The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law was founded in 1962 as the Memphis State University College of Law. It was originally housed in the historic James Lee House, located on the University of Memphis campus. The college was renamed in honor of former president Cecil C. Humphreys in 1995, and moved to its current location at 1 North Front Street. Since then, the school has continued to grow and evolve; it now offers a variety of degree programs and concentrations, including a joint J.D./MBA program with the Fogelman College of Business and Economics; an LL.M program for foreign lawyers; and a Master of Laws program for international students. The school is also home to six legal clinics that offer free legal services to qualifying clients in the greater Memphis area. In addition, the school sponsors various student organizations, including several professional organizations focused on topics such as family law, health law, intellectual property law, criminal law, international law, and more. The school also hosts several annual events such as moot court competitions and an annual symposium on civil rights law.
University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law is located in the state of Tennessee. As one of the leading law programs, University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law has a high average LSAT score of 153-158 when recruiting new students. As a return, the median starting salary for law graduates reaches $59,281 per year. See the following table for detailed admissions information and career profiles of University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law.
Admissions: University of Memphis (Humphreys)
The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law is an accredited law school located in Tennessee. The school offers a Juris Doctor degree, as well as a Master of Laws (LLM) and a Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD). The school has been accredited by the American Bar Association since 1971 and is also a member of the Association of American Law Schools. In terms of admissions statistics, the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law had an overall acceptance rate for the 2018-2019 academic year of 55%, with an average LSAT score for incoming students being 152 and average GPA being 3.2. Additionally, 39% were female and 61% were male, while 8% were international students and 92% were domestic students. The school admitted 474 first-year students in 2019, out of which 61% received merit scholarships. With its diverse student body, faculty, and programs, the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law provides an excellent education to its students preparing them for successful legal careers.
Fall 2019 Admissions and Enrollment Statistics
Total number of full- and part-time applicants
950
Total number of full- and part-time acceptances
303
Overall acceptance rate
31.9%
Total number of full- and part-time first-year students enrolled
143
Number of full-time program applicants
905
Number of full-time program acceptances
293
Full-time acceptance rate
32.4%
Number of first-year full-time students enrolled
136
Number of part-time program applicants
46
Number of part-time program acceptances
10
Part-time acceptance rate
21.7%
Number of first-year part-time students enrolled
7
Fall 2019 GPA and LSAT Scores
25th-75th percentile GPA scores for all students
3.16-3.68
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for all students
153-158
25th-75th percentile undergraduate GPA for full-time students
3.17-3.68
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for full-time students
153-158
25th-75th percentile undergraduate GPA for part-time students
3.22-3.69
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for part-time students
150-156
Careers: University of Memphis (Humphreys)
Bar Statistics (Winter and Summer 2018 administrations)
State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar
TN
School’s bar passage rate for first-time test takers
93.1%
Statewide bar passage rate for first-time test takers
82.9%
Class of 2018 Graduates
Total graduates
130
Graduates employed at graduation
41.1%
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation
93.3%
Starting Salaries of 2018 Graduates Employed Full-time
25th percentile private sector starting salary
$50,000
Median private sector starting salary
$59,281
75th percentile private sector starting salary
$80,000
Percent in the private sector who reported salary information
42%
Median public service starting salary
$47,000
Areas of Legal Practice (Class of 2018)
Percent employed in academia
1.8%
Percent employed in business and industry
10.7%
Percent employed in government
8.9%
Percent employed in all judicial clerkships
5.4%
Percent employed in law firms
69.6%
Percent employed in public interest
3.6%
Percent employed in an unknown field
0.0%
Percent employed in a judicial clerkship by an Article III federal judge
1.0%
2018 Graduates Employment Location
Graduates employed in-state
88%
Graduates employed in foreign countries
0%
Number of states where graduates are employed
12
New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT)
0.0%
Middle Atlantic (NY, NJ, PA)
1.8%
East North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI)
1.8%
West North Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD)
0.9%
South Atlantic (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV)
1.8%
East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN)
89.2%
West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX)
1.8%
Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA)
0.0%
Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY)
2.7%
Employment location unknown
0.0%
Career Services
(Data appear as originally submitted by this school)
Career services operations
The Career Office provides information about employment opportunities and career exploration, with seminars on job search skills, resume writing and interview techniques. We host on-campus interviews by local and national law firms, corporations and public interest/governmental employers and participate in recruiting conferences. Graduates have access to a nationwide alumni network.
Job Type
Bar admission required or anticipated (e.g., attorney and corporate counsel positions, law clerks, judicial clerks)
87.5%
J.D. preferred, law degree enhances position (e.g., corporate contracts administrator, alternative dispute resolution specialist, government regulatory analyst, FBI special agent)
8.9%
Professional/other (jobs that require professional skills or training but for which a J.D. is neither preferred nor particularly applicable; e.g., accountant, teacher, business manager, nurse)
2.8%
Nonprofessional/other (job that does not require any professional skills or training or is taken on a temporary basis and not viewed as part of a career path)
