| Widener University Commonwealth Law School | |
|---|---|
| Parent school | Widener University |
| Established | 1989; 36 years ago (1989) |
| School type | Privatelaw school |
| Parent endowment | $91,000,000[1] |
| Dean | andré douglas pond cummings[2] |
| Location | Harrisburg,Pennsylvania,United States |
| Enrollment | 316[3] |
| Faculty | 15[3] |
| USNWR ranking | 159th (2024)[4] |
| Bar pass rate | 53.75% (2023 first-time takers) |
| Website | commonwealthlaw.widener.edu |
Widener University Commonwealth Law School (Widener Law Commonwealth) is alaw school located inHarrisburg, Pennsylvania, and part ofWidener University, aprivate university inChester, Pennsylvania. It is one of two separateABA-accreditedlaw schools of the university.[5] It was founded in 1989 as an expansion of Widener University's law school in Wilmington.[6] It awards theJuris Doctor degree in its full-time and part-time programs and is a member of theAssociation of American Law Schools (AALS).
The Widener University School of Law in Harrisburg was founded in 1989, as an expansion of Widener University's existing law school in Wilmington, Delaware. Anthony J. Santoro, who served as Dean of law from 1983 to 1992, felt that there was a need for legal education in Harrisburg, the capital city of theCommonwealth of Pennsylvania.[7]The law school became one of two law school campuses operated by Widener University.[5]
On July 1, 2015, the two campuses separated into two distinct law schools that operate independently of each other, but remain part of the Widener University.[8] Each law school has its own dean, faculty, students, curriculum, and accreditation. The first Dean of the renamed Widener University Commonwealth Law School in Harrisburg was Christian A. Johnson. The law school chose the name Commonwealth to reflect its mission and ties to the Pennsylvania government and in recognition of Pennsylvania as one of four commonwealths in the nation.[5]
Located in Pennsylvania's capital ofHarrisburg, the campus spans 19 acres and includes 4 academic and administrative buildings as well as recreation and parking areas. The law library houses significant regional legal collections.[9]
The school offers theJuris Doctor as well as certificate programs.[9][10] It also offers two dual degree programs, a JD/OnlineMaster of Business Administration with theWidener University School of Business Administration and a JD/Master of Library Science withClarion University of Pennsylvania.[9]
For the class entering in 2023, the law school accepted 65% of applicants, with 30.98% of those accepted enrolling. The average enrollee had a 148LSAT score and 3.34 undergraduateGPA.[11]
The law school offers several 3+3 early admissions programs with partner schools:
Widener Law Commonwealth operates the Central Pennsylvania Law Clinics (CPLC) which provide legal services to the local community. The CPLC runs four clinics:[16]
Beginning in 2014, the law school created the a joint venture with the Dauphin County Bar Association, to create a legal incubator program. The program is housed within the Dauphin County Bar Association's office while Widener provides legal education and support. The program's mission is to allow new graduates the resources, space, and training needed to create new solo law firms which benefit the local community.[17][18]
Below are the Ultimate Bar Passage rates, i.e. percentage of graduates passing in two years, from the law school's ABA reports:[19]
The first-time bar passage rate for the 2024 graduating class was 54.00%.[19]
According to the American Bar Association's Employment Reports, 62.24% of the law school's 98 person 2022 graduating class was employed in long-term bar examination passage required positions, i.e. as attorneys, with most of those graduates employed in firms of 1-10 attorneys, while 62.24% of the 2022 class was employed in some capacity in Pennsylvania, with one employed in a federal clerkship, and with 12 employed in state, local, or territorial clerkships.[20] For classes graduating in 2019, preLaw Magazine recognized Widener Law Commonwealth as the #1 school in their Employment Honor Roll that considered employment for those with low LSAT and GPA scores that was not based on employment percentage or included top schools, but was based on a linear regression equation that best predicted a law school’s employment rate considering its students’ average LSAT score and undergraduate GPA.[21]
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