This past decade ushered in a period of tremendous growth for legal education in general, and for Northern Kentucky University Chase College of Law in particular. Interest in law school, as measured by application volume, soared by nearly 40%, with the upward trend continuing for the fall 2026 entering class. The increasing emphasis on experiential learning has impacted the core curriculum, in part a response to the practicing bar’s call for greater practical skills training during law school.  The evolving format of the bar exam from state-specific licensure to the portability of the Uniform Bar Exam has expanded mobility for graduates. The introduction and integration of AI in the legal profession poses challenges and opportunities yet to be uncovered. At Chase, we have experienced all of these changes in our program of legal education, while preparing for an exciting move to a new building in downtown Covington.
Three major changes have emerged at Chase over the past ten years. First, we substantially enhanced our honors program, the W. Bruce Lunsford Academy for Law, Business + Technology. Thanks to a multi-million-dollar gift from the program’s namesake, Bruce Lunsford, the Academy is now populated by nearly 100 Chase students who enroll in a specialty curriculum focused on business, technology, and entrepreneurship, while availing numerous opportunities for networking, externships, and building professional identity. A recent focus of the Lunsford Academy experience has been on AI and its role in the legal profession. While we have increased our teaching about AI for all Chase students, our Lunsford students express keen interest in embracing the ethical and productive use of generative AI as part of their future career paths.
A second change at Chase is the introduction of the Finish Line Fund (FLF), an alumni-sponsored fund that supports our recent graduates as they prepare to sit for the bar exam. Founded in 2019, the FLF provides cash grants and no-cost commercial bar preparation courses to Chase students to enable them to focus exclusively on their studies during the time between graduation and the bar exam. Grants can be used to cover rent, childcare, bar materials, or any cost that allows the student to devote their time to bar preparation. To date, over 250 Chase students have received support from the FLF. The program is enormously popular among our alumni who understand the value of this support and have given generously to ensure its success.  In fact, since its inception FLF awardees have enjoyed a higher pass rate as a cohort for each administration of the bar exam compared to the general population of bar takers. Our goal is to someday secure enough funding to extend the FLF to all Chase graduates. 
A third change at Chase is to our law school space, now and in the future. In November 2025, we completed a four-year renovation of the first floor of Nunn Hall, our home since 1982. The new space includes the Chase Student Center, a sprawling collection of glass-enclosed private study rooms, community reading tables, and ample gathering space for refreshment, reflection, and collaboration among members of the Chase community. The signature enhancement to the space is the new state-of-the-art Chase College Foundation Courtroom. This functional and technology-rich courtroom is replete with a seven member judges’ bench, jury deliberation room, judge’s chamber, and gallery seating for up to 100 guests. A ribbon-cutting ceremony in November brought many of the over 125 Chase alumni who generously donated to make this modern and beautiful space a reality. The courtroom now supports our trial-centric experiential learning courses and our student trial and appellate competition teams. In February 2026, the Kentucky Court of Appeals held oral arguments in the new Chase courtroom, and we look forward to welcoming the Kentucky Supreme Court for their arguments in the fall.
Perhaps the most significant change for Chase in recent years is the plan to move the law school to Covington in the next two years. In 2024, the Kentucky legislature appropriated $125 million to construct a new building to house Chase and the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Northern Kentucky Branch which is located on the NKU campus. The idea supporting the appropriation is to establish a campus in Covington for legal and medical professionals who will jointly advance these vital fields in the region and beyond. Chase and the UK medical school have already established solid ties, joining together for various programs over the past seven years since the medical campus was established at NKU. Most recently, the law and medical schools co-hosted a symposium exploring medicolegal issues. Chase is excited about this partnership and looks forward to continuing engagement with our physician colleagues.
The future is bright and exciting for the legal profession, with challenges and opportunities to meet and avail. Chase students and graduates are prepared to navigate the road ahead, always with an eye toward capably serving their clients’ needs. Since 1893, Chase has earned its moniker as The Lawyer’s School, a prideful designation that recognizes our fundamental commitment to serving individuals in the pursuit of justice. 

Judith Daar is the Ambassador Patricia L. Herbold Dean and Professor of Law at the Salmon P. Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University. Since assuming the deanship in July 2019, Dean Daar has helped establish new programming and enhance opportunities, including the David & Nancy Wolf Program in Ethics and Professional Identity, the Center on Addiction Law & Policy, the Finish Line Fund, and the W. Bruce Lunsford Academy on Law, Business & Technology.