JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — This week Jacksonville University welcomed its inaugural class of students at the JU College of Law in Downtown Jacksonville.
JU says this is the first new law school in the state of Florida in more than 20 years.
The school says 14 students were selected from a pool of several hundred candidates from all over the country. They will study at JU’s downtown location in Vystar Tower.
Nick Allard, the dean of the college, says they're focused on quality, not quantity.
Last week, Jacksonville's legal community welcomed the students in a convocation ceremony held in the courthouse, where they will be spending much of their time over the next few years.
Jacksonville University announced its plans to launch the College of Law this past spring, in partnership with the City of Jacksonville, which is investing public funding to help launch JU Law.
Mayor Lenny Curry previously said $5 million in public support will be going toward the new law school.
The College of Law is not currently approved by the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of the American Bar Association (ABA) and makes no representation to any applicant that it will receive approval from the Council before the graduation of any matriculating student.