Editing Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law

{{Infobox Law School
| nickname                    = Memphis
| image                       = 
| motto                       = 
| parent                      = University of Memphis
| established                 = 1962
| type                        = Public
| endowment                   = 180
| dean                        = Kevin Smith
| street_address              = 1 N Front St
| city                        = Memphis
| state                       = TN
| country                     = US
| full_time_students          = 320
| part_time_students          = 30
| full_time_faculty           = 25
| adjunct_faculty             = 10
| ranking                     = 
| tier                        = 
| bar_pass_rate               = 93
| lsat_75_percentile          = 
| median_lsat                 = 
| lsat_25_percentile          = 
| gpa_75_percentile           = 
| median_gpa                  = 
| gpa_25_percentile           = 
| underemployment_score       = 
| library                     = 
| subsidized_annual_tuition   = 13,570
| unsubsidized_annual_tuition = 35,442
| tuition_subsidy_basis       = State residency
| website                     = www.memphis.edu/law
| aba_profile                 = 
}}

The '''University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law''' is an [[American Bar Association]] accredited [[law school]] and is the only law school in [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]], [[Tennessee]]. The school has been associated with the [[University of Memphis]] since the law school's formation in 1962.  The school was named in honor of former University president [[Cecil C. Humphreys]]. It is also referred to as '''U of M Law''', '''Memphis Law''', or '''Memphis Law School'''.

==History==
The law school was founded in 1962 as the '''Memphis State University College of Law'''.  It gained ABA accreditation three years later in 1965.<ref>[http://officialguide.lsac.org/Release/SchoolsABAData/SchoolPage/SchoolPage_PDFs/LSAC_LawSchoolDescription/LSAC1459.pdf] Official LSAC Guide: University of Memphis, School of Law</ref>  Former Memphis businessman [[Herbert Herff]] was a major benefactor to the University of Memphis. When he died in 1966, Herff left the bulk of his estate in trust with the [[State of Tennessee]] for the benefit of the University.  Among his Foundation's funding is the Herbert Herff Presidential Law Scholarships and the Herbert Herff Chair of Excellence in Law.  

Prior to the law school's founding, there were several other law schools in Memphis, including Memphis Law School, and Southern Law School (not to be confused with [[Southern University Law Center]] in Baton Rouge, LA), both of which subsequently merged with Memphis State University Law School.<ref name='Montell'>{{cite book | last = Montell | first = William | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Tales from Tennessee Lawyers | publisher = University Press of Kentucky | year = 2005 | location = | pages = 222 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=bNbuRnJl8L0C&lpg=PA222&dq=memphis%20law%20school&pg=PA222#v=onepage&q=memphis%20law%20school&f=false | doi = | id = | isbn = 0813123690}}</ref>  ''Memphis Law School'' existed as early as 1922 as the University of Memphis School of Law.<ref>{{cite book | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=5KwsAAAAIAAJ&dq=memphis%20law%20school&pg=PA758#v=onepage&q=memphis%20law%20school&f=false | title = Notes and Personals, University of Memphis Law School (1922), p. 758 | publisher = The American Law School Review | accessdate = 2010-12-05}}</ref>  Despite the names, neither Southern Law University nor the early University of Memphis School of Law had university connections, but rather offered part-time legal education programs, though both were approved by the State Board of Law Examiners.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://heinonlinebackup.com/hol-cgi-bin/get_pdf.cgi?handle=hein.journals/tenn21&section=32 | title = Elliott E. Cheatham, ''The Law Schools of Tennessee (1949)'' | publisher = 21:3 Tennessee L. Rev. 283 (1950) | accessdate = 2010-12-05}}</ref>

The law school joined the [[Association of American Law Schools]] (AALS) in 2001.<ref>http://www.aals.org/about_memberschools.php AALS Membership Directory</ref>  Reflecting the law school's increased profile, the [[Tennessee Supreme Court]] convened at the [[University of Memphis School of Law]] on November 4, 2010.<ref>http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/nov/05/u-of-m-vandy-law-schools-rank-high/ University of Memphis Ranks High, The Commercial Appeal (November 5, 2010)</ref>  In September 2012, the law school will celebrate its [[semicentennial]].

==Academics==
[[Image:lawschool2.jpg|thumb|right|The new Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, a [[University of Memphis, School of Law campus|former United States federal courthouse]], opened in 2010.]]  
The law school has graduated more than 4,500 students since its inception, and it currently has approximately 460 students and twenty-three full time professors.<ref>http://www.top-law-schools.com/university-of-memphis.html Top Law Schools - Memphis Law Profile</ref>  It is consistently named an “excellent value” in legal education by National Jurist Magazine. Additionally, for the last two years, it has a top law school job placement rate in the state with over 98% of graduates being employed within nine months of graduation. The bar passage rate for the July 2006 exam was 92.4%, the highest of any law school in Tennessee and well over the state average of 79.8%.<ref>http://www.law.memphis.edu/admissions/statistics.htm University of Memphis, School of Law Statistics</ref> The school also has the highest bar passage rate in the State of Tennessee over the last 15 years.<ref>http://law.memphis.edu/building/tradition_of_excellence.htm University of Memphis, School of Law</ref> In the 2007 Back to School issue of ''preLaw'', the University of Memphis Law School was ranked fifth in the list of "Best Value Law Schools." <ref>http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/cypress/prelaw-bts07/index.php?startpage=25 preLaw Magazine</ref>

Many students participate on moot court or mock trial teams or are involved with one of the school's law journals, the [[University of Memphis Law Review]] (founded in 1970) and the [[Tennessee Journal of Practice and Procedure]].  In January 2011, the law faculty formally endorsed the formation of a second student-edited [[law review]], the biannual ''[[Mental Health Law and Policy Journal]],'' which is the first law journal of its kind in the nation.<ref>http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/mar/15/university-memphis-law-school-ranked-140th-nation/ Mental Health Law and Policy Journal - Comment</ref>  Additionally, the school's Moot Court/Mock Trial program has sent seven teams in ten years to the national competitions.<ref>http://www.law.memphis.edu/news/NationalMootCourt.htm University of Memphis, Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law Moot Court Program</ref>

==New downtown campus==
Because of inadequate, old facilities, former Dean James Smoot positioned the law school for a move from its building on the University's main campus in East Memphis to a former customs house on the [[Mississippi River]] in [[downtown Memphis]].  The new law school campus is more than twice the size of the old campus.<ref>http://www.americaninterfile.com/news2.html (last accessed June 22, 2011)</ref>  Until purchased by the law school, a portion of the building had been serving as a [[United States Postal Service|post office]].  Designed by Memphis firm [[Askew Nixon Ferguson Architects]], the new law school is located in the heart of Memphis' downtown. Tennessee's governor, [[Phil Bredesen]], has also lent his support and pledged forty-one million dollars in state funds for the move.  Along with the purpose-specific interior redesign, the architect (Bill Nixon) oversaw structural renovations, including a $2 million [[seismic retrofit]].  The move was officially announced on January 12, 2006, and it was anticipated that the downtown facility would be ready for classes January 2010.  

As of Fall 2010, the new downtown campus is fully operational, with a dedication ceremony held on January 16, 2010.<ref>[http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2010/01/18/daily13.html] Memphis Law School exceeds $12M fundraising goal</ref>  The 169,000-square-foot (4-acre) building originally housed the late 19th century U.S. Customs House.<ref>http://www.hydefoundation.org/news/2010/01/11/university-of-memphis-law-school-opens-today-in-former-us-customs-house.111398 University of Memphis Law School opens today in former U.S. Customs House</ref>  Built in the early 1880s, the [[Italianate architecture#Italianate style in the United States|Italianate Revival]]-style building opened in 1885.<ref>''Id.''</ref>  Over the years, the building has served as Memphis' main customs house, federal court house, and most recently, as a U.S. post office.<ref>http://lostmemphis.com/node/14 Lost Memphis Profile, Custom House</ref>  It was placed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1980.<ref>http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natregadvancedsearch.do?searchtype=natregadvanced National Register Information System, NRIS No. 80003873</ref><ref>National Register of Historic Places, Record No. 384179, U.S. Post Office-Front Street Station</ref>  

Among features preserved in the restoration are the old federal courtroom, which now serves as the law school's [[moot court]]room.  During the restoration, a number of architectural details were rediscovered, including a decorative ceiling and roof monitor.<ref>''Id.''</ref>  The South Wing of the law school serves as the [http://www.memphis.edu/lawlibrary/about.php Plough Law Library]; the library occupies all five levels of the South Wing, and includes West-facing glass walls overlooking the [[Mississippi River]].  The law library contains more than 250,000 volumes of books, journals and other legal materials.  In addition, two of the building's 10 original security vaults will serve as study space and a small office.  

In the North Wing, administrative and faculty offices are on the second and third floors. The first floor houses a student lounge, study areas, law student bookstore, and a [[Starbucks]] cafe.  The North Wing's lowest level contains the [http://www.memphis.edu/legalclinic/index.php University of Memphis Legal Clinic], locker rooms and student organization offices.  As a result of digital security measures, students, faculty and staff have [[24/7]] access to the law school, study rooms, and library.

Following the law school's move to the downtown location in 2010, it was ranked by the Princeton Review as a top 10 law school nationally for quality of life.<ref>[http://www.memphis.edu/releases/nov10/lawbest.htm U of M Law School Ranked in Top 10 Nationally for Quality of Life]</ref>

===Library facilities===

The [[University of Memphis, School of Law campus|new law school campus]] houses the Plough Foundation Law Library, which contains more than 270,000 volumes of books and microforms including statutes, court reports, digests, encyclopedias, treatises, loose-leaf services, periodicals, and government documents.  The Law Library serves as a selective depository library for U.S. government publications since 1979.  In addition to its own law library resources, students and staff also have access to the following libraries:
*[http://www.memphis.edu/libraries/ McWherter Library]--the main University of Memphis library and its departmental branches;
*[http://www.shelbycountylawlibrary.com/ Shelby County Law Library], located on the third floor of the [[Shelby County Courthouse (Tennessee)|Shelby County Courthouse]], two blocks away from the law school.<ref>http://www.shelbycountylawlibrary.com/service.html (last accessed June 22, 2011)</ref>  
*[[Memphis Public Library]], Cossitt Branch Library, located adjacent to the law school.<ref>www.memphislibrary.org/about/libraries/cossitt.htm (last accessed June 24, 2011)</ref>

==Notable alumni==
[[Image:MemphisLawExterior.jpg|thumb|right|250px|View of University of Memphis, School of Law facing north.]]

* [[Bernice B. Donald]] (JD '79), U.S. District Court Judge, nominated by President [[Barack Obama]] to the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit|Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals]] in Cincinnati<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/12/01/president-obama-nominates-judge-bernice-bouie-donald-united-states-court] President Obama Nominates Judge Bernice Bouie Donald for United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit</ref>
* [[James Dale Todd]] (JD '72), U.S. federal judge
* [[Jim Kyle]] (JD '76), member of the Tennessee Senate
* [[Stanley Thomas Anderson]] (JD '80), U.S. federal judge
* [[Carol Chumney]] (JD '86), Tennessee politician
* [[Stu Grimson]] (JD '05), former professional hockey player
* [[John Shelton Wilder|John S. Wilder]], Tennessee politician
* [[Avron Fogelman]], Memphis real estate developer

==Memphis Law in popular culture==
*In the 1997 Hollywood film [[The Rainmaker (1997 film)]], Rudy Baylor (played by [[Matt Damon]]) is a graduate of University of Memphis, School of Law.

==References==
<references />

==External links==
*[http://www.law.memphis.edu University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law] - official site
**[http://www.law.memphis.edu/building/ Announcement of move]