Wayne State University Law School


Wayne State University Law School is the law school of Wayne State University in Detroit. Wayne Law is located in Midtown, Detroit's Cultural Center. Founded in 1927, the law school offers juris doctor, master of laws, online master of studies in law, and minors in law degree programs. Wayne Law's more than 11,000 alumni include judges, justices, law firm partners and government officials working in every major market in the United States and at least 17 countries.

History

The Law School was founded in 1927 and originally named the Detroit City Law School as part of the City Colleges of Detroit. Allan Campbell served as the Law School's founding dean, which graduated its first class with the bachelor of laws degree in 1928.
The City Colleges of Detroit were renamed Wayne University in 1933. In 1956, the university joined Michigan State University and the University of Michigan as one of the state's three major public research institutions and was renamed Wayne State University.
The Law School received full American Bar Association accreditation in 1939. The school's Moot Court program was established in 1938, and the Wayne Law Review began publication in 1954. As an additional honor, members of the Wayne Law Review were awarded Juris Doctor degrees rather than LL.B. degrees. In 1965, the Law School's students founded the Free Legal Aid Clinic, which is now operated in conjunction with Lakeshore Legal Aid and Neighborhood Legal Services.
At the urging of the ABA and the State Bar of Michigan Board of Commissioners, Wayne State University Law School and the University of Michigan Law School joined to form the Institute of Continuing Legal Education in 1960.

List of Deans

Deans of the Law School have included Allan Campbell, Arthur Neef, Charles Joiner, Donald Gordon, John Roberts, John Reed, James Robinson, Joan Mahoney, Frank Wu, Robert Ackerman and Jocelyn Benson. Richard Bierschbach became dean on Aug. 17, 2017.

Academics

Admissions

For the class entering in fall 2019, the Law School had 434 students, including 395 full-time students and 39 part-time students; 132 degrees and certificates were conferred in 2018-19. The Law School had 38 full-time faculty during this period.

Degree options

Wayne Law offers five different degree options.

J.D. program

Wayne Law offers three J.D. program options for students. They include a full-time day program, a combined day and evening program, and a part-time evening program.

LL.M. program

Lawyers who already have earned a J.D. degree from an accredited U.S. law school or an equivalent degree in another country and satisfy Wayne Law's LL.M. admissions criteria are eligible to undertake advanced legal studies for a LL.M. degree at Wayne Law. LL.M. majors include Corporate and Finance Law, Labor and Employment Law, and Taxation.

Joint J.D./LL.M. program

Wayne Law’s joint J.D./LL.M. degree program allows students to earn both a J.D. and LL.M. in only seven semesters, rather than the eight semesters that would usually be required for a full-time student to complete both a J.D. degree and an LL.M. degree.

Dual degree options

Wayne Law offers dual degree programs allowing students to earn both a J.D. and a master’s degree. Students can earn a master’s in one of the following disciplines in conjunction with other schools at Wayne State:
Wayne State University undergraduate students can earn a minor in law. There are three different tracks by which students can complete the minor—one track is offered by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, one by the Mike Ilitch School of Business, and one by the School of Social Work.

Clinics

Wayne Law operates six clinics that are directed by expert faculty and experienced practitioners. The clinics provide hands-on casework to law students while simultaneously assisting residents of the metro Detroit community.
The Legal Advocacy for People with Cancer Clinic was named one of the nation's most innovative law school clinics by The National Jurist.

Academic Journals

Academic journals at Wayne Law include:

''The Journal of Law in Society''

Founded in 1997, The Journal of Law in Society is a student-managed publication of Wayne Law that provides scholarly discourse on the intersection of law and society. It is the scholarly arm of the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights at Wayne Law.

''Journal of Business Law''

Established in 2017, the Journal of Business Law is a scholarly peer-reviewed journal operated and edited by students at Wayne Law.

''Wayne Law Review''

The Wayne Law Review contains articles, book reviews, transcripts, notes and comments by prominent academics, practitioners and students on timely legal topics.

Externships

Externships are an academic program that allows students to earn credit for work at an approved placement with a court, nonprofit organization, state or federal agency, or in-house counsel program.
Wayne Law offers three externship programs and a Free Legal Aid Clinic to J.D. and LL.M. students:

Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights

In 2011, Wayne Law opened the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights at Wayne Law, named for Judge Damon J. Keith of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, an alumnus of the Law School. The Keith Center addresses the civil rights needs of southeast Michigan and the nation by promoting the educational, economic and political power of underrepresented communities in urban settings. The Detroit Equity Action Lab at the Keith Center is funded by $2.9 million from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The center is also home to the Damon J. Keith Collection of African-American Legal History.

Levin Center at Wayne Law

In 2015, The Levin Center at Wayne Law was established and named for former U.S. Sen. Carl Levin. The Levin Center educates future attorneys, business leaders, legislators and public servants on their role overseeing public and private institutions and using oversight as an instrument of change.

Program for International Legal Studies

The Program for International Legal Studies is the focal point for all international activity at Wayne Law. Its study abroad programs and international fellowships give students a first-hand view of other nations' legal systems and approaches to legal education.

Ranking and honors

The National Jurist and prelaw magazine have recognized Wayne Law as a Best Value Law School for six years in a row, beginning in 2014. Wayne Law has been the only Michigan law school to be listed several times.
In 2018, prelaw magazine recognized Wayne Law as one of the best law schools in the nation for practical training.
U.S. News & World Report’s rankings for 2021 placed Wayne Law No. 83 overall, No. 83 in clinical training and No. 23 in part-time law programs.

Employment and costs

Employment numbers

According to Wayne Law’s ABA-required disclosures for the class of 2019, 85.1% of graduates were employed in full-time, long-term positions that require bar passage or are J.D. advantage within ten months of graduation. Wayne Law’s overall employment rate for the class of 2019 was 88.6%. Wayne Law is No. 51 nationally and No. 2 in Michigan for placing recent graduates in full-time, long-term jobs that require bar passage or for which a J.D. is an advantage.

Cost of attendance

Resident tuition is available to Michigan residents and those who qualify for the university's Good Neighbor Program, including residents of Ontario, Canada, or the contiguous counties of Ohio.

Notable alumni