New Jersey Law School. Deans Office
Biographical notes:
New Jersey Law School (NJLS) was founded as a for-profit proprietary entity in 1908 by Richard Currier, Percival G. Barnard and Charles Mason. Currier was the first President, Barnard the Secretary and Dean, and Mason a member of the faculty. The only requirement for admission was that the applicant be 18 years of age and of good moral character. On October 5, 1908 the first classes of NJLS were held on the fourth floor of the Prudential Insurance Company Building. In December of 1908 the School moved to its own building as 33 East Park Street, Newark, New Jersey.
In 1908, the New Jersey Board of Bar Examiners required any applicant for admission to the Bar to have completed a 36 month clerkship. However, 18 months of study in a law school of "established reputation" could satisfy one-half of the clerkship requirement. In May of 1909 the "established reputation" of NJLS was recognized by the New Jersey Board of Bar Examiners meaning that completion of its two year course of study counted toward the 36 month clerkship requirement.
After its first year, Percival Barnard resigned as Dean of NJLS and was replaced by Charles Mason who served as Dean until 1928.
In September 1913, the New Jersey Board of Bar Examiners changed the Bar Admission requirements to permit twenty-seven months of study in a law school to be counted towards the clerkship requirement. In response, NJLS extended its course of study to three years.
In 1925, NJLS changed its admission requirements to require that as of September 1, 1927 all applicants present evidence of having satisfactorily completed one year of approved college work and that as of September 1, 1929 all applicants present evidence of having satisfactorily completed two years of approved college work. The Pre-legal Department of NJLS was established in 1927 to provide the necessary college work. Madison C. Bates was named Dean. With the addition of the Pre-legal Department more space was needed and NJLS purchased 40 Rector Street, Newark, New Jersey.
In 1928, George Harris succeeded Charles Mason as Dean. He served in that post until NJLS merged with the University of Newark in 1936. Harris subsequently served as Dean of the University of Newark Law School from 1940 to 1946.
In 1929, NJLS sold 33 Park Street to Public Service Corporation and moved all operations to Rector Street. In 1929 NJLS also founded the Seth Boyden School of Business.
In 1930, the Pre-legal Department of NJLS became a four year college of arts and sciences and was renamed Dana College in honor of John Cotton Dana, the head of the Newark Public Library and prominent Newark citizen who had recently passed away. Madison Bates remained as Dean. On August 9, 1930, Dana College was granted a license from the State of New Jersey to grant Bachelor of Arts degrees. Unlike NJLS, Dana College was incorporated as a not-for-profit entity. Dana College offered three courses of study, a fou-year course leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree, a two-year course meeting the requirement for admission to law school and a combined program where the student completed three years at Dana College and one year at NJLS and received a combined degree.
In June 1935, NJLS, Dana College and the Seth Boyden School of Business merged with the University of Newark, which had been formed in 1934 by the merger of Newark Institute of Arts and Sciences and Mercer-Beasley School of Law. The surviving entity retained the name "University of Newark."
From the guide to the Inventory to the Records of the New Jersey Law School, 1908-1950, (Rutgers University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives)
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- Newark (N.J.) (as recorded)
