Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law

Arizona State University at the Tempe Campus, Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law History

Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law was established in 1967 and is a public institution. The 700-acre campus is in an urban area in downtown Tempe, part of the Phoenix Metroplex. The primary mission of the law school is to provide the highest quality professional legal education and to contribute to the local, regional, and national communities through its public service activities. Students have access to federal, state, county, city, and local agencies, courts, correctional facilities, law firms, and legal aid organizations in the Tempe area. More than 150 externships are available. Facilities of special interest to law students opportunities abound in Phoenix, the fifth largest city in the U.S. and the largest state capital. It is home to the Chief Judge of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, a federal courthouse, the Arizona Supreme Court, Arizona Court of Appeals, and the Arizona legislature. Housing for students is available on campus and designated specifically for graduate students. Housing is found off campus. All law school facilities are accessible to the physically disabled.

Arizona State University at the Tempe Campus, Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law Academics

In addition to the J.D., the law school offers the LL.M. and M.L.S. (Master in Legal Studies). Students may take relevant courses in other programs and apply credit toward the J.D.; a maximum of 6 credits may be applied. The following joint degrees may be earned: J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration), J.D./M.D. (Juris Doctor/Doctor of Medicine with Mayo Medical School), J.D./Ph.D. (Juris Doctor/Ph.D. in justice and social inquiry), and J.D/Ph.D. (Juris Doctor/Ph.D. in Psychology).

Students must take 16 credits in their area of concentration. The Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law offers concentrations in environmental law, intellectual property law, international law, tax law, and certificates in Indian law, intellectual property, environmental law, health law, and law, science, and technology. In addition, current offerings include a Criminal Practice Clinic, a Civil Justice Clinic, and a Technology Ventures Clinic, each worth 6 credits. Third-year students are given preference for clinics and seminars; 25 to 30 seminars per semester are offered (worth 2 or 3 credit hours). Externships and field work allow upper-level students to gain up to 12 credits while working in one of the more than 150 organized externships. A number of research opportunities are also available for students. Professor Joe Feller’s Natural Resources Field Seminar provides an opportunity to observe first-hand some of the places and resources discussed in the courses on Water Law and Natural Resources Law. The course is held in Northern Arizona, north of the Grand Canyon. Visiting old-growth forests, an ecological restoration project, the site of the Bridger fire, desert rangelands, and the Colorado River in Glen Canyon, participants meet with federal and state resource managers and scientists to discuss the application and implementation of environmental laws. The college sponsors numerous annual lecture series and several major symposia yearly. Study abroad is possible through a semester exchange program with Universidad Torcuato Di Tella, Buenos Aires, University of Victoria, British Columbia, National University, Singapore, and Universit

Arizona State University at the Tempe Campus, Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law Unique Programs

Library

The law library contains 275,773 hard-copy volumes and 142,341 microform volume equivalents, and subscribes to 3740 serial publications. Such on-line databases and networks as CALI, CIS Universe, Infotrac, Legal-Trac, LEXIS, LOIS, NEXIS, OCLC First Search, WESTLAW, Wilsonline Indexes, and Academic Universe are available to law students for research. Special library collections include Anglo-American case reports and statutes and special collections of Indian law, Mexican law, law and technology, and English legal history. Recently, the library expanded website content including 2 information portals. A study skills collection has been created. The ratio of library volumes to faculty is 4838 to 1 and to students is 463 to 1. The ratio of seats in the library to students is 1 to 1.

Special Consideration

The law school recruits minority and disadvantaged students by means of special mailings, personal contact, the involvement of current students and alumni, affordable tuition rates, and scholarship programs. Requirements are not different for out-of-state students. Transfer students must have one year of credit and have attended an ABA-approved law school.

Arizona State University at the Tempe Campus, Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law Admissions

In the fall 2007 first-year class, 3082 applied, 731 were accepted, and 159 enrolled. Twenty-four transfers enrolled. The median LSAT percentile of the most recent first-year class was 78; the median GPA was 3.6 on a scale of 4.33 The lowest LSAT percentile accepted was 26; the highest was 97.

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and take the LSAT. No specific undergraduate courses are required. Candidates are not interviewed.

The application deadline for fall entry is November 1 and February 1. Applicants should submit an application form, LSAT results, transcripts, a personal statement, TOEFL, a nonrefundable application fee of $50, and a r

Arizona State University at the Tempe Campus, Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law Financial Aid

About 86% of current law students receive some form of aid. The average annual amount of aid from all sources combined, including scholarships, loans, and work contracts, is $22,833; maximum, $58,003. Awards are based on need and merit. Required financial statement is the FAFSA. The aid application deadline for fall entry is rolling. Special funds for minority or disadvantaged students include Minority Legal Writing Program funds; Bureau of Reclamation funds for Native American students; and various privately funded scholarships. First-year students are notified about their financial aid application throughout the spring and summer.

Arizona State University at the Tempe Campus, Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law Students

About 43% of the student body are women; 26%, minorities; 3%, African American; 4%, Asian American; 13%, Hispanic; 6%, Native American; 2%, Foreign National; and 10% , Unknown. The average age of entering students is 25; age range is 21 to 63. About 39% of students enter directly from undergraduate school, 16% have a graduate degree, and 59% have worked full-time prior to entering law school. About 8% drop out after the first year for academic or personal reasons; 98% remain to receive a law degree.

Students edit the Arizona State Law Journal. Students also assist faculty in editing Jurimetrics: The Journal of Law, Science, and Technology. Students also publish their own newspaper: Res Ipsa Loquitur. Students are urged to participate in the ABA Dispute Resolution Section’s “Representation in Mediation” Competition, the Jessup International Moot Court Competition, and a Client Counseling Competition. Other competitions include the Judge Tang Essay Competition, the Oplinger Closing Argument Competition, the Jenckes Competition, and numerous other writing competitions. Student organizations include Government and Public Interest Law, Law and Science Student Association, and Corporate and Business Law Student Association. Local chapters of national associations include the American Bar Association Law Student Division, John P. Morris Black Law Students Association, and Native American Law Student Association. Other organizations affiliated campuswide include Phi Alpha Delta, the ASU Graduate and Professional Association, and the Chicano/Latino Law Student Association.

The law school operates on a traditional semester basis. Courses for full-time students are offered both day and evening and must be completed within 5 years. For part-time students, courses are offered and There is no part-time program. New students are admitted in the fall. There are 1 2-week, 1 8 to 10-week, and 2 5-week summer sessions. Transferable summer courses are offered.