Dean's Message

At Rutgers School of Law-Newark, you will find our core values of excellence, opportunity, and impact reflected throughout your law school experience. Few law schools 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 criminal law and procedure, constitutional law, corporate transactions, civil rights and civil liberties, intellectual property, international business, family law, labor and employment law, and taxation. 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. That commitment enriches the educational experience for all and fosters an environment for producing lawyers dedicated to advancing the legal system and improving the administration of justice for all.

Our clinical program, through legal representation and advocacy in diverse subject areas, advances social justice locally, nationally, and globally while also providing students with the practical skills that are valued by employers. 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 professors who are experienced public interest lawyers, students work on actual cases and learn the importance of legal work on behalf of the poor and underrepresented.

The Rutgers experience is enhanced by our home in the S.I. Newhouse Center for Law and Justice, a five-story, light-filled building whose design encourages a strong sense of community and collegial exchange of ideas. A handsome courtroom complex affords students the opportunity to hear guest lectures and panel presentations by distinguished members of the legal community, including Supreme Court justices and other jurists, law professors, and well-known attorneys. The courtroom also attracts New Jersey court proceedings several times a year, further enriching the experiential learning of our students.

The City of Newark and the surrounding New York metropolitan area are home to many major law firms, government offices, corporations, entrepreneurial ventures, and public interest groups. Our Office of Career Services offers a wide range of traditional and innovative services and programs to assist students and graduates in developing career goals and conducting an effective job search.

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

Cordially,

Ronald K. Chen
Acting Dean, Distinguished Professor of Law, and Judge Leonard I. Garth Scholar