Specialty programs at UIC John Marshall Law School in Chicago have once again been rated among the nation’s best. This is the seventh time preLaw Magazine rated UIC Law as one of the top law schools in the country for its practical training program, and its intellectual property law program was recognized for the sixth time.
UIC John Marshall received an A+ rating in intellectual property and an A- in practical training. The grades were based on the Law School’s curricular offerings in comparison to the offerings of the other 200+ law schools across the nation.
“This year’s recognition continues an eighty-year tradition of offering our students the best quality IP education available, said Daryl Lim, Director of UIC Law’s Center for Intellectual Property, Information & Privacy Law. “Law students aspiring to an IP-focused career, as well as law and non-law students aspiring to specialize in other areas, know the UIC Law experience offers them an important competitive advantage. With the steadfast support of the University and Law School, we strive not only to observe the IP world around us but also to continue to be a constructive player in it.”
Each year, UIC Law’s Center for Intellectual Property, Information & Privacy Law offers dozens of courses focused on IP, information technology or privacy law. The Law Library at Washington and Lee School of Law has also ranked UIC Law’s Review of Intellectual Property third in the world in its latest law journal rankings. The UIC Review of Intellectual Property has been rated in the top ten every year for the past decade and in the top five for the past seven years in a row.
Additionally, UIC Law requires more practical training than many other law schools in the nation. The Law School requires all law students to complete three credits – a minimum of 156 hours – of an externship or clinical experience. Students can further refine their lawyering skills by enrolling in a second semester of an advanced clinic.
All students must also take four semesters of legal writing and drafting courses. UIC Law’s legal writing program is known for its rigorous research and writing requirements and was ranked one of the best in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report. The Law School also houses the largest in-school writing resource center in the country.
Each year, the students and faculty at UIC Law’s Community Legal Clinics donate thousands of hours of services to individuals and communities in the Chicago area. The clinics provide services across a wide range of practice areas including community and business development; fair housing; veterans benefits; international human rights; civil rights; patent; and trademark law.
The Law School’s clinical opportunities offer students a chance to develop real legal experience while still in school. All clinics are designed to develop in students the skills that allow them to learn from their experience throughout their careers. Alicia Alvarez, Associate Dean for Experiential Education, described the clinics and externship program as “a unique opportunity for students to explore the role of the lawyer in the supportive environment of the Law School while also exploring the lawyer’s responsibility for access to justice.”
