PreLaw highlighted institutions for their extensive range of curricular options, particularly emphasizing clinics, concentrations, centers, externships, journals, and student organizations in the Back-to-School 2024 issue of the magazine. The law school, with expertise in 18 areas of study, was highlighted in many areas.
Top school for moot court
The School of Law's moot court organizations were included in PreLaw's list of top 30 schools for moot court (#10), writing, "These law schools have an outstanding record of preparing students for legal careers through moot court competitions, both in person and virtual."
The law school offers three programs in addition to the Order of Barristers, a national honorary organization whose purpose is the encouragement of oral advocacy and brief writing skills through effective law school appellate moot court and mock trial programs.
The Charles C. Papy, Jr. Moot Court Board is a student-run, honorary organization that focuses on recruiting and training the finest oral and written advocates in the country and is the oldest, largest, and most prestigious advocacy program at the law school. The International Moot Court Program, the only one of its kind in the U.S., allows students to represent the School of Law in various international legal competitions while obtaining course credit. The Yvette Ostolaza Mock Trial Team provides opportunities for students to hone their advocacy skills and develop as trial attorneys. The Trial Team comprises a select group of students representing the School of Law in interscholastic civil and criminal competitions against other law schools.
Top school for legal technology
PreLaw named 20 top schools for technology law, including the School of Law (#11), citing law schools that "are preparing students like never before, developing curricula to address the latest in technology and teaching students how to use it to solve real-world legal problems."
The School of Law offers The Business of Innovation, Law, and Technology Concentration, designed to prepare students as lawyers increasingly deal with significant changes to business models and technological possibilities. LawWithoutWalls is a global experiential learning initiative that brings legal and business professionals with students from over 30 law and business schools to develop innovative solutions at the intersection of law, business, and technology. It fosters cross-generational, cultural, and disciplinary collaboration while building essential professional skills.
The School of Law's latest addition is the Miami Law & AI (MiLA) Lab, an interdisciplinary hub that pioneers the frontier of law and artificial intelligence. The lab brings together bright minds from legal and technical backgrounds to tackle pressing issues and challenges at the intersection of law and AI and transform legal education, research, and practice.
A leader in health law (A-)
The legal publication singled out the School of Law's Human Rights Clinic for its work with the Florida Health Justice Project to address Florida's maternal and infant health crisis. Pre Law writes: "They are advocating to expand Medicaid, improve the Family Planning Waiver Program, and increase access to midwives and doulas. The clinic recently collaborated with the Global Initiative for Economic, Social & Cultural Rights to report on the effect of commercialized health care on the COVID-19 response in Kenya."
The school also offers the Health Rights Clinic, where students represent clients on Social Security, Medicaid, advanced directives, immigration, and veterans' benefits matters; and a health law concentration plus interdisciplinary opportunities through numerous joint degrees, including the recently added J.D./M.H.A. (Master of Health Administration) program.
A leader in child and family law (A-)
The magazine writes that family law is one of the most critical legal specialties because of who can be in the crosshairs: children. It focuses on many of society's chilling realities, from domestic violence to homelessness to family abandonment. Many law schools devote considerable resources to this area of law.
At the University of Miami School of Law's Children & Youth Law Clinic, students, under the guidance of a supervising attorney, represent children in foster care and former foster youth in dependency, health care, mental health, disability, independent living, education, immigration, and other general civil legal matters, ensuring that they have a voice in court proceedings.
A leader in human rights law (A-)
PreLaw writes that protecting human rights is one of the world's most vexing challenges. Therefore, helping defend human rights around the globe has long been a vital mission of many law schools.
In addition to the Human Rights Clinic, the law school has a robust Human Rights Program that provides a preeminent training ground for studying and practicing human rights law. The program is the hub for a vibrant human rights community across the university, connecting faculty, students, alumni, advocates, and community members and facilitating multidisciplinary collaboration.
Read more on technology law, human rights, litigation, and family law at Miami Law.
