Belmont University College of Law

Parent school| Belmont University
Established| 2011
School type| Private
Dean| Alberto Gonzales
Location| Nashville, Tennessee, US
Enrollment| 276
USNWR ranking| 105th (2024) [1]
Bar pass rate| 94.29% (who sat for a bar examination within two years of their date of graduation)
Website| www.belmont.edu/law
ABA profile| Belmont Law

Belmont University College of Law is a private law school in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 2011, the College of Law was accredited by the American Bar Association in 2013.[2]

Law school in Nashville, Tennessee

## History

[edit]

Belmont University announced plans for the College of Law in 2009, with the first class beginning in 2011.[3] Belmont Law was accredited by the American Bar Association in 2013, making it the first new accredited law program in Tennessee in more than 50 years [2] and the first new law school in Middle Tennessee in nearly 100 years.[3] Belmont Law achieved American Bar Association accreditation in the earliest possible time allowed by accreditation guidelines.[2]

## Curriculum

[edit]

The college's curriculum includes the Juris Doctor (J.D.) with specialized certificate programs available in Criminal Law, Health Law, and Entertainment Law.[4] The College of Law curriculum focuses on creating practice-ready attorneys with a practicum requirement in each semester to help students become proficient in the "practice" of law.[5] These practicums give instruction in all aspects of the practice of law, such as legal writing, legal research, client interviewing, document drafting, litigation, negotiation, and more.[5]

In 2017, a dual JD/MBA program was launched, allowing students to take classes for both degrees concurrently and complete requirements for both degrees within three years.[6]

## Facilities

[edit]

Belmont Law Baskin Center

The law school is located in the Randall and Sadie Baskin Center building, a 75,000-square-foot LEED Gold building atop a five-level underground garage.[7] The Randall and Sadie Baskin Center houses more than a dozen large classrooms, a trial courtroom, an appellate court room, faculty offices, student commons, and a two-story law library.[8]

## Organizations and publications

[edit]

Students can participate in local and national competitions through the Board of Advocates program, which includes mock-trial, moot-court, and transactional teams.[5] The moot-court team has won numerous competitions, including: National Champions of the 17th Annual Emory Civil Rights and Liberties Moot Court Competition[9], 2017, 2023 Regional Champions of the American Bar Association’s (ABA) National Appellate Advocacy Competition[10][11], National Champions of the 2018 Emory Civil Rights and Liberties Moot Court Competition.[12]

The College of Law publishes two academic journals, the Belmont Law Review[13] and the Belmont Law Journal (Dean Deborah Farringer merged the Criminal Law Journal,[14] Entertainment Law Journal, and Health Law Journal[15] into a single journal in the Summer of 2023.)[16][17][18]

## Employment

[edit]

Statistics for the class of 2018 indicate 96% of students are employed in some capacity, with 95% employed in bar-passage-required or J.D.–advantage positions.[19] Most graduates remain in state, with 89% employed in Tennessee.[20] Of those employed, 63% work at a law firm, 14.5% work in business or industry, 18.5% work in government or judicial clerkships, and 4% work in public interest.[20]

Belmont Law's Law School Transparency under-employment score is 6.4%, which reflects the percentage of the Class of 2018 that is unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a nonprofessional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation.[21]

## Bar passage

[edit]

On the July 2019 bar exam, 97.18% of Belmont Law's first-time test takers and 94.52% of its total takers passed,[22] the highest of any law school in Tennessee and 23.62% higher than Tennessee's 70.90% pass rate.[23] In 2018, 94.52% of Belmont Law's first-time test takers and 90.79% of its total takers passed the bar exam,[24] ranking 12th in the nation and 2nd in the state of Tennessee for bar passage.[25] Belmont's success has been attributed to the bar preparation course created by Jeff Kinsler, Belmont Law's founding Dean.[26]

In 2023, the bar passage rate for first time test-takers was 93.4%, ranking 1st out of 5 programs in Tennessee.[27]

TN Bar Passage Statistics for Belmont Law  Exam Date  | 1st Time Pass Rate  | Total Pass Rate

|
|

July, 2024[28] | 94.79%  | 92.93%
July, 2023[29] | 93.41%  | 90.43%
July, 2022[30] | 86.60%  | 86.87%
July, 2021[31] | 88.75%  | 85.71%
July (October), 2020[32] | 82.56%  | 81.82%
July, 2019[33] | 94.52%  | 97.18%
Bar Pass Outcomes Within Two Years of Graduation[34][35] Graduation Year  | Total Pass Rate

|

2021  | 95.65%
2020  | 94.95%
2019  | 100.00%
2018  | 100.00%
2017  | 94.74%
2016  | 94.29%
2015  | 96.51%

## Costs

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Tuition for the 2022-2023 school year is $48,660,[36] with 49% of students receiving scholarships.[37] Belmont Law ranks #104 in terms of highest tuition among full-time law students based on 283 tuition rates from 194 law schools, with in-state tuition counting separately.[38]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Belmont University College of Law". usnews.com. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
2. ^ a b c "Belmont law program receives accreditation". Nashville Business Journal. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
3. ^ a b "Belmont University announces College of Law". The National Jurist. October 19, 2009. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
4. ^ "School Detail Information". Law School Admission Council. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
5. ^ a b c "Legal Insight 2017". Newsweek. 2017. Archived from the original on April 12, 2017. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
6. ^ "Belmont launching joint JD/MBA". Nashville Post. April 10, 2017. Archived from the original on June 20, 2017. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
7. ^ "Belmont law building earns LEED Gold". Nashville Post. October 31, 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
8. ^ "School Detail Information". officialguide.lsac.org. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
9. ^ "Law Moot Court Wins National Emory Civil Rights and Liberties Competition". www.belmont.edu. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
10. ^ "Moot Court Team Advances to National Finals | Belmont University News & Media". February 28, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
11. ^ "Belmont Law Moot Court Teams Place in ABA Appellate Advocacy Competition | Belmont University News & Media". March 23, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
12. ^ "College of Law Moot Court Team Named National Champion at Tournament | Belmont University News & Media". October 22, 2018. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
13. ^ "Belmont Law Review". Belmont Law Review. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
14. ^ "Belmont Criminal Law Journal". www.belmontcriminallaw.com. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
15. ^ "Belmont Health Law Journal". www.belmonthealthlaw.com. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
16. ^ "Belmont Criminal Law Journal". www.belmontcriminallaw.com. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
17. ^ "Belmont Entertainment Law Journal". www.belmontentertainmentlaw.com. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
18. ^ "Belmont Health Law Journal". www.belmonthealthlaw.com. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
19. ^ "Of Note: 17 May 2019". Nashville Post. May 17, 2019. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
20. ^ a b Hefner, April (May 16, 2019). "College of Law Announces Record Employment Rate for Class of 2018". Belmont University News & Media. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
21. ^ "Belmont University". Law School Transparency. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
22. ^ "July 2019 UBE TN School Statistics" (PDF). Tennessee Board of Law Examiners. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 17, 2019.
23. ^ "Belmont tops in bar passage". Nashville Post. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
24. ^ "Notes: Vanderbilt, Belmont top bar exam result". Nashville Post. October 8, 2018. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
25. ^ Zaretsky, Staci (October 3, 2019). "The Top 50 Law Schools By First-Time Bar Exam Pass Rates (2018)". Above the Law. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
26. ^ Kinsler, Jeff (August 24, 2018). "The Secret to 85% First-Time Bar Passage Rates". North Carolina Central Law Review. 40 (1): 92–121\. SSRN 3232216 - via SSRN.92-121&rft.date=2018-08-24&rft_id=https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3232216#id-name=SSRN&rft.aulast=Kinsler&rft.aufirst=Jeff&rft_id=https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3232216&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Belmont+University+College+of+Law" class="Z3988">
27. ^ Joslin, Stacey (October 10, 2023). "What schools have the best first-time bar passage rate?". Tennessee Bar Association. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
28. ^ Tennessee Board of Law Examiners. "July 2024 School Statistics - Re-Exam" (PDF).
29. ^ Tennessee Board of Law Examiners. "JULY 2023 School Statistics - Re-examination" (PDF).
30. ^ Tennessee Board of Law Examiners. "All Schools: Re-Exam Statistics July 2022 Exam" (PDF).
31. ^ Tennessee Board of Law Examiners. "School Statistics - Re-Exam Statistics* July 2021 Exam" (PDF).
32. ^ Tennessee Board of Law Examiners. "School Statistics - Re-Exam July 2020 Applicants OCTOBER ASSESSMENT" (PDF).
33. ^ Tennessee Board of Law Examiners. "July 2019 UBE TN School Statistics - Retakes" (PDF).
34. ^ American Bar Association. "Bar Passage Data Ultimate (Graduation Year)".
35. ^ American Bar Association. "Bar Passage Data Ultimate (Graduation Year)".
36. ^ "Law School Overview". U.S. News & World Report.
37. ^ "BELMONT UNIVERSITY - 2018 Standard 509 Information Report" (PDF). American Bar Association Standard Disclosures. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 17, 2019.
38. ^ "Belmont University". Public Legal. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2019.

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