Masters of Studies in Law Degree Program Proposal Associate Dean - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Masters of Studies in Law Degree Program Proposal

Associate Dean Paul Ohm School of Law

A New Class of Legal Professional

• Increasing demand for professionals who use

law but do not practice law

– Patent Agents – Compliance Officers (CPO, CISO, CIO) – HR Specialists

• Analogous to shift from MD to NP/PA
• No need for JD and bar exam

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LL.M

• History

– Regents approval: Spring 2010 – Four consecutive graduating classes

• Enrollments: 6, 8, 4, 4

– Almost 100% graduation and employment

• Pros

– Successful administrative execution with minimal impact

• n JD program
• Cons

– Low enrollment and unlikely to grow

3

Workforce Demand

• The Demand for Patent Agents

– Registered patent agents: ~10,000 – AIPLA Statistics:

• Average salary in private firms: $90,000
• 75th Percentile: $126,250
• Denver firms follow national trends

– Growth:

• “America Invents Act” dramatically increases PTAB

litigation

• U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Denver Office

4

Student Demand

• Eligible pools

– College graduates looking to improve employment

• pportunities

– Students already enrolled in complementary Masters’ programs (CU and beyond) – Employed college graduates looking to improve advancement opportunities

• In future, a platform to experiment with

– Online courses – Part-time students

5

MSL Structure and Enrollment

• One year, 28 credit hours
• Bachelors degree, 3.0 GPA, LSAT/GMAT/GRE

strongly encouraged, interview, TOEFL

• Separate Tracks (initially: Patent Agent)
• Curriculum:

– New courses: Intro to U.S. Law (3 cr); Legal Writing for non-JD students (3 cr) – Existing electives – Externships (2-4 cr) (e.g. TTO and USPTO)

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Duplication

• DU Sturm College of Law

– 2013 Enrollment: 110 – Specialties: Taxation, Legal Administration, Environmental and Natural Resources Law

• Other programs

– 62 ABA-accredited law schools with similar program (many new in last two years)

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Budget

• Revenue is projected more than twice the

direct costs of offering the degree

• Expenses are not a projection: Established

track record from LL.M

– Two new courses offered at adjunct pay – Minimal financial aid – Equivalent of one additional administrative support personnel

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Why MSL?

• Innovative source of alternative revenue
• Consistent with Goals of Flagship 2030

– Changing role of legal knowledge in a 21st century workplace – “Greater emphasis on the master’s degrees as a primary track” – More diversity of all kinds

• Consistent with Law School mission statements

– More specialists in student body (e.g. STEM) – Innovator in legal education – Diversity

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QUESTIONS?

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