On-campus views afford glimpses of the hallowed halls and institutions of American government, history, and culture. With the country's political and regulatory heartbeats calling from Constitution Avenue, law students can get close-up looks at decision making at the highest public levels.
Recognized by the American Bar Association in 1925, the Columbus School of Law at The Catholic University of America offers program concentrations that reflect the major international, social, economic, and political changes of the day. Concentrations include international law, communications law, law and public policy, law and religion, and securities and corporate law.
Information relating to specific program offerings is available at Columbus School of Law's website.
Columbus School of Law has also been recognized as a Top 100 law school in the 2008 U.S. News & World Report rankings. The school also counts several prominent DC legislators and regulatory commissioners among its alumni.
Taking advantage of the city's intellectual resources, Columbus School of Law frequently hosts national and international decision makers as guest lecturers.
Columbus School of Law also publishes three law journals: Catholic University Law Review, Journal of Contemporary Health Law and Policy, and CommLaw Conspectus. The school features an active moot court program, as well.
With politics serving as both the origin and terminus of many a conversation, DC is an opinionated city whose inhabitants have strong, well-considered viewpoints. Rich in cultural, historic, and entertainment offerings, the District of Columbia offers access to some of the nation's premier museums, concert halls, and nightlife.
Additionally, Columbus School of Law offers excellent opportunities abroad. The Cracow Program offers students the chance to study law at Jagiellonian University in Cracow, Poland. This 12-day summer-abroad program focuses on international law, trade relationships, and other areas of law by taking a comparative approach analyzing United States and European Union standards and practices. Students attend classes with their Polish counterparts while living together in a hotel just a few blocks from the city center.
According to its website, "The School of Law at The Catholic University of America is committed to excellence in legal education within the profound intellectual tradition of the Church. Giving priority to the sacred dignity and uniqueness of each human person, the law school program is a standing invitation for men and women to pursue a professional calling fully informed by faith, moral inquiry, and respect for the rule of law."
For students looking to gain real-world litigation experience, the law school features three Columbus Community Legal Services "live-client" clinics, which task students with primary responsibility for legal representation of elderly, low-income, or disadvantaged clients.
In this program, students can expect to gain hands-on experience with drafting pleadings, dealing with opposing counsel, arguing motions, conducting hearings before local and federal agencies, and, occasionally, conducting court proceedings in District of Columbia trial or appellate courts. All legal work is assisted by a supervising attorney.
