St. Mary's University School of Law is the law school of St. Mary's University, a private Catholic university located in San Antonio, Texas.
Academics
The School of Law has an enrollment of about 770 students, pursuing Juris Doctor (J.D.), Master of Laws (LL.M.), or Master of Jurisprudence (M.Jur.) degrees.
Ranking, bar passage, and employment outcomes
The 2023 Rankings by U.S. News & World Report place the school at No. 147-193 of U.S. law schools, in the bottom quartile. According to St. Mary's ABA-required disclosures, 60% of St. Mary's 2017 graduates found full-time long-term employment that required bar passage.
History
In October 1927, the San Antonio Bar Association established the San Antonio School of Law, which for seven years after its founding was administered by a board of governors under the control of the bar association. Until the School of Law became associated with a physical campus, classes were held at the Bexar County Courthouse. In an attempt to maximize the educational and material resources of the fledgling institution, the Board of Governors negotiated with St. Mary's University regarding a transfer of the School of Law's administrative control. The transfer was completed on October 1, 1934, and St. Mary's University School of Law was officially established.
The School of Law was then housed at St. Mary's University's original downtown campus at 112 College Street. Possessing several military bases, San Antonio experienced a surge of population and industry in the years immediately following the World War II. This exponential growth resulted in more law students. To meet these new demands adequately, the School of Law organized itself to meet the requirements of the American Bar Association and the Association of American Law Schools. It received accreditation from the ABA in February 1948 and became a member of the AALS in December 1949.
On December 19, 1967, the School of Law relocated from the College Street campus to join the main campus of St. Mary's, where an expansion project had provided for the addition of eight new buildings to the main University campus, including a lecture hall, law library, and faculty building comprising the Law Center.
Admissions and costs
According to St. Mary's 2017 ABA-required disclosures, 1,339 people applied to enter in the fall of 2017. 63% of those applicants were accepted, and 34% of those admitted enrolled at the school. For students enrolling in the fall of 2017, the average LSAT score was 150, and the average GPA was 3.12.
The total cost of full-time attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at St. Mary's for the 2016–17 academic year was $56,994, of which tuition is $36,310. The total cost for part-time attendance is $44,654, of which tuition is $23,970.
Centers
The Center for Terrorism Law aims to address "current and potential legal issues related to terrorism in light of the challenge of achieving and maintaining a proper balance between global security and civil justice." It recently secured a $1 million U.S. Department of Defense appropriation to study "Homeland Defense and Civil Support Threat Information Collection." This grant was conditioned upon "independent information gathering [by the Center] to compile and study all of the various state legislation that has been enacted (particularly since 9/11) related to how various state governments have chosen to balance the issue of increased security concerns and the protection of civil liberties." The Center is directed by Professor of Law Jeffrey Addicott .
The Center for International Legal Studies developed following the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the establishment of the North American Development Bank in San Antonio. The program was created to develop relationships with foreign universities and conduct public service outreach in the Mexico-U.S. border area. Through course offerings, overseas programs, faculty and student exchanges, and other activities, the Center offers extensive exposure to comparative and international law.