Proposed College of Law. Lee F. Jackson, Chancellor Presentation to: Dallas Bar Association

Transcription

1 Lee F. Jackson, Chancellor Presentation to: Dallas Bar Association

2 Make-up of Founders Board, UNT College of Law 10 Former Dallas Bar Presidents 5 Present or former Presidents of Dallas Hispanic Bar 2 Present or former Presidents of the Dallas Asian American Bar 4 Present or former Presidents of J.L. Turner Legal Association 1 Former President of the State Bar of Texas 1 Former U.S. Attorney 11 Present or former judges Over 10 Present or former members of the Board of the State Bar of Texas 1 Former Dallas City Council Member 1 Present member of the DISD Board 1 Former Irving City Council member 2 Former U.S. Supreme Court Clerks 1 Winner of the MLK Award of the Dallas Bar 1 Former United States Ambassador 16 Present or former members of the Dallas Bar Board 1 Former tenured Law School professor 1 Named Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Dallas Bar 2

3 GEOGRAPHY PROPOSED UNT COLLEGE OF LAW STATE POPULATION GROWTH DFW ECONOMIC GROWTH THE NEED FOR LEGAL TRAINING EQUAL ACCESS TO LAW: STUDENT OPPORTUNITY, COST, AND DIVERSITY DOWNTOWN LOCATION CITY PARTNERSHIP Proposed College of Law 3

4 GEOGRAPHY DFW is the largest metro area in the United States without a public law school. 4

5 BRINGING AFFORDABLE AND ACCESSIBLE HIGH-QUALITY LEGAL EDUCATION TO AN UNDERSERVED POPULATION The current lack of an affordable, accessible, and high-quality public law school in the Dallas- Fort Worth region means that many qualified students must either relocate to another area or even forego their pursuit of a legal education altogether in spite of significant job opportunities for trained lawyers in our area. 5

6 STATE POPULATION GROWTH Since 1980, Texas population has grown from 14.3 million to 22.5 million, but no additional legal education has been added. The last public law school in Texas opened in Lubbock DFW Waco Austin San Antonio Houston Image: 6

7 TEXAS LAW SCHOOL ENROLLMENT Proposed College of Law TX Tech U of Houston UT Austin TX S. Houston SMU Baylor S. TX Houston St. Mary's SA TX Wesleyan FW Public University Enrollment Private University Enrollment 7

8 DFW ECONOMIC GROWTH Texas ranks third in Gross State Product, it ranks ninth in the legal workforce necessary to remain competitive. As Texas moves from a commodity-based economy to a trade and technology base, its economy will be more dependent on complex transactions that rely on the intellectual capital of a strong legal infrastructure. The DFW region has proportionally fewer lawyers than the national average, than the average of the 10 most populous states, and than the average of all other Texas metropolitan regions. 8

9 LOCAL NUMBERS The DFW economy generates more than 1,400 new legal jobs annually. North Texas area employers must recruit trained attorneys from other regions and states every year. Dallas, itself, must import 30% of its attorneys from out-of-state law schools. 9

10 THE NEED FOR LEGAL TRAINING Litigation is changing making cases more complex. Tort reform has reduced civil caseloads, but juror days in Dallas County increased last year. 90% of Texas law school graduates remain in the state, the highest percentage in the nation. 75% of Texas law school graduates have employment within nine months of graduating and that includes time for taking the bar exam. 10

11 STATE STATISTICS In the past 25 years, only 524 new law school seats have been created in Texas, while the number of bachelor degree holders is growing at a rate of 25,000 annually. Houston has three law schools (two public, one private) with FY 2004 enrollment of 2,953. By comparison, the more populous DFW region s law school enrollment was only 1,561 at its two private law schools. 11

12 EQUAL ACCESS TO LAW: STUDENT OPPORTUNITY, COST, AND DIVERSITY In Houston, there were 11,186 baccalaureate degrees awarded in 2002 with 969 first-year law school seats available; its ratio of bachelor s degrees to first year law school seats was 12:1. 16,000 14,000 12,000 10,000 8,000 6,000 11,186 14,793 DFW s ratio of bachelor degrees awarded to firstyear law school seats was more than double, approximately 27:1. 4,000 2, Houston Area - Ratio: 12:1 DWF Area - Ratio 27:1 BA Degrees Awarded 1st Year Law Seats Available 12

13 EQUAL ACCESS TO LAW: STUDENT OPPORTUNITY, COST, AND DIVERSITY Affordability Proposed College of Law SMU Dedman School of Law (private) tuition for is $30,468 compared to Texas Tech University (public) tuition for $14,188. Further, annual student loans at private law schools in Texas ($21,500) are almost 30% higher than the average public law school loans ($15,500). 13

14 EQUAL ACCESS TO LAW: STUDENT OPPORTUNITY, COST, AND DIVERSITY TX Southern UT Austin St. Mary's U of H Law S. TX Law SMU Wesleyan Texas Tech Baylor Minority Public Minority Private 14

15 UNT AND DALLAS CITY PARTNERSHIP Proposed College of Law The city of Dallas, committed to the new law school, has donated the Old Municipal Building and adjacent annex to house the UNT law school. The city has also allocated substantial funds for the renovation of the building. As part of the revitalization of the Main Street District, a new city park has been approved. The park will help to create a campus-like atmosphere; both the UNT College of Law and the existing Universities Center at Dallas will face the park. Park construction will begin by

16 UNT AND DALLAS CITY PARTNERSHIP Proposed College of Law Universities Center at Dallas (UCD) Old Municipal Building 16

17 UNT AND DALLAS CITY PARTNERSHIP Proposed College of Law Every recent study of Downtown Dallas has concluded that revitalization requires a university presence. Vision for Urban Education Center at Dallas Proposed downtown park with College of Law and the new UCD façade (center) The success of such joint city-university revitalization projects in Chicago, Philadelphia, and other great American metropolitan areas can serve as models. By establishing the UNT College of Law in the Old Municipal building, the location will promote partnerships among students, faculty, courts, law firms and other businesses to serve the greater DFW community. 17

18 TRENDS IN LAW SCHOOL EDUCATION Opportunity to Create Areas of Specialization Proposed College of Law Average credit hours required for graduation have remained constant at 88 units, but units spent in the required curriculum have fallen from 46 to 43 units, and the balance between the required and elective curriculum has shifted in the past decade to a more elective curriculum. Increased Emphasis on Practical Skills and Pro Bono Service Skills and simulation course opportunities have increased in the decade, with 29 percent of law respondents requiring some form of skills, clinical or simulation course for graduation. Pro Bono service requirements have increased incrementally with 10 percent of law school respondents requiring on average 26.5 hours o pro bono service hours to graduate. Source: A Survey of Law School Curricula, , 18

19 The Major findings of the ABA curriculum report are as follows (continued): First Year Curriculum TRENDS IN LAW SCHOOL EDUCATION Proposed College of Law most first year course offerings have remained basically the same over the last 20 years.. many law schools have expand(ed) Legal Writing coverage The small section experience outside of Legal Writing has been largely eliminated in law schools first year programs. Down from 47 percent in 1992 to 6.5 percent in 2002, law schools have chosen to expand other aspects of the program. Legal Research and Writing has grown in stature in the past decade, with law schools providing more units offering third and fourth semesters of legal writing, and expanding the traditional format to include interviewing, counseling and negotiating skills. Source: A Survey of Law School Curricula, , 19

20 Upper Division Curriculum TRENDS IN LAW SCHOOL EDUCATION Proposed College of Law Clinical education. Simulation courses have increased during the past decade with nearly all responding law schools offering courses beyond basic trial advocacy, 89.4 percent offering planning and drafting courses, and 78 percent offering all three courses in Alternative Dispute Resolution, Negotiation and Mediation percent of respondent law schools regularly offer in-house live clinical opportunities. General Civil Litigation remains the most popular, but the greatest boom can be seen in the non-litigation areas of Alternative Dispute Resolution and Transactional clinics, which rose 212 percent and 400 percent respectively. Externship opportunities also swelled in the past decade, with 96.7 percent of law schools reporting externship offerings. Elective..increases have been in Intellectual property, International Law, Business Law and Health Law. Specialization and certificate programs are offered by 55 percent of respondent law schools, with International Law and Intellectual Property the most popular fields. Source: A Survey of Law School Curricula, , 20

21 TRENDS IN LAW SCHOOL EDUCATION Upper Division Curriculum (continued) Proposed College of Law Law schools are increasingly offering joint degrees and post-j.d. degrees. Nearly 85 percent of all ABA-approved law schools offered one or more joint degrees in 2002, with 97 percent of those offering a Masters in Business Administration. Post-J.D. degree granting programs have also grown from 40.5 percent in 1992 to 54.5 percent in Distance Education courses are offered by small but stable group of law schools (12.5 percent), but it is too early in this developing field to predict the impact of distance education pedagogy on legal education curricula. Source: A Survey of Law School Curricula, , 21

22 Help us turn this old building into the 22

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