Wilmington University’s newly created School of Law marks a significant shift in Delaware’s legal landscape.
Other institutions, like the University of Delaware, previously considered starting a law school, but nothing materialized due to the high costs and other factors. Widener University Delaware Law School has stood as the sole institution of its kind in the state for decades.
But the start of the Wilmington University School of Law means those days are over, as the new law school represents a fresh option for those aspiring to pursue legal careers while also fostering healthy competition and innovation within Delaware’s legal education.
One important aspect that the first dean of Wilmington University’s School of Law Phillip Closius aims to emphasize is promoting diversity and inclusion among its student body and faculty, something he says the university is already doing.
“When you look at Wilmington University, they are unbelievably diverse in all its forms,” said Closius. “Racial diversity, age diversity, gender diversity, wealth diversity. So, we’re piggybacking really on the values of Wilmington when we adopt that kind of sense of diversity.”
Wilmington University School of Law’s first class consists of about 20 students with the goal of reaching a student body of roughly 500 students in the future.
Closius promises the law school will offer a student-first approach and other innovations to set itself apart.
“We decided to open it on the theory that we would be doing something different,” said Closius. “We know that there’s already a law school in Delaware and there’s a lot of law schools around. We think there’s a need for somebody to do innovative things that nobody else is doing. Our biggest innovation really starts from student-centeredness.”
Wilmington University also seeks to address the high cost of law school nationwide with full-time students charged $24,000 per year and part-time students $18,000, which is less than half of Widener’s rates.
