University of Toledo College of Law

Published November 2010, last updated January 2011

Introduction

Founded in 1906, the University of Toledo College of Law, located in Toledo, Ohio, seeks to offer a rich and engaged classroom experience guided by faculty members who are leaders in their fields and a wide range of programs designed to help develop and sharpen practical legal skills.

Affordability

Toledo Law works extremely hard to provide an affordable education without sacrificing quality. Toledo Law was recently named a Best Value Law School by National Jurist Magazine, because of it's strong employment opportunities within Ohio and the surrounding states, high bar passage rates, and affordable tuition. In addition to competitive tuition rates, Toledo Law offers $1.5 Million in Scholarships each year to its students. These include merit based scholarships, leadership scholarships, and diversity scholarships.

Diversity

Over the last several years, students have come from over 150 undergraduate institutions in 45 states, 3 U.S. territories, and 11 foreign countries.

Students come from a variety of backgrounds. Many come straight from college, while others have worked for years.

Faculty

The Faculty of Toledo Law blends an emphasis on “practical” learning with a concentration on “theoretical” analysis. An extensive curriculum covers the traditional subjects of legal education and incorporates the development of professional legal skills and values.

Library and Physical Facilities

The spacious, newly renovated Law Center includes tiered classrooms, a striking student lounge, a state-of-the-art moot courtroom, and an amphitheater-style auditorium. The entire building offers wireless access.

Occupying four levels within the Law Center, the library contains group-study rooms, videotaping facilities, and a modern computer lab available for use by law students. Students are trained in the use of two vast electronic law libraries – LexisNexis and Westlaw.

Curriculum

Toledo Law requires the successful completion of 89 semester hours for graduation. The curriculum in the first year of the full-time program and the first two years in the part-time program consists of required courses. We offer five Certificates of Concentration: Intellectual Property, Environmental Law, International Law, Labor and Employment Law, and Criminal Law.

Toledo Law has Joint-Degree Programs that allow students to obtain a Master of Science in Engineering, PhD in Engineering, Master of Business Administration, Master of Public Administration, or Master of Criminal Justice. Students may also design individual joint-degree programs.

Clinical Offerings

Regarding clinical education, Toledo law provides an atmosphere for learning basic lawyering techniques and allows students the opportunity to further sharpen their skills in live client settings. The wide array of clinical offerings enables students to gain practical legal experience before graduation. Toledo Law offers a General Legal Clinic, Domestic Violence Clinic, and Dispute Resolution Clinic.

Students also have the opportunity to take part in our Prosecutors’ Clinic which allows students to be partnered up with any willing Prosecutors’ office in the United States.

The Public Service Externship Clinic provides law students the opportunity to experience the reality of practice by spending a semester working in judges’ chambers, legal services offices, and other public service legal settings.

Student Activities

The University of Toledo Law Review is published four times a year by students selected on the basis of academic performance and a writing competition. The law school also hosts a Moot Court program and Trial Advocacy Team, who compete both regionally and nationally.

Toledo Law is home to over 25 student organizations that allow students to become involved in targeted areas of law and social groups.

Professional Development & Career Services

The Professional Development office at Toledo Law assists students through workshops and counseling, and brings students together with alumni from all over and members of local bar associations to support networking and professional growth opportunities.

As a result of both on and off-campus interviews, second and third-year students accept summer law clerk and attorney positions in all major cities of Ohio and Michigan, as well as locations through the United States. Graduates are successfully practicing in major law firms, government offices, the judiciary, and in public interest positions in nearly every state. Graduates also can be found in Asia, Europe, and Africa.

Conclusion

Students looking for a portable degree that will provide strong job prospects nationwide should look elsewhere, but for those who know they wish to practice law in the Ohio region, and whose credentials preclude admission to higher ranked schools within the region, the University of Toledo College of Law's relatively affordable tuition, combined with its dedicated faculty and its comprehensive curriculum, could make Toledo Law the right option.

Contact Information

The University of Toledo College of Law 2801 West Bancroft
Mail Stop 507
Toledo, Ohio 43606-3390

Admissions: 419.530.4131
law.admissions@utoledo.edu

Quick Facts

U.S. News & World Report ranking: Tier 3 LSAT Median: 153
GPA Median: 3.24
Application fee: Free online
Entering class size: 470
Yearly Tuition: Resident, ~$19,972; Nonresident, $~30,572
Bar passage rate in Ohio: 89%
Percent of graduates employed 9 months after graduation: 92%
Average private sector salary: $68,607 (class of 2009)