Ave Maria School of Law's juris doctor program licensed by state

Ave Maria School of Law's juris doctor program has been licensed by the Florida Department of Education's Commission for Independent Education. Receipt of this license was the last of the licensing and accreditation standards the law school had to satisfy prior to holding classes in Naples this August.

"We are very pleased about this decision and will continue to work cooperatively with the commission over the coming years," said Eugene Milhizer, acting dean of Ave Maria School of Law. "With this license in place, we are now able to look forward to continuing our outstanding program of legal education in Florida this fall."

The license application process was complete upon the commission's receipt of official notice that the American Bar Association granted acquiescence to the law school's relocation to Florida. The law school received ABA acquiescence last month. This provisional license makes the law school eligible to submit an application for a non-provisional annual license, which the Law School has already begun preparing.

Classes at Ave Maria School of Law are scheduled to begin at the 12.5-acre Vineyards campus in Naples in August of 2009. Students have already been welcomed into the Southwest Florida legal community by employers and will continue to seek employment opportunities with area firms and solo practitioners, as well as clerkship and externship opportunities with the many judges and government offices in Collier and Lee counties.