The University of Idaho College of Law is the law school of the University of Idaho, with its main location in Moscow. The school has also established a second and third-year option in Boise and is in the approval process for a first year by fall of 2017. The College of Law was established in 1909, and its graduates tend to dominate the legal market in the state.
The UI College of Law has been a member of the Association of American Law Schools since 1914 and has been accredited by the American Bar Association since 1925. In the 2018 rankings, the US News & World Report ranked Idaho Law at # 109/203 A.B.A. accredited law schools in its annual law school rankings.
The College of Law in fall of 2016 had an enrollment of around 300 students, with an entering first-year class of 97 students. As a public law school, new students hail from across Idaho and 18 different states and foreign countries. Over 70 undergraduate colleges and universities are represented.
The college offers four areas of emphasis: Native American Law; Natural Resources and Environmental Law and Business Law and Entrepreneurship;
The college has recently opened its Idaho Law and Justice Learning Center in Boise. The Boise second and third-year option accommodates approximately 35 students, which began third-year classes in 2010 and a second-year in 2014. Plans are currently in place to begin first-year instruction in 2017. The University of Idaho College of Law is one of two A.B.A. accredited law school in the state.
According to Idaho Law's 2015 A.B.A.-required disclosures, 78.5% of the Class of 2015 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation. Moreover, 3.2% of 2015 graduates of the University of Idaho College of Law secured full-time, long-term employment basedâ€"in partâ€"upon a "Juris Doctor advantage." Thus, almost 85% of 2015 graduates benefitted professionally from their post-graduate education.
Admissions
For the 2016 incoming class, the 25th/75th percentile LSAT range was 148/154 and the GPA range was 2.87/3.54.
Bar passage rate & job placement
According to Idaho Law's 2015 ABA-required disclosures, 78.5% of the Class of 2015 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation. UI College of Law's Law School Transparency under-employment score is 15.1%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2015 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation.
in 2016, the University of Idaho College of Law was named the No. 8 best value law school in the country by preLaw Magazine this month. The college rose from being listed as an “A- Best Value School†on the annual list to breaking in the Top 10 this year. The rankings are based on the percentage of graduates who pass the bar, employment rates, tuition, cost of living, and average indebtedness upon graduation.
The Idaho bar examination passage rate was 65.1 percent for test takers on the July 2014 exam.
Tuition and costs
Tuition and fees for Idaho residents are $18,664 per year for the 2016-17 academic year, while non-resident tuition is $33,472. The criteria for determining residency status, and for acquiring residency status, are established by law and are available on the University of Idaho website. Absence from the state to attend a post-secondary school elsewhere does not, by itself, result in loss of residency status.
The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $100,215 for residents and $152,777 for non-residents.
Academics
Curriculum
The curriculum is based on traditional law courses and includes pro bono work (law-related public service), several legal clinics, externships with either federal or state courts, internships with private law firms or public organizations, and a semester-in-practice program offered, in addition to the third-year program, in the state capital, Boise. The curriculum is comprehensive; it includes emphases in Natural Resources & Environmental Law and in Native American Law, and in Business Law & Entrepreneurism.
Facility
The current law school building opened in the fall of 1973, and was named in 1984 for former dean Albert R. Menard, Jr. (1918â€"93). While he was dean (1967â€"78), enrollment (and faculty) tripled and the new building was conceived and constructed. The college was formerly housed in the south wing of the Administration Building. Menard stepped down as dean in 1978 and taught for six additional years until his retirement.
The Boise location is located in the Idaho Law and Justice Learning Center (ILJLC). The Idaho Law and Justice Learning Center (ILJLC) is a collaborative effort between the University of Idaho College of Law and the Idaho Supreme Court to create a center for legal education and civic engagement. The Idaho Law and Justice Learning Center, formerly the Ada County Courthouse, was constructed as part of the Depression-era Public Works Administration in 1939. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The building was constructed in the Art Deco style. Modern style and solid construction were intended to communicate confidence in the government and a positive outlook for the future at a difficult time in US history.
Alumni
- Abe Goff '24 (LL.B) - congressman from Idaho's first district (1947â€"49), later served on ICC; lecturer at UI law school in 1930s and 1970s
- Fred Taylor '26 (LL.B) - federal district judge, U.S. District Court for Idaho (1954â€"88)
- Herman Welker '29 (LL.B) - U.S. Senator from Idaho (1951â€"57)
- Hamer Budge '36 - congressman from Idaho's second district (1951â€"61), head of SEC (1969â€"71)
- Blaine Anderson '49 - federal judge, U.S. District Court for Idaho (1971â€"76) and Ninth Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals (1976â€"88)
- Jim McClure '50 (LL.B.) - U.S. Senator from Idaho (1973â€"91) and congressman from first district (1967â€"73)
- Ray McNichols '50 (LL.B) - federal district judge, U.S. District Court for Idaho (1964â€"85)
- Harold Ryan '50 (LL.B) - federal district judge, U.S. District Court for Idaho (1981â€"95)
- Frank Shrontz '54 (LL.B) - former Chairman & CEO of Boeing
- Edward Lodge '61 (LL.B) - federal district judge, U.S. District Court for Idaho (1989â€"2015), senior judge (2015â€" )
- Thomas Nelson '62 (LL.B.) - federal judge, Ninth Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals (1990â€"2009)
- Jesse Walters '63 - justice, Idaho Supreme Court (1997â€"2003), chief judge of the Idaho Court of Appeals (1982â€"97)
- Wayne Kidwell, '64 - justice, Idaho Supreme Court (1999â€"2004), state attorney general (1975â€"79)
- Jim Risch '68 - U.S. Senator from Idaho (2009â€" ), governor (2006â€"07) and lieutenant governor (2003â€"06, '07â€"09) of Idaho.
- Roger Burdick '74 - justice, Idaho Supreme Court (2003â€" ); chief justice (2011â€"15)
- Dan Eismann '76 - justice, Idaho Supreme Court (2001â€" ); chief justice (2007â€"11)
- Linda Copple Trout '77 - justice, Idaho Supreme Court (1992â€"2007); chief justice (1997â€"2004)
- Bart Davis '80 - majority leader, Idaho Senate
- Bill Sali '84 - congressman from Idaho's first district (2007â€"09)
- Joel Horton '85 - justice, Idaho Supreme Court (2007â€" )
- Lawrence Wasden '85 - state attorney general (2003â€" )
- Dave Bieter '86 - mayor of Boise (2004â€" )
- Kelly Anthon '02 - state senator
References
External links
- Official website