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  The School of Law - Newark 2007-2009 Dean's Message  

Dean's Message

Four core values--academic excellence, scholarship, public service, and equal opportunity--define the School of Law-Newark. Few institutions can match our contributions to the advancement of legal theory and practice, our reputation for outstanding academic quality and a progressive tradition, the diversity of our faculty and student body, and the accomplishments of our clinical program. These strengths have consistently produced leaders of the bench, the bar, the corporate world, all levels of government, and public interest organizations in New Jersey and across the country.

Our faculty of nationally recognized scholars and experts in their fields teach and inspire students in a supportive and challenging academic environment. Students learn the law from a diverse and dedicated group of men and women with expertise in such far-ranging areas as civil liberties, corporate finance, land use, international business, gender and race studies, banking regulations, employment law, criminal procedure, and intellectual property. Their teaching is enhanced by award-winning scholarship that addresses both established and emerging areas of law and contributes to the development of legal theory.

At Rutgers-Newark, we recognize that today's students live in an increasingly global world, with society, technology, and law changing at an unprecedented pace. Faculty members and academic programs reflect both our traditional strength in public interest law as well as a significant focus on business law, intellectual property, and international law. Courses in corporate, commercial, tax, and related areas of law prepare students for careers on Wall Street and in other business centers. Our Global Legal Studies program combines academics and advocacy, providing students with a solid understanding of international law and of the close relationship between its private and public aspects.

We also recognize our increasing diversity--in race and ethnicity, in immigrant status, and in family structure. Programs on such topics as affirmative action in higher education, same-sex marriage, and the proper balance between security and civil liberties in the face of new international challenges reflect the diverse views at the law school and in the legal community on these matters.

Rutgers-Newark consistently ranks among the very top national law schools in the diversity of its student body, reflecting our long-standing commitment to equal opportunity for historically underrepresented groups in the classroom and the legal profession. Our student body is diverse in the broadest sense of the word--in terms of socioeconomic circumstances, work experience, educational background, volunteer work, and leadership experience, as well as race, religion, and ethnicity. Our commitment to promoting representation of all segments of society in the law school and in the legal profession sustains an environment for producing lawyers dedicated to advancing the legal system and improving the administration of justice for all.

The School of Law-Newark continues to make innovative contributions to clinical legal education, which it pioneered more than 35 years ago. Clinics that specialize in diverse subject areas enable students to serve a broad range of clients in pacesetting fields of law. Students in the transaction-based Community Law Clinic, for example, serve urban entrepreneurial businesses, while students in the Child Advocacy Clinic represent children in education and family law matters. Under the supervision of clinical law professors--all experienced public interest lawyers--students hone practice skills and learn the importance of legal work on behalf of the poor and underrepresented while working on actual cases. Rutgers-Newark clinics are widely known for their participation in significant civil rights, international human rights, the environment, and other cases.

The Eric R. Neisser Public Interest Program serves as the umbrella organization for a wide variety of public interest-related activities and educational opportunities at the law school. It promotes a culture of public service within the law school community, advances opportunities for students to learn about and experience public interest work, and supports students interested in developing careers in public service.

The Rutgers experience is enhanced by our home in the Center for Law and Justice, one of the finest law school buildings in the country. Numerous features throughout the five-story, light-filled building facilitate creative teaching, advance productivity, create a strong sense of community, and encourage a collegial exchange of ideas. A handsome courtroom complex affords students the opportunity to hear guest lectures by distinguished members of the legal community, including Supreme Court justices and other jurists, law professors, and well-known attorneys. Student-organized programs on topical legal and social issues bring additional prominent scholars and practitioners to the campus. The courtroom also attracts New Jersey court proceedings several times a year, further enriching the experiential learning of our students.

The Center for Law and Justice is located on the campus of Rutgers-Newark, the most diverse national university in the United States. Newark and the surrounding area are home to major law firms, government offices, corporations, entrepreneurial ventures, and public interest groups that represent a wealth of permanent and summer job opportunities. Our Office of Career Services sponsors numerous programs and events on specific career issues and practice areas to help students plan their career and find employment. Rutgers law graduates routinely report a greater than 95 percent employment status rate within nine months of commencement.

For nearly 100 years, Rutgers has graduated lawyers who serve with distinction as judges, government officials, and prominent attorneys in public interest organizations and in the private sector. I strongly encourage you to visit the Center for Law and Justice to experience for yourself the distinctive education, culture, and inspiration that mark the Rutgers-Newark law school experience.

Cordially,
Stuart L. Deutsch
Dean and Professor of Law

 
For additional information, contact RU-info at 732/932-info (4636) or colonel.henry@rutgers.edu.
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