Capital University Law School is anABA-accredited privatelaw school located in downtownColumbus, Ohio, United States.[2] The law school is affiliated withCapital University, the oldest university in Central Ohio and one of the oldest and largest Lutheran-affiliated universities in North America.[3]
The Columbus Law School was founded in 1903, as part of a national program sponsored byYMCA to make legal education practical, accessible, and affordable.[2] The school affiliated with Capital University in 1966 and became the Capital University Law School. Its faculty now stands at 79, and its law library holdings include 265,000 volumes, periodicals, and microfilms.[1]
Capital University Law School is located in the heart of theDiscovery District ofColumbus, Ohio. The site held the city'sCentral High School from 1862 to 1928. The school's building was constructed in 1941 for the Columbus Life Insurance Company, previously housed in theClinton DeWeese Firestone mansion. In 1996, after 55 years of serving the insurance company, Capital University Law School began using the building.[4] The building's front entrance is framed by polished brass relief artwork commissioned by artistRalph J. Menconi, depicting a ship and surrounded by vintage Art-Deco era accents.[5]
Capital University Law School has been accredited by theAmerican Bar Association since 1950 and has been a member of theAssociation of American Law Schools since 1983.[6][7] The student-faculty ratio is 10.6:1.[1] The law school has been a charter member of the League of Ohio Law Schools since 1934.[2]
Capital's 2022 entering class was composed of 162 students.[8] Capital Law School offers aJuris Doctor, anLL.M. in Business, an LL.M. in Taxation, and an LL.M. in Business and Taxation.[9]
The school's J.D. program has a full-time day division, as well as a part-time day and a part-time evening division. The J.D. program has concentrations in children and family law, civil litigation, criminal litigation, dispute resolution,environmental law, governmental affairs, labor and employment law, small business entities, and publicly-held companies. Students in the J.D. program may also avail themselves of joint degree programs inMaster of Business Administration,Master of Science in Nursing, andMaster of Theology.[citation needed]
Capital Law is home to The Family and Youth Law Center and the Center for Dispute Resolution. Capital University Law School also serves the legal profession and business professionals through certificate programs (paralegal,legal nurse consultant, life care planner, as well as mediation and dispute resolution) and a variety of scholarly symposia and conferences that offer continuing legal education credit. Capital also offers a general litigation clinic, a mediation clinic, a family advocacy clinic, and a small business clinic.[citation needed]
In 2023,U.S. News & World Report ranked Capital's full-timeJuris Doctor program 175th for full-time programs in the United States. That same year,U.S. News ranked Capital's part-timeJuris Doctor program between 64th and 70th for part-time programs in the country.[10]
The school was voted a "Best Value Law School" on the basis of tuition by the National Jurist magazine in 2009.[11] In 2011, the National Jurist magazine, as well as PreLaw magazine named Capital as one of the nation’s top law schools in preparing students for legal careers in public service.[12] In 2012, the magazines listed Capital as one of the nation’s top law schools in terms of preparing its students for the bar exam.[13] In 2014, Capital was named to the National Jurist Magazine's "Honor Roll" of law schools that provide practical legal education.[14] In 2015, Capital was once again listed in the National Jurist Magazine's "Honor Roll" of law schools that deliver a practical, experiential legal education.[15] In 2019, PreLaw magazine listed Capital Law as one of the top law schools in the country for practical training and alternate dispute resolution.[16] PreLaw magazine further listed Capital as one of the top law schools for criminal law in 2019.[17]
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Capital University'sLaw School Transparency employment score is 51.6%.[19] The University'sLaw School Transparency under-employment score is 21.4%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2021 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation.[20] The median salary for Capital University Law School graduates is $56,836.[21]
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The total attendance cost (tuition, fees, and living expenses) at Capital University Law School for the 2024 academic year is approximately $63,950 for a full-time student.[22] The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $236,228.[23]
Jack Guttenberg - a legal writer, an expert on professional responsibility, and a co-author of the authoritative source on the Ohio new law of professional conduct for attorneys,Ohio Law of Professional Conduct.
A survey completed in 2008 of faculty scholarship conducted by theRoger Williams University School of Law found Capital's faculty to be one of the most productive scholarly faculties in its tier for 1993-2008, Capital being the #2 law school as listed inU.S. News & World Report's fourth-tier law schools, and #36 of law schools that were outside of the top 50 law schools inU.S. News.[24]
