University of New Hampshire - Franklin Pierce School of Law

The University of New Hampshire is the only law school in the state, yet it attracts a high class of students from all over the country, primarily due to its focus on creating “practice-ready” lawyers and because of its Intellectual Property Program, which “is by far the greatest strength of this school.” There are many resources available to students when it comes to IP: the library is the biggest IP library in the U.S., “many graduates are willing to speak to us about their experience,” and the program in Commerce and Technology includes a razor edge focus on e-Law.
The school has an “excellent focus on practice,” which is buoyed by its externship programs and allows students to work in their fields of interest for up to a full semester while receiving credit. The Daniel Webster Scholar Honors Program “offers every real world experience a future attorney could ask for” and is the only practice-based bar exam alternative in the nation. The emphasis on practical, skills-based lawyering “is not just an advertisement—it really happens in the classroom.” There are “endless” internship, externship, and clinical opportunities, as well as a number of classes that focus on what you will do in practice, rather than just theory. “If a student evades a tough question, the professor will often ask ‘What would you tell your client?’” “I really enjoy learning how we'll be able to apply what we learn in the real world,” says a student.
Small class size means the “dynamic, high energy” faculty “really gets to know the students.” Everybody at UNH Law is very accessible. “I even see the Dean walking around in the hallways,” says a 1L. “Many professors have an open door policy,” and “there are teaching assistants who can help you in the rare times when you can't find the professor.” “There was never a time when I needed to locate someone and I just couldn't,” says a student. Some professors even give out their phone numbers “just in case,” and students “don't have to fight through twenty-three TAs before actually getting in touch with them.” One contracts professor even stays until 11 p.m. at times when students need help preparing for finals. Several students take note and appreciate this apparent dedication. Almost all of the professors still practice or have practiced before they begin teaching, which allows them “actual practice-based knowledge to share with the students, [which is] a huge asset to the student body.” Similarly, “the administration and overall management of our school is great.” “Because it's such a small school, you know all of the administrative staff, and they are very responsive to your needs,” says a 2L.
As the main legal game in the state, the school attracts “a wide variety of speakers from judges, governors, senators, to well known commentators in the legal field on a weekly basis,” which makes for “endless opportunities for networking as a result.” Some externs are sent to the New Hampshire Supreme Court, and students “also have the ability to extern at the first circuit and other federal courts;” however, some feel like other concentrations of law besides IP “could use a little boost.” “If one was to practice something else and travel out of state they might not have much luck,” says a student.

The school has “a strong sense of community,” and although it “has limited facilities” due to its size (“the building is very nice; not too big and not too small”), the facilities the school does have “are pristine, and run very smoothly,” including a “beautiful” courtroom that is available for students to use whenever a class is not in session. The “close-knit” Concord coterie means that plenty of campus life takes place off-campus. “I frequently see professors and fellow students working out at the local YMCA,” says a student. Concord “doesn't have a great night life, but there are plenty of things to do here.” The bars that are here “are enough to keep you satisfied,” and “there are also a lot of great things to do around the city that don't involve drinking.” Parking can sometimes be problematic, but “most students walk to school.”
The “intimate environment” fostered on campus is apparent everywhere. “Professors interact with the students outside of class on a daily basis and seem to generally care about how each student is doing.” The student body itself is composed of “diverse groups of students of all ages and from all backgrounds.” Although the students are competitive, they “all get along well and work together, creating a strong network in the long term.” Most of the students here are right out of undergrad or have spent one to two years outside of school before applying to law school.