2016 Fact Book

68 F or more than 40 years, the Shepard Broad College of Law has been an innovator in legal education. The Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree program emphasizes a highly practical curriculum and training so graduates are ready to serve clients immediately upon graduation. The online Master of Science programs enable professionals to supplement their career by earning degrees in education law, employment law, health law, and law and policy. Notable alumni include numerous judges, mayors, and other government officials. Many are partners in major law firms and serve on community boards and as pro bono volunteers. The Shepard Broad College of Law is at the forefront of clinical legal education and guarantees every student a live-client experience through in-house clinics and a wide array of field placements. This highly regarded opportunity provides on-site placements with government agencies, nonprofit companies, and law firms. Every student can spend an entire semester in one of five full-semester clinics and field placements. Dispute Resolution, Children and Families Law, Criminal Justice, Environmental and Land Use, and Veterans Law clinics provide specialized practice training while the Civil Field Placement Clinic allows a student to participate in the legal field of his or her own choice. Beginning winter 2017, students will be able to participate in an Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AIDD) Clinic. This specialized clinic is one of only two in the country. Recent alumni are invited to participate in the newly launched Legal Incubator program, providing new attorneys with the infrastructure and basic training needed to get their practices started, while also providing the local community with legal assistance at an affordable cost. The National Jurist recognizes the College of Law as providing quality education to students, ranking the college ninth in the nation as one of the Best Schools for Small Law and fourth in the nation at preparing law students for the bar exam and practice of law. The college takes pride in being among the most diverse law schools in the nation. The entering class of 2015 represented a diverse student body, including 41 percent Hispanic, 40 percent white or Caucasian, 6 percent black or African American, 3 percent mixed race, 1 percent Native American, and 1 percent Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. In fact, HispanicBusiness .com ’s 2014 Annual Diversity Report ranked the NSU College of Law fifth nationally as one of the Best Law Schools for Diversity Practices. Diversity also carries over in our range of affinity groups (representing African American, Asian, Hispanic, Jewish, and LGBT law students), along with interest groups such as those for business law, health law, entertainment and sports law, and intellectual property. Special programs available at the college include dual- degree programs with many of NSU’s other colleges; dual-degree programs abroad in Rome, Barcelona, or Prague; concentrations in health or international law, degree and semester abroad programs; and much more. Many students volunteer for pro bono service through the Public Interest Law Center. The NSU College of Law’s faculty members, students, and staff members recognize the importance of law as an instrument of social change. Our programmelds doctrine, skills, and ethical concerns to produce attorneys who are both skilled and caring, and scholarship that advances our understanding of the law. Shepard Broad College of Law