The Massachusetts School of Law is a private law school based in Andover Massachusetts. The Massachusetts School of Law was established in 1988 with its curriculum and academic system based on the medical school academic model. (1) The Massachusetts School of Law is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).
Massachusetts School of Law aims to provide high-quality, practical, and affordable legal education to deserving students who have been “unfairly excluded from law school.”(2) The school tries to attain its objectives by providing legal education to people from the working class, minorities, immigrants, “mid-life” individuals who want to shift careers, and middle-class students.
Massachusetts School of Law is unique among US law schools in not requiring the LSAT for law school admission. Instead, the school considers the following factors to determine an applicant’s capabilities and potential: undergraduate and/or graduate grades, work and life experience, three letters of recommendation, a personal interview, and an essay exam similar to most law school entrance exams.(3)
Massachusetts School of Law offers Juris Doctor (JD) law degree programs through three-year full time study or four-year part time study. Part-time students take 11 or 12 credits each semester while full-time students take 15 credits each semester. Massachusetts School of Law enables its students to focus on a particular field of law through its specialized courses. These specializations include: Litigation, Criminal Law, Family Law, Real Estate, Labor Law, and Business and Corporate Law. Courses under the Litigation specialization include: Alternative Dispute Resolution, Criminal Procedure, and Factual Investigation. Courses under Criminal Law include: Case Preparation and Strategy, Criminal Appeals, and Prosecution and Adjudication. Family Law courses include: Civil Procedure and Conflict Resolution, Constitutional Law, and Wills and Trusts. Courses under the Real Estate specialization include: Local Government Law, Property, Real Estate Taxation, and Contracts. Labor Law specialization courses include: Administrative Law, Collective Bargaining & Arbitration, and Torts. Business and Corporate Law courses include: Accounting for Lawyers, Banking Law, and Securities Regulation.(4)
Aside from these specializations, Massachusetts School of Law also offers joint degree programs in partnership with Nichols College, Hesser College, Newbury College, Becker College, and Fitchburg State College.(5)
(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusetts_School_of_Law
(2) http://www.mslaw.edu/About.htm
(3) http://www.mslaw.edu/Admissions.htm
(4) http://www.mslaw.edu/Academics_Concentrations.htm
(5) http://www.mslaw.edu/Academics_Joint.htm