About the NCCU School of Law

Last week, I visited North Carolina Central University School of Law in Durham, NC.

I was most impressed with their facilities. One wing of the building is almost brand new, and the rest of the building was renovated approximately two years ago according to the admissions office. All of the classrooms had a nice, modern feel to them. Each seat possessed outlets for a laptop computer, and the front of the classrooms were equipped with large screens, computers and other electronic equipment.

NCCU School of Law has perhaps the lowest tuition of any law school in the country, and it was rated number one on the list of "Best Value Law Schools" in the back to school 2007 edition of PreLaw Magazine. You may see this report at http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/cypress/prelaw-bts07/index.php?startpage=25.

I felt very comfortable there, and the students I talked to said that NCCU is different from other law schools in that the focus is on creating a community atmosphere rather than one of intense competition. NCCU School of Law specializes in producing attorneys who will work in public service. The school's clinics train students to help the downtrodden and impoverished of society. This is worthy work, and I could see myself being happy making this my career.

Thankfully, the students I spoke with were also honest with my blunt questions. I was told that if I want to make a lot of money in law and go to a highly competitive school that prepares me for 60 to 80 hour weeks at a large firm, NCCU should not be my first choice. Also, a Juris Doctor from NCCU would serve well for employment within North Carolina, but may not be a greatly recognized degree if I desire to work outside that state. However, there seems to be a strong NCCU/Atlanta connection. I talked with three students from Atlanta, and they told me a large number of alumni work in that city. When I went to an LSAC (Law School Admissions Council) conference in Atlanta in 2007, I remember the table for NCCU School of Law being swamped with people, and the admissions officer quickly ran out of brochures and materials. He told me that next year he would have to ship boxes of brochures to the conference ahead of time, as his car was full when he made this trip.

Again, I really enjoyed my visit to NCCU. Theirs is a law school I would recommend- particularly if you want to practice in public interest law. The low cost of attendance can take the pressure off when job hunting, as the debt burden should be much lower than other law schools. Follow this link to their homepage: http://web.nccu.edu/law/.

NCCU makes my choice of a law school very difficult. Another school where I have been accepted also has very attractive features. I will write about that institution in the future.

Until Next Time,

Nathan Marshburn