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Nashville School of Law is an independent, night law school specializing in legal education for non-traditional and part-time students. The student body includes teachers, police officers, paralegals, insurance agents, doctors, business owners, factory workers, real estate agents, and other professionals. The school's faculty members are practicing lawyers and judges, including retired Justice Adolpho Birch and current Justice William C. Koch, Jr. of the ]. | |||
{{more citations needed|date=August 2018}} | |||
{{third-party|date=August 2018}} | |||
}} | |||
{{short description|American law school}} | |||
{{Infobox law school | |||
The school is located in a 33,000 square foot building at 4013 Armory Oaks Drive, just south of downtown ], ]. Classes are held each night, Monday - Thursday, from 6:30 p.m. - 8:10 p.m. and 8:20 p.m. - 10:00 p.m., and at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. Students admitted for the Fall term typically attend on Monday and Thursday nights, while students admitted for the Spring term attend on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Since the school's classes are held at night and on the weekends, the law course takes a minimum of four years to complete. Students must attend at least two nights/days each week in order to complete the course of study in four years. All students must complete 48 credit hours with a GPA of at least 2.25 to graduate. The top ten percent of each graduating class is inducted into Cooper's Inn, the school honor society, and recognized at graduation. The student who graduates at the top of the class is awarded the Founder's Award and receives a set of the Tennessee Code Annotated. | |||
| name = Nashville School of Law | |||
| established = 1911 | |||
| image = WTN EVula 110.jpg | |||
| type = Private | |||
| endowment = | |||
| parent endowment = | |||
| city = ] | |||
| state = ] | |||
| country = ] | |||
| coordinates = {{coord|36.1035|-86.7603|type:edu|display=inline,title}} | |||
| students = | |||
| faculty = 55 Instructors consisting of local judges and attorneys | |||
| ranking = | |||
| bar pass rate = 68.5% (July 2019 first time takers)<ref name="tnbar">{{Cite web|url=https://www.tnble.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/July-2019-TN-School-Statistics.pdf|title=Tennessee Bar Exam – July 2019 Statistics|website=Tennessee Board of Law Examiners|access-date=2019-12-23}}</ref> | |||
| annual tuition = | |||
| motto = Professionalism, Excellence, Civility | |||
| aba profile = | |||
| website = https://nsl.law/}} | |||
'''Nashville School of Law''' (formerly known as the '''Nashville ] Night Law School'''), is a private ] founded in 1911. The school's students attend classes at night on a part-time basis. | |||
== History == | == History == | ||
In the fall of 1911, Morton B. Adams, William P. Cooper, Lee Douglas, and Robert Selph Henry, then recent graduates of ], opened night law classes at |
In the fall of 1911, Morton B. Adams, William P. Cooper, Lee Douglas, and ], then recent graduates of ], opened night law classes at ] for the benefit of those unable to attend law classes during the day. The law school has been in continual operation since that time. It was incorporated under the laws of the State of ] on January 19, 1927. Since that date, the law school has conferred the ] or Doctor of Jurisprudence degree on over 2,970 graduates.{{Citation needed|date=January 2020}} Until November, 1986, the school operated as the Nashville YMCA Night Law School, leasing its classroom space from the Downtown YMCA. On November 24, 1986, the school officially changed its name to Nashville School of Law. | ||
James Gilbert Lackey, Jr. (1915–1987) served as dean of the Law School and taught Contracts from 1946 to 1986. Upon his retirement, the faculty elected Judge Joe C. Loser, Jr., dean of the school. Judge Loser then retired from the Third Circuit Court of ], ] after 20 years on the bench to become the fourth dean in the school's history on August 23, 1986. Following Loser's retirement, former Tennessee Supreme Court Justice and NSL faculty member, Justice William C. Koch, Jr. became the fifth dean of NSL in July 2014. | |||
== |
== Accreditation == | ||
Nashville School of Law is approved by the Tennessee Board of Law Examiners and graduates may take the bar examination and practice law in the State of Tennessee. The school is not, however, accredited by the ]. This limits the ability of graduates to practice law in states other than Tennessee.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.lsac.org/choosing-law-school/find-law-school/non-aba-approved-law-schools|title=Non-ABA-Approved Law Schools {{!}} The Law School Admission Council|website=www.lsac.org|access-date=2020-01-30}}</ref> Graduates of NSL are not eligible to take the bar or practice law in 19 states, and may only take the bar or practice in a further 23 states if they have passed another state's bar exam.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ncbex.org/pdfviewer/?file=/assets/BarAdmissionGuide/NCBE-CompGuide-2019.pdf#page=21|title=Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements 2019|website=www.ncbex.org|access-date=2020-01-30}}</ref> | |||
Nashville School of Law enters two terms each year, in February and August, and operates on a "rolling admissions" basis, which means applications are processed at the time they are received. Applicants must have received, or will receive prior to matriculation, a Bachelor's Degree from a college or university on the approved list of the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges, or the equivalent regional accrediting association. | |||
⚫ | == Academics == | ||
⚫ | |||
The 57 credit hours required for the J.D. degree require four years to complete, and several of the courses are designed to focus on practice in Tennessee. Classes are held each evening Monday to Thursday. Classes begin in August each fall and continue through early May. Classes are on Monday and Thursday nights first and second year, typically beginning at 6:30 p.m. and running until 10 p.m. Third- and fourth-year students add some classes on Wednesday nights. | |||
In 2006-2007, NSL received 430 applicants. For the Fall 2006 term, 90 were enrolled for their first year class, the Median ] was 148, the Median GPA was 3.28, 5% of the applicants were minorities, 48% of the applicants were women, and 40 undergraduate schools were represented. For the Spring 2007 term, 86 were enrolled in the first year class, the Median ] was 146, the Median GPA was 3.15, 13% of the applicants were minorities, 45% were women, and 42 undergraduate schools were represented. The total enrollment for the year was 640 students.<ref>http://www.nashvilleschooloflaw.net/NSL%20Catalog%202006-2007%20Insert.pdf</ref> | |||
All students must complete 57 credit hours with a GPA of at least 2.25 to graduate. The top ten percent of each graduating class is inducted into Cooper's Inn, the school honor society, and recognized at graduation. The student who graduates at the top of the class is awarded the Founder's Award and receives a set of the Tennessee Code Annotated. | |||
⚫ | == |
||
=== Faculty === | |||
Nashville School of Law's tuition is among the lowest of private law schools in the United States. For the 2007-2008 school year the tuition is $388.00 per credit hour. For the first year student taking the required 12 hours, this amounts to $4,656.00. Students may pay their tuition in full at registration for a 5% discount, or in monthly installments with no interest or additional charges. Also included in annual expenses is a $60.00 registration fee, a $60.00 ] fee, and all other books and materials. As a private institution, NSL students are not eligible for government loans, although low interest loans are often available through banks, as well as a limited number of partial and full scholarships for second, third, and fourth year students, based on need and scholarship. Students seeking ] assistance must be enrolled 18 clock hours per week to be considered full time. No on campus living facilities are available, but students traveling a long distance to campus may find nearby accommodations available at a motel rate of approximately $50.00. | |||
The school's faculty includes practicing lawyers and judges from across the state of Tennessee; formerly including the late former Tennessee Chief Justice ], and now including former Justice ] of the ], who became dean of the school in July 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/blog/2013/12/nashville-school-of-law-names-new-dean.html|title=Nashville School of Law names new dean|last=Boyer|first=E.J.|date=2013-12-19|website=Nashville Business Journal|access-date=2019-12-23}}</ref> | |||
⚫ | == Academics == | ||
== Campus and library == | |||
The law school provides a broad curriculum that challenges and develops students' analytical, communication and lawyering skills. The 48 credit hours required for the J.D. degree requires four years to complete, and several of the courses are designed to focus on practice in Tennessee. First Year students are required to take classes in Contracts and Sales, Introduction to Law and Legal Writing, Torts, Crimes, Constitutional Criminal Law, and Criminal Procedure. Second Year students are required to take Evidence, Civil Procedure, Restitution and Remedies, and Property. Third and Fourth Year students take Wills, Estate Planning, Business Associations, Taxation, Advanced Legal Writing, Third and Fourth Year Moot Court, Negotiable Instruments, Secured Transactions, Constitutional Law, Conflicts of Law, Mortgages, and Domestic Relations. For 2006-2007 entering first year students, five elective credits, which vary from year to year, must be earned to complete the degree requirements. | |||
In the Fall of 2005, the school moved into its current facility at 4013 Armory Oaks Drive.{{Citation needed|date=August 2018}} It had been nearby at 2934 Sidco Drive, since 1990.{{Citation needed|date=August 2018}} | |||
⚫ | The Nashville School of Law Library consists of 15,727 hard copy volumes |
||
⚫ | The Nashville School of Law Library consists of 15,727 hard copy volumes. All students have access to LexisNexis and Westlaw research services in the library at the computer lab, from any location in the facility through a wireless-enabled laptop, and from any other location with Internet access. | ||
Nashville School of Law also sponsors mock trial tournament teams which participate in national moot court trial competitions. Students can also participate in the NSL Student Chapter of the ] (formerly known as the Association of Trial Lawyers of America), which meets on a regular basis. | |||
== Admissions == | |||
== Accreditation and bar passage data == | |||
] | |||
⚫ | Nashville School of Law enters two terms each year, in February and August, and operates on a "rolling admissions" basis. Applications are processed at the time they are received. Applicants must have received, or will receive prior to matriculation, a bachelor's degree from a college or university on the approved list of the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges, or the equivalent regional accrediting association. The applicant must also submit three letters of recommendation, one of which must be from someone in the legal field, and should describe any extracurricular activities during their undergraduate career or business accomplishments since college graduation. Applicants must also include an explanation of any prior arrests and/or any disciplinary action received from an educational institution. Nashville School of Law maintains a strict anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policy, and provides assistance for disabled students.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nsl.law/applicants/applicant-faq/|title=Applicant FAQ|website=Nashville School of Law|language=en|access-date=2019-12-23}}</ref> | ||
The median LSAT score for students admitted in the 2018–2019 admissions cycle was 148 and the median GPA was 3.19.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nsl.law/about/about-nsl/|title=About NSL|website=Nashville School of Law|language=en|access-date=2019-12-23}}</ref> | |||
Although Nashville School of Law has never applied for accreditation by the ], reportedly in order to keep its tuition low and affordable for all its students, graduates may be admitted to practice in Tennessee as it is approved by the Tennessee Board of Law Examiners. Several members of the Tennessee judiciary received their legal training at the school. Indeed, the institution's current head, Dean Joe Loser, is an alumnus and served as a trial court judge in ] for two decades. During recent years, a merger with ] was considered, but the proposal was abandoned by Nashville School of Law due to ]'s growing fiscal problems. Graduates might also take the bar exam and practice law in some other states, provided they gain the approval of the state's admitting authority based on the applicable legal education requirements. | |||
⚫ | == Costs and financial aid == | ||
Although the National Conference of Bar Examiners 2006 Statistics reports that only 58% of graduates of non-ABA accredited law schools taking the Tennessee bar exam passed (compared with an 80% passage rate for ABA-accredited schools), Nashville School of Law reports that their students have been very successful in passing the Tennessee Bar Exam. 68% of the 2005 graduates passed the Bar, and 86% of the graduates from 1995-2005 have passed the bar. Also, 100% of the 2005 NSL graduates seeking employment are currently employed, with 96% of those who passed the bar being employed in the legal field, and 4% in non-legal. | |||
For the 2019–20 school year, tuition is $7,420 (excluding books) for a typical first-year load of twelve credit hours. The total cost of the 57 credit hours needed to graduate is $35,890 (excluding books).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nsl.law/applicants/affording-nsl/|title=Affording NSL|website=Nashville School of Law|language=en|access-date=2019-12-23}}</ref> | |||
== Criticisms of the School == | |||
As a private institution, NSL does not participate in federal loan programs; students are not eligible for federal loans{{Citation needed|date=August 2018}} and must apply independently for loans through banks. The school offers a limited number of partial and full scholarships for students, based on need and merit.{{Citation needed|date=August 2018}} | |||
Most criticisms of the school center around its non-accredited status. The average bar passage rate for graduates of NSL lags behind that of accredited Tennessee schools (68% vs. 82% in 2005), and several of the larger firms in Nashville refuse to hire students from unaccredited schools like NSL.<ref name=ncp> | |||
{{cite news |first= Amy |last= Griffith |title= Law school on the cheap|url= http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/index.cfm?section_id=10&screen=news&news_id=56725 | |||
|work= Nashville City Paper|date= 2007-06-18|accessdate=2007-06-21 }}</ref> These unaccredited schools typically accept non-traditional students whose grades and/or LSAT score are too low to enter an accredited school.<ref name=ncp> | |||
{{cite news |first= Amy |last= Griffith |title= Law school on the cheap|url= http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/index.cfm?section_id=10&screen=news&news_id=56725 | |||
|work= Nashville City Paper|date= 2007-06-18|accessdate=2007-06-21 }}</ref> The median LSAT score of the 2006 entering class was barely in the 30th percentile of the national average. | |||
== Bar passage rate and post-graduation employment == | |||
In the employment context, very few of NSL's students go on to jobs with law firms within the state. It is also widely suspected that NSL's self-reported employment statistics are inflated and grossly misleading. For example, NSL statistics include graduates who are currently working as paralegals, runners, and support staff as "employed in the legal field". The bulk of NSL students who eventually pass the bar go on to work in lower paying government jobs or as divorce, bankruptcy, or personal injury sole practitioners. {{fact|date=June 2007}} | |||
Nashville School of Law does not publish employment data for its recent graduates. {{Citation needed|date=August 2018}} | |||
Nashville School of Law graduates who took the Tennessee bar exam for the first time in July 2023 had a pass rate of 78.36%, vs. a 67.18% pass rate for the state as a whole. <ref>{{https://www.tba.org/?pg=LawBlog&blAction=showEntry&blogEntry=97581#:~:text=For%20first%20time%20test%2Dtakers,Law%20at%2075%25%20and%20Lincoln</ref> | |||
According to independent journalist c. d. "Sonny Boy" Norman<!-- sic; this is the spelling using on the Putnam Pit site-->, "because they cannot practice outside Tennessee, and because private law firms have no desire to take on under-qualified attorneys, the Nashville School of Law's graduates invariably enter public service."<ref name=putnampit> | |||
{{cite news | first = C. D. |last = Norman | title=Herald-Citizen sould have asked the ABA about the Nashville School of Law, not Bill Gibson|url=http://www.putnampit.com/law.html | work = The Putnam Pit | accessdate=2007-06-21 }}</ref> | |||
== |
== Notable alumni == | ||
*], Chief Justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court | |||
<references/> | |||
*], attorney and member of the ] | |||
*], former U.S. Senator and father of former U.S. Vice President ]<ref name=Gore>{{cite web|title=Albert Gore Sr.|url=http://gorecenter.mtsu.edu/gore-sr.shtml|website=Albert Gore Research Center|access-date=20 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140729030126/http://gorecenter.mtsu.edu/gore-sr.shtml|archive-date=2014-07-29|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
*], attorney and sculptor who represented ] ] and founded the ]<ref>Martin, Douglas. , '']'', September 24, 2010. Accessed September 25, 2010.</ref> | |||
== References == | |||
{{reflist}} | |||
== External links == | == External links == | ||
* | * | ||
* | |||
{{Law Schools of the Southeast}} | |||
{{authority control}} | |||
] | ] | ||
] | ] | ||
] | ] | ||
⚫ | ] | ||
] | |||
] | ] | ||
⚫ | ] | ||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] |
Latest revision as of 08:41, 25 August 2024
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|
Nashville School of Law | |
---|---|
Motto | Professionalism, Excellence, Civility |
Established | 1911 |
School type | Private |
Location | Nashville, Tennessee, United States 36°06′13″N 86°45′37″W / 36.1035°N 86.7603°W / 36.1035; -86.7603 |
Faculty | 55 Instructors consisting of local judges and attorneys |
Bar pass rate | 68.5% (July 2019 first time takers) |
Website | https://nsl.law/ |
Nashville School of Law (formerly known as the Nashville YMCA Night Law School), is a private law school founded in 1911. The school's students attend classes at night on a part-time basis.
History
In the fall of 1911, Morton B. Adams, William P. Cooper, Lee Douglas, and Robert Selph Henry, then recent graduates of Vanderbilt University Law School, opened night law classes at YMCA for the benefit of those unable to attend law classes during the day. The law school has been in continual operation since that time. It was incorporated under the laws of the State of Tennessee on January 19, 1927. Since that date, the law school has conferred the Juris Doctor or Doctor of Jurisprudence degree on over 2,970 graduates. Until November, 1986, the school operated as the Nashville YMCA Night Law School, leasing its classroom space from the Downtown YMCA. On November 24, 1986, the school officially changed its name to Nashville School of Law.
James Gilbert Lackey, Jr. (1915–1987) served as dean of the Law School and taught Contracts from 1946 to 1986. Upon his retirement, the faculty elected Judge Joe C. Loser, Jr., dean of the school. Judge Loser then retired from the Third Circuit Court of Davidson County, Tennessee after 20 years on the bench to become the fourth dean in the school's history on August 23, 1986. Following Loser's retirement, former Tennessee Supreme Court Justice and NSL faculty member, Justice William C. Koch, Jr. became the fifth dean of NSL in July 2014.
Accreditation
Nashville School of Law is approved by the Tennessee Board of Law Examiners and graduates may take the bar examination and practice law in the State of Tennessee. The school is not, however, accredited by the American Bar Association. This limits the ability of graduates to practice law in states other than Tennessee. Graduates of NSL are not eligible to take the bar or practice law in 19 states, and may only take the bar or practice in a further 23 states if they have passed another state's bar exam.
Academics
The 57 credit hours required for the J.D. degree require four years to complete, and several of the courses are designed to focus on practice in Tennessee. Classes are held each evening Monday to Thursday. Classes begin in August each fall and continue through early May. Classes are on Monday and Thursday nights first and second year, typically beginning at 6:30 p.m. and running until 10 p.m. Third- and fourth-year students add some classes on Wednesday nights.
All students must complete 57 credit hours with a GPA of at least 2.25 to graduate. The top ten percent of each graduating class is inducted into Cooper's Inn, the school honor society, and recognized at graduation. The student who graduates at the top of the class is awarded the Founder's Award and receives a set of the Tennessee Code Annotated.
Faculty
The school's faculty includes practicing lawyers and judges from across the state of Tennessee; formerly including the late former Tennessee Chief Justice Adolpho Birch, and now including former Justice William C. Koch, Jr. of the Tennessee Supreme Court, who became dean of the school in July 2014.
Campus and library
In the Fall of 2005, the school moved into its current facility at 4013 Armory Oaks Drive. It had been nearby at 2934 Sidco Drive, since 1990.
The Nashville School of Law Library consists of 15,727 hard copy volumes. All students have access to LexisNexis and Westlaw research services in the library at the computer lab, from any location in the facility through a wireless-enabled laptop, and from any other location with Internet access.
Admissions
Nashville School of Law enters two terms each year, in February and August, and operates on a "rolling admissions" basis. Applications are processed at the time they are received. Applicants must have received, or will receive prior to matriculation, a bachelor's degree from a college or university on the approved list of the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges, or the equivalent regional accrediting association. The applicant must also submit three letters of recommendation, one of which must be from someone in the legal field, and should describe any extracurricular activities during their undergraduate career or business accomplishments since college graduation. Applicants must also include an explanation of any prior arrests and/or any disciplinary action received from an educational institution. Nashville School of Law maintains a strict anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policy, and provides assistance for disabled students.
The median LSAT score for students admitted in the 2018–2019 admissions cycle was 148 and the median GPA was 3.19.
Costs and financial aid
For the 2019–20 school year, tuition is $7,420 (excluding books) for a typical first-year load of twelve credit hours. The total cost of the 57 credit hours needed to graduate is $35,890 (excluding books).
As a private institution, NSL does not participate in federal loan programs; students are not eligible for federal loans and must apply independently for loans through banks. The school offers a limited number of partial and full scholarships for students, based on need and merit.
Bar passage rate and post-graduation employment
Nashville School of Law does not publish employment data for its recent graduates.
Nashville School of Law graduates who took the Tennessee bar exam for the first time in July 2023 had a pass rate of 78.36%, vs. a 67.18% pass rate for the state as a whole.
Notable alumni
- Ross W. Dyer, Chief Justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court
- Johnny Garrett, attorney and member of the Tennessee House of Representatives
- Albert Gore Sr., former U.S. Senator and father of former U.S. Vice President Al Gore
- Jack Kershaw, attorney and sculptor who represented Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassin James Earl Ray and founded the League of the South
References
- "Tennessee Bar Exam – July 2019 Statistics" (PDF). Tennessee Board of Law Examiners. Retrieved 2019-12-23.
- "Non-ABA-Approved Law Schools | The Law School Admission Council". www.lsac.org. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
- "Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements 2019" (PDF). www.ncbex.org. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
- Boyer, E.J. (2013-12-19). "Nashville School of Law names new dean". Nashville Business Journal. Retrieved 2019-12-23.
- "Applicant FAQ". Nashville School of Law. Retrieved 2019-12-23.
- "About NSL". Nashville School of Law. Retrieved 2019-12-23.
- "Affording NSL". Nashville School of Law. Retrieved 2019-12-23.
- {{https://www.tba.org/?pg=LawBlog&blAction=showEntry&blogEntry=97581#:~:text=For%20first%20time%20test%2Dtakers,Law%20at%2075%25%20and%20Lincoln
- "Albert Gore Sr". Albert Gore Research Center. Archived from the original on 2014-07-29. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
- Martin, Douglas. "Jack Kershaw Is Dead at 96; Challenged Conviction in King’s Death", The New York Times, September 24, 2010. Accessed September 25, 2010.
External links
Categories:- Universities and colleges established in 1911
- Universities and colleges in Nashville, Tennessee
- Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
- Law schools in Tennessee
- Universities and colleges founded by the YMCA
- Private universities and colleges in Tennessee
- 1911 establishments in Tennessee
- Nashville School of Law
- 501(c)(3) organizations