At Dayton Law, you will study under our nationally recognized curriculum. This program's challenging classroom dialogues and unique experiential learning opportunities will prepare you to be a lawyer who solves the real-world problems of individuals, families, organizations and your communities. You will acquire the legal knowledge, skills and values needed to help others and to distinguish yourself by making a true impact upon the world.
Our academic program gives you the choice of an Online Hybrid J.D. or a Residential J.D. along with opportunities to participate in special programs such as the Program in Law and Technology, the Pro Bono Commitment to Community Program, externships, clinics, Law Review, moot court and mock trial.
In addition to our J.D. program, we offer online graduate degrees in American and Transnational Law, including a Master of Laws (LL.M.) and a Master in the Study of Law (M.S.L.). We also offer a joint J.D./M.B.A. degree, a joint J.D./M.S. in Educational Administration degree, and a joint J.D./M.P.A. Master of Public Administration degree.
Our courses are taught by talented, dedicated, full-time faculty and a cadre of part-time faculty that includes respected judges and experienced practitioners. Before joining Dayton Law, our full-time faculty members were judicial clerks, public defenders, litigators and practicing attorneys in private firms, corporations and government agencies; some spent time working outside the legal profession in diverse fields.
You will find Dayton Law to be a place where you forge lifelong friendships with your classmates. A diverse community of bright, motivated people who genuinely care about one another and about their community is waiting to welcome you. We have student organizations to match every interest, from intellectual property law to entertainment law to constitutional issues.
As both a student and an alumnus, you will also benefit from an extremely supportive network of alumni who regularly serve as teachers and mentors. And Dayton Law is at the heart of the Greater Dayton legal community; judges, lawyers and other community leaders, many of whom are graduates of our School, are frequently on campus.
Our faculty, staff and students work hard to make the University of Dayton School of Law a collaborative community, where, we believe, you will find a warm, welcoming place. You will also discover that we are committed to inclusivity, service and justice inspired by our Catholic, Marianist heritage. Great lawyers do not just know their craft, they also do what is right. That is why we believe law is not just a job.
It is a calling.
If you have questions, please contact our Admissions Office to visit us and tour our beautiful facility, Joseph E. Keller Hall.
Accreditation
Statement
The University of Dayton School of Law is approved by the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of the American Bar Association, 321 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60654, 312-988-6738.
History
The School of Law was first established at the University of Dayton in 1922 and flourished for thirteen years. The law school was a leader in educating men and women in this region, many of whom became prominent lawyers and jurists. With the tumultuous times associated with the Great Depression, the School of Law closed in 1935.
Following several years of planning and preparation, the School of Law reopened in 1974. The school received provisional accreditation by the American Bar Association during its first year in operation, 1974-75. In 1979, the law school received full accreditation from the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admission to the Bar of the American Bar Association. The School of Law also received membership in the Association of American Law Schools in 1984.
The University of Dayton is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, and many of its programs are accredited by various professional organizations.
Advisory Council
Michael Mutek '79 Chair
General Counsel, Defense
Aerojet Rocketdyne
Huntsville, AL
Linn Harson '96 Vice-Chair
Crown Equipment Corporation
Vice President & Chief Compliance Officer
New Bremen, OH
Richard Apostolik '77
President and Chief Executive Officer
Global Association of Risk Professionals
Jersey City, NJ
Stacey Brown '98
Chief Human Relations Officer
First Hospitality
Chicago, IL
James Byrd '84
Dayton, OH
Christine M. Haaker '91
Partner-In-Charge
Thompson Hine LLP
Dayton, OH
Martin Hamlette ‘02
Head of U.S. Environmental, Social And Governance (ESG) Strategy, Operations & Partnerships
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp
Washington DC
Gregory Harrison '85
Dinsmore & Shohl, LLP
Cincinnati, OH
Daniel Herling '79
Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky
and Popeo, P.C.
San Francisco, CA
D. Jeffrey Ireland '80
Faruki Ireland & Cox PLL
Dayton, OH
Tami Kirby '04
Partner-In-Charge
Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP
Dayton, OH
Kermit Lowery ‘84
Dayton, OH
Becky McClennen ‘11
CityWide Development Corp.
Dayton, OH
John H. Muehlstein, Jr. '80
Pedersen & Houpt, P.C.
Chicago, IL
Jeffrey A. Mullins '90
Taft Stettinius & Hollister, LLP
Dayton, OH
Greg Palmer
Dayton, OH
Honorable Walter H. Rice
Emeritus
U.S. District Court
Dayton, OH
Tejal Wadhwani ‘94
Managing Director & Associate General Counsel
Goldman Sachs
New York, NY
Merle Wilberding
Coolidge Wall
Dayton, OH
Mission Statement
Our mission as a law school reflects our character and purpose, derives from our traditions, and inspires our aspirations. Our mission and our vision have important implications for how law is taught here and how you can expect to be treated as a student.
As an integral part of the University of Dayton, a Catholic university founded by members of the Society of Mary in 1850, we share the University's commitment to serving others and offering an education that blends theory and practice. Like the University, we also highly value the role of faculty as teachers and mentors, as well as scholars.
Central to our curriculum and our teaching is the notion of developing complete professionals. The traditional approach to legal education prevalent at law schools across the country, centering upon the case method and legal reasoning, is augmented by development of the professional skills that our students will rely upon as practitioners and an enhanced appreciation for ethics and community service that will distinguish them as lawyers and leaders in the years ahead.
As a law school with a growing reputation, we are committed to developing and offering outstanding programs of study. We continually invest in those areas most important to the education of our students, our dedicated faculty, our innovative curriculum, and the physical environment in which our students' education takes place.
