There is no direct client representation in this clinic. Students collaborate on two or more projects in small teams, and have direct contact with the partner-clients. Some travel may be involved. Class discussions focus on human rights norms and institutions of implementation/enforcement, dilemmas in advocacy, and the legal, strategic, ethical and theoretical issues raised by the project work. The clinic provides substantial opportunity to develop international law research and writing skills, and to network with human rights practitioners.

Nonprofit Clinic:

Class sessions examine corporate law and governance principles through the lens of Virginia state and local laws applied to clients’ issues. Check-in sessions will support practical work for clients. Client communication, organization and document-editing skills are key to success in the course.

Patent and Licensing Clinic I:

The clinic also covers evaluation of inventions and computer software for patentability and commercial value; counseling of UVA faculty inventors regarding patentability, inventorship and the patenting process; preparing, filing and prosecuting provisional U.S. patent applications; dealing with patent examiners; and researching current issues in the fields of intellectual property and technology transfer. Some exposure to international patent applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty may be possible. Students will help resolve disputes with licensees and possible infringers where appropriate.

Patent and Licensing Clinic II:

The second semester of the Patent and Licensing Clinic involves many of the same projects as P&L I, but in this clinic, the student can choose to work exclusively with patent attorneys drafting, filing and prosecuting patent applications (and associated tasks like prior art searches and evaluations, meeting with faculty inventors, preparing information disclosure statements, etc.), or working exclusively with licensing agents to draft license agreements, negotiate licensing terms and conditions, prepare confidentiality agreements and marketing documents. Clinic participants may also evaluate inventions and computer software for patentability and commercial value; counsel U.Va. faculty inventors regarding patentability, inventorship and the patenting process; deal with patent examiners; and research current issues in the fields of intellectual property and technology transfer.

Prosecution Clinic:

Through a combination of classroom lectures and discussions, readings, guest speakers, and a field placement in one of several local participating prosecutors’ offices, students will explore a range of practical, ethical, and intellectual issues involved in the discharge of a prosecutor’s duties and responsibilities, including the exercise of discretion in the decision to initiate, prosecute, reduce, or drop charges, and sentencing; interaction between prosecutors and investigative agencies and law enforcement personnel; dealing with victims and other witnesses; and relationships with defense counsel. Ethical issues addressed may include: exculpatory evidence, duty not to prosecute on less than probable cause, cross-warrant situations, witness recantation and preparation, and improper argument at trial.

Supreme Court Litigation Clinic:

Students earn eight credits (one credit graded on a CR/NC basis awarded in the fall for monitoring work done during the summer and fall; three credits graded on a CR/NC basis awarded in the fall for work done in the fall; and four credits graded on a graded basis for work done in the spring). Working in teams, students will handle actual cases from the seeking of Supreme Court review to briefing on the merits. Classes will meet every week to discuss research memos, drafts of briefs, and other papers students have prepared for submission to the Court. Students will be expected to identify candidates for Supreme Court review; draft petitions for certiorari, amicus merits briefs, and party merits briefs; and attend mootings and Supreme Court arguments.

Placement Facts ³³

Starting Salaries (2015 Graduates Employed Full-Time)

Private sector (25th-75th percentile)	$145,000- $160,000
Private sector - Median	$160,000
Public service - Median	$58,531

Employment Details

Graduates known to be employed at graduation	82%
Graduates known to be employed ten months after graduation	87.2%

Areas of Legal Practice

Graduates Employed	IN Percentage
Law Firms	63.8%
Business and Industry	3.1%
Government	9.6%
Public Interest Organizations	2.8%
Judicial Clerkships	19.4%
Academia	0.8%
Unknown	0%

Externships/Internships

Externships³⁴

UVA Law's externships program allows students to make connections between legal theory and practice during their second and third years of law school. Through the program, students can earn academic credit while working in the public sector under the supervision of a lawyer. The program includes three options:

UVA Law in DC

UVA Law in DC is a curricular offering requiring 35 hours per week of work at the host organization, which must be a government office or agency or a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization. Students participate in a weekly seminar in Washington, complete directed reading and writing assignments, and write a research paper on an approved topic relevant to the host organization’s work, for a total of 12 credits (3 graded, 9 credit/ no credit).

Part-Time Externships

Part-time externships are primarily local and require students to work 10 hours per week for the host organization, as well as complete reading and short writing assignments. Students receive 3 academic credits (1 graded, 2 credit/no credit).

Full-Time Externships

Full-time externships may be local, national or international, and require 35 hours per week of work at the host organization. Students must design a course of study and work under the supervision of a faculty member to complete directed readings and academic writing assignments, including a substantial research paper on an approved topic relevant to the host organization’s work, for a total of 12 credits (3 graded, 9 credit/no credit).

Internships³⁵

Judicial Internship

A judicial internship is an unpaid summer position in which a law student acts as a quasi-law clerk to a judge. Judges use interns in different ways, but many assign them tasks similar to those that their law clerks perform. As an intern, it is likely that you will attend judicial proceedings, hone your legal research and writing skills by crafting bench memos or even drafts of opinions, and have the opportunity to discuss legal issues with the judge and his law clerks. At the end of the summer, you probably will have authored a piece of legal writing that you can use as a writing sample (with the judge’s permission) as you apply for other jobs. You may be able to use the judge as a reference in future job searches. Additionally, you will be able to see firsthand what a judicial law clerk does, and may be able to use your experience as a judicial intern to obtain one of these prestigious appointments.

Student Organizations ³⁶

A Cappellate Opinions
Advocates for Disabled Veterans
Advocates for Life at Virginia Law (AFL)
American Constitution Society for Law and Policy
Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA)
Barristers United
Black Law Students Association (BLSA)
Child Advocacy Research and Education (CARE)
Domestic Violence Project
Extramural Moot Court
E*Society
Federalist Society
Feminist Legal Forum
First Year Council (FYC)
Graduate Law Students (GLSA)
Health Law Association
If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice at UVA Law
JD/MBA Society
Jean Pictet Society for International Humanitarian Law
Jewish Law Students Association (JLSA)
John Bassett Moore Society of International Law (J.B.Moore)
Korean American Law Student Association (KALSA)
Lambda Law Alliance
Latin American Law Organization (LALO; formally Voz Latina)
Law Christian Fellowship (LCF)
Legal Advisory Workshops for Undergraduate Students (LAW for US)
The Libel Show
Lone Star Lawyers
Mindfulness in Law
Moot Court Board
National Lawyers Guild
National Trial Advocacy Team
Native American Law Students Association (NALSA)
North Grounds Softball League (NGSL)
Outdoors at VA Law
Peer Advisor Program
Phi Delta Phi International Legal Honor Society - Minor Inn
Philip C. Jessup International Moot Court Team
Public Interest Law Association (PILA)
Rex E. Lee Law Society (RELLS)
Rivanna Investments
South Asian Law Student Association
St. Thomas More Society
Street Law
Student Legal Forum (SLF)
Virginia Animal Law Society (VALS)
Virginia Employment and Labor Law Association (VELLA)
Virginia Environmental Law Forum (VELF)
Virginia Law & Business Society
Virginia Law Democrats
Virginia Law Families
Virginia Law in Prison Project
Virginia Law Republicans
Virginia Law Rod & Gun Club
Virginia Law Veterans
Virginia Law Weekly (newspaper)
Virginia Law Wine Society
Virginia Law Women (VLW)
Virginia Society of Law & Technology (VSLAT)
Virginia Sports Law Society
Volunteer Income Tax Association (VITA)
West Coast Wahoos
Women of Color

University of Virginia School of Law

Overview ⁵

Student-Faculty Ratio ⁶

Admission Criteria ⁷

Admission Statistics ⁷

Law School Cost ⁸

Class Ranking and Grades ^9-10

Honors ¹¹

Awards ¹²

Journals ¹³

Moot Court ¹⁴

Clinical Programs ^15-32

Placement Facts ³³

Externships/Internships

Student Organizations ³⁶

References

Guide to America's Top 50 Law Schools

University of Virginia School of Law

Overview 5

Student-Faculty Ratio 6

Admission Criteria 7

Admission Statistics 7

Law School Cost 8

Class Ranking and Grades 9-10

Honors 11

Awards 12

Journals 13

Moot Court 14

Clinical Programs 15-32

Placement Facts 33

Externships/Internships

Student Organizations 36

References

Guide to America's Top 50 Law Schools

Overview ⁵

Student-Faculty Ratio ⁶

Admission Criteria ⁷

Admission Statistics ⁷

Law School Cost ⁸

Class Ranking and Grades ^9-10

Honors ¹¹

Awards ¹²

Journals ¹³

Moot Court ¹⁴

Clinical Programs ^15-32

Placement Facts ³³

Student Organizations ³⁶