UA Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law | |
---|---|
Motto | Public Service, Access to Justice, Professionalism |
Parent school | University of Arkansas at Little Rock |
Established | 1975 |
School type | Public [1] |
Dean | Theresa Beiner |
Location | Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. 34°44′09″N92°15′47″W / 34.73583°N 92.26306°W |
Enrollment | 293 (full-time), 101 (part-time) [1] |
Faculty | 108 [2] |
USNWR ranking | 148th-193rd (bottom 25%) [2] |
Bar pass rate | 81.6% |
Website | ualr |
The UA Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law is a public law school, part of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UA Little Rock). The school is both American Bar Association (ABA) accredited and a member of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS).
The school awards the Juris Doctor (JD) degree in its full-time and part-time programs. It follows a traditional doctrinal curriculum while also blending hands-on practice into the student experience. The first year begins with the Bowen Student Success Program [3] and the Professional Mentor Program where students are matched with a practicing lawyer or judge. [4] Before graduating, students are required to take skills courses such as Evidence and Lawyering Skills I & II, required to participate in an externship or clinic, and are encouraged to participate in the Bowen Concurrent Bar Preparation Program. [5]
The first law school established in Arkansas was in Little Rock. However, politics caused the school faculty to reform themselves as a private law school in the 1910s. Subsequently, the state law school in Fayetteville was established. The private law school disbanded in the 1960s. The latest incarnation of the law school started as a part-time program that was an extension of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville School of Law, and by 1975 was given autonomy and became a unit of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. [6]
The school resided in various locations, primarily the old Federal Courthouse in downtown Little Rock. The building was adjacent to the Pulaski County Courthouse, which afforded students the chance to see law in action. However, the facility was plagued with poor parking and was insufficient to handle the growing student population.
The law school's current campus is located adjacent to MacArthur Park, near the Arkansas Center for Fine Arts. The historic building was originally built for the medical school of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and was extensively renovated in 1992 for the law school.
The law school is named after William H. Bowen, a former dean, and important figure in the administration of former Arkansas Governor and 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton.
The School offers the following course concentrations: [7]
A law firm inside the law school, the Legal Clinic enables students to work with real clients, the community, and the court system. Below are the Clinics that students can participate in at the UA Little Rock, William H. Bowen School of Law:
From 2015 through 2019 the Bowen School of Law saw a 120% increase in applications due to its Admissions 360 Initiative which provides access to pre-law resources to traditionally underserved applicants. [8]
The law school is located in downtown Little Rock and is the only law school in Arkansas's capital city. It is just minutes from Arkansas's largest law firms, corporations, state and federal courts, and the Arkansas State Capitol building. Other attractions include MacArthur Park, Arkansas Center for Fine Arts, Clinton School of Public Service, World Services for the Blind, Heifer International, museums, restaurants, bars, breweries, Little Rock River Market District, East Village District, Hillcrest Historic District, and the Clinton Presidential Library.
The school is home to the Pulaski County Law Library, making it the only metropolitan law school library that is also the library for a county.
The law school is housed separately from the main campus of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and is located at 1201 McMath Avenue.
The School of Law publishes three legal journals and a legal guidebook: [24]
Full-Time Tuition for residents is $16,041 and non-residents is $31,984. [25] Part-Time Tuition for residents is $10,605 and non-residents is $20.948. The law school offers scholarships up to full tuition. [26] The law school tuition is the lowest in Arkansas and is among the lowest in the nation. Bowen Law is ranked as one of the 10 lowest alumni debt upon graduation by the USNWR, and ranks as the 6th lowest Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance. [27]
According to Bowens's official 2015 ABA-required disclosures, 52% of the Class of 2015 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation. [28]
The law school has over forty five student organizations. These include the American Bar Association Law Student Division (ABA/LSD), American Constitution Society, Arkansas Association of Women Lawyers-Law Student Division, Arkansas Bar Association Law Student Division (ABA/LSD), Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association, Asian Pacific American Law Student Association (APALSA), Black Law Students Association, Bowen Athletic Department, Bowen Lambda, Christian Legal Society, Delta Theta Phi Legal Fraternity (DTP), Environmental Law Society, Federalist Society, Hispanic Law Students Association (HLSA), Intellectual Property Law Society, International Law Society, Irish American Law Students Society (ILSS), J. Reuben Clark Society, Law Review, Moot Court Board, OutLaw Legal Society, Out of State Student Association (OSSA), Phi Alpha Delta (PAD), Part-time Student Association (PTSA), Pulaski County Bar Association, Student Division (PCBA), Public Interest Law Society (PILS), Sports and Entertainment Law Society (SELS), "Street Law" Mentor Program (Street Law), Student Animal Legal Defense Fund (SALDF), Student Bar Association (SBA), Young Democrats, and Young Republicans.[ citation needed ]
The University of Georgia School of Law is the law school of the University of Georgia, a public research university in Athens, Georgia. It was founded in 1859, making it among the oldest American university law schools in continuous operation. U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks the school among the Top Tier Law Schools and among the most selective. Georgia Law accepted 14.83% of applicants for the Class entering in 2022.
The J. Reuben Clark Law School is the graduate law school of Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. Founded in 1973, the school is named after J. Reuben Clark, a former U.S. Ambassador, Undersecretary of State, and general authority of the institution's sponsoring organization, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The American University Washington College of Law is the law school of American University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It is located on the western side of Tenley Circle in the Tenleytown section of northwest Washington, D.C. The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and a member of the AALS.
Whittier Law School was a law school in Costa Mesa, California founded in 1966. The law school was part of Whittier College, a private institution. After several years being ranked among the poorest-performing law schools in the United States based on bar passage rate and job placement, Whittier Law School announced in April 2017 that it would no longer be admitting students and would discontinue its legal program, becoming the first law school with full accreditation by the American Bar Association (ABA) to shut down in at least 30 years.Since the school's closure, transcript requests are now handled by Whittier College.
University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law is a private, American Bar Association (ABA)-approved law school in the Oak Park neighborhood of the city of Sacramento, California. It is part of the University of the Pacific and is located on the University's Sacramento campus.
Capital University Law School is an ABA-accredited private law school located in downtown Columbus, Ohio. The law school is affiliated with Capital University, the oldest university in Central Ohio and one of the oldest and largest Lutheran-affiliated universities in North America.
Florida State University College of Law is the law school of Florida State University located in Tallahassee, Florida.
The Northeastern University School of Law (NUSL) is the law school of Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded as an evening program to meet the needs of its local community, NUSL is nationally recognized for its cooperative legal education and public interest law programs.
The Gonzaga University School of Law is the professional school for the study of law at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. Established in 1912, the Jesuit-affiliated law school has been fully accredited by the American Bar Association since 1951, and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Alumni of Gonzaga University School of Law practice in all 50 U.S. states, as well as various associated states and foreign countries.
Golden Gate University School of Law is the law school of Golden Gate University. Located in downtown San Francisco, California, Golden Gate Law is a California non-profit corporation and is fully accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA).
The Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University is a private Catholic university law school located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is approved by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Dean April M. Barton joined the school in 2019 as its 13th dean.
Wayne State University Law School is the law school of Wayne State University in Detroit. Wayne Law is located in Midtown, Detroit's Cultural Center. Founded in 1927, the law school offers juris doctor (J.D.), master of laws (LL.M.), online master of studies in law, and minors in law degree programs. Wayne Law's more than 12,000 alumni include judges, justices, law firm partners and government officials working in every major market in the United States and at least 17 countries.
Widener University Delaware Law School is a private law school in Wilmington, Delaware. It is one of two separate ABA-accredited law schools of Widener University. Widener University Law School was founded in 1971 as the Delaware Law School and became affiliated with Widener in 1975. In 1989, it was known as Widener University School of Law when it was combined with the campus in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. In 2015, the two campuses separated, with the Harrisburg one renamed to Widener University Commonwealth Law School.
The University of St. Thomas School of Law is the law school of University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is one of three law schools in Minneapolis–Saint Paul. It currently enrolls 434 students. St. Thomas Law is accredited by the American Bar Association. It is also a member of The Association of American Law Schools. Founded in 1999, the School of Law graduated its first class in 2004.
The University of Arkansas School of Law is the law school of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas, a state university. It has around 445 students enrolled in its Juris Doctor (J.D.) and Master of Law (LL.M) programs and is home to the nation's first LL.M in agricultural and food law program. The School of Law is one of two law schools in the state of Arkansas; the other is the William H. Bowen School of Law.
The University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law is the law school of the University of Missouri–Kansas City. It is located on the university's main campus in Kansas City, Missouri, near the Country Club Plaza.
The University of Missouri School of Law is the law school of the University of Missouri. It is located on the university's main campus in Columbia, forty minutes from the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City. The school was founded in 1872 by the Curators of the University of Missouri. Its alumni include governors, legislators, judges, attorneys general, and law professors across the country. According to Mizzou Law's 2016 ABA-required disclosures, 82 percent of the 2016 class obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation.
The City University of New York School of Law is a public law school in New York City. It was founded in 1983 as part of the City University of New York. CUNY School of Law was established as a public interest law school with a curriculum focused on integrating clinical teaching methods within traditional legal studies.
The North Carolina Central University School of Law is the law school associated with North Carolina Central University. The school is fully accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and the North Carolina State Bar Council, and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS). According to NC Central's official 2018 ABA-required disclosures, 37.9% of the Class of 2018 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation.