University of Miami School of Law

Student Rating^? B Alumni Rating^? A- ATL Top 50 Rank Not ranked	Tuition $47,774 Total Investment ^? $259,857	Enrollment 909	Student/Faculty Ratio 11.6
LSAT (25/75) 154/160 GPA (25/75) 3.15/3.60	Region Southeast State Florida	Dean Patricia D. White
Applicants who are accepted 50.0 / 100 Admitted students who enroll 1.70 / 10	Top Biglaw Employers ^? Greenberg Traurig LLP	Talking Points Professor Soia Mentschikoff developed the UCC. Notable Alumni: Roy Black (prominent trial attorney for Kelsey Grammer and Rush Limbaugh); Sue Cobb (former U.S. Ambassador to Jamaica, former FL Secretary of State); Carolyn Lamm (Partner at White & Case, former president of the ABA); Stuart Miller (CEO of Lennar Corporation); U.S. Senator Marco Rubio

Ratings & Rankings

Colored bars represent the range of average school ratings. Black line is this school's rating.

Academics

Students
vs. all schools

Minimum: 2.25
Mean: 3.16
Maximum: 4

Alumni
vs. all schools

Minimum: 2.4
Mean: 3.37
Maximum: 4

Practical/Clinical Training

Students
vs. all schools

Minimum: 2.14
Mean: 3.00
Maximum: 3.83

Alumni
vs. all schools

Minimum: 1.86
Mean: 3.21
Maximum: 3.8

Career Counseling

Students
vs. all schools

Minimum: 1.29
Mean: 2.47
Maximum: 3.56

Alumni
vs. all schools

Minimum: 1.17
Mean: 2.55
Maximum: 3.25

Financial Aid Advising

Students
vs. all schools

Minimum: 1.5
Mean: 2.69
Maximum: 3.29

Alumni
vs. all schools

Minimum: 1.25
Mean: 2.58
Maximum: 3.5

Social Life

Students
vs. all schools

Minimum: 1.8
Mean: 3.26
Maximum: 3.67

Alumni
vs. all schools

Minimum: 2.4
Mean: 3.50
Maximum: 3.86

More Ratings*

	Student	Alumni
	C	B-
	B	A-
	B-	A-
	B+	B+
	A-	A

US News Rank

#77 - Tie

What do these ratings mean?

from Brian Dalton, Breaking Media Director of Research

The ATL School and Firm Insiders Survey asks self-identified current students, alumni, and practicing lawyers to rate major aspects of life at their law school (academics, social life, clinical training, career services, financial aid advising) and/or law firm (compensation, hours, morale, culture, training). We then translate these ratings into letter grades, where the mean score for each particular ratings category is the equivalent of a “B.”

We require a minimum threshold of responses for each institution before we publish any survey-based ratings content. Using a standard formula for statistical validity, we adhere to a threshold that gives us an 85% confidence level and a 10% margin of error. The precise threshold number will of course vary depending on the size of the individual institution. For example, for a law firm of 1,000 attorneys, we would require 50 responses in order to publish ratings for the firm.

Employment

Class of 2016, data from Law School Transparency and the American Bar Association

Unemployed
33%

Unknown
4 %

Other
Employment 3 %

Bar Passage
Required* 60 %

School-
Funded 0 %

Federal
Clerkships 1 %

Large Firm
14 %

Large Firm
Long-term, full-time jobs at law firms that employ 101 or more attorneys. Due to data limitations, this score may include paralegals and administrative staff.

Federal Clerkship
Long-term, full-time federal clerkships. Usually, these jobs have a duration of one year, though sometimes graduates obtain two-year appointments or "career clerk" positions.

School Funded
All jobs funded by the school, including long-term, short-term, full-time and part-time.

Bar Passage Required*
The percentage of the entire class working in long-term, full-time positions. Excludes solo practitioners.

Other Employment
All employment nine months after graduation, including short-term, JD advantage, professional, and non-professional positions.

Unknown
Non-respondents and unknown credentials.

Unemployed
All unemployed students including those seeking graduate degrees and not seeking employment.

Employment Score ^? 63 %
Large Firm	14
Federal Clerkships	1
Government	12.98%
Public Interest	3.31%

The ATL Career Center's goal is to reconcile publicly available employment data for the class of 2013, nine months after graduation. We compared data from the American Bar Association, Law School Transparency, National Association for Legal Professionals, and individual school websites. If any information is inaccurate, please contact us at [email protected].

Student Career Plans

Sector	Anticipated	Actual
Source: ATL Insider Survey and the American Bar Association
Work for a firm	60%	54%
Work for government	10%	13%
Work in non-profit/public interest		3%
Go solo		1%

Insider Reviews

from students and alumni of University of Miami School of Law

Alumni

1) Students about evenly mixed among people thrilled to go to UM in particular, people upset they were rejected form higher-ranked schools, and people entirely apathetic about the pursuit of law school. / 2) The “Miami lifestyle” dominates UM’s social, academic, and post-grad environment. Know that many – if not most – UM students are thrilled about the prospects of going to South Beach clubs, taking electives geared toward Latin America, and practicing as trial attorneys. If you are not, you will most likely hate UM. / 3) The reputation in south Florida is stellar, mostly because it’s the oldest law school in the area and many of the other schools are barely accredited. / 4) See number 2.
Alumni

Generally, it needs a faculty “make over”. However, a few professors are excellent.
Alumni

Only go to Miami Law if you want to work in Florida, and in particular, Miami. To find a job outside of Florida will be extremely difficult. The best phrase to sum up the entire experience is: “Nice place to visit, but not a place where I want to live.”
Alumni

Career services is EXTREMELY unhelpful. They will only go out of their way for the top 10% of the class… everyone else must fend for themselves.
Alumni

Miami offers their student-body a great deal of flexibility in course instruction which is both a positive and negative for a potential student. If the student is ambitious, a student can pick a course load which matches up with any other law school in the country. Many tax courses and litigation courses are taught by experienced attorneys who are leaders in their field of law. On the other hand, Miami also offers the a “slacker” schedule, where a student can essentially get through law school taking, what I like to call filler courses, and get nothing out of Miami. The real motivation for my response on this website however, is the wonderful experience I had working with the career advisors at Miami, in particular Tere Rodriguez and Karen Warren. Throughout my time at Miami and post-graduation, the career advisors at Miami always gave my questions and concerns the utmost attention, always making me feel like I was their # 1 priority each and every time I would walk into their office. Hats off to everyone in that office, with their help, I found a job within 2 weeks of graduation and have never looked back. Very this reason alone, I would recommend any student to come to Miami.
Alumni

Miami is actually a GREAT place to attend law school. I moved from the Northeast and it definitely took me a year or so to get used to the cultural differences, but I quickly grew to appreciate the paradise that surrounded me on a daily basis. Law school is hard enough without the added outside stresses life often throws our way. The staff and students at Miami are caring and truly want everyone to succeed. I formed friendships that will last a life time and met so many amazing people during my tenure here. I now live in Phoenix and miss Miami every day. The school does have a fabulous reputation in South Florida, but it is also well reputed in other parts of the country as well. Its definitely a work hard/play hard environment at UM, and I would do it all over again if given the choice.
Alumni

Students

The current dean cares more about the average student than the top of the class. She has been quoted more than once saying that the top of the class and the Law Review members receive too much attention. These views were proven when she took scholarship money from the top performers to give a little money to almost every student at the university. So, if you plan on excelling in law school, don’t waste your money.
3L

Law firms do not want to hire new graduates because clients don’t want to pay for your continuing and necessary education in practice. In house jobs are restricted to attorneys with experience. Government also has no reason to hire new attorneys. For every law student, and there are many, there is already an attorney with experience that they will hire over you.
2L

It is possible to do well at Miami. Because the 1L class is ridiculously huge, there are tons of unmotivated and naive people who think they will automatically receive a $100k job upon graduation. If you’re actually willing to put in the work, opportunities are there.
1L

There is a general atmosphere of people wanting you to do well here — from the dean to your peers. However, recent changes to the grading scale have made doing well a bit more elusive of a goal.
1L

Don’t plan on coming here looking to make friends. Also, don’t plan on coming to Miami, unless you speak fluent spanish. You will learn to hate Miami, real quick.
2L

1. The professors are great. 2. The weather is perfect.
1L

I highly recommend UM Law. Miami is diverse with endless opportunties, no matter your area of interest.
2L

I am extremely pleased with my decision to come to Miami Law. My experience in the Immigration Clinic allowed me to work for real clients and learn how to actually practice law. The level of client interaction and responsibility was much greater than anything I got working at a private firm last summer. You truly are a student attorney rather than a law clerk. Right now I am completing an internship in a government office where I hope to practice post-graduation. The school has been extremely accomodating in allowing me to get course credit for the internship and have helped me attain Certified Legal Intern status. I have a great relationship with my career development advisor and her office has aided me in securing both of my summer positions. In the classroom, I have been impressed by the quality of the faculty and have developed a long list of “favorite professors.” I found the 1L Legal Communication and Research Skills class to be particularly helpful. In that program, both of my professors were skilled practitioners who had much to offer. Right now, I am enrolled in Litigation Skills and am equally impressed with the program. Moreover, the International Moot Court program developed my written and oral legal communication skills and allowed me to compete in front of panels of international law experts in Europe. In sum, I have had a positive experience.
3L

There is a general atmosphere of people wanting you to do well here — from the dean to your peers. However, recent changes to the grading scale have made doing well a bit more elusive of a goal.
1L

They want you to succeed! Academic achievement program is always there to support students and help you make it. I am inspired by my professors.
1L

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