Law School Grows with Addition of Dockser Hall

April 2008—This fall, students and faculty will return to a bigger and more high-tech Northeastern University School of Law. The university is spending almost $20 million to transform Dockser Hall, adjacent to the law school's current Knowles Center, into a state-of-the-art showpiece that will include a moot courtroom, classrooms, seminar rooms, offices and lounge areas and ample space for the law school's clinical program. The building will also meet the silver level of the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System.

"Dockser Hall will meet critical space needs," said Dean Emily A. Spieler. "Every aspect of the renovated building was designed with students in mind. We'll increase our overall space by about one-quarter, providing students with high-tech, supremely functional classrooms, and we will finally have a state-of-the-art moot courtroom. We already have national organizations and competitions scheduled to use the space in the fall, and we will, of course, be showcasing it at our 40th anniversary events in October."

Constructed in 1966, Dockser has been almost completely gutted during this academic year. The renovation includes:

• Lower Level: A spacious student lounge and kitchen, six seminar rooms where students can meet and socialize when classes are not in session, offices for student organizations.
• First Floor: Seminar rooms, the moot courtroom, which will sometimes function as a classroom, break-out lounges and the legal clinics suite. The clinic space will include a reception area and interview rooms for client consultations and a private side with offices, workstations for students, a meeting room, small library, kitchen and copy room.
• Second Floor: Four state-of-the art tiered, sun-filled classrooms configured for 50, 80 and 110 students will dominate the second floor.
• Third Floor Mezzanine: Office suites for adjunct faculty, lawyering fellows and staff in the Legal Skills in Social Context program will allow students and faculty to meet comfortably and quietly.

Beyond the obvious aesthetics and comforts, the building will be completely wireless (as is the Knowles Center) and all of the classrooms will include top-of-the-line multimedia equipment.

"We are particularly excited about our LEED certification," said Associate Dean Sara Sayess. "LEED is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings." The LEED for Existing Buildings Rating System helps building owners and operators measure operations, improvements and maintenance on a consistent scale, with the goal of maximizing operational efficiency while minimizing environmental impacts. LEED addresses whole-building cleaning and maintenance issues (including chemical use), recycling programs, exterior maintenance programs and systems upgrades.