University of Maine School of Law

The University of Maine School of Law (UMaine Law or Maine Law) is a public law school in Portland, Maine. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and is Maine's only law school. It is also part of the University of Maine System. The school's current dean is Leigh Saufley, who assumed the post in 2020. Until 1972 the School of Law was located at 68 High Street, Portland. In 1972, the School of Law moved to the University of Maine School of Law Building, which is adjacent to the University of Southern Maine's Portland campus. In 2023, the Law School moved to 300 Fore Street, on the waterfront of downtown Portland. Many of Maine's judges, legal scholars, politicians, and community leaders are graduates of the law school. Notable alumni include Chief Justices of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, Valerie Stanfill, Leigh Saufley, Daniel Wathen, and current governor Janet Mills, several former governors, former Maine Senate President Libby Mitchell, and U.S. District Court Judges John A. Woodcock and Lance E. Walker, to name just a few. According to Maine's official 2017 ABA-required disclosures, 62.7% of the Class of 2017 obtained full-time, long-term, Bar Passage Required/JD Advantage employment ten months after graduation. Background The University of Maine School of Law was established in 1962 and is a public institution. The campus is in an urban area in Portland. The Law School's primary mission is to educate students to serve the public and private sectors with distinction; to contribute to the advancement of the law through scholarly and professional research and writing; and to engage in public services aimed at improving the legal system. Students have access to federal, state, county, city, and local agencies, courts, correctional facilities, law firms, and legal aid organizations in the Portland area. Portland is the major urban and legal center in the state. Facilities of special interest to law students are the Cumberland County Superior Court, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, and the Federal District Court. Academics Students may take relevant courses in other programs and apply credit toward the J.D.; the maximum number of credits varies and must be approved. Maine Law offers two dual degree options with the Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine: Juris Doctor and Master of Public Health (J.D./M.P.H.) and Juris Doctor and Master of Policy, Planning and Management (J.D/M.P.P.M).