JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — On Monday, Jacksonville University announced the establishment of the Jacksonville University College of Law in the heart of Downtown Jacksonville.
During a news conference, President Cost announced that the new College of Law will meet a pressing need for quality legal education in northeast Florida with competitive tuition rates and high academic standards.
Speaking alongside President Cost, Mayor Lenny Curry emphasized the need for a quality law school in the city.
“Jacksonville is currently the largest city in the U.S. that does not have a law school,” said Curry. “Too often, our citizens must choose to leave Jacksonville to pursue a legal education. This College of Law will offer a prime opportunity for current residents and serve as a magnet to attract talent back into our city and our downtown.”
Curry says $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.
"In line with strict accreditation protocol dictated by the ABA, the Jacksonville University College of Law will begin the accreditation process in the spring of 2023. Our goal and highest priority is to achieve provisional accreditation by the time our first class of students graduates," says the school on its website.
The school says the incoming inaugural class will have 30 students and an 8:1 student-faulty ratio. The Juris Doctor degree takes three years to complete.
The application deadline for the Fall 2022 term is May 16, 2022.