Northeastern University School of Law: A Comprehensive Overview

Introduction

Northeastern University School of Law (NUSL), located in Boston, Massachusetts, has a rich history and a distinctive approach to legal education. Founded on the principles of experiential learning and social justice, NUSL offers a comprehensive Juris Doctor (JD) program, as well as Master of Laws (LLM) programs, both on-campus and online. This article delves into the history, academic programs, experiential learning opportunities, and unique aspects of Northeastern University School of Law.

Historical Development

Founding and Early Years

Northeastern University School of Law was established in 1898 by the Boston Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) as the city's first evening law program. This initiative addressed the growing need for accessible legal education, as the traditional practice of "reading law" in established lawyers' offices became less effective. An advisory committee of legal luminaries, including James Barr Ames, dean of Harvard Law School, Samuel Bennett, dean of Boston University School of Law, and Massachusetts Judge James R. Dunbar, guided the formation of the evening law program. In 1904, the program was officially incorporated as the Evening School of Law of Boston YMCA, granting LL.B. degrees. The YMCA Law School expanded its reach by opening additional campuses in Worcester, Massachusetts (1917), Springfield, Massachusetts (1919), and Providence, Rhode Island (1921).

Closure and Revival

Despite its initial success, Northeastern University School of Law faced challenges and was closed in April 1953. Northeastern President Carl Ell cited the proliferation of other law schools in the city and a significant drop in enrollment, from 1,328 students in 1937-38 to 196 students in that year. The school's building and library on Mt. Vernon Street in Beacon Hill were subsequently sold. However, the school's alumni, who constituted a significant portion of Massachusetts's Superior Court and District Court judges, spearheaded efforts to reestablish the law school in 1966. The revived law school was based on the university's signature cooperative education model. Thomas J. O'Toole, a Harvard Law graduate, was appointed as the school's dean in 1967. In 1970, Gryzmish Hall on Huntington Avenue was dedicated, which would later become part the Asa S. Knowles Center for Law. Despite the school's working-class origins, rigorous new admissions policies resulted in a small student body of 125 students who nearly all came from financially well-off families and upper-echelon undergraduate colleges.

Academic Programs

Juris Doctor (JD) Program

NUSL offers a Juris Doctor (JD) program for full-time, on-campus students. The program integrates full-time employment into the traditional JD curriculum, enabling students to graduate in three years, which is comparable to other law schools.

FlexJD Program

In the fall of 2021, NUSL introduced the FlexJD program, catering to part-time students through online and on-campus learning options.

Master of Laws (LLM) Programs

The law school provides on-campus and online Master of Laws (LLM) programs for lawyers seeking to enhance their legal expertise. These programs are designed to provide foundational knowledge and skills necessary to become effective global lawyers.

LLM Concentrations

Northeastern’s On-Campus LLM program combines the best elements of our extensive academic offerings with courses specifically designed to give LLM students the foundational knowledge and skills they need to become effective global lawyers. The concentrations combine core courses and an exciting selection of elective courses with practical legal experience. The curriculum provides students with a strong substantive foundation, while still allowing substantial freedom to choose courses outside the area of concentration. The Experiential LLM (with co-op placement) lasts 12 months and the LLM (without co-op) lasts 9 months.

The LLM concentrations include:

Health Policy and Law: Designed for lawyers working in health policy and law or those aspiring to enter this field.
Human Rights and Economic Development: Tailored for US- and internationally trained lawyers preparing for careers with NGOs, advocacy groups, and community organizations supporting human rights.
International Business Law: Focuses on the interaction between law and business in a global context.
Intellectual Property and Innovation: Prepares students for various practice areas in technology and creativity, including operational advice, transactional work, litigation, and policy.

Online LLM Program

The Online LLM program offers a flexible, 100 percent online learning format for working attorneys, focusing on practical skills and foundational knowledge of the US legal environment and global practice of law. Focus areas include International Business, Intellectual Property and Technology, and Bar Exam Preparation for those students who intend to take the California Bar Exam. The Online LLM can be completed in as little as 12 months.

Experiential Learning: The Cooperative Legal Education Program

Northeastern University School of Law is renowned for its leadership in legal experiential education. The Cooperative Legal Education Program is a central feature of the school's curriculum. Every student is guaranteed three full-time placements that typically last between 13 and 15 weeks. This program integrates full-time employment into the traditional JD curriculum, allowing students to graduate with almost a year of full-time legal work experience. With ties to 1500 employers across 71 countries, the program offers diverse opportunities for students to gain practical experience in various legal settings.

The benefits of co-op extend far beyond graduating with an impressive resume. Students bring lessons learned on co-op into the classroom, creating a vibrant intellectual exchange that builds with each new experience. Instead of grades, students get written evaluations from their professors and co-op employers.

Tuition

Tuition for a full-time Northeastern student is $65,652 per year.

Publications and Scholarly Activity

Northeastern University Law Review

The Northeastern University Law Review, founded in 2008, is a student-edited journal that publishes legal scholarship from law professors, judges, attorneys, and law students. It is published twice a year, and staff members are selected based on their fact-checking, cite-checking skills, and a diversity statement.

Journal of Legal Education

NUSL is a co-editor of the Journal of Legal Education, a quarterly publication of the Association of American Law Schools, which features articles on legal theory, legal scholarship, and legal education.

Centers and Initiatives

Center for Law, Equity, and Race (CLEAR)

In 2021, Northeastern launched the Center for Law, Equity, and Race (CLEAR), which builds upon the work of the law school’s Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project (CRRJ) and Criminal Justice Task Force.

Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project (CRRJ)

In September 2022, CRRJ announced the unprecedented Burnham-Nobles Digital Archive, one of the most comprehensive digital archives of racial homicides collected to date. The archive brings together evidence demonstrating the extensive scale and scope of killings between 1930 and 1954 in the Jim Crow South. Many of the 1,000 cases of anti-Black killings were mishandled by local police and prosecutors or went unreported until investigated by Northeastern law students and faculty. Built on open-source architecture, the archive offers users the opportunity to learn about how violence affected people’s lives, defined legal rights, and shaped politics during the Jim Crow era.

Center for Public Interest Advocacy and Collaboration

The Center for Public Interest Advocacy and Collaboration acts as the support center for all such endeavors, and helps connect students with pro bono opportunities across the nation. The school's eight clinics also provide a responsible avenue for students to gain experience while aiding underrepresented individuals in matters such as domestic violence or prisoners' rights.

Center for Law, Innovation and Creativity and the Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy

Lastly, a cadre of nationally recognized centers and institutes (such as the Center for Law, Innovation and Creativity and the Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy) round out an already full plate of experiential opportunities.

Faculty

Northeastern University School of Law faculty members have studied at some of the best schools in the nation - including Harvard, Yale and Northeastern. These nationally recognized professors publish in the most prestigious journals and are hands-on participants in pro bono legislative and policy work. As engaged as they are, our faculty members-including distinguished visiting and adjunct faculty, specialists, lecturers, and program managers-are available, accessible, and eager to offer advice and assistance.

Campus Environment and Resources

Location

Northeastern University is located in one of America’s most beautiful, exciting, and truly livable cities. Within walking distance of the law school, you can take in the galleries at the Museum of Fine Arts, a Boston Pops concert at renowned Symphony Hall, or a Red Sox baseball game at historic Fenway Park. Or, if you want to soak up local and international culture, hop on the T (Boston’s subway) right outside of the law school’s doors for a short ride to the Italian North End or Chinatown for authentic regional cuisine. Or go shopping at Faneuil Hall or relax in Boston’s famed Public Garden. Boston is also one of the most sophisticated legal markets in the United States.

Career Services

The law school provides a wide range of career services for students, graduates, and employers, including career counseling, informational programs and workshops, job fairs, job listings, and more.

Library

The Law Library has print and electronic research resources available for US and international law research, and law students have free access to all major legal research databases and many specialized ones. Students also have access to nonlegal and interdisciplinary databases and e-books through the university library. Most databases can be accessed from off site as well as on campus. Free interlibrary loan is available if you need something that is not in our collections. Professional law librarians teach legal research courses for LLM students and are available to assist students with their research. The library hosts quiet and group-study space for students; law student computer labs, printers, and scanners; and a student kitchen.

Technology

The law school offers more than 50 lab computers. Our larger classrooms each contain a teaching station with built-in technology to aid in class presentations. Wireless Internet is available throughout the university for laptop users, and there are also network ports available for those who do not have a wireless card.

Recreational Facilities

There are three state-of-the-art sports centers on the Northeastern University campus offering a variety of recreational activities free of charge to Northeastern University students.

Housing and Transportation

Most law school students live off campus, usually within a short walk or a convenient ride from the school. Public transportation to and from the campus is excellent: subway, rail, and bus service abounds.

Mission and Values

Northeastern University School of Law’s mission is to be a global leader in experiential legal education, providing students with the knowledge, skills and ethical and social values essential to serving clients and the public interest, now and in the future.

The school's core values include:

Experiential Learning: Integrating practice experiences with professional development.
Intellectual Inquiry: Valuing critical thinking, academic rigor, and clarity of thought.
Social Justice: Promoting the use of law as a vehicle for advancing the public good and advocating for underrepresented individuals and groups.
Diversity: Committing to a broad conception of diversity that recognizes the values and differences in identity and life experiences.
Ethical Standards: Expecting students, faculty, and staff to understand and adopt the highest ethical standards in their professional lives.
Community: Nurturing individual strengths and promoting teamwork that embraces difference.

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