A Growing Presence in Legal Education

Founded in early 1993, the University of Orlando School of Law admitted its first class in 1995. In 1999, the School of Law became a part of Barry University, a private Catholic university located in Miami Shores, Florida. The School of Law endeavors to offer a quality legal education in a caring environment with a religious dimension so that study and reflection lead to informed action and a commitment to social justice leads to collaborative service. The School of Law promotes the highest standards of ethics and competence in the practice of law and other pursuits. The School of Law seeks to challenge students to embrace intellectual, personal, ethical, spiritual, ecological, and social responsibilities in an atmosphere of academic freedom. The program strives to equip its graduates to apply the knowledge, values, and skills they acquire to enhance personal growth, the legal profession, the judicial system, society, and the earth community.

The School of Law is situated on a beautiful 20-acre campus, about 15 minutes from downtown Orlando. Barry Law’s facilities include a three-story Legal Advocacy Center, featuring five courtrooms, a three-story library, a student law center, a moot court building, a brand new 180-seat state-of-the-art lecture hall, a student café, a chapel, a faculty office building, and a bookstore, as well as facilities for clinical programs, student life center, and the bar preparation and academic success programs.

The Barry Law mission guides everything from awarding scholarships and stipends to pairing students with mentors. The law school offers a Career Services Office, academic success guidance, and an extensive bar preparation program. Candidates who choose to study at Barry Law will enjoy the benefits of a university where students receive the individualized attention needed to succeed, both in the classroom and in the practice of law.

The Perfect Venue

Central Florida is one of the fastest-growing areas in the nation and the ideal location for the study and practice of law. Barry University School of Law is located in one of the nation’s most vibrant legal and business communities. Central Florida is home to a plethora of law firms, as well as major corporate entities that have headquarters or satellite offices in the metropolitan Orlando area. It is also home to a wide array of national and international businesses, a robust technology sector, a thriving hospitality and health care industry and many other entrepreneurial businesses across a variety of industries. A host of attractions brings millions of visitors to Central Florida each year. Just an hour away are the beaches of the Atlantic.

Orlando is a major commercial center; many international corporations have headquarters in the region. Central Florida provides a wealth of opportunities for students to gain firsthand exposure to a multitude of practice areas. The Law School Advisory Board plays an active role with our students and is composed of many prominent Central Florida attorneys, judges, government officials, and other community leaders. Their affiliations enhance the networking and career opportunities available to Barry Law students.

Central Florida enjoys a year-round subtropical climate and offers a wide range of cultural and recreational activities, from its tranquil lakes and vast beaches, to world-famous amusement parks, to quaint neighborhood bistros and farmers markets. Accommodations in the immediate area include fully furnished and unfurnished apartments as well as single-family dwellings. Orlando has a large number of hotels and executive lodges that offer reduced rates on a weekly or monthly basis.

Curriculum

Barry Law combines traditional and innovative teaching methods to provide a dynamic, professional program. The Juris Doctor (JD) curriculum is designed to develop students’ analytical ability, communication skills, and understanding of the codes of professional responsibility and ethics that are central to the practice of law. Our faculty utilize a variety of teaching methods, including simulations and role-playing. Courses designed to develop and refine writing abilities are required. Seminars and advanced courses provide close interaction with faculty.

Barry Law is one of the few law schools in the country that allows students to begin in both the fall and spring semesters and offers flexible programs in the day and evening (for both full-time and part-time students). The part-time program is available only to students who begin in the fall semester. Barry offers a three-year program structured for full-time students. The School of Law also offers a four-year extended studies program to accommodate working adults or anyone who is unable to pursue full-time study. Barry Law students have many opportunities to experience the “law-in-action” concept, both in the classroom and through practical application. The law school offers a collegial student/professor relationship indicative of legal education structured around the needs of the future attorney.

Comprehensive Legal Academic Success Program

The Barry Law Comprehensive Legal Academic Success Program (CLASP) helps students develop the academic skills necessary to succeed in law school and on the bar examination. The four main components of the program include

Study Skills Workshops and Dean’s Fellows: Dean’s Fellows are successful upper-class students who offer workshops, individualized assistance, and other support. The program is open to all students who would like to develop or enhance their study skills. Under the supervision of the director of academic success and in collaboration with the full-time faculty members that teach each course, weekly workshops are designed to help students improve their skills in reading and briefing cases, preparing for class, outlining, and time management. Other workshops help students improve their exam-taking skills by offering practice multiple-choice and essay questions that are similar to those that students will encounter on their final exams and on the bar exam.
The Writing Center: The center provides assistance with law school-related writing. Supervised by the director, the Writing Center is staffed with Dean’s Writing Fellows who are chosen based on demonstrated excellence in legal writing. The Dean’s Writing Fellows provide assistance to students with their Legal Research and Writing class assignments and with their upper-level writing requirement.
Individual Counseling: This service is available to all Barry Law students. Members of the CLASP team are available to meet individually with any student seeking to improve study skills, identify problems interfering with academic performance and bar preparation, and to provide guidance and recommendations for future academic success and bar success.
Bar Preparation: Barry Law offers two bar prep courses for law school credit, ample tutoring opportunities each year, and workshops designed to maximize bar success. Members of the CLASP team are available to meet with students and graduates individually to design custom study schedules for the bar examination. The courses are open to students and graduates who would like to develop or enhance their preparation for the bar examination.

Clinical Programs

Barry Law’s Clinical Programs offer students the opportunity to participate in four in-house clinics:

Youth Defense Clinic: Qualified students will primarily represent children who are charged in delinquency court, the juvenile equivalent of adult criminal cases. Students will litigate the cases start to finish, gaining experience in detention advocacy, probable cause hearings, depositions, tactual investigation, legal research, working with experts, writing and arguing substantive motions, and depositions.
Collaborative Family Law: Barry University School of Law offers a fully staffed Collaborative Family Law Panel to help couples resolve marital disputes, especially divorce, in a nonlitigious manner, often in emotionally charged situations. Students work directly with attorneys, mental health professionals, and financial experts from the community in representing clients and providing them with the full collaborative law experience. Barry University School of Law is one of only a few law schools in the nation offering such a clinic, and the only one with a full panel experience for students and clients.
Environmental and Earth Law: Qualified students will develop an understanding about the interrelationship among environmental laws, regulations, and permits by assessing environmental conditions impacting individuals and communities and working with clients to assess their legal options. Students will learn client-development skills by working with the clinic director to identify environmentally impacted communities within the region and organizations or individuals within those communities who may require or benefit from legal assistance.
Immigration: Students will primarily represent noncitizens seeking immigration benefits or defending against removal proceedings before the Department of Homeland Security or the Executive Office for Immigration Review. Students will learn everything from interviewing and counseling clients, to case planning, legal research, and preparing for written and oral advocacy.

Externship Programs

Barry Law’s Clinical Placement Program, in conjunction with the Florida Supreme Court, permits primarily third-year law students to practice law as Certified Legal Interns under the direct supervision of an experienced Florida attorney in conjunction with the law school’s director of clinical placements. Externship opportunities include

Bankruptcy
Civil Government
Civil Poverty
Criminal Defense
Judicial
Mediation
Nonprofit Corporation
Prosecution

Barry Law is committed to clinics and externships that are consistent with the school’s mission to provide experiential learning to the students and service to the community. Prior to placing law students, supervising attorneys and judges must agree to provide the opportunity for experiential learning in accordance with the specified methods and objectives. Both clinics and externships also have a corresponding classroom component. Students may apply for the various clinics and externships after they fulfill all appropriate prerequisites, usually in the second semester, or after their second year, of study.

Practice Ready Institute

The Practice Ready Institute is an intensive academic experience during which 2L and 3L students can earn academic credit during the week immediately prior to the spring, summer, and fall semesters. The one-credit “practice ready” courses, taught by faculty members and practitioners, are hands-on learning experiences designed to focus on aspects of the practice of law that will equip students with the knowledge and skills essential for the effective and successful practice of law in the real world.

Scholarships and Financial Assistance

The School of Law proudly offers merit-based scholarships, grants, and stipends that range from $6,000 to the amount of full tuition. Admitted candidates are automatically considered for scholarships and do not need to complete any additional forms. If a scholarship is offered to a candidate, notice will be sent with the acceptance letter. Scholarships are renewable for three years for full-time students and four years for part-time students. The law GPA required to renew a merit-based scholarship ranges from 2.6 to 3.0. Contact Student Financial Services at 321.206.5621 for additional information.

Barry Law also offers a Scholarship Bonus Program to second- and third-year students. Students who rank in the top 10 percent after the first and second year of law school are offered a 75 percent scholarship.

Program Objective

Barry Law combines traditional and innovative teaching methods to provide a dynamic, professional program. Both the JD and LLM curriculums are designed to develop each student’s analytical ability, communication skills, and understanding of the codes of professional responsibility and ethics that are central to the practice of law. The Barry Law faculty utilizes a variety of teaching methods, including simulations and role-playing. Seminars and advanced courses in the second and third year of study provide close interaction with faculty. Barry Law emphasizes research and writing proficiency from the first day of class. Armed with a strong foundation in research and writing, Barry Law students are able to gain an advantage in the legal marketplace.

Graduation Requirements

To be eligible to receive the JD degree, a student must

successfully complete 90 academic credits of instruction, 60 of which must be completed at Barry University School of Law;
successfully complete all required courses (with the exception of those accepted for transfer credit at the time of admission) at Barry University School of Law;
complete the Upper Level Writing Requirement (ULWR);
complete 50 hours of pro bono service (students matriculating prior to fall 2014 must complete 40 hours of pro bono service);
complete a minimum of 6 hours of Professionalism Enhancement Program offerings (for students entering in the fall 2012 and thereafter);
complete all required courses with passing grades (grades higher than “F”), including a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 1.8 or greater in all required courses;
attain a cumulative grade-point average of 2.0 or greater;
satisfy any financial obligation to the School of Law;
satisfy and resolve all outstanding Honor Code or Student Conduct Code complaints; and
be approved by the faculty for graduation.