Widener University Commonwealth Law School
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Widener University Commonwealth Law School (Widener Law Commonwealth) is a
law school A law school (also known as a law centre/center, college of law, or faculty of law) is an institution, professional school, or department of a college or university specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for b ...
located in
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg ( ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,099 as of 2020, Harrisburg is the ninth-most populous city in Pennsylvania. It is the larger of the two pr ...
, and part of
Widener University Widener University is a private university in Chester, Pennsylvania, United States. Established in 1821, the university was known as the Pennsylvania Military College until 1972. Widener enrolls approximately 3,500 undergraduate students across s ...
, a
private university Private universities and private colleges are higher education institutions not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. However, they often receive tax breaks, public student loans, and government grants. Depending on the count ...
in
Chester, Pennsylvania Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the Philadelphia metropolitan area (also known as the Delaware Valley) on the western bank of the Delaware River between Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware. ...
. It is one of two separate ABA-accredited
law schools A law school (also known as a law centre/center, college of law, or faculty of law) is an institution, professional school, or department of a college or university specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for bec ...
of the university. It was founded in 1989 as an expansion of Widener University's law school in Wilmington. It awards the
Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...
degree in its full-time and part-time programs and is a member of the
Association of American Law Schools The Association of American Law Schools (AALS), formed in 1900, is a non-profit organization of 175 law schools in the United States. An additional 19 schools pay a fee to receive services but are not members. AALS incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non- ...
(AALS).


History

The Widener University School of Law in Harrisburg was founded in 1989, as an expansion of Widener University's existing law school in Wilmington, Delaware. Anthony J. Santoro, who served as Dean of law from 1983 to 1992, felt that there was a need for legal education in Harrisburg, the capital city of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Maryland to its south, West ...
. The law school became one of two law school campuses operated by Widener University. On July 1, 2015, the two campuses separated into two distinct law schools that operate independently of each other, but remain part of the Widener University. Each law school has its own dean, faculty, students, curriculum, and accreditation. The first Dean of the renamed Widener University Commonwealth Law School in Harrisburg was Christian A. Johnson. The law school chose the name Commonwealth to reflect its mission and ties to the Pennsylvania government and in recognition of Pennsylvania as one of four commonwealths in the nation.


Campus

Located in Pennsylvania's capital of
Harrisburg Harrisburg ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat, seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50, ...
, the campus spans 19 acres and includes 4 academic and administrative buildings as well as recreation and parking areas. The law library houses significant regional legal collections.


Academics

The school offers the
Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...
as well as certificate programs. It also offers two dual degree programs, a JD/Online
Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular ...
with the
Widener University Widener University is a private university in Chester, Pennsylvania, United States. Established in 1821, the university was known as the Pennsylvania Military College until 1972. Widener enrolls approximately 3,500 undergraduate students across s ...
School of Business Administration and a JD/ Master of Library Science with Clarion University of Pennsylvania.


Admissions

For the class entering in 2023, the law school accepted 65% of applicants, with 30.98% of those accepted enrolling. The average enrollee had a 148
LSAT The Law School Admission Test (LSAT ) is a standardized test administered by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) for prospective law school candidates. It is designed to assess reading comprehension and logical reasoning. The test is ...
score and 3.34 undergraduate
GPA Grading in education is the application of standardized measurements to evaluate different levels of student achievement in a course. Grades can be expressed as letters (usually A to F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), percentages, or as num ...
. The law school offers several 3+3 early admissions programs with partner schools: *
Widener University Widener University is a private university in Chester, Pennsylvania, United States. Established in 1821, the university was known as the Pennsylvania Military College until 1972. Widener enrolls approximately 3,500 undergraduate students across s ...
3+3 Early Admission Program * Elizabethtown College Law Early Admission Program (LEAP) * Wilson College 3+3 Early Admission Program *
Westminster College (Pennsylvania) Westminster College is a Private school, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1852, it is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The student p ...
3+3 Early Admission Program


Central Pennsylvania Law Clinics

Widener Law Commonwealth operates the Central Pennsylvania Law Clinics (CPLC) which provide legal services to the local community. The CPLC runs four clinics: * Administrative Law Clinic * Consumer Law Clinic * Elder Law Clinic * Family Justice Clinic


Dauphin County Bar Association

Beginning in 2014, the law school created the a joint venture with the Dauphin County Bar Association, to create a legal incubator program. The program is housed within the Dauphin County Bar Association's office while Widener provides legal education and support. The program's mission is to allow new graduates the resources, space, and training needed to create new solo law firms which benefit the local community.


Bar pass rates

Below are the Ultimate Bar Passage rates, i.e. percentage of graduates passing in two years, from the law school's ABA reports: * 2022 graduating class: 75.56% * 2021 graduating class: 80.25% * 2020 graduating class: 87.89% * 2019 graduating class: 78.21% * 2018 graduating class: 90.00% * 2017 graduating class: 87.30% * 2016 graduating class: 95.65% * 2015 graduating class: 95.12% The first-time bar passage rate for the 2024 graduating class was 54.00%.


Employment

According to the American Bar Association's Employment Reports, 62.24% of the law school's 98 person 2022 graduating class was employed in long-term bar examination passage required positions, i.e. as attorneys, with most of those graduates employed in firms of 1-10 attorneys, while 62.24% of the 2022 class was employed in some capacity in Pennsylvania, with one employed in a federal clerkship, and with 12 employed in state, local, or territorial clerkships. For classes graduating in 2019, preLaw Magazine recognized Widener Law Commonwealth as the #1 school in their Employment Honor Roll that considered employment for those with low LSAT and GPA scores that was not based on employment percentage or included top schools, but was based on a linear regression equation that best predicted a law school’s employment rate considering its students’ average LSAT score and undergraduate GPA.


Notable alumni

* Richard Alloway (2002) former senator in the
Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four-year terms, stagger ...
* P. Kevin Brobson (1995) associate justice of the
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Judiciary of Pennsylvania, Unified Judicial System. It began in 1684 as the Provincial Court, and casual references to it as ...
* Mark B. Cohen (1993) former member of the
Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...
, judge of the court of common pleas * Beau Correll (2007) attorney,
political commentator A pundit is a person who offers opinion in an authoritative manner on a particular subject area (typically politics, the social sciences, technology or sport), usually through the mass media. The term pundit describes both women and men, altho ...
, and founder of Free the Delegates * Eugene DePasquale (2002) former auditor general of Pennsylvania * William P. Doyle (2000) former commissioner of the Federal Maritime Commission * Alina Habba (2010) acting United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey * Michelle Henry (1994) appointed
Pennsylvania attorney general The Pennsylvania attorney general is the chief law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It became an elected office in 1980. The current attorney general is Republican Dave Sunday (politician), Dave ...
(2023-2024) * Wayne Langerholc (2000) senator for the 35th district in the
Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four-year terms, stagger ...
* Don McGahn (1994) former
White House counsel The White House Counsel is a senior staff appointee of the president of the United States whose role is to advise the president on all legal issues concerning the president and their administration. The White House counsel also oversees the Off ...
to
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
, former
commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to incl ...
of the
Federal Election Commission The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent agency of the United States government that enforces U.S. campaign finance laws and oversees U.S. federal elections. Created in 1974 through amendments to the Federal Election Campaign ...
*
Mark S. McNaughton Mark S. McNaughton (born May 7, 1963) is a former Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Pennsylvania State Representative in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 104, 104th District, which covers part of Dauphin County, Pennsylva ...
(2003) former member of the
Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...
for the 104th District * Patrick Murphy (1999) former member of the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
* Jim Schultz (1998) former associate White House counsel under
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
* Doug Steinhardt (1994) senator for the 23rd district in the
New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate is the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232,225 (2020 figure ...
, former chair of the New Jersey Republican Party * Henry W. Van Eck (1998)
chief judge Chief judge may refer to: In lower or circuit courts The highest-ranking or most senior member of a lower court or circuit court with more than one judge. * Chief judge (Australia) * Chief judge (United States) In supreme courts Some of Chief ...
of the US bankruptcy court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania


References


External links


Official website
{{authority control Law schools in Pennsylvania Education in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Widener University Universities and colleges in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Educational institutions established in 1989 1989 establishments in Pennsylvania