Law School Planning Initiative (proposed)Wilkes Law School Planning Initiative (proposed)
Wilkes University’s Board of Trustees approved the proposal for a new law school on Friday, June 5, 2009, contingent on the University being able to raise the necessary funds without taxing the university’s other schools, programs or priorities. The board’s action clears the way for the administration to develop a business plan to secure the necessary financial resources, identify a suitable building for the new school and seek final board approval. The new law school curriculum will incorporate Wilkes’ emphasis on building close relationships between students and mentors. It will also stimulate the region’s economy by creating new jobs and bringing hundreds of students to downtown Wilkes-Barre and will supply talented lawyers to lead the region’s law firms, businesses and government entities.
The next step is for the university to identify the financial resources necessary to operate the school and acquire a building. The project will also be subject to periodic reviews by the Board of Trustees to ensure the implementation is on track. The inaugural class of 60 full-time students and 25 part-time students is expected to be seated in 2011. Once fully operational, the school will enroll 275 to 300 full-time students and 80 to 100 part-time students.
Initial work on the project began in 2004 with discussions that led to the formation of a preliminary feasibility committee. Following the recommendation of that committee to continue with the study, a search committee was formed in 2007 for the purpose of conducting a national search for a legal education expert who guide the University through the final stages of the feasibility study as Dean of the Law School Planning Initiative (proposed). On May 7, 2008, Wilkes University President Tim Gilmour announced the appointment of Loren D. Prescott, Jr. as Dean of the Wilkes Law School Planning Initiative (proposed). In September, 2008, Dean Prescott announced the appointment of an advisory board that worked with him on the final stages of the feasibility study process. Following approval by the trustees, an application for approval of this new professional program will be submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE). Dean Prescott hopes to receive provisional approval from PDE by Spring , 2010. Wilkes hopes to enroll the inaugural class of the School of Law in August, 2011
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