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Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law

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Coordinates: 39°46′20″N 86°10′04″W / 39.77222°N 86.16778°W / 39.77222; -86.16778
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This article is about the school in Indianapolis. For the school in Bloomington, see Indiana University Maurer School of Law.
Indiana University
Robert H. McKinney
School of Law
Lawrence W. Inlow Hall in 2011
Established1894; 131 years ago (1894)
School typePublic law school
DeanKaren Bravo
LocationIndianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Enrollment773 (2024)[1]
Faculty44 (2024, full time)[1]
USNWR ranking107th (tie) (2025)[2]
Websitemckinneylaw.iu.edu

Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law (IU McKinney) is the law school of Indiana University Indianapolis, a public research university in Indianapolis, Indiana. The school has been based in Lawrence W. Inlow Hall in Indianapolis since 2001.[3] IU McKinney is one of two law schools operated by Indiana University, the other being the Indiana University Maurer School of Law in Bloomington. Although both law schools are part of Indiana University, each law school is wholly independent of the other.

According to IU McKinney's 2019 ABA-required disclosures, 59% of the Class of 2018 obtained full-time, long-term, J.D.-required employment within ten months after graduation.[4] IU McKinney counts among its alumni those in politics, public service, and the judiciary, including two United States Vice Presidents (Dan Quayle and Mike Pence) and numerous Indiana senators, representatives, and governors.

History

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The Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law traces its origins to the late nineteenth century when the first of its private predecessor schools, the Indiana Law School, began operating in 1894. A full-time day school, the Indiana Law School was part of a newly formed University of Indianapolis (unrelated to the modern University of Indianapolis founded in 1902) that also included Butler University, the Medical College of Indiana (which would join the IU School of Medicine in 1908 after an association with Purdue University), and the Indiana Dental School (which would join IU in 1925). Among the first trustees of the school were former United States President, Benjamin Harrison, and Indiana industrialist, Eli Lilly.

In 1898, a second predecessor school, the Indianapolis College of Law, was founded, offering a two-year evening program. This school, located in the Pythian Building in downtown Indianapolis, was advertised in 1906 as "known everywhere for its successful graduates" and boasted a tuition of $10 per term. A few years later, another evening school, the American Central Law School, was established. In 1914, the Indianapolis College of Law and American Central Law School merged to become the Benjamin Harrison Law School, which was also an evening school. In 1936, the Benjamin Harrison Law School and the Indiana Law School merged, taking the name of the latter, and began offering both day and evening programs.

In 1944, the Indiana Law School affiliated itself with Indiana University to become the Indianapolis Division of the Indiana University School of Law. Beginning the following year, the school was housed in the Maennerchor Building, an architectural landmark in Indianapolis. The school gained autonomy in 1968, becoming the Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis, the largest law school in the state of Indiana and the only law school in the state to offer both full- and part-time programs. The school moved into a new building at 735 West New York Street in 1970, where it remained until moving to Lawrence W. Inlow Hall, located at 530 West New York Street, in May 2001.[5]

The school's name was changed in December 2011 in recognition of a $24 million gift from Robert H. McKinney, who previously served as chairman and CEO of First Indiana Corporation and is among the founders of the Bose McKinney & Evans LLP Indianapolis law firm.[6] The gift was the largest in school history and was part of an arrangement to match funds with an IUPUI fundraising campaign, for a total value of $31.5 million.[7] The school was renamed after McKinney.[8]

Admissions

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For the class entering in 2024, the law school accepted 492 out of 782 applicants (a 62.92% acceptance rate), with 263 of those accepted enrolling, a 53.46% yield rate (the percentage of accepted students who enrolled). Six students were not included in the acceptance statistics. The class consisted of 269 students. The median LSAT score was 155 and the median undergraduate GPA was 3.59. Five students were not included in the GPA calculation and seven not included in the LSAT calculation. The reported 25th/75th percentile LSAT scores and GPAs were 152/159 and 3.31/3.83.[1]

Online programs

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IU McKinney has been an early mover in online course development, with a regular offering of up to ten courses per semester, including the Summer term, offered online. Most of these classes are asynchronous online courses taught by full time tenured members of the law school faculty. IU McKinney Online courses are available to students in the JD, LLM, and Masters of Jurisprudence programs; and to visiting students earning credits to transfer back to their home institutions. These online offerings include core, required, and highly recommended courses, as well as upper level specialty courses. Most IU McKinney Online courses have been produced in a 1-1 partnership with Ph.D. course designers working with Indiana University e-Learning Design and Services or the IUPUI Center for Teaching and Learning. The director of online programs is a senior member of the tenured law faculty, Professor Max Huffman.[9]

Employment

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According to IU McKinney's 2019 ABA-required disclosures, 61% of the Class of 2018 obtained full-time, long-term, J.D.-required employment within ten months after graduation. Across the three categories of employment ordinarily considered to be appropriate for comparison, the ABA 2019 summary reports that IU McKinney graduates were employed at an 88% rate, compared to a national average of 86% and an Indiana average of 88%.[10][4]

Costs

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The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at IU McKinney for the 2019–2020 academic year for an Indiana resident was $49,710, and $69,770 for a non-resident.[11] The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $185,611 for an Indiana resident and $258,039 for a non-Indiana resident.[12]

Rankings

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In 2025, U.S. News & World Report ranked the school tied for 107th out of 197 schools.[2] In its 2019 edition, U.S. News ranked the school 98th, 8th in legal writing, 10th in healthcare law (tied with Harvard) and 18th in part-time legal programs.[13][14]

Law reviews

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Indiana Law Review

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The Indiana Law Review is a legal periodical edited and managed by students of the law school. Each year, the Law Review publishes one volume, which consists of four issues. Generally, the first three issues contain two to four lead articles and three to five student Notes. The fourth issue is the final and longest issue of each year. The Survey of Recent Developments in Indiana Law contains fifteen to twenty articles written by professors and Indiana practitioners summarizing the significant changes and developments in Indiana law during the prior year (October to October).[15]

Indiana International & Comparative Law Review

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The Indiana International & Comparative Law Review (II&CLR) is published annually and has been published continuously since 1991. Although the II&CLR has typically published three issues per year and held symposia biennially, it now hosts symposia annually and is slated to publish four issues for Volume XXIV. The II&CLR is devoted to the study and analysis of current international and comparative legal issues and problems.[16]

Indiana Health Law Review

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The Indiana Health Law Review addresses issues related to bioethics, malpractice liability, managed care, anti-trust, health care organizations, medical-legal research, legal medicine, food and drug, and other current health-related topics.[17] The Law Review was first published in the 2004–2005 academic year.

European Journal of Law Reform

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The European Journal of Law Reform was launched in 1998 to provide a forum for interdisciplinary debate on proposals for law reform and the development of private and public international law in Europe. The Journal is jointly edited by faculty of IU McKinney, the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (University of London), and the University of Basel School of Law in Switzerland, with the assistance of a team of student editors from the II&CLR.[18]

Centers

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Center for Intellectual Property Law and Innovation

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This section is an excerpt from Lawrence W. Inlow Hall § Center for Intellectual Property Law and Innovation.[edit]
The Center for Intellectual Property Law and Innovation was established in 2004 as a resource for education and research in intellectual property law-particularly as it applies to the life sciences. The center is designed to produce graduates in law with a strong knowledge of intellectual property law, a solid foundation in business development, and sound transactional skills in all matters relating to intellectual property law.[19]

William S. and Christine S. Hall Center for Law and Health

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This section is an excerpt from Lawrence W. Inlow Hall § William S. and Christine S. Hall Center for Law and Health.[edit]
The Center for Law and Health was established in 1987 to conduct legal and empirical research on health care law and policy issues in Indiana. The Center for Law and Health was first announced by, then Vice President, Gerald Bepko is his State of the Campus speech on January 7, 1988.[20] The center was ranked among the top 10 by U.S. News in 2004.[21] The Center houses the Indiana Health Law Review, a health care law and policy-focused law journal. The center sponsors the Health Law Society, which provides opportunities for students interested in health law by organizing seminars, lectures, and networking opportunities.[22]

Center for International and Comparative Law

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The Center for International and Comparative Law is the nucleus for all of the law school's international law programs, including two international related law reviews. The Indiana International & Comparative Law Review was launched in 1991, devoted to the study and analysis of current international legal issues and problems. The European Journal of Law Reform was launched in 1998 to provide a forum for interdisciplinary debate on proposals for law reform and the development of private and public international law in Europe. That journal is jointly edited by faculty of IU McKinney, the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (University of London), and the University of Basel School of Law in Switzerland, with the assistance of a team of student editors from the II&CLR.

Notable faculty

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The Ruth Lilly Law library

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The Ruth Lilly Law Library is the school's law library. The library has an estimated 603,000 volumes in print and microform. Included in the Library is a 20,000-volume Commonwealth collection.[31]

Alumni

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The law school has over 10,000 alumni located in every state in the nation and several foreign countries. IU McKinney counts among its alumni those in politics, public service, and the judiciary:

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Robert H. McKinney School of Law - 2024 Standard 509 Information Report". abarequireddisclosures.org. American Bar Association. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Indiana University—Indianapolis (McKinney)". U.S. News & World Report.
  3. ^ SmithGroup | Case Studies | School of Law - Lawrence W. Inlow Hall | http://www.smithgroup.com/index.aspx?id=427&section=38 | accessdate=2012-03-19
  4. ^ a b "Employment Summary for 2018 Graduates" (PDF). Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  5. ^ Law School About Page | http://indylaw.indiana.edu/admissions/about.htm | accessdate=2011-02-16
  6. ^ Law School Headlines | http://indylaw.indiana.edu/news/current.cfm?nid=567 | accessdate=2011-12-01
  7. ^ Scott Olson, "IU law school in Indianapolis gets $24M from McKinney" (December 1, 2011). Indianapolis Business Journal.
  8. ^ Tierney Plumb, "Indiana University - Indianapolis changes name after big donation" (December 12, 2011). National Jurist.
  9. ^ "Online Course Information".
  10. ^ abarequireddisclosures.org/employmentoutcomes.aspx
  11. ^ "Tuition and Expenses" (PDF).
  12. ^ "IU - McKinney Law School Profile".
  13. ^ USNWR Indiana University--Indianapolis (McKinney) | http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/indiana-university-indianapolis-mckinney-03055 Archived 2016-10-03 at the Wayback Machine | accessdate=2014-03-11
  14. ^ USNWR Health Care Law | http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/clinical-healthcare-law-rankings | accessdate=2014-03-11
  15. ^ "Indiana Law Review". Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  16. ^ "Indiana International & Comparative Law Review". Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  17. ^ "IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law Indiana Health Law Review". mckinneylaw.iu.edu. Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  18. ^ "European Journal of Law Reform". Eleven International Publishing. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  19. ^ “IUPUI Campus Bulletin 2012-2014.” April 15, 2012, Ruth Lilly Special Collections & Archives, Indianapolis.
  20. ^ “Research is Theme of Bepko’s Speech.” The Sagamore. January 18, 1988.
  21. ^ Bantz, Charles R. “Destination Health and Life Sciences.” State of the Campus, 2007.
  22. ^ “Health Law Society.” IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law. Accessed November 6, 2023.
  23. ^ "Senior Lawyers Project Records, 1968-1991" (PDF). Indiana Historical Society.
  24. ^ "IU McKinney Mourns the Passing of Professor Lawrence A. Jegen III". Indiana University Robert H. Mckinney School of Law. Retrieved 2020-01-07.
  25. ^ University of Pennsylvania Law Review. University of Pennsylvania Law School. 1915 – via Google Books.
  26. ^ Minde C. Browning, Richard Humphrey, and Bruce Kleinschmidt, "Biographical Sketches of Indiana Supreme Court Justices", Indiana Law Review, Vol. 30, No. 1 (1997), section reproduced in Indiana Courts Justice Biographies page.
  27. ^ "Gerard N. Magliocca". C-SPAN. National Cable Satellite Corporation. Retrieved 2020-01-07.
  28. ^ "Courts narrowing government power to preserve public health". Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. The Trustees of Indiana University. 2013-07-08. Retrieved 2020-01-07.
  29. ^ "Gary R. Roberts: Robert H. McKinney School of Law: Indiana University". mckinneylaw.iu.edu.
  30. ^ Roisman, Florence. "Florence Wagman Roisman". mckinneylaw.iu.edu. Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. Retrieved 2020-01-07.
  31. ^ "Ruth Lilly Law Library: The Collection." Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.
  32. ^ Virginia Dill McCarty (1924-2006). Indiana Government website, 19 March 2015. Accessed 19 July 2017.
  33. ^ Prof. H Ahmad Syarifuddin Natabaya, SH, LLM. Sriwijaya University website, 6 December 2008. Accessed 18 October 2016.
  34. ^ "Steers, Dillon Are Opponents In Legal Contest". Valparaiso Vidette Messenger. 29 Oct 1960.
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39°46′20″N 86°10′04″W / 39.77222°N 86.16778°W / 39.77222; -86.16778

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