Penn State Dickinson Law

Law school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, US From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Penn State Dickinson Law, formerly Dickinson School of Law, in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, is one of two campuses of the law school of Pennsylvania State University, a public research university in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It originally began in 1834 as a school associated with Dickinson College, was independent throughout most of the twentieth century, and joined Pennsylvania State University in 2000. The other campus of the law school is in University Park, Pennsylvania, where the university's main campus is located.

MottoPractice Greatness
Parent schoolDickinson College
(1834–1917)
Independent
(1917–2000)
Pennsylvania State University
(2000–present)
Established1834; 192 years ago (1834) (as the Dickinson School of Law)
School typePublic law school
Quick facts Dickinson Law, Motto ...
Dickinson Law
MottoPractice Greatness
Parent schoolDickinson College
(1834–1917)
Independent
(1917–2000)
Pennsylvania State University
(2000–present)
Established1834; 192 years ago (1834) (as the Dickinson School of Law)
School typePublic law school
DeanDanielle M. Conway
LocationCarlisle, Pennsylvania, U.S.
40.1994°N 77.1973°W / 40.1994; -77.1973
Enrollment373 (fall 2025)[1]
Faculty30
USNWR ranking59th (2025)[2]
Websitedickinsonlaw.psu.edu Edit this at Wikidata
ABA profileStandard 509 Report
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History

Quick facts Designations, Pennsylvania Historical Marker ...
Designations
Official nameDickinson School of Law
DesignatedOctober 20, 1949[3]
CountyCumberland
LocationS. College St. near South St. at Law School, Carlisle
Marker TextOldest 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.
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Dickinson Law at night

The law school was opened by John Reed in 1834 as the law department of Dickinson College, named for Founding Father John Dickinson.[4] It received an independent charter in 1890 and ended all affiliation with the college in 1917.[5]

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 primary location to be at the Carlisle campus.[6] The two law schools reunified during the 2024-2025 academic year.[7] As of 2026, Penn State has one law school but two distinct campuses: Carlisle and University Park.

Lewis Katz Hall

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 classrooms, a courtroom/auditorium, an exterior courtyard, and a vegetated green roof.[citation needed]

Curriculum

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. 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.

Programs and clinics

  • 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
  • Arts, Sports, & Entertainment Law Clinic
  • Center for Immigrants' Rights Clinic
  • Children's Advocacy Clinic
  • Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
  • Community Law Clinic
  • Criminal Appellate and Post-Conviction Services Clinic
  • Entrepreneur Assistance Clinic
  • Family Law Clinic
  • Indigent Criminal Justice Trial Clinic
  • Intellectual Property Clinic
  • Medical-Legal Partnership Clinic with Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
  • Rural Economic Development Clinic
  • Veterans and Servicemembers Legal Clinic

Law journals

Dickinson Law features three scholarly journals, including the Dickinson Law Review which 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.

Employment

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.[8]

Notable alumni

References

External links

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