Message From the Dean About the School Faculty, Staff, and Administration Administration The Juris Doctor Curriculum The Law Library Admission Tuition and Fees Financial Aid Student Services Alumni Course Listing Academic Policies and Procedures Honors Governance of the University Divisions of the University   School of Law-Camden 2003-2005 Message From the Dean   Message from the Dean Dear Prospective Student: In 1998, I chose to submit my application as a candidate for theposition of dean of this prestigious law school. I was attracted toRutgers' School of Law-Camden because of the school's nationalreputation for excellence in scholarship and rigor in the training ofyoung lawyers. I therefore was delighted to be chosen to carry on thistradition of excellence as the law school prepared for the celebrationof its 75th anniversary in 2001. When I began my deanship on July 1, 1998, I saw the opportunity tobuild upon this distinguished past to establish Rutgers' School ofLaw-Camden as one of the finest public law schools in the nation. Ourfaculty, students, staff, and more than 6,000 alumni welcome yourinterest in the school and invite you to join our dynamic institution. The Faculty The law school faculty is engaged in a dynamic program of scholarship,teaching, and service to the bar and to the community. Rutgers lawprofessors are recognized internationally in fields as diverse as stateconstitutional law, health law, international law, criminal law,admiralty, civil procedure, and women and family law. Our faculty is ranked among the most accomplished producers ofscholarly articles in eminent journals, and the faculty's scholarshiphas been cited by numerous courts, including the United States SupremeCourt and the New Jersey Supreme Court. In a recent article on facultyscholarship, the author stated that Rutgers' School of Law-Camden wasone of the 12 most undervalued schools. It was praised for having ahighly productive faculty that is producing scholarship that has asignificant impact on scholarly debates. Faculty members also serve asconsultants and reporters for the American Bar Association, theAmerican Law Institute, federal and state commissions, and area counselin important public interest litigation. The full-time faculty of 40 is assisted by five full-time writing faculty, approximately 60 adjunct professors, and six clinical faculty, bringing to theclassroom a wide range of experience from the judiciary, government,and private practice. Many of our full-time faculty members also holdadvanced degrees in a wide range of academic disciplines. The Students Total enrollment at the law school is typically between 720 and 750students. About 600 students attend full time and 150 students attendpart time. The student body is diverse in every respect. More than 300 undergraduate institutions and nineinternational institutions are represented at the law school. Studentsare drawn from 45 states and Puerto Rico and eight foreign countries.Approximately 20 percent of the total enrollment are students of colorand nearly 50 percent are women. The law school is quite selective, andadmitted students possess strong academic credentials. The Academic Program The curriculum is varied and evolving. Typically, more than 150upper-class elective courses are offered. Given our favorablefaculty-student ratio, the majority of classes have fewer than 30students. The law school provides an extensive program of instruction in advocacystudies. Some of the most prominent practicing attorneys in the regionteach courses in pretrial advocacy and trial advocacy. In addition tothe full range of traditional course offerings, our faculty offers manycourses in legal history, jurisprudence, and public law to promote our strong belief in commitment to the community. The schoolalso offers an unusually broad range of courses in corporate and taxcounseling, constitutional law, criminal law, health law, internationallaw, litigation and advocacy, and family and women's rights laws. The curriculum strongly emphasizes writing skills. First-year studentsparticipate in a yearlong course in legal research, writing, andargument taught by full-time writing faculty. Small class size ensuresthat students receive individual attention from the faculty andupper-level teaching assistants. After their first year, students arerequired to complete an average of one course each term that includes asignificant writing experience. The Rutgers Law Journal, RutgersJournal of Law and Religion, and the Rutgers Journal of Law and UrbanPolicy are edited by students. The Law Journal devotes one issue eachyear to the field of state constitutional law. Many students, eager to put their lawyering skills to practical use,participate in one of our many clinical programs. Some students assistclients in our elder law clinic on matters such as Social Security andlandlord-tenant disputes. Others work on pro bono bankruptcy ordomestic violence projects. Students also work at the LEAP CharterAcademy. Our externship programs afford third-year students theopportunity to work in judicial chambers, public agencies, and publicinterest organizations. Students in small business counseling adviseclients on legal issues pertaining to starting new businesses. Studentsalso may serve as mediators in the alternative dispute resolutionprogram of the local municipal courts. Our Graduates The law school's more than 6,000 alumni are leading members of thebench and bar in the public and private sectors. Distinguished alumniinclude two governors of the state of New Jersey, a former UnitedStates ambassador, members of Congress and state legislatures, federaland state judges, corporate counsel and executives at Fortune 500companies, and partners in outstanding large and small firms throughoutthe nation. As a direct result of the quality of legal education at Rutgers, morethen 95 percent of each year's class usually obtain employment shortlyafter graduation. Bar passage rates for Rutgers' School of Law-Camdengraduates typically exceed state averages. One measure of a school's excellence is the number of its graduatesselected by judges to serve as their law clerks. Rutgers places morethan twice the national average and is second in the nation in placingits graduates in these highly desirable state and federal judicialclerkships. Rutgers' School of Law-Camden is a place where the highest standards oflegal scholarship accompany the deepest commitment to law as aninstrument of social justice. As a relatively new member of a community steeped in this tradition ofexcellence, I welcome your questions about our school. You may obtainadmissions information by contacting Camille S. Andrews, dean ofenrollment, or the Office of Admissions at 800/466-7561. Cordially, Rayman L. Solomon Dean, School of Law-Camden   For additional information, contact RU-info at 732/932-info (4636) or colonel.henry@rutgers.edu. Comments and corrections to: Campus Information Services. © 2005 Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. All rights reserved.