Franklin Pierce Law Center In Talks to Merge with University of New Hampshire

We’ve got another public university in New England looking to acquire a third tier law school. But don’t worry, we’re not looking at another Southern New England School of Law/UMass situation. There, UMass acquired the unaccredited Southern New England under the guise of making a place for public interest lawyers in Massachusetts — at the tune of $23,565/year.
In contrast, the University of New Hampshire wants to form a partnership with Franklin Pierce Law Center — a New Hampshire institution that has been accredited since 1974. Here’s the top news from the FPLC press release:

University of New Hampshire President Mark W. Huddleston and Franklin Pierce Law Center President John D. Hutson announced today that the two institutions have approved an affiliation agreement, the first step in a multi-year process toward full merger. The Pierce Law board unanimously approved the affiliation March 4 and the University System of New Hampshire Board of Trustees approved it March 15.

As you parse through the press release, you’ll note that there’s not a lot of the disingenuous public interest lawyer rhetoric that UMass/Southern New England tried to sell.


To the extent that Franklin Pierce is known, it’s known for its strong intellectual property program. It appears the program is a strength UNH wants to enhance:

“This is an exciting day for both institutions,” said UNH President Mark W. Huddleston. “Pierce Law has one of the top intellectual property programs in the world, and it is an honor to be affiliated with such an extraordinary law school. There is great potential among our many programs, including business and engineering, and Pierce Law’s, especially in the areas of intellectual property and public interest. Affiliating will allow us to begin exploring the many ways we can enhance the university’s academic programs, create clinical education opportunities and encourage joint research. UNH is also pleased now to have a stronger presence in Concord.”
Franklin Pierce Law Center will be named the University of New Hampshire School of Law pending approval of the affiliation by the American Bar Association and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

Of course, FPLC has some problems. You hope UNH is prepared to help. FPLC sports a whopping $36,900/year tuition (not including living expenses) according to Top Law Schools. Yet given the opportunity of taking on well over six figures of debt, Franklin Pierce doesn’t have an impressive employed-upon graduation rate.
And while it has a solid IP program, have the good people at UNH actually taken a look at the IP legal market just at the moment? The IP boutique Darby & Darby went under Friday, people. Friday. It’s not at all clear that having a strong IP program is any more marketable than having a top-of-the-line buggy whip production plant.
But, if UNH and FPLC have a solid plan, the merger could actually help students who enroll at the law school, as opposed to fleecing them. If UNH is able to put in the resources necessary to take FPLC’s IP offerings to the next level in a competitive market, and perhaps broaden the options for students that get shut out of IP work, this could be a good thing.
As long as UNH holds the line on tuition. And really, at the ridiculous price of over $30K for a regional law school, how much more could UNH realistically jack up tuition anyway?
In any event, FPLC is already out there, accredited and graduating students. Many of those students can’t find jobs right now. Maybe UNH can help?
UNH and Franklin Pierce Law Center Agree to Affiliation, Take Next Step Toward Merger [Franklin Pierce Law Center]
Earlier: Nationwide Dissolution Watch: Darby & Darby Going Down
Umass Trustees Approve Plan for Public Law School

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