JACKSONVILLE, Fla., March 16, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For the second year in a row, Florida Coastal School of Law was named a best law school for providing its students practical training by National Jurist Magazine, a leading news source in legal education. Coastal Law was listed in the top 20 of all law schools listed and received a grade of A+, up from an A- in 2014.
This year, only 86 schools earning a B grade or higher were selected by the National Jurist and were recognized in its March 2015 issue. Schools were ranked by the number of full-time students who take simulation courses, externships, clinics, or who participate in interschool skills competitions.
"Practical training is a buzzword for most schools and many are turning it into practice," said Jack Crittenden, Editor In Chief of The National Jurist.
The heartbeat of the experiential programs lies in the variety of clinics Coastal Law offers its students. There are six in-house clinics and eleven practitioner clinics, a hybrid between a clinic and an externship. Students can earn credit for participating in one of the many clinics in areas including immigration, family law, business and entrepreneurship, to criminal defense law. Experience handling cases with a public or governmental agency or not-for-profit corporation or in a judicial internship provides students with a competitive advantage when seeking employment.
Over 35 thousand pro bono hours were donated to the community through Coastal Law clinics. In academic year 2013-2014, there were 79,760 Coastal Law student hours donated in externship opportunities.
Associate Dean of Experiential Learning, Annette Ritter, says that the clinics at Coastal Law equip students to navigate and influence the rapid social, economic and technological changes in the legal industry. "Our goal at Coastal Law is to prepare all of our students for 21st century legal practice. Our clinics provide the best opportunity for students to gain valued experience while under the supervision of some of the top legal educators in the nation."
To learn more about Coastal Law's experiential learning programs, visit us at www.fcsl.edu/clinics. And to read more about the A+ ranking read the full article in National Jurist magazine's March issue bit.ly/NationalJuristAplus.
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