About VLS

Overview
Mission & Augustinian Statement
History
Facilities

Overview

Founded in 1953 as part of Villanova University to offer law study to a broad spectrum of people, Villanova was the first church-related school in the country to be awarded a chapter of the Order of the Coif, the national honor society devoted to high legal standards of scholarship. Villanova University was founded more than 150 years ago by the Augustinians, a prominent Roman Catholic teaching order.

The campus is located 15 miles west of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a major legal, corporate and banking center. Villanova University is on Philadelphia's suburban Main Line, named for the commuter train that runs into Center City, is within 20 minutes of 15 other colleges and universities.

The Villanova University School of Law offers the following degree programs: J.D., J.D./M.B.A. with Villanova University College of Commerce and Finance, J.D./Ph.D. in Law and Psychology, LLM in Taxation.  VLS is accredited by the American Bar Association. The School of Law is also a member of the Association of American Law Schools.

Mission & Augustinian Statement

A Tradition of Respect for Human Dignity

Villanova is rooted in the Catholic tradition that emphasizes the unique value of individual human lives and our endowment with free will. It inspires us to provide a professional education emphasizing honesty, integrity, and responsibility. This aspect of the tradition is embodied in St. Thomas More, whose figure graces the main entrance in Garey Hall, and whose principled resistance to corruption has been an exemplar of integrity for centuries. Respect for human dignity is also embodied in our commitment to service. Students are taught that pro bono legal service to the poor should be part of their careers, both as students and as lawyers. This aspect of our tradition is embodied in St. Ives, who taught that a lawyer's vocation must include a sense of responsibility for the poor. His figure stands next to that of St. Thomas More at our entrance.

A Tradition of Academic Freedom

Villanova University School of Law is committed to the principles of academic freedom. It derives that commitment from the traditions of the order of St. Augustine, the founders of Villanova University, who drew on the thought of St. Augustine to emphasize the value of critical, searching inquiry and open debate. The law school is thus a forum for principled engagement with ideas of all kinds in an atmosphere of civil expression and mutual respect.

A Tradition of Academic Excellence

A relatively new law school, Villanova was conceived with the notion that it would be a first-rate institution. The Law School achieved full accreditation by the American Bar Association with extraordinary rapidity, and immediately attracted an outstanding faculty - a standard the faculty meets today. We have always been highly selective in our admissions policy and rigorous in our academic standards. The reality of excellence, furthermore, has created a reputation for excellence that benefits our students immensely when they enter the legal profession.

A Tradition of Inclusion

Villanova University was founded in the western suburbs of Philadelphia in the 1840s after anti-Catholic and anti-Irish riots in Philadelphia forced the Augustinians to flee the city. Villanova University School of Law was founded in the 1950s as a co-educational institution at a time when women were not admitted to many law schools. Our historical experience, as well as our respect for human dignity underlies our commitment to a policy of inclusion for all our community. We earnestly welcome individuals of all perspectives and beliefs, and we regard a diverse community as a richer community.

History

The idea for a law school at Villanova first surfaced in the 1920s, but was not realized until the physical expansion that took place at the University after World War II. In 1953, under the presidency of Father Francis X. N. McGuire, Eugene Lester Garey, a prominent New York lawyer, bequeathed to the University $1.2 million to establish a new law school. Harold Gill Reuschlein was appointed the first dean and in 1957, Garey Hall, designed especially for the law school, was opened and dedicated. The School of Law was the first law school under Catholic auspices to be awarded a chapter of the Order of Coif, a national honor society devoted to the encouragement of high standards of legal scholarship, with chapters in leading schools of law throughout the country.

The School of Law’s distinctive mission draws upon the Catholic tradition emphasizing the unique value of individual human lives and the endowment of free will. In addition, it upholds a tradition of academic freedom that draws upon the thought of Saint Augustine to emphasize the value of critical, searching inquiry and open debate; is inspired by Saint Thomas More, whose principled resistance to corruption has been an exemplar of integrity for centuries; and, motivated by Saint Ives, who taught that a lawyer’s vocation must include a sense of responsibility for the poor. The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. The School of Law has created a reputation for excellence in its curriculum and the academic achievements of its faculty and students.

Since its founding, Villanova has been privileged to mediate Saint Augustine’s vision of education as a community activity of scholars searching for truth in open discussion, commitment to ethical values, and dedication to social justice and human rights. This commitment is realized in its humanities programs, which are an integral part of the curriculum of each of its professional schools, and in the three essential characteristics of our Augustinian tradition: the relationship between mind and heart, the role of community, and the unity of knowledge. This commitment and tradition also provides the key for interpreting Villanova’s mission statement which states that the University is a community that "seeks to reflect the spirit of Saint Augustine by the cultivation of knowledge, by respect for individual differences, and by adherence to the principle that mutual love and respect should animate every aspect of University life."

Facilities

Law Library

The Pulling law library is a superb facility with 430,000 volumes and microforms and 3,000 subscriptions to law reviews and legal journals.  An online catalog provides access to more than 30,000 records and is connected to a database of more than 20 million records from more than 100 major American law library collections including the Library of Congress.

Computers

There are eighty-eight computers in multipurpose workstations in the library. Seventy-five other computers are located in library stacks, classrooms, and student organizations offices. Sixty-two additional study carrels allow students with laptops to link to the network and the Internet. The library also subscribes to computer-assisted legal research databases.

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