The Earle Mack School of Law
The Earle Mack School of Law is the first law school to be founded by a major private research university in 30 years. The Earle Mack School of Law is built on the strengths of Drexel University, including experiential education and the fields of engineering, science, business, and health care.
The Earle Mack School of Law offers the Juris Doctor (JD) degree, which has been designed to prepare law students for the challenges of 21st-century practice. Students can elect to fulfill concentrations in business and entrepreneurship law, health law, and intellectual property law.
In addition, Drexel offers several joint degrees to law students. The first is an integrated JD /PhD Program in Law and Psychology. The program melds two ongoing successful endeavors, the Earle Mack School of Law's JD degree and the Department of Psychology in the College of Arts and Science's PhD in clinical psychology. In 2012, Drexel continued this integration with a JD/Master of Public Health; a JD/Master of Science in Library and Information Science; a JD/Master of Business Administration, and a JD/Master of Science in Public Policy.
Mission
Scientia, Ars, Officium (Knowledge, Skill, Duty)
Educational Objectives
The educational objectives of the Earle Mack School of Law include knowledge of the law, training in practical skills, and commitment to professionalism. The Earle Mack School of Law accomplishes these objectives through the Juris Doctor degree (J.D. ) offered to full-time students. The Earle Mack School of Law offers a standard law school curriculum, to ensure that its graduates are well-equipped to pass the bar examination upon graduation and to be competent legal professionals, regardless of their particular practice areas.
Accreditation
The Earle Mack School of Law at Drexel University received full accreditation from the American Bar Association in 2011.
For more information, reference the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of the American Bar Association, 321 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60610, 312.988.5000.
Additional Information
For additional information about the Earle Mack School of Law visit the School's web site at http://www.drexel.edu/law or contact the Law Admissions Office at 215.895.1LAW.
Admissions Requirements
Admission to the Earle Mack School of Law is determined using a variety of factors evaluated by the law admissions committee. The committee evaluates the student’s LSAT score, academic record (including graduate degrees), work and volunteer experience, and personal background.
To apply, prospective students submit the following:
- a resume - describing employment history, including part-time and summer employment.
- a personal statement - essay discussing motivation for attending law school and how the Earle Mack School of Law will help the applicant achieve his or her goals.
- LSDAS registration - all applicants, including those educated abroad, are required to register with the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS). The LSDAS will provide Drexel University with a report containing information important in the admission process.
Visit the Law School Admission Council Website at www.lsac.org for more information and to register.
The report includes an undergraduate academic summary; undergraduate, graduate and law/professional school transcripts; LSAT scores; and letters of recommendation (at least two) processed by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC).
To access the online application or for additional guidelines on how to apply, visit the The Earle Mack School of Law website.
About the Program
Juris Doctor (JD): 85.0 semester credits
Students spend their first year on campus learning the foundation of legal analysis, skills, and professionalism. The program includes traditional first-year courses, such as contracts and criminal law. It also includes a comprehensive legal methods course, taught by full-time faculty, that instructs students on the fundamentals of legal writing and analysis, as well as a class on interviewing, counseling, and negotiation. Beginning in 2011, students are also able to choose an elective course as part of their first year curriculum. The menu of courses available offer general overview courses in topics students will encounter in their legal education.
The Cooperative Education Program
The cooperative education program allows second- and third-year students to spend one semester at a designated placement. The goal of the program is to provide students with an integrated learning experience that will ensure that they are prepared for the complexities of modern-day practice.
Students have a choice between full-time and part-time co-op placement. Placements include judicial chambers, private law firms, in-house counsel offices, and non-profit organizations. Students are not paid for their work but will instead receive academic credits for their co-op experiences and for a lawyering practice seminar that must be taken in conjunction with the co-op. Students may take an additional course in a semester in which they are enrolled in the co-op. Co-ops are encouraged as part of the integrated law school experience, but are not required.
Students have their first opportunity for a co-op experience in the summer of their first year. To ensure the appropriateness of a placement, students must have a cumulative grade point average of 2.500 in order to be placed in a co-op.
About the Concentrations
Drexel also builds on some of the strengths for which Drexel University is nationally known by initially offering three optional concentrations. These are areas in which there are expanding employment opportunities and a need for specialized knowledge and skills: Intellectual Property, Health, and Entrepreneurial Business. These concentrations consist not only of specialized courses taught in the classroom, but also experiential learning opportunities such as co-ops and simulations.
Examinations
Grades in many law school courses are based solely on a final examination. Most final examinations are taken at designated dates and times, and others are take-home examinations. Exam questions are primarily in essay format, but some questions may be in another format (e.g. , multiple choice). Writing and skills classes often include multiple assignments to determine a final grade.
For additional information, visit the The Earle Mack School of Law website.
Degree Requirements
| Required Courses | ||
| LAW 550S | Torts | 4.0 |
| LAW 552S | Contracts | 4.0 |
| LAW 554S | Civil Procedure | 4.0 |
| LAW 556S | Property | 4.0 |
| LAW 558S | Criminal Law | 4.0 |
| LAW 560S | Constitutional Law | 5.0 |
| LAW 565S | Legal Methods I | 3.0 |
| LAW 566S | Legal Methods II | 3.0 |
| LAW 568S | Intro to Interviewing, Counseling, and Negotiations | 1.0 |
| LAW 830S | Professional Responsibility | 3.0 |
| 1st-Year Elective (LAW 57X) * | 2.0 | |
| Total Credits | 37.0 | |
| * | Students should refer to the registration information from the School of Law to review the menu of electives offered in a given year. |
Business and Entrepreneurship Law Concentration
The concentration in Business and Entrepreneurship Law offers students the opportunity to complete a series of courses that have been designed to provide both a depth of substantive knowledge and a breadth of experience with practice skills and business law practice settings. The goal of the curriculum is to enable students to enter the profession with a higher level of readiness to practice, while possessing that combination of theoretical insights and practical perspective that support a career-long life of self-reflection and learning.
In addition to traditional core courses such as Business Organizations and Federal Income Tax, the concentration offers a series of upper-level elective courses that reflect the unique focus of the Earle Mack School of Law on entrepreneurship and technology.
| Concentration Required Courses | ||
| LAW 700S | Business Organizations | 4.0 |
| LAW 701S | Federal Income Tax | 4.0 |
| LAW 713S | Transactional Lawyering | 4.0 |
| LAW 702S | Enterprise Tax | 4.0 |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| LAW 931S | Co-op | 7.0 |
| LAW 933S | Co-op Intensive | 10.0 |
| LAW 934S | Co-op Summer | 7.0 |
Intellectual Property Law Concentration
This concentration provides a comprehensive introduction to the principal theories of trademark law and unfair competition, patent law, copyright law, and related state and federal doctrines.
| Concentration Required Courses | ||
| LAW 700S | Business Organizations | 4.0 |
| LAW 760S | Copyright | 3.0 |
| LAW 761S | Patents | 3.0 |
| LAW 713S | Transactional Lawyering | 4.0 |
| LAW 764S | Trademarks & Unfair Competition | 3.0 |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| LAW 931S | Co-op | 7.0 |
| LAW 933S | Co-op Intensive | 10.0 |
| LAW 934S | Co-op Summer | 7.0 |
Health Law Concentration
Health law is a rapidly growing area of legal practice, reflecting a range of factors. Health care is a highly regulated industry, reflecting the billions of federal, state and private dollars spend on the delivery of health care services. Biotechnology, medicine, and the pharmaceutical industries are this region’s primary economic growth markets. The “graying” of America (and Pennsylvania in particular) requires new ways of dealing with the legal and medical problems of the elderly, new ethical problems, new expectations for health care and assisted living, and compliance with a host of federal, state and local laws, ordinances, and regulations. In addition to the required courses, students must also complete a writing requirement.
| Concentration Required Courses | ||
| LAW 780S | Health Law I: Reg Qual Access | 3.0 |
| LAW 781S | Health Law II: Regul Cost Access | 3.0 |
| LAW 782S | Health Policy Colloquium | 2.0 |
| Select one of the following: * | ||
| LAW 931S | Co-op | 7.0 |
| LAW 933S | Co-op Intensive | 10.0 |
| LAW 934S | Co-op Summer | 7.0 |
| Concentration Electives | ||
| Select 8.0 or more credits from the following: ** | ||
| LAW 620S | Administrative Law | 3.0-4.0 |
| LAW 674S | Health Care Fraud & Abuse | 2.0-3.0 |
| LAW 700S | Business Organizations | 3.0-4.0 |
| LAW 724S | Nonprofit Organizations | 2.0-3.0 |
| LAW 783S | Bioethics | 2.0-3.0 |
| LAW 784S | Health Care Finance | 2.0-3.0 |
| LAW 793S | Mental Health Law | 2.0-3.0 |
| LAW 786S | Products Liability | 3.0 |
| LAW 790S | Toxic Torts | 2.0-3.0 |
| LAW 791S | Regulating Patient Safety | 2.0-3.0 |
| * | Students in the JD/MPH joint degree program have the option of selecting an MPH field experience course instead of one of the three Practicum/Co-Op course options. |
| ** | Select courses from the School of Public health or the University of Pennsylvania Center for Bioethics may also be counted. |
Facilities
Located in the heart of the University’s main campus in University City, the Earle Mack School of Law is in a 57,254 square foot facility that includes:
- a 2-story atrium and balcony area for meetings, receptions and casual conversation
- two large classrooms, seating 72
- one moot courtroom, seating 65
- one medium classroom, seating 55
- two classrooms, seating 32
- two seminar rooms
- one classroom, seating 18
- thirty-seven offices for full-time faculty, plus 2 offices for adjunct professors
- office space for student organizations, Trial Team, Moot Court, Law Review and in-house clinics
- the Legal Research Center, one-floor library with 14,500 linear feet of shelving
- quiet study areas and group study rooms within the library
The entire area shares Drexel's campus-wide wireless access to the internet, and all classrooms include data ports for each student and high-tech audio/visual resources. The law building is located on Market Street, between 33rd and 34th Streets. It is also a half-block from both the Market-Frankford elevated subway line (serving Center City and the Northeast), as well as the subway-surface lines (serving the City's western suburbs), making the law school convenient to where students will live and to the courts and co-op placements in the downtown legal district.
