Saint Louis University School of Law, also known as SLU Law, is the law school affiliated with Saint Louis University, a private Jesuit research university in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has been American Bar Association approved since 1924 and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools.
History
The Law School was initially founded by Judge Richard Aylett Buckner and opened in 1843, making it the first law school to open west of the Mississippi River. The original Law School closed at some point after Buckner died in 1847. The Law School was re-established in 1908 in the Midtown neighborhood on the corner of Leffingwell Avenue and Locust Street. In its 1908 re-establishment, the law school accepted its first female law students. In August 2013, the school moved to its current location, Scott Hall, a new facility at 100 North Tucker Boulevard in Downtown Saint Louis.
Degree Programs
The Law School offers both J.D. and LL.M degrees. In addition to the law school-specific programs, the Law School offers a variety of Dual-Degree programs: J.D./Master of Accounting J.D./Master of Business Administration J.D./Master of Health Administration J.D./Master of Arts in Political Science and Public Affairs J.D./Master of Public Health J.D./Master of Social Work J.D./Master of Arts in Sociology J.D./Ph.D. in Health Care Ethics
Full-Time Program
In their first year, full-time students are required to take the Law School's Core Curriculum. This includes 31 hours of coursework in Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contract Law, Criminal Law, Property Law, Torts, a course in Legal Analysis, Research, & Communications ("LARC"), as well as an Introduction to Legal Studies course. After their first year, full-time students are allowed greater flexibility in their course selection, choosing from a vast selection of upper-division course electives to complete the required 91 credit hours. While students enjoy a lot of freedom in their upper-divisional schedules, the ABA and the Law School does require them to take a Legal Professions course, six hours of "Experiential Courses" (i.e., classes that give students the opportunity to practice their professional skills), and a Seminar Class where students will write a long-form legal research essay.
Part-Time Program
The Law School offers both a Part-Time Day Program and a Part-Time Evening Program. Students in the Part-Time Program can choose between an 11.5 hour and an 8.5 hour per semester schedule for their first two years that matches the classes the Full-Time students take. Following the first two years, Part-Time students select electives with the same requirements as Full-Time students and typically graduate with their J.D. in four to five years. As of 2023, the Part-Time program is ranked 29th by U.S. News & World Report.
LL.M Program
The Law School offers two LL.M programs. One of the programs is an LL.M in American Law for Foreign Lawyers, which is a one year program for foreign law school graduates seeking to start working in the United States. The Law School also offers an LL.M. in Health Law. The Law School has consistently been ranked first in Health Care Law by U.S. News & World Report.
Concentrations
In addition to their regular J.D., the school gives students the opportunity to choose a concentration Employment Law, Health Law, Intellectual Property Law, and International & Comparative Law if they wish to.
Academics
Centers
Center for Health Law Studies
The center was first established in 1982 and focuses on the intersection between health care systems and the legal system. The Center has been ranked first in the country by U.S. News & World Report 16 of the last 17 years. The center has twelve full-time faculty members and four affiliated faculty members who publish work in law, medicine and ethical journals. It offers a range of health law courses taught by full-time faculty, including foundational and specialized health law courses each semester. The Center also hosts the Saint Louis University Journal of Health Law & Policy and hosts a distinguished speaker series as well as an annual Health Law Symposium.
Students involved in the Center also have the opportunity to spend a semester in Washington, D.C. clerking full time for health-related federal agency. Past agencies have included the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Competition's Health Care Division.