Penn State Dickinson Law

Law school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania

This article is about Dickinson Law in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. For Penn State Law at University Park, Pennsylvania, see Penn State Law. For its former parent institution, see Dickinson College.

Dickinson Law

Motto| Practice Greatness
Parent school| Dickinson College
(1834–1917)
Independent
(1917–2000)
Pennsylvania State University
(2000–present)
Established| 1834; 190 years ago (1834) (as the Dickinson School of Law)
School type| Public law school
Dean| Danielle M. Conway
Location| Carlisle, Pennsylvania, United States
40°11′58″N 77°11′50″W﻿ / ﻿40.1994°N 77.1973°W﻿ / 40.1994; -77.1973
Enrollment| 184
Faculty| 30
USNWR ranking| 89th (2023)[1]
Website| dickinsonlaw.psu.edu

Penn State Dickinson Law, formerly Dickinson School of Law, is a public law school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. It is one of two separately accredited law schools of Pennsylvania State University.

## History[edit]

Designations

Pennsylvania Historical Marker

Official name| Dickinson School of Law
Designated| October 20, 1949[2]
County| Cumberland
Location| S. College St. near South St. at Law School, Carlisle
Marker Text| Oldest law school in Pennsylvania; founded in 1834 by the Honorable John Reed, eminent jurist, and author of "Pennsylvania Blackstone". Andrew Curtin, Civil War Governor, was one of earliest graduates.

The Law School offers J.D. and LL.M. degrees in law and hosts visiting scholars. The Law School was opened by Judge John Reed in 1834 as the law department of Dickinson College, named for Founding Father John Dickinson.[3] It received an independent charter in 1890 and ended all affiliation with the college in 1917.[4]

In 2000, Penn State and The Dickinson School of Law completed a merger that began in 1997. From 2006 until 2014, Penn State's Dickinson School of Law operated as a single law school with two campuses – one in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and one in University Park, Pennsylvania. In the summer of 2014, Penn State received approval from the ABA to operate the two campuses as two distinct law schools (now known as Penn State Law and Dickinson Law), both of which share the history and achievement of The Dickinson School of Law. In November 2022, Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi announced a task force to implement the recommendation that the two schools be merged into a single entity, with the preferred location to be at the Carlisle campus. [5]

Dickinson Law Exterior Night

## Lewis Katz Hall[edit]

Lewis Katz Hall is named in honor of philanthropist and businessman Lewis Katz for his $15 million gift to the Law School as the principal donor to the construction and renovation project that began in January 2008. Completed in January 2010, the transition marked the end of a two-year, $52 million construction project which included the addition of the elegant, new Lewis Katz Hall which leverages advanced high-definition, digital audiovisual telecommunications systems to connect Dickinson Law to not only Penn State's University Park campus but to locations around the world.

The project included an extensive renovation of historic Trickett Hall, the Law School's home since 1918, which houses the Law School's library, named in honor of H. Laddie Montague, Jr., a prominent Philadelphia lawyer and trial attorney who has committed $4 million to the school. As a design companion to Penn State Law's Lewis Katz Building, Dickinson Law's Lewis Katz Hall was renovated and rebuilt to comply with LEED Silver standards. The facilities feature state-of-the-art classrooms, a courtroom/auditorium, an exterior courtyard, and an environmentally friendly vegetated green roof.

## Curriculum[edit]

Dickinson Law's required 1L curriculum begins with the fundamentals of national and transnational law. During their first year, students must complete courses including Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law, Property, legal writing, and Torts.

At Dickinson Law, students must earn at least six of 12 required experiential learning credits in a real-world practice setting, such as a certified legal internship within one of the Law School's in-house legal clinics; an internship with a government, nonprofit or private office; or full immersion in the Semester-in-Practice program; or an international venue. The second and third years at Dickinson Law are distinguished by "The Lawyer As...": electives and experiential learning opportunities organized by the way lawyers use their training. Required courses after completion of the first year include Problem Solving III: The Lawyer as Persuader and Practicing Law in a Global World: Context and Competencies II.

Students may earn up to six credits towards the J.D. degree from approved graduate-level courses offered by other Penn State departments. Students also may enroll in one of an array of joint degree programs, graduating with both a J.D. from Dickinson Law and a master's degree from a coordinate department of Penn State. Current joint degree offerings include a J.D./M.B.A., J.D./M.P.A., J.D./M.P.H., J.D./DRPH. Dickinson Law also offers certificate programs in which students may hone their expertise in a specific area by taking a prescribed combination of core and elective courses. Current certificate offerings include Corporate Compliance Certificate, Cyber, Privacy, and Data Security Certificate, Government Affairs, Health Law and Policy, and Litigation and Dispute Resolution.

### Dickinson Law Programs[edit]

* Semester-in-Washington, D.C. Program (federal government)
* Semester-in-Harrisburg Program (state government)
* International Justice Program at the Hague, Netherlands (international criminal law)
* Center for Public Interest Advocacy
* Children's Advocacy Clinic
* Community Law Clinic
* Medical-Legal Partnership Clinic with Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

## Law journals[edit]

Dickinson Law features three scholarly journals, including the Dickinson Law Review. The Law Review was founded in 1897, and is one of the oldest continually published law school journals in the country. In addition, the school also publishes the Penn State Journal of Law and International Affairs, and The Yearbook on Arbitration and Mediation.

## Student organizations[edit]

Student organizations at Penn State Dickinson Law include the following:

* American Constitution Society
* Animal Legal Defense Fund
* Asian Pacific American Law Students Association
* Black Law Students Association (BLSA)
* Business Law Society
* Christian Law Community of Dickinson Law
* Criminal Law Society (CLS)
* Dickinson Law Intellectual Property Law Society
* Federalist Society (Fed Soc)
* Health Law and Policy Society
* International Law Society
* Latinx Law Students Association (LLSA)
* Middle Eastern Law Students Association (MELSA)
* Military Law Caucus (MLC)
* Moot Court Board
* OutLaw
* Phi Alpha Delta — Burr Chapter (PAD)
* Public Interest Law Fund (PILF)
* Speakers Trust Fund
* Sports and Entertainment Law Society
* Student Bar Association (SBA)
* Women's Law Caucus (WLC)

Dickinson Law students also participate in a number of moot court competitions and are active in intramural sports leagues, including flag football, basketball, and volleyball. Dickinson Law also sponsors a softball team that competes in a national tournament each spring along with nearly 1,500 law students from across the country. Also, students have coached soccer, lacrosse, track, swimming, and field hockey teams at the nearby Dickinson College and other local youth leagues.

## Employment[edit]

According to Penn State Dickinson Law's official 2022 ABA-required disclosures, about 91% of the class of 2022 obtained full-time, long-term, J.D.-required employment nine months after graduation.[6]

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## Costs[edit]

The total cost of attendance (including tuition and related expenses) at Dickinson Law to earn a J.D. or LL.M. degree during the 2020-2021 academic year is $67,656.[7]

## Notable alumni[edit]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

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* Matthew W. Brann, Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
* Bill Bufalino, Attorney to Jimmy Hoffa
* Christopher F. Burne, U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General, The Judge Advocate General (TJAG)[8]
* William W. Caldwell, Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania[9]
* Mitchell Harry Cohen, Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
* Christopher Conner, Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania[10]
* Pedro Cortés, Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
* Andrew Curtin, Civil War Governor of Pennsylvania (1861–1867)
* J. Steward Davis, Baltimore trial lawyer and first Afro-American valedictorian at Dickinson
* J. Michael Eakin, Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court
* John Sydney Fine, former Pennsylvania Governor (1951–1955)[11]
* Mike Fitzpatrick, United States Congressman from Pennsylvania[12]
* Robert S. Gawthrop III, Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
* Jim Gerlach, United States Congressman from Pennsylvania[13]
* Kim Gibson, Judge on the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania[14]
* Milton W. Glenn (1903–1967), represented New Jersey's 2nd congressional district from 1957 to 1965[15]
* Thomas M. Golden, Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
* Rick Gray, former mayor of Lancaster, Pennsylvania (2006–2018)
* T. Millet Hand (1902–1956), represented New Jersey's 2nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1945 to 1957[16]
* John Berne Hannum, Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
* Daniel Brodhead Heiner (1854–1944), U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania[17]
* Arthur Horace James, 31st Governor of Pennsylvania (1939–1943)[18]
* Charles Alvin Jones, former Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
* John E. Jones III, U.S. District Judge for United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, who presided over the ruling in Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District which states that the teaching of Intelligent design in public classrooms violates the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution, and Whitewood v. Wolf which ruled unconstitutional Pennsylvania's statutory ban on same-sex marriage; 30th President of Dickinson College
* Paul E. Kanjorski, former United States Congressman from Pennsylvania[19]
* Lewis Katz, former owner of the New Jersey Nets basketball team
* Jack Keeney, career U.S. Department of Justice attorney
* John W. Kephart, Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania (1919-1936), Chief Justice (1936-1940)
* Edwin Michael Kosik, Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
* George Kunkel, Pennsylvania State Senator (1937-1941)
* Tom Marino, U.S. Congressman from Pennsylvania and former United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania[20]
* Clarence Charles Newcomer, (1923–2005), Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
* John Pettit, long-time district attorney of Washington County, Pennsylvania.[21]
* Sylvia H. Rambo, first woman to serve as Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
* Tom Ridge, former Pennsylvania Governor (1995–2001), former Assistant to the President for Homeland Security (2001–2003), first United States Secretary of Homeland Security (2003–2005)[22]
* Carl Risch, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs
* Andrew Sacks, Pennsylvania trial lawyer, one of the few U.S. attorneys who has handled two cases in excess of $1 billion[23]
* Rick Santorum, former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania (1995–2007)[24]
* Lansdale Sasscer, 1914, U.S. Congressman for Maryland's 5th District[25]
* Ronald A. Sell, Wisconsin State Assemblyman
* Michael Henry Sheridan, Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
* D. Brooks Smith, class of 1976, Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
* Edward G. Smith, Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
* Donald Snyder (LLM, Commerce and Taxation), Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives 1981-2000 and Majority Whip
* Gerald J. Spitz, Pennsylvania State of Representatives for the 162nd district (1977-1984)
* Correale Stevens, Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
* Richard Barclay Surrick, Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
* Emanuel Mac Troutman, Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
* Thomas I. Vanaskie, class of 1978, former chief judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and current judge on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals[26]

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Pennsylvania State University—Carlisle (Dickinson)".
2. ^ "PHMC Historical Markers Search" (Searchable database). Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Retrieved 2014-01-25.
3. ^ "John Dickinson". Biography.com. Retrieved 2014-02-18.
4. ^ "The Dickinson Story". The Dickinson Story. Dickinson College.
5. ^ Thompson, Charles (November 29, 2022). "Penn State wants its 2 law schools 'back together.' Now it has to decide what that means". PennLive.com. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
6. ^ "EMPLOYMENT SUMMARY FOR 2022 GRADUATES" (PDF). American Bar Association. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
7. ^ "Tuition and Expenses Penn State's Dickinson Law". Retrieved 8 June 2020.
8. ^ "Air Force Brigadier General gets two step promotion to rank of three star general". Ground Report. 2013-11-26. Retrieved 2019-03-11.
9. ^ "Federal Courts choose four Penn State Law students for clerkships | Penn State University". news.psu.edu. Retrieved 2019-03-11.
10. ^ Congressional Record Vol. 148-Part 11: Proceedings and Debates of the 107th Congress Second Session. Government Printing Office.
11. ^ "Pennsylvania Governor John Sydney Fine". National Governors Association. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
12. ^ "FITZPATRICK, Michael G., (1963 - )". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
13. ^ "GERLACH, Jim, (1955 - )". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
14. ^ "Biographical Directory of Federal Judges Gibson, Kim R." Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
15. ^ "GLENN, Milton Willits, (1903–1967)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
16. ^ "HAND, Thomas Millet, (1902–1956)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
17. ^ "HEINER, Daniel Brodhead, (1854–1944)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
18. ^ "Pennsylvania Governor Arthur Horace James". National Governors Association. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
19. ^ "KANJORSKI, Paul E., (1937–)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
20. ^ "MARINO, Thomas A., (1952–)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
21. ^ Schackner, Bill (October 31, 2010). "Obituary: John C. Pettit / Former longtime Washington County district attorney". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
22. ^ "RIDGE, Thomas Joseph, (1945 - )". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
23. ^ "Andrew Sacks, Attorney Profile". Retrieved June 4, 2014.
24. ^ "SANTORUM, Richard John (Rick), (1958–)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
25. ^ "SASSCER, Lansdale Ghiselin, (1893–1964)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
26. ^ "Biographical Directory of Federal Judges: Vanaskie, Thomas Ignatius". Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved December 26, 2012.

## External links[edit]

* Official website
* Official logo

* v
* t
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Pennsylvania State University

Located in State College, Pennsylvania

Academics|

* Agricultural Sciences
* Arts and Architecture
* Business
* Communications
* Dickinson Law
* Earth and Mineral Sciences
* Education
* Engineering
* Science
* Health and Human Development
* Hospitality Management
* Honors
* Information Sciences and Technology
* International Affairs
* Law
* Liberal Arts
* Medicine
* Nursing
* Technology
* Graduate
* Graduate Professional Studies

Athletics|

| Sports|

* Penn State Nittany Lions
* Baseball
* Men's basketball
* Women's basketball
* Field hockey
* Football
* Men's ice hockey
* Women's ice hockey
* Men's lacrosse
* Women's lacrosse
* Men's soccer
* Women's soccer
* Softball
* Men's volleyball
* Women's volleyball
* Wrestling

|

Facilities|

* Beaver Stadium
* Bryce Jordan Center
* Golf Courses
* Pegula Ice Arena
* Penn State Ice Pavilion
* Medlar Field at Lubrano Park
* Rec Hall

Rivalries|

* Alabama
* Maryland
* Michigan State
* Ohio State
* Pittsburgh
* Syracuse
* West Virginia

Spirit|

* Legion of Blue
* Park Avenue Army
* Alma Mater
* Blue Band
* "Fight On, State"
* Nittany Lion (mascot)
* "The Nittany Lion"

Buildings|

* Academic buildings
* Berkey Creamery
* Nittany Lion Inn
* Old Main
* Palmer Museum of Art
* IST Building
* Mehalso Observatory
* Radiation Science & Engineering Center
* Residence halls
* University libraries

Campuses:
Commonwealth|

* Abington
* Altoona
* Berks
* Beaver
* Brandywine
* DuBois
* Erie (Behrend College)
* Fayette (Eberly Campus)
* Greater Allegheny
* Harrisburg (Capital College)
* Hazleton
* Lehigh Valley
* Mont Alto
* New Kensington
* Schuylkill
* Shenango
* University Park (Main campus)
* Wilkes-Barre
* Scranton
* York

Campuses:
Special Mission|

* Dickinson Law
* Graduate Professional Studies
* Medical Center (Children's Hospital)
* Law
* World Campus
* Technology

Departments|

* Cancer Institute
* Harold and Inge Marcus Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Research|

* Applied Research Laboratory
* Garfield Thomas Water Tunnel
* Penn State Lunar Lion Team
* Correlates of War

Media|

* Daily Collegian
* Penn State Law Review
* Dickinson Law Review
* Penn State University Press
* WKPS (90.7 FM)
* WPSU (91.5 FM)
* WPSU-TV
* Onward State
* La Vie
* Phroth

People|

* Alumni
* Athletic directors
* Coaches
* Faculty
* Olympians
* Presidents
* George W. Atherton
* Neeli Bendapudi (current president)
* Joe Paterno
* Fred Lewis Pattee
* Jerry Sandusky
* Graham Spanier

Student life|

* Army ROTC
* Air Force ROTC
* Penn State Dance Marathon (THON)
* Penn State Thespians
* Penn State women's ice hockey club
* Penn State Glee Club
* Mount Nittany
* Nittany Lion Shrine
* Old Coaly
* State College

Related|

* History
* Joe Paterno statue
* Nittany Lion Shrine
* Child sex abuse scandal
* Death of Tim Piazza

* v
* t
* e

Law schools of the Mid-Atlantic states

Delaware|

* Widener University School of Law (Wilmington)

Maryland|

* University of Baltimore School of Law
* University of Maryland School of Law

New Jersey|

* Rutgers Law School
* Seton Hall University School of Law

New York|

* Albany Law School (Union Univ.)
* Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law (Yeshiva Univ.)
* Brooklyn Law School
* University at Buffalo Law School (SUNY)
* City University of New York School of Law
* Columbia Law School
* Cornell Law School
* Fordham University School of Law
* Maurice A. Deane School of Law (Hofstra University)
* Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center (Touro College)
* New York Law School
* New York University School of Law
* Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University
* St. John's University School of Law
* Syracuse University College of Law

Pennsylvania|

* Beasley School of Law (Temple Univ.)
* Thomas R. Kline School of Law (Drexel Univ.)
* Duquesne University School of Law
* Penn State Dickinson Law
* Penn State Law
* University of Pennsylvania Law School
* University of Pittsburgh School of Law
* Villanova University School of Law
* Widener University School of Law (Harrisburg)

Virginia|

* Appalachian School of Law
* Antonin Scalia Law School (George Mason)
* The Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School
* Liberty University School of Law
* Regent University School of Law
* University of Richmond School of Law
* University of Virginia School of Law
* Washington and Lee University School of Law
* William & Mary Law School

Washington, D.C.|

* Columbus School of Law (Catholic Univ.)
* David A. Clarke School of Law (Univ. of D.C.)
* George Washington University Law School
* Georgetown University Law Center
* Howard University School of Law
* Washington College of Law (American Univ.)

West Virginia|

* West Virginia University College of Law

* v
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John Dickinson

* 5th President of Pennsylvania, 1782–1785
* 5th President of Delaware, 1781–1783
* Second Continental Congress, 1775–1776, 1779–1781
* First Continental Congress, 1774
* Stamp Act Congress, 1765

Founding of the
United States|

* Declaration of Rights and Grievances (1765)
* Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania (1767, 1768)
* "The Liberty Song" (1768
* United we stand, divided we fall)
* Petition to the King (1774)
* Signee, Continental Association (1774)
* Pennsylvania Committee of Correspondence (1774–1776)
* "Letter to the inhabitants of the Province of Quebec" (1774)
* Olive Branch Petition (1775)
* Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms (co-wrote, 1775)
* Committee of Secret Correspondence (1775–1776)
* Model Treaty committee (1776)
* Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union (1776, drafting committee chairman)
* President, Annapolis Convention (1786)
* Delegate, Constitutional Convention (1787)

Other events|

* Brigadier General, Pennsylvania militia
* Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783
* Delaware Constitution of 1792

Life and homes|

* Mary Norris Dickinson (wife)
* Philemon Dickinson (brother)
* Early life
* Poplar Hall home
* Fair Hill estate
* Friends Burial Ground

Legacy|

* Dickinson College
* Dickinson School of Law, Pennsylvania State University
* John Dickinson High School
* 1776 (1969 musical,
* 1972 film)
* John Adams (2008 miniseries)
* Sons of Liberty (2015 miniseries)

Related|

* Claymont Stone School
* American Revolution
* patriots
* Founding Fathers

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF

National|

* Catalonia
* Israel
* United States
* Czech Republic

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