Ave Maria School of Law

Ave Maria School of Law is a Roman Catholic law school located in Naples, Florida. It has an enrollment of around 360 students. The school focuses on natural law philosophy and teaches law from a Catholic perspective. Its students and faculty are generally conservative in their political beliefs. Bernard Dobranski is the school's Dean and President, and Robert Bork and Bruce Frohnen are among its faculty. Ave Maria School of Law gets its support from Tom Monaghan, the founder of Domino's Pizza and the former owner of the Detroit Tigers. Mr. Monaghan serves as the chairman of the school's board of governors through his Ave Maria Foundation.

History

Ave Maria School of Law was founded in 1999 by a group of six individuals who left the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law following a disagreement over the invitation of a pro-choice Michigan Supreme Court justice to give the oath at the school's Red Mass. With the financial support of Thomas Monaghan, Bernard Dobranski was recruited to serve as Dean. Dobranski is a former dean of Detroit Mercy Law School.

Location

The school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Board of Governors at Ave Maria School of Law has decided to relocate the school to Ave Maria; a town built approximately 30 miles east of Naples, Florida. This move is controversial among the school's students and faculty, many of whom are opposed to it. The Law School has been ranked as a "tier 4" law school by U.S. News and World Report, the lowest possible ranking. From the community center, a large reading room was developed and activity areas repurposed to hold the collections for the law library. The campus is adjacent to Ave Maria University, a Catholic institution of higher learning founded by Tom Monaghan. The school's Ave Maria campus is located in Ave Maria, Florida. The move there was controversial among the school's students and faculty, many of whom were opposed to it.

Accreditation

Ave Maria School of Law achieved full accreditation from the American Bar Association in 2005, just five years after opening its doors. This is the shortest time frame possible. The American Bar Association Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar has voted to continue Ave Maria's accreditation. It is licensed by the Commission for Independent Education, Florida Department of Education. Ave Maria School of Law is not without its critics, however. Some say that the school's curriculum is too focused on Catholic teachings and that this could make it difficult for graduates to find employment outside Catholic organizations or firms with a conservative bent. Others argue that the school's relocation to Ave Maria is nothing more than a publicity stunt and will ultimately hurt its reputation and jeopardize its accreditation.

Curriculum

The curriculum at Ave Maria was developed with the help of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. In 1999, the school's first annual Ave Maria Lecture was delivered by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Ave Maria's first class graduated in 2000. Since its founding, appreciation for the Catholic intellectual tradition has been a hallmark of Ave Maria. Ave Maria's curriculum is designed to instill in each student an understanding of the importance of natural law in solving legal problems and to provide students with the skills necessary to become effective lawyers and leaders in their communities.

Ave Maria offers a traditional three-year Juris Doctor program as well as an accelerated two-year Juris Doctor program. Ave Maria also offers a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree in Ave Maria's unique Anglo-American Legal Tradition. The curriculum requires students to study laws, ethics, and public policy, as well as the moral foundations of law and jurisprudence. In addition to traditional legal education, the school's curriculum emphasizes how law intersects with the Catholic intellectual tradition and natural law philosophy.

Among the practice areas in which Ave Maria students receive training are elder law, immigration law, family law, labor law, and real estate law. Ave Maria's unique curriculum allows students to gain practical experience through externships and clinics in these and other areas of legal practice. Applied Critical Thinking and Legal Analysis are emphasized throughout the curriculum. Ave Maria students have the opportunity to take part in study abroad programs, which are offered in cooperation with Ave Maria University.

Student Engagement

Ave Maria Law School Students enhance their legal education with Ave Maria's many student organizations. Ave Maria has an active Moot Court program that allows students to compete against other law schools in appellate brief writing and oral advocacy. Ave Maria also offers a unique Legal Research and Writing program designed to prepare students for the rigors of law practice.

The Ave Maria Law Review is the school's flagship legal journal. The Review is a student-run publication dedicated to providing Ave Maria students with an opportunity to engage in scholarly legal writing and research. The Student Bar Association is the governing body for all Ave Maria law students. The SBA works to enhance the law school experience for Ave Maria students through programming, service, and representation. Some projects organized by SBA are a food drive for Ave Maria Soup Kitchen, Habitat for Humanity, and a blood drive. Ave Maria students also volunteered at the Guadalupe Legal Clinic, which provides free legal assistance to low-income residents of Collier County.

Ms. O'Keefe is Ave Maria's Director of Career Services. The office provides a wide range of services and resources to Ave Maria students and alumni, including resume and cover letter assistance, job search advice, on-campus interviewing, academic counseling, and employer development. She also oversees student organizations. Among the student organizations are the Phi Alpha Delta, Ave Maria Elder Law and Ave Maria Immigration Law Society, Estate Planning Association, Ave Maria Family Law Society, Veterans Law Student Association and Ave Maria Real Estate Law Society. These groups sponsor a variety of events throughout the academic year.

Employment Outcomes & Bar Passage

In 2003, Ave Maria had the highest pass rate for the Michigan Bar Exam among first-time takers at 93 percent. The University of Michigan Law School came in second with a pass rate of 90 percent. In 2004, Ave Maria had a 100% Michigan bar passage rate. In 2006, the passing rate was 96%. Ave Maria had the highest overall pass rate among Michigan law schools in 2006.

In 2020, Ave Maria Law ranks lower than the state average in terms of bar passage rate among first-time test takers. The school's bar passage rate is 53.4%, while the state of Florida's overall bar passage rate is 67.9%. This means that Ave Maria Law students are 14.5% less likely to pass the bar exam than the average Florida law student.

The school's Moot Court team has also been very successful, winning top honors three years in a row for the state-wide competition. In 2005, the competition was held at Ave Maria. The clinic started with one course and one professor in 2004, focusing on religious persecution and women's rights cases. In 2006, a second course and professor were added. In 2007, the School of Law announced that it would be moving to Ave Maria, Florida. The clinic continues to operate at the new location.

Contact information

Ave Maria School of Law
Office of JD Admissions
1025 Commons Circle
Naples, FL 34119
(734) 827-8063
Email: info@avemarialaw.edu
Website: www.avemarialaw.edu

Summary

Established	1999
School type	Private
Location	Naples, Florida
Endowment	$1.45 million (2020)
Dean	John M. Czarnetzky
Entering Class	119 (2024)
Faculty	22 full time
USNWR ranking	(unranked)
Bar pass rate	53.4% (2020)
Acceptance rate	48.80% (2022)
Median LSAT score	151 (2022)
Cost	$48,156

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References

LSD Law
Ranked 147
Guide to Fee Waivers
LSAC Guide
How to Learn to Do Well on a Law School Exam
Success in Law School - A Unique Perspective
The Guide to Law School Loans