Dedman School of Law

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SMU Dedman School of Law
MottoVeritas Liberabit Vos (Latin)
Parent schoolSouthern Methodist University
Established1925
School typePrivate
Endowment$1.633 billion (parent institution for FY 2019)
DeanJason P. Nance
LocationDallas, Texas, U.S.
32°50′47″N 96°47′10″W / 32.8464°N 96.7861°W / 32.8464; -96.7861
Enrollment900
Faculty50 full-time
USNWR ranking42nd (tie) (2024)[1]
Bar pass rate84.86% (2023)[2]
Websitewww.smu.edu/law

The SMU Dedman School of Law (SMU Law) is the law school of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, United States. The school was founded in February 1925 as part of Southern Methodist University.[3] It was renamed in February 2001 to honor benefactors Nancy Dedman and Robert H. Dedman Sr. One of 10 law schools in Texas, it was the only one in the city of Dallas until the University of North Texas at Dallas opened as a law school in 2014.[citation needed]

Admissions

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Statistics

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Admissions Stats
Class of: 2020-2021 2021-2022 2022-2023 2023-2024
25th - 50th - 75th percentile LSAT 156 - 162 - 164 158 - 163 - 164 160 - 164 - 166 156 - 161 - 163
25th - 50th - 75th percentile GPA 3.44 - 3.73 - 3.84 3.43 - 3.76 - 3.89 3.67 - 3.83 - 3.91 3.60 - 3.86 - 3.93
Acceptance rate 40.8% 33.4% 32.7% 30.4%
Applications received 1847 2334 2175 2540
Acceptances 753 780 711 772
Matriculants 226 226 190 227

From 2020 to 2024, SMU law had an acceptance rate of about 34%[4]. The median LSAT score was about 163, and the median GPA was around 3.80.

Academic profile

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SMU Dedman School of Law offers Juris Doctor, Master of Laws, and Doctor of Juridical Science degrees.[5] The school also offers two joint-degree programs: a combined law and economics degree with the SMU Department of Economics in Dedman College and a combined law and business degree with the Cox School of Business.[5]

The class entering in fall 2019 had a median LSAT score of 161 and a median undergraduate GPA of 3.7. These medians were calculated by the Law School Admission Council using data on enrolled students provided by the law school to the American Bar Association.[6]

Students in the JD program are required to have 87 credit hours to graduate, including 31 hours of required coursework in the first year. After the first year, required coursework includes professional responsibility, two upper-level writing courses (including a faculty-supervised scholarly writing seminar), Constitutional Law II, and a practical skills course.[7] In addition, all students are required to complete 30 hours of public service before graduating.[8]

Programs and resources

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Dedman Law is home to four independent law journals: The SMU Law Review, Journal of Air Law and Commerce, The International Lawyer, and the SMU Science & Technology Law Review.

Dedman Law offers several law clinics for upper-division students. The law clinics include: the W.W. Caruth, Jr. Child Advocacy Clinic, Civil Clinic, Criminal Justice Clinic, Family Immigration Detention Clinic, Federal Taxpayers Clinic, First Amendment Clinic, Consumer Advocacy Project, Small Business Clinic & Trademark Clinic, Judge Elmo B. Hunter Legal Center for Victims of Crimes Against Women, Innocence Clinic, Patent Law Clinic, and Vansickle Family Law Clinic.

Dedman Law offers a summer program at the University of Oxford in Oxford, England, multiple international programs, and the Underwood Law Library.

Underwood Law Library

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SMU's Underwood Law Library is the largest private academic law library west of the Mississippi River.[9][10][better source needed][needs update] Its collections include approximately 666,498 law-related volumes and equivalents, ranking the library among the top 20% of all law libraries in the United States.[11][10][better source needed][needs update]

Rankings

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In 2024, SMU Dedman School of Law was ranked No. 42 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.[1]

Employment

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According to SMU's official 2018 ABA-required disclosures, 80% of the Class of 2018 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation.[12][needs update] SMU's Law School Transparency under-employment score is 10.8%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2018 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation.[13][needs update]

Costs

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The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at SMU for the 2020–2021 academic year is $83,464.[14] The average amount borrowed for law school by members of the 2014 graduating class was $124,617.38.[needs update]

Notable faculty

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Notable alumni

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Main article: List of Southern Methodist University people

References

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  1. ^ a b "Southern Methodist University (Dedman)". Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  2. ^ "First Time Bar Passage Calendar Year 2023" (XLSX). American Bar Association. April 11, 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  3. ^ Santa Cruz, Paul (2009). Corazalla, Lara (ed.). "Dedman School of Law records, 1915-2001: A Guide to the Collection". Texas Archival Resources Online (TARO). Retrieved April 1, 2025.
  4. ^ https://www.smu.edu/-/media/site/law/documents/std509inforeport_2024.pdf https://www.smu.edu/-/media/site/law/academics/_documents/std509inforeport-152-12-13-2023-18-22-16.pdfhttps://www.smu.edu/-/media/site/law/documents/2022-std509inforeport-152-12-13-2022-(002).pdfhttps://www.smu.edu/-/media/site/law/documents/509-report-2021.pdf?la Referenced 12-17-25
  5. ^ a b "SMU Dedman School of Law – Joint Degrees". SMU Dedman School of Law. Archived from the original on 15 August 2009. Retrieved 31 July 2009.
  6. ^ "FAQs". SMU Dedman School of Law. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  7. ^ "Juris Doctor – Academic Advising Guide" (PDF). SMU Dedman School of Law. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  8. ^ "Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law – Public Service Graduation Requirement". American Bar Association. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  9. ^ "About".
  10. ^ a b "Library Facts". Archived from the original on 2016-08-14. Retrieved 2016-07-13.
  11. ^ "About".
  12. ^ "SMU Dedman School of Law - Employment Statistics". Archived from the original on 2014-07-04. Retrieved 2014-07-10.
  13. ^ "Southern Methodist University". lstscorereports.com. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  14. ^ "SMU Dedman School of Law - Fast Facts". Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2014-07-10.
  15. ^ "Raleigh Brown". Southern Methodist University. Archived from the original on 2016-09-19. Retrieved 2016-07-13.
  16. ^ "Judge Jeff Cox". 26jdc.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2014. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
  17. ^ "Todd Hunter's Biography". votesmart.com. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  18. ^ "Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr". Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  19. ^ "Barbara M.G. Lynn". Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  20. ^ "William Steger". Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved 16 May 2013.

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