SMU Dedman School of Law enjoys a national and international reputation of distinction. Founded in 1925 and named Dedman School of Law in 2001 for its benefactors – Robert H. Dedman, Sr. '53 and his wife, Nancy McMillan Dedman '50, and their family – it is among the top 25 most competitive law schools for admission in the country. Dedman Law boasts of entering student credentials that are at an all-time high in both the day and evening programs. Additionally, the school has some of the nation's top faculty serving as department chairs and full professors, as well as an extremely impressive junior faculty that is published in top law journals across the country. Dedman Law has produced successful leaders living in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, throughout Texas, across the United States and in more than 70 countries.
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Dedman School of Law seeks to give each student a legal educational experience of the highest order through a deliberately controlled student body size, highly competitive entering student credentials, a faculty with outstanding academic backgrounds and excellent facilities and technology.
The curriculum is traditionally strong in the areas of corporate, commercial and tax law; litigation and dispute resolution; and international law (public and private). Dedman Law offers a broad range of specialized legal coursework in the areas of antitrust, bankruptcy, commercial, corporate and securities, employment, environmental, estate planning, health care, financial institutions, intellectual property, international, litigation (including alternative dispute resolution), real estate and tax.
Dedman Law is among the top 25 most competitive law schools for admission. The entering student credentials are at an all-time high in both the day and evening programs. Day students have an entering median LSAT of 164 and a median GPA of 3.74. Evening students, which include many working professionals, have an impressive median LSAT of 160 and a median undergraduate GPA of 3.49.
Dedman Law enjoys a long-standing reputation of strong classroom teaching and remains committed to superior scholarship. Dedman Law has some of the top faculty in the country among its chaired and full professors, and its talented junior faculty, having been published in some of the top law reviews across the country.
Students have experiential learning opportunities through the public service program, externships and clinical programs, which provide students with an opportunity to earn academic credit while engaging in the actual practice of law. All students are required to complete at least 30 hours of law-related public service. Clinic cases include, but are not limited to, matters involving domestic violence, poverty law, child advocacy, criminal prosecution, criminal defense, civil litigation (including consumer and civil rights litigation), nursing home advocacy, federal taxpayer advocacy, small business and political asylum. More than 100 students participate in clinics annually.
For well over half a century, Dedman Law has maintained one of the nation's largest and finest legal collections. The Underwood Law Library houses more than 620,000 printed volumes.
Be a part of defining the next 100 years of unbridled achievement at SMU. To get involved in The Second Century Campaign, call 214-768-4198 or e-mail dedmanlawgiving@smu.edu.
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