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HISTORY
Nashville School of Law is a smoke free environment.
In the fall of 1911, Morton B. Adams, William P. Cooper, Lee Douglas, and Robert
Selph Henry, then recent graduates of the law school at Vanderbilt University, opened
night law classes at the Y.M.C.A. for the benefit of those unable to attend law
classes during the day. The law school has been in operation since that time. It
was incorporated under the laws of the State of Tennessee on January 19, 1927, and
since that date has conferred the Degree of Doctor of Jurisprudence on over 3,200
graduates.
Until November, 1986, the school operated as the Nashville Y.M.C.A. Night Law School
leasing space from the Downtown Y.M.C.A.
The late James Gilbert Lackey, Jr. (1915-1987) served as Dean of the Law School
and instructor in Contracts from 1946 until 1986. Upon his retirement, the faculty
elected Honorable Joe C. Loser, Jr., Dean of the school. Judge Loser then retired
from the Third Circuit Court of Davidson County after twenty years on the bench
to become the fourth Dean in the school’s history, accepting the duties and responsibilities
of such office on August 23, 1986. On November 24, 1986, the school officially changed
its name to Nashville School of Law. In 1990 the school moved to 2934 Sidco Drive.
In Fall of 2005 the school moved into its new state of the art facility at 4013
Armory Drive.
COURSE OF STUDY
Classes are held each night, Monday-Thursday from 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. A student must attend at
least two nights each week in order to complete the course of study in four years. All students must maintain a minimum
GPA of at least 2.25. Students registering for the 2010 Henry Term will have classes on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. The application deadline for Henry Term classes is December 15th. Students registering for the 2009-2010 Cooper Term will have classes on Monday and Thursday nights.The application deadline for Cooper Term classes is June 15th.
ACADEMIC HONORS
The top ten percent of each graduating class is inducted into Cooper’s Inn, the
school honor society, and recognized at graduation.
The student who graduates at the top of the class is awarded the Founders’ Award
and receives a set of the Tennessee Code Annotated.
ADMISSIONS POLICY
In recent years the number of applicants for admission to the School has far exceeded
the accommodations available, thus causing the School to limit its first year enrollment.
Applicants must have received, or will receive prior to matriculation, a Bachelor’s
Degree from a college or university on the approved list of the Southern Association
of Schools and Colleges, or the equivalent regional accrediting association.
The undergraduate GPA will be considered along with the LSAT score. The admissions
process includes an admissions index computed as follows by LSDAS: multiply the
applicant’s cumulative GPA, as determined by LSDAS, times ten plus 80% of the applicant’s
LSAT score. Applicants with an index score below 140 are not accepted.
Applicants must register with the LSDAS service, as well as take the LSAT. Call
215-968-1001 for LSDAS information. The NSL school code is 1974.
Each applicant should describe any extracurricular activities of the applicant during
his/her undergraduate college career and any business accomplishments since college
graduation.
The applicant must submit three letters of recommendation, one of which must be
from someone in the legal field. The letters of recommendation may be sent to LSDAS
or directly to the NSL Admissions Committee.
The application must include an explanation of any prior arrests regardless of the
outcome and/or an explanation of any disciplinary action received from any educational
institution. Applicants accepted at Nashville School of Law have a continuing obligation
to report any arrests after acceptance and/or during matriculation at Nashville
School of Law.
Each application must include a $45 registration fee.
Requests for application forms, completed applications, and all related information
should be sent to:
Admissions Committee
Nashville School of Law
4013 Armory Oaks Drive
Nashville, TN 37204
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ADVANCE STANDING
Applicants may be given credit for subjects completed at an accredited law school,
provided a transcript is submitted and the credit is approved by the Dean. No more
than 16 credits may be transferred. Credit will be given only for subjects passed
with a grade of a C or better and the decision of the Dean is final. Application
for such credit must be made in writing and will only be considered after an applicant
has been accepted.
POLICY ON NON-DISCRIMINATION
It is the policy of Nashville School of Law not to discriminate on the basis of
sex, disability, race, color, religion, age, sexual orientation or national or ethnic
origin in its educational programs, employment policies, scholarships, or other
school administered programs.
Harassment in any form at the school is unacceptable, violates federal law, and
will result in disciplinary action.
DISABILITY POLICY
View our Disability Policy
TUITION, FEES, AND BOOKS
An education at NSL is an affordable, sound investment in the future. Our graduates
have consistently become competent and capable attorneys and judges, involved and
practicing in all areas of law throughout the State of Tennessee.
The law school’s tuition is among the lowest of private law schools in the United
States. For Henry Term 2009 the tuition is $404 per credit hour and for Cooper Term
2009-2010 the tuition is $424.00 per credit hour. For the Henry Term first year
student taking the required 12 credit hours, this amounts to $4848.00 and for the
Cooper Term 2009-2010 first year student taking the required 12 credit hours, this
amounts to $5088.00. Fees that must be paid at registration are $200.00.
A minimum of six course credits is required for matriculation. A full time student
is one who is taking at least 12 credit hours.
Students seeking VA assistance must be enrolled 18 clock hours per week to be considered
full time.
Full payment of tuition at registration entitles the student to a 5% discount on
the total tuition for the year. If unearned tuition is refunded for any reason,
the student loses the benefit of the deduction.
Unearned tuition may be refunded when a class is dropped provided the Dean’s office
is notified in writing. There is a $50.00 fee charged for each class dropped and/or
added.
Books may be purchased at the bookstore during Bookstore hours. No refund or exchanges
will be made for books purchased by students.
FINANCIAL AID
As a private institution, our students are not eligible for government loans. A
low interest loan is available through Pinnacle Bank. Since our tuition is low and
students are permitted to pay their tuition monthly with no interest, most students
do not need financial assistance.
A limited number of partial and full scholarships are awarded to second, third,
and fourth year students based on need and scholarship.
FACULTY
The faculty at NSL are well respected practicing attorneys and judges, many of whom
enjoy regional and national reputations in their specialties. On the cutting edge
and forward thinking, they bring a rich and diverse variety of professional experiences
to the classroom.
They have degrees from Vanderbilt, Inter-American University of Puerto Rico, Tennessee,
Howard, Memphis, North Carolina, St. Mary’s, Cumberland at Samford, Tulane, and
Georgetown, as well as NSL. Faculty members have extensive legal experience in private
practice and public service. A number of faculty members have achieved national
and international prominence in such areas as litigation, entertainment law, evidence,
real estate, mediation and arbitration, criminal law, social security law, medical
malpractice, products liability, employment and labor law, contracts, taxation,
immigration and environmental law.
Because Nashville is the center of the state’s legal community and the seat of state
and local governments, many members of the faculty are judges from various courts,
including the Tennessee Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, federal district court,
and county courts.
CURRICULUM
The law school provides a broad curriculum that challenges and develops students’
analytical, communication and lawyering skills. The 48 credit hours required for
the J.D. degree require four years to complete. Several of the courses are designed
to focus on practice in Tennessee.
LIBRARY RESOURCES
The Library consists of 15,727 hard copy volumes and 2,171 volumes on CD ROM. All
students have access to Westlaw research in the library at the computer lab, from
any location in the new facility with a laptop with wireless internet capability
and from any other location with internet access.
LIVING COSTS
No on campus living facilities are available. For those coming a considerable distance,
nearby accommodations are available at a motel rate of approximately $50.00.
ACCREDITATION
Nashville School of Law is approved by the Tennessee Board of Law Examiners and
graduates may take the bar examination and practice law in the State of Tennessee.
In order to continue to fulfill its mission of providing high quality legal education
at an affordable tuition, Nashville School of Law has never applied for ABA approval.
Students intending to practice in other states should contact the admitting authority
in that state for information regarding the legal education requirements for admission
to practice law in that state and, whether they may sit for the bar in that state.
ORGANIZATIONS AND ACTIVITIES
The law school sponsors mock trial tournament teams which participate in national
moot court trial competitions.
2009-2010 ADMISSIONS
248 Applicants |
Henry 2009-2010
92 Enrolled first year class
Median LSAT 146
Median GPA 3.02
9.8% Minority
54% Women
42 Undergraduate schools
represented
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Cooper 2009-2010
96 Enrolled first year class
Median LSAT 148
Median GPA 3.20
6.3% Minority
52% Women
31 Undergraduate schools
represented
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651 Total enrollment |
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BAR PASSAGE DATA
NSL students have been very successful in recent years in passing the Tennessee
Bar Exam. 80% of the 2008 graduates passed the Bar. 83% of the graduates from 1998-2008 have passed the Bar.
PLACEMENT RATE AND SERVICES
The school maintains a registry of students and alumni who are interested in notification
of job opportunities.
100 % of the 2008 NSL graduates seeking employment are employed. 94% of those who
passed the bar are employed in the legal field and 6% non-legal.
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