The University of North Carolina School of Law, sometimes referred to as Carolina Law, is the law school of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Established in 1845, it is among the oldest law schools in the United States and is the oldest law school in the state of North Carolina.
History
19th century
On December 12, 1842, following discussion in the North Carolina legal community, the trustees of the University of North Carolina authorized the university's president David L. Swain to review and establish a law professorship. In 1845, William Horn Battle was named the first professor of law, and legal instruction began at the university.[2] In the years following, assistant professors and later an organized faculty and law library were added.[citation needed]
20th century
In 1915, Margaret Berry became the first woman to graduate from the law school.[3] In the 1920s, the school began taking on much of the character of a modern law school, after the American Bar Association first published guidelines for schools. University President Harry Woodburn Chase was instrumental in leading the efforts for this reorganization over notable opposition, including the governor of North Carolina.[4]
In June 1951, Harvey Beech, J. Kenneth Lee, Floyd McKissick, and James Robert Walker Jr. became the first four black students enrolled at the law school. McKissick and other black students had argued in court that a state law school for blacks in Durham was not equal to that in Chapel Hill. In March 1951, a U.S. Court of Appeals agreed and ordered UNC to stop excluding black applicants.[5] Sylvia X. Allen became the first black female student to graduate in 1962, and did so as the mother of six children.[6]
As of 2023[update], the law school has 572 enrolled students and a student-faculty ratio of 8.8 to 1. The entering class of first-year law students in 2023 was composed of 179 students from 27 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada. Sixty percent of students were from North Carolina, and students of color made up 32.52% of the class. Sixty percent of incoming students were female, while 38% were male.[7][8]
As of 2023, the University of North Carolina School of Law is ranked 22nd (tied) in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.[9]
Admissions
For the class entering in 2023, the school accepted 16.27% of applicants, with 37.99% of those accepted enrolling. The average enrollee had a 166 LSAT score and 3.78 undergraduate GPA.[7]
Facilities
The 1999 addition to Van Hecke-Wettach Hall, commonly referred to as the rotunda
The law school is currently located in Van Hecke-Wettach Hall, towards the southeastern side of the Chapel Hill campus, neighboring the School of Government and several athletic facilities. Van Hecke-Wettach Hall includes the Kathrine R. Everett Law Library, located primarily on four floors on the back side of the building.
Centers and programs
The UNC School of Law is home to several centers that focus on issues of state and national interest:[10]
Center for Banking and Finance - Lissa Broome, Director
Center for Civil Rights - Theodore Shaw, Director.
Center for Climate, Energy, Environment & Economics - Jonas J. Monast, Director
North Carolina Coastal Resources Law, Planning and Policy Center
UNC Center for Media Law and Policy - David Ardia, Co-Director
Director Diversity Initiative
Intellectual Property Initiative
UNC School of Law Medical Child Abuse Initiative
Prosecutors and Politics Project
N.C. Poverty Research Fund
Clinics
Clinics provide students with the opportunity to learn legal theory and put the legal theory to practice.[11]
Civil Legal Assistance Clinic
Community Development Law Clinic
Consumer Financial Transactions Clinic
Domestic and Sexual Violence Clinic
Immigration Clinic
Intellectual Property Clinic
Military and Veterans Law Clinic
Youth Justice Clinic
Law journals
The school is home to six student-edited law journals.[12] The oldest, the North Carolina Law Review, was founded in 1922. This journal features an annual North Carolina issue reviewing developments in the state's law.
According to employment disclosures required by the American Bar Association, 92.46% of the class of 2020 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required, JD advantage, or professional employment after graduation. A small number enrolled in further graduate studies.[13]
Costs
The total cost of attendance, including tuition, fees, and living expenses, at UNC for the 2017-2018 academic year was $49,562 for North Carolina residents and $66,193 for out-of-state students.[14] The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $176,368 for residents and $243,846 for nonresidents.[15]
There are more than 10,000 alumni of the University of North Carolina School of Law since its founding.[16] Roughly 40 percent of practicing North Carolina attorneys are Carolina Law graduates, more than any other law school in North Carolina.[16] Many have gone on to notable roles, including government offices, such as former US Senator and 2004 Vice Presidential candidate John Edwards, and former Chief of Staff to the President of the United States and former US Congressman, Mick Mulvaney. Additionally, many have served in positions in the North Carolina state government. Among these are the current and recent North Carolina governors (Cooper, Hunt, Holshouser, Moore, and Sanford) and (as of the 2021 term) three of seven North Carolina Supreme Court justices (Barringer, Newby, and Hudson).
