The University of Memphis is above the bar, according to a new study.
The Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law is among the top 150 best graduate schools in the country, according to the April 15 issue of U.S. News and World Report.
The University of Memphis, as an undergraduate institution, ranked in the 4th — or lowest tier in U.S. News’ 2002 issue of “America’s Best Colleges.” However, the Humphreys School of Law is ranked in the third tier among the best graduate schools in the United States.
To be ranked, a law school must be accredited and fully approved by the American Bar Association and must draw most of its students from the United States According to the article, the percentage of U of M Law School graduates employed nine months after graduation is 98.6 percent. The school’s bar passage rate in jurisdiction is 91.6 percent, and the jurisdiction’s overall bar passage rate is 83 percent.
The School of Law began in 1962 as a college within Memphis State University. It was created to replace two local private law schools, the University of Memphis Law School and the Southern Law School, which offered a part-time education. Named in honor of former University President Cecil C. Humphreys, the school has graduated over 4,500 students who have assumed positions as lawyers, judges and public officials in all 50 states.
In 1965, the law school was approved by the ABA, the official accrediting agency for American law schools, and has since maintained its accreditation. The faculty at the U of M School of Law has distinguished itself by the commitment to teaching as well as legal research and scholarship. Thirteen members of the faculty have earned graduate law degrees and five have served as graduate law clerks for federal appellate and trial judges. Several faculty members have been elected to the American Law Institute, while others serve as consultants to judicial commissions and active participants in state and national bar associations.
Today, the school has approximately 460 students and a full-time faculty of 23. According to the study, the 2001 student/faculty ratio was 18 to 1, the average among other institutions in the third tier.
“We have a very strong curriculum,” said Barbara Kritchevsky, associate dean of the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. “We have a rigorous education system designed to prepare students for the bar. We are good at what we do.”
According to the school’s web page, only 150 students were admitted out of the 800 applicants for the 2000-01 school year.
Although the tuition increase has been a problem for a number of out-of-state students in the school, applications for admission jumped this year, according to Kritchevsky.
The 2001 undergraduate GPA lies in the 3.01-3.61 range, slightly higher than others in the third tier.
“If we continue working hard to improve (the percentages), we will keep attracting good and better students,” Kritchevsky said.
U.S. News and World Report showed how The U of M compared with other institutions on the LSATs, including St. Louis University, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and The University of Arkansas-Fayetteville.
The Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law is first in the state for the percentage of first time takers to pass the bar exam.
The Tennessee bar exam in July 2001 saw 92.1 percent of students from The University of Memphis pass on their first try, which was well above the state average of 81.2 percent.
For those students who have any questions on the admissions process at the U of M School of Law, a call to SueAnn McClellan, dean of admissions, will help to answer them.
