St. Thomas University School of Law
St. Thomas University School of Law is one of the graduate schools of St. Thomas University located in Miami Gardens, Florida. The School of Law was founded in 1984. According to its 2017 ABA-required disclosures, 54.7% of the Class of 2017 obtained full-time, long-term, bar-passage-required employment nine months after graduation, excluding solo practitioners. Diversity. The U.S. News & World Report Diversity index places the law school in a tie for fourth place among all ABA-accredited law schools in its Diversity Index (2008 edition). St. Thomas is also first in  the nation in conferring J.D. degrees upon Hispanic students, according to Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine (December 2006 Issue) and it was ranked as number one for Hispanic students by Hispanic Outlook magazine once again in its December 2015 edition. The former and current dean, Alfredo Garcia, serving from 2007 to 2010 and since July 2014 is the first Cuban-born dean of a U.S. law school. The Princeton Review ranks St. Thomas # 3 for the Best Environment for Minority Students (2009 edition). The diverse faculty is ranked # 9 in the country according to the Princeton Review. Advocacy Teams . The Trial Team are back-to-back national champions having won the ABA Labor Law Mock Trial Competition in 2018 and 2019. The law school also had two teams place in the top 4 of the ABA Labor Law Trial Advocacy Competition in prior years. They have also been crowned champions in the Phi Alpha Delta Mock Trial National Competition. St. Thomas University School of Law most recently won the First Runner Up Brief Award at the 2019 National Tax Moot Court Competition. First-year courses and beyond. In the first semester of law school, students are divided into sections  and are automatically enrolled in Contracts, Civil Procedure, Torts, and Legal Research and Writing. The following semester students are enrolled in Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Property, and Advanced Legal Research and Writing. Students in the first year have class Monday-Friday. In the second year, students are given the opportunity to choose the courses they take. Upon completion of the first year, students are eligible to participate in a study abroad program that takes place in El Escorial, Spain. The Spain curriculum is designed to prepare students to practice law in the globalized atmosphere of the 21st century by broadening  their understanding of International and Civil Law. Four, 3-credit courses are generally offered and each student must enroll in two of the four courses available. Programs. Joint Degrees: The faculties of the law school and the graduate school offer five joint degree programs: the J.D./M.S. in Sports Administration, the J.D./M.B.A. in Sports Administration, the J.D./M.S. in Marriage and Family Counseling, J.D./M.B.A. in International Business, and the J.D./M.B.A. in Accounting. Employment. According to St. Thomas' official 2018 ABA-required disclosures, 64.6% of the Class of 2017 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation, excluding solo  practitioners. St. Thomas' Law School Transparency under-employment score is 27.6%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2017 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation. Costs. The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at St. Thomas for the 2017-2018 academic year is $69,328, which refers to the cost of living on-campus. The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $233,742. Publications. The law school has three publications: St.