Brandeis Law School welcomes students to Admitted Students Day, April 13

The Louis D. Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville will welcome students admitted to its JD program for Admitted Students Day on Saturday, April 13.

The day’s programming will introduce admitted students to current students, faculty and alumni at Brandeis Law School. “Admitted Students Day is an opportunity for admitted students to the community and resources that will be integral to their legal education at Brandeis Law,” said Nicholas Stiegelmeyer, assistant dean of admissions. “It offers them a tangible preview of their future as a member of the Brandeis Law family.”

Programming includes a mock class with Dean Melanie B. Jacobs, conversations with law school faculty and alumni, a student organization fair and the opportunity to build relationships with other admitted students and current Brandeis Law students.

The new entering class will begin their studies in August, at a great moment for Brandeis Law. Jacobs took the helm in July 2022 and began a multi-front effort to advance the curriculum and create an environment that fosters excellence in legal education and scholarship.

Those efforts have paid off immensely. The Brandeis Law School Class of 2023 had the best bar passage rate for first-time takers in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. And, Jacobs says, “These are outstanding numbers, but we aren’t resting on our laurels. We continue to improve our Academic and Bar Success program, reworking our bar prep skills course and investing additional resources in partnership with Helix Bar Review,” one of the nation’s most cutting-edge bar exam preparation courses.

Brandeis Law School is likewise seeing excellent employment outcomes for its graduates. Over 90% of the Class of 2023 is employed, reflecting the increased networking opportunities the school provides for students and more intentional programming concerning résumé and cover letter preparation and mock interviews.

In addition to those strong outcomes, Brandeis School of Law has undertaken additional initiatives that give students the best possible preparation for a law career:

• A revised curriculum that aligns both with employment opportunities and the NextGen Bar Exam. The NextGen Bar Exam is scheduled to debut in July 2026 and will provide an exam that focuses more on testing examinees’ skills and abilities than the current bar exam does.

• Greater reinforcement of topics tested on the NextGen Bar Exam by giving students a solid foundation in the first year and then multiple opportunities to expand that foundation with upper-level core courses, electives and experiential opportunities.

• Consultation with alumni and local employers to create “course clusters” in the areas of law that graduates often focus on when they enter the legal profession. These clusters give a roadmap to students as to what courses to take in order to prepare themselves for their chosen practice area.

• Strengthened and expanded experiential learning programs to give students more real-world experience prior to graduation:
  • A designated Associate Dean for Experiential Education to provide coordinated oversight of six law clinics, externships and moot court program
  • Expanded capacity in our Mediation Clinic to give more students the opportunity to participate
  • A pilot Housing Clinic focused on eviction defense
  • A new Immigration Law Clinic funded by an appropriation from the Kentucky Legislature that will begin in fall 2024
  • Expanded hours at the school’s Elder Law Clinic

• The addition of new pre-enrollment academic content and a revamped orientation to better set up our incoming first-year students for success.

• The hiring of a dozen new faculty over the past two years to give students a full complement of instructional expertise, including health law, alternative dispute resolution, and intellectual property.

• Faculty across the school who are recognized nationally for their expertise. Just in the past year, Brandeis School of Law faculty have:
  • been invited for membership in the American Law Institute, the American Bar Foundation’s Access to Justice Scholars Program and the Sigma Xi national science research society;
  • published in journals such as Stanford Law Review and Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review, among others;
  • been invited to speak at conferences on topics such as the Dobbs decision, the jurisprudential legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, protecting students’ free speech rights and more; and,
  • served as go-to expert sources for media nationwide on topics such as the Breonna Taylor case, the use of artificial intelligence in legal writing, workers’ rights to organize and collective bargaining and more.

These accomplishments and enhancements have been carried out while the school works to keep tuition affordable and provide more funding that benefits students. “We are intensifying alumni engagement and increasing development efforts to raise funds for student scholarships and facility renovation,” Jacobs said. “At the same time, we have continued to provide accessible excellence by keeping tuition and fees as some of the lowest levels in the country: $25,500 for Kentucky residents and $30,500 for non-residents.”

The net result makes a Brandeis School of Law education one of the best values in the nation, something that not only its students can appreciate but that the law school can take pride in providing.

 "When you look at all we have to offer, there are so many reasons why our students are excited to choose Brandeis Law for their legal education," Stiegelmeyer said.