In an issue devoted to identifying the "Best Schools for Public Service," the National Jurist magazine named the UT College of Law one of the top 20 schools in the country for preparing law students for criminal law practice.
The issue looked at employment data, curriculum, standard of living and loan forgiveness programs in evaluating schools.
"We are delighted to be recognized for the prosecutor and other criminal practice training opportunities that we make available," said Daniel Steinbock, dean of the College of Law. "This education has opened doors for many of our graduates into prosecutor and public defender jobs."
The many programs offered in law or criminal justice allow students to receive hands-on training and experience, said Nicole Porter, the College of Law's associate dean for Academic Affairs.
"UT has great classroom teachers and a good open door policy for everything students need," she said.
Porter said throughout the course of a student's academic career they are strongly recommended to take specific, standard-program courses to help students better prepare for the bar exam. Students need 89 credits to graduate and are encouraged to take 15 of those credits within a specific subject area.
The concentration of classes allows students to earn one of five certificates in addition to their degree. Porter said the certificate acts as a specialty or minor.
The College of Law offers a Criminal Law Certificate of Concentration. This is a certificate for students who took a certain number of concentration courses in criminal law.
They also offer the Master of Arts in Criminal Justice/Juris Doctor joint-degree program. This program offers graduate students the opportunity to earn two degrees, usually within four years.
According to Steinbock, the program allows for certain classes to be counted as cross-credit to save students time and money.
The program is designed for students interested in practicing criminal law or counseling for social service or criminal justice agencies. Students who want to teach criminal law or gain knowledge in the field of criminal justice are encouraged to use the joint program.
Steinbock said there are various services for law students interested in criminal law. After the first year of study, students have the opportunity to utilize the Public Service Externship Clinic for classroom credit.
Students are placed in a variety of public service organizations and are given assignments, feedback and the opportunity to attend court if needed.
Third-year students have the option to participate in the Criminal Law Practice Program. This program places them with prosecutors' offices where they can conduct victim interviews, plea negotiations and trials, or even handle cases under supervision.
The College of Law Reinberger Honors Program in Prosecution recently awarded $30,000 to six students. Each student recieved a $5,000 stipend to travel across the country and intern in a prosecutor's office.
The stipend covered the cost of living and training of the recipients by UT professors and the professionals at their internships. The students spent eight weeks prosecuting criminal cases in jurisdictions of their choice.
The magazine also recognized the College of Law as a "Best Value Law School" for the past three years. The magazine evaluated tuition cost, debt load after graduation, bar exam scores and employment results. This recognition occurs once a year in September. UT and The Ohio State University are the only schools from Ohio to be recognized.
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