A Peek into St. John's School of Law

Some Important Facts:
St. John’s School of Law is accredited to the American Bar Association and Association of American Law Schools. The law school grants the J.D. (Juris Doctor) degree and the LL.M. degree for the practice area of bankruptcy. The credit requirement stipulated for J.D. degrees is 86, while the LL.M. degree requires 30 credits. There are 50 full-time faculty members and 36 part-time members.

Admission Procedures, Tuition Fees, and Financial Aid
In 2008, about 34 percent of applicants were granted admission to the law school. The 25th to 75th percentile GPA range for those admitted was 3.19–3.74. The median for LSAT scores hovered around 161.

Part-time admissions are also available. Last year, GPAs for part-time candidates who were admitted part-time ranged from 3.23 to 3.57 for the 25th to 75th percentiles. Their LSAT scores ranged from 150–157. The highly controversial but acclaimed Princeton Review has given St. John’s School of Law, an ''Admissions Selectivity Rating'' of 83 out of a total of 100.

St. John’s charges full-time students about $38,400 per year and $28,800 for part-timers. The estimated cost for the room & board is about $13,000, while fees average $5,500. The total cost, then, comes to around $57,000 per year for full-time students, and about $47,000 for part-timers.

Grants are provided to many students from the financial aid office. In 2008, the median grant awarded was $20,000 for full-time students. According to the law school sources, while reviewing applications they focus especially on the proven skills and talents of the prospective students which they think are essential for their academic success.

Employment Prospects
In February 2008 302 of the 307 members of the class of 2007 reported their employment status to the Office of Career Services. Of the students surveyed, 97.2 percent were placed within nine months of graduation.

Most of them who found jobs were placed in law firms: about 53.8 percent of them. Most of the newly graduated lawyers enjoyed a median starting salary of $89,000 in the private sector. The seventy-fifth percentile salary for those in the private sector was $160,000, while those in the twenty-fifth percentile salary recorded about $65,000.

Academics
The arrival of relatively new faculty members, refurbished clinics, and reconstructed programs includes the nation's first LL.M. in Bankruptcy program which boosts the existing curriculum and courses. The clinics can be used to put theory into practice. One can gain practical experience in domestic violence litigation, immigration law, etc., among other fields from the clinics. There are many clinics, including the Elder Law Clinic, the Securities Arbitration Clinic, and the Child Advocacy Clinic in the law school.

St. John’s School of Law also provides J.D. students with a diverse range of extra-curricular activities to participate in, notably to serve as part of the editorial boards of six legal publications including the Law Review, the Journal of Legal Commentary, and the American Bankruptcy Institute Law Review.

Student Life
St. John’s School of Law is very close to downtown New York City, allowing students all of the opportunities that the famous city provides. The school is spectacularly situated on about 100 acres in a basically residential area. The school campus is easily accessible to Manhattan and is close to New York City. This location provides opportunities and access to the world's largest law firms, businesses, government agencies, and courts. It is worth noting that about 90 percent of the students do not move out of the area after completing law school, especially due to its strategic location.

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Conclusion
St. John’s School of Law is capable of preparing students for a successful career in law. The school is committed to attracting, motivating, and retaining a highly qualified and diverse legal workforce to support their mission of academic excellence.