Wilmington University School of Law in Delaware has earned provisional accreditation from the American Bar Association. Students can now sit for the bar exam, gain admission to the bar and pursue careers requiring an ABA-accredited degree.
Phillip Closius, dean of WilmU Law, said the goal was to secure accreditation before the first class completed their studies and this crucial milestone has been achieved. The law school welcomed its inaugural class in Fall 2023.
WilmU Law sought accreditation at the earliest opportunity, submitting a comprehensive application with a self-study and detailed responses to the ABA.
In October 2024, an ABA-appointed team verified the information through a site visit, leading to a report for the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. Following the review, the council granted provisional approval, affirming that the law school met rigorous standards.
WilmU Law will continue to pursue full approval in accordance with ABA rules and procedures.
Also in the works at WilmU Law are two new law buildings on its university campus currently under construction. The buildings broke ground in January 2024 and are expected to be completed in July, just in time for fall classes, the school website notes.
The three-story, 52,000-square-foot building will house 525 students, combined day and evening capacity, eight classrooms, two mock trial rooms, a student lounge on every floor, 13 group study rooms and an all-electronic library with modern technology.
The law building will feature an atrium that will reach from the first floor to the third floor. Larger classrooms will be located on the first floor and smaller classrooms will be on the upper floors, with faculty office spaces across the second and third floors.
Phillip Closius, dean of WilmU Law, said the classrooms are tiered and will hold from 65 to 90 students.
The estimated final cost for the law building is $23 million. The new 85,000-square-foot convocation center will include a 2,000-seat auditorium, executive meeting rooms and a Criminal Justice wing, which will be home to the law school’s Criminal Justice Institute.
The estimated cost of the convocation center is $48 million, bringing the final estimate for both projects to a total of $71 million.
