Law School Profile
Widener School of Law By Teresa Cajot Unlike most law schools, Widener Law serves its students from two campuses, located in two different states. This two campus model benefits students by providing unique specialization opportunities on each campus, as well as access to two alumni networks, two career development offices, and two law libraries. Both campuses are conveniently close to Philadelphia; Baltimore; Washington, DC; and New York.
Widener Law was founded in 1971 as the Delaware Law School. Four years later it became associated with Widener University and in 1989 the school opened its Harrisburg Campus and officially changed its name to Widener School of Law. Today, Widener has 1,600 students enrolled in its full-and part-time programs on both campuses. Widener’s Delaware Campus is located in Wilmington, a prime location for students who wish to focus on corporate and financial law. Legal institutes and centers associated with the Wilmington campus include the Institute of Delaware Corporate Business Law; the Health Institute; the Taishoff, Technology, and Public Service Institute; the Environmental Law Center; and the Public Interest Resource Center. The Harrisburg Campus is located within close proximity of the Pennsylvania Capitol Complex, which houses the Pennsylvania legislature, state and federal courts, and governmental agencies. Fittingly, the Harrisburg Campus is the residence of the Law and Government Institute, which was established to prepare students for legal careers within areas of government and public interest. Through a partnership with the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), the campus also offers select programs and scholarships for students and graduates from the 14 state universities. Widener Law offers JD, certificate programs, dual degree programs, graduate programs, continuing legal education programs, and bar programs. The certificate programs, offered through the school’s legal institutes, provide students with the opportunity to integrate a certificate into the JD degree. Certificate program offerings at the Delaware campus include the following: the Business Organizations Law Certificate Program, the Health Law Certificate Program,
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and the Trial Advocacy Certificate Program. Additionally, the Taishoff Technology and Public Service Institute offers a criminal law certificate program. Both campuses offer an Environmental Law Certificate Program. The Harrisburg Law & Government Institute certificate programs grant students the ability to specialize in constitutional and administrative law, consumer law, or legislation. The campus also has a new Advocacy certificate program which focuses on civil, criminal, and administrative litigation, as well as dispute resolution processes. Widener offers more than 60 activities and organizations on its campuses, including the Moot Court Honor Society, The Trial Advocacy Honor Society, and study abroad programs in diverse locations. Students are also encouraged to participate in externships and clinics, which are offered on both campuses. Clinical, judicial, health law, and global law externships are available on the Delaware Campus, while typical opportunities with the Harrisburg Campus include work with state agencies, counties, supreme courts, state senators, and more. Clinics include the Pennsylvania Civil Law Clinic, the Delaware Civil Law Clinic, the Pennsylvania Criminal Law Clinic, the Environmental Law and Natural Resources Clinic, the Veterans Law Clinic, and the Harrisburg Civil Law Clinic. Widener publishes four law reviews, which consist of The Delaware Journal of Corporate Law, the Widener Law Review, the Widener Law Journal, and the new online Widener Journal of Law, Economics, and Race. Widener also offers paralegal, legal nurse consulting (LNC), and court interpreter programs.
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