Hofstra University

Coordinates: 40°42′52.58″N 73°36′1.65″W / 40.7146056°N 73.6004583°W / 40.7146056; -73.6004583

Hofstra University is a private, non-profit,nonsectarian institution of higher learning. Its main campus is located in the village of Hempstead, New York, United States, approximately 7 miles (11 km) east of New York City. It originated in 1935 as an extension of New York University (NYU) called "Nassau College – Hofstra Memorial of New York University at Hempstead, Long Island"; in 1939, the institution separated from NYU and gained independence as Hofstra College, and in 1963, Hofstra College gained university status. Comprising ten schools, including a School of Medicine and a School of Law, Hofstra is noted for a series of prominent Presidential conferences, as well as being selected to host United States Presidential Debates in 2008 and 2012.

History

The college—established as an extension of New York University (NYU) — was founded on the estate of a recently deceased wealthy couple, a lumber entrepreneur of Dutch ancestry, William S. Hofstra (1861–1932) and his second wife, Kate Mason (1854–1933). The extension had been proposed by a Hempstead resident, Truesdel Peck Calkins, who had been superintendent of schools for Hempstead. In her will, Kate Mason provided the bulk of their property and estate to be used for a charitable, scientific or humanitarian purpose, to be named in honor of her husband. Two friends, Howard Brower and James Barnard, were asked to decide what to do with the estate. Another Hempstead resident, Truesdel Peck Calkins, remarked to Brower that he had been looking for a site to start an institution of higher education, and the three men agreed it would be an appropriate use of the estate. Calkins approached the administration at New York University, and they expressed interest.

Maurice A. Deane School of Law

The Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University is located in Hempstead, New York. Founded in 1970 and accredited by the ABA in 1971, the school offers a JD, a joint JD/MBA degree, and LL.M degrees in American Law (for foreign law graduates) and Family law. Hofstra Law School is located on the southern portion of the 240-acre (0.97 km²) Hofstra University campus, in Hempstead, New York. The school was renamed to the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University in September 2011.

According to Hofstra's 2014 ABA-required disclosures, 57.7% of the Class of 2014 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation. With an additional 2% pursuing another degree.

Academics

Hofstra's School of Law is on a semester system, encompassing a fall and spring semester, with a three-week winter break during which several intensive skills programs are taught and a study abroad program is offered in Curaçao and Cuba. The school also holds a summer session during which several classes are offered for students, along with a number of study abroad opportunities. The law school is also the first ABA approved law school in the United States to offer programs in Cuba.

Law school

A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction.

Law degrees

Brazil

In Brazil, law is studied as an undergraduate program. Students who succesfully complete such programs are awarded a Bachelor of Law and are allowed to take the bar examination, which is held twice a year on a nation-wide basis. Candidates who pass the examination are then allowed to work as attorneys.

Canada

The oldest civil law faculty in Canada offering law degrees was established in 1848 at McGill University in Montreal, and the oldest common law faculty in Canada offering law degrees was established in 1883 at Dalhousie University in Halifax. The typical law degree required to practice law in Canada is now the Juris Doctor, which requires previous university coursework and is similar to the first law degree in the United States. There is some scholarly content in the coursework (such as an academic research paper required in most schools). The programs consist of three years, and have similar content in their mandatory first year courses. Beyond first year and the minimum requirements for graduation, course selection is elective with various concentrations such as business law, international law, natural resources law, criminal law, Aboriginal law, etc. Some schools, however, have not switched from LL.B. to the J.D. – one notable university that still awards the LL.B is McGill University.

School of Law (Trinity College, Dublin)

School of Law at Trinity College, Dublin is the oldest established law school in Ireland. It teaches law to undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as conducting legal research and holding conferences.

There are approximately 700 undergraduate students and 150 postgraduate students in the Law School. It publishes the Dublin University Law Journal and the Trinity College Law Review. The Law School is located in House 39 on New Square.

Degrees

It offers five undergraduate degrees. The Bachelor in Laws (LL.B.), Law and French (the LL.B. (ling. franc.)), Law and German (the LL.B. (ling. germ.)), Law and Business (LL.B. Bus) and Law and Political Science (LL.B. Pol. Science) degrees are all four-year honors degree programmes in Law.

The School offers five taught Master in Laws degrees. Applicants who already hold a good honors (II.1) law degree or law related degree, can apply to study for the LL.M. (Master in Laws), Master in International and Comparative Law, Master in International and European Business Law and Master in Intellectual Property Law. All four postgraduate degrees are one-year taught programmes. The School of Law also offers two postgraduate research degree programmes - the M.Litt. or Ph.D., which are conducted by research. Finally, the LL.D. is an honour reserved for outstanding legal academics.