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MD's Two Law Schools Welcome New Students This Week, Start Classes Next

Posted on: Thursday, 18 August 2005, 03:01 CDT

It's that time of year again: Summer's almost over and the scent of academia is starting to waft through the air. For Maryland's two law schools, it means orientation, new faculty positions, new courses and law students enrolling in record numbers.

The University of Baltimore School of Law's four-day orientation began Monday, while the University of Maryland School of Law will welcome its students tonight and tomorrow. Classes at both schools begin next week.

It's one of the best times of the year, said Tricia O'Neill, assistant dean for student affairs at UM. We're in a wonderful position because we get to greet them at the beginning.

UB Law saw its highest applicant pool in history this year, with 3,155 contenders, and Associate Dean Tony Torain says the school has surpassed its target with 240 day and 92 evening students.

Because our number is so much higher, we were able to be more selective, he said. There is now a better balance with higher credentials and number of students.

UB's incoming class boasts a median LSAT score of 154 - up from 153 last year, according to Dean Gilbert Holmes - and a median grade point average of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale.

The class is made up of 47 percent female and 53 percent male students, Torain said. He also noted that this year's ratio of black students, 9 percent, is lower than the typical average of around 14 percent.

It's too early to really assign a reason for it, he said.

Detailed statistics were not yet available for the University of Maryland, according to O'Neill. She said UM Law's incoming class of 240 day and 30 evening students come mostly from within the state, but there are 25 students born outside the United States, and 34 percent of its students are minorities.

Represented countries include El Salvador, Liberia, Taiwan, Iran, Ethiopia, Ukraine, Philippines and Jamaica.

In addition, O'Neill says this year marks the first time UM has taken advantage of the Internet to help students get organized for orientation.

The school sends out postcards with the address of an orientation Web site, which includes a schedule and a virtual chat room where incoming students can talk to upperclassmen about the school.

Through the Web, we've created a community where students can get information from anywhere, O'Neill said.

Other new faces

UB has had an attorney in residence position for four years as part of its Snyder Center for Litigation Skills, but this year added a judge in residence position, which will be filled by Senior U.S. District Judge Frederic Smalkin. Smalkin will teach commercial law and evidence.

Having a judge teach will have a tremendous impact, Holmes said. He will be able to give students a practical perspective on theories.

Other new faculty members include Peter Duff, who will teach comparative criminal justice; Ann MacNeille, who will teach a legal writing course; and three new clinic professors. Keith Blair will head a tax clinic while Yoanna Moisides and Helen Harnett will teach civil advocacy clinics.

Maryland, meanwhile, welcomes Kelly A. Casey, Kerry Rogers and Maxwell L. Stearns as visiting professors. Casey will teach patent law and an international intellectual property seminar. Kerry will join the environmental law clinic and Stearns is set to teach federal civil rights, public choice and a public law seminar.

Helping to welcome UM students tonight is Court of Appeals Chief Judge Robert M. Bell , who will speak about professionalism in law and the importance of education.

It puts a personal face on the judiciary, O'Neill said. It's for [students] to understand the obligations and privileges of being here.

Part of UB's orientation is a session with the Maryland State Bar Association's Lawyer Assistance Program, which among other things, assists judges, lawyers, law students and legal staff suffering from substance abuse.

I'm pleased we've made that connection with the MSBA, Torain said. It's to let students know the way to cope with stress is not with substances.

Source: The Daily Record (Baltimore)

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