College of Law

University of Iowa, College of Law History

University of Iowa College of Law was established in 1865 and is a public institution. The 1900-acre campus is in a small town 115 miles east of Des Moines, 30 miles south of. Cedar Rapids, and 60 miles west of Moline, Illinois. The primary mission of the law school is to challenge students to set high standards for themselves and to strive for the best professional education they can obtain from the curriculum, the faculty, and the academic environment. Students have access to federal, state, county, city, and local agencies, courts, correctional facilities, law firms, and legal aid organizations in the Iowa City area. Facilities of special interest to law students include a $25 million law building that features state-of-the-art computer equipment, audiovisual technology, and 3 full-scale courtrooms. Housing for students Is available as graduate family housing for married or single parent students. Otherwise, students live in apartments, duplexes, and other rental options off campus. All law school facilities are accessible to the physically disabled.

University of Iowa, College of Law Academics

In addition to the J.D., the law school offers the LL.M. 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.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Arts in urban and regional planning and health administration), J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration), J.D./M.D. (Juris Doctor/Medical Doctor), J.D./M.H.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Health Administration), and J.D./M.P.H. (Juris Doctor/Master of Public Health).

The College of Law offers concentrations in corporate law, criminal law, intellectual property law, international law, litigation, securities law, and tax law. In addition, the highly practical clinical law programs give students the opportunity to gain experience in many different areas of substantive law, including, but not limited to, civil rights, employment law, and criminal defense. Clinics are open to students in their second and third years for up to 15 credit hours and usually fulfill the need for field work. Semester seminars are offered in a variety of subject areas. The seminars normally run for 2 semesters; 4 credits and upper-level writing units are awarded. If there is overenrollment in the seminars, priority is given to third-year students and those seeking maximum credit. There are externship placements with a variety of outside agencies. They may be arranged in the summer or during the academic year. Credit for each externship varies and a maximum of 15 credits may be awarded under certain circumstances. Students may arrange an independent research project with faculty members in areas of mutual interest. Special guest lectures (by judges, professors, practitioners, politicians, and others) are open to students every semester. The college offers 4 study-abroad programs: the London Law Consortium (spring semester); the Summer Law Program in Comparative and International Law in Arcachon, France; a semester program at Catolica University in Lisbon, Portugal; and an Exchange Program with Bucerius Law School in Hamburg, Germany. In addition, students may receive credit for study-abroad programs sponsored by other ABA-approved law schools. The Academic Achievement Program (AAP) presents a variety of workshops during the year, with an emphasis on the needs of first-year students. Also, faculty members provide mentoring for students who need special assistance. The writing resource center works with students individually to help strengthen writing skills vital to the study and practice of law. Minority students are involved in all law school opportunities, as well as in the minority student organizations. Special interest programs include the annual Women in Law Conference, Journal of Gender, Race and Justice symposium, and Corporate Law Journal symposium. The most widely taken electives are Clinics, Corporations, and Evidence.

To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 84 total credits, of which 33 are for required courses. The following first-year courses are required of all students: Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law I, Contracts, Criminal Law, Introduction to Legal Reasoning, Legal Analysis Writing and Research I and II, Property, and Torts. Required upper-level courses consist of Constitutional Law II and Professional Responsibility. Though not required, approximately 33% of law students participate in a clinic. The required orientation program for first-year students is 1 week; the 1-unit course component covers an overview of the American legal system, legal education, the legal profession, and perspectives on law. The program component covers academic and other support services, bar requirements, dealing with stress, professional conduct standards, community service, and social events.

To graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 1.8 and have completed the upper-division writing requirement.

University of Iowa, College of Law Unique Programs

Library

The law library contains 798,317 hard-copy volumes and 405,799 microform volume equivalents, and subscribes to 10,236 serial publications. Such on-line databases and networks as CIS Universe, DIALOG, Dow-Jones, Infotrac, Legal-Trac, LEXIS, LOIS, Mathew Bender, NEXIS, OCLC First Search, RLIN, WESTLAW, and Wilsonline Indexes are available to law students for research. Special library collections include a U.S. Government Printing Office and Iowa depositories as well as a United Nations collection and a human rights collection. The ratio of library volumes to faculty is 15,352 to 1 and to students is 1255 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 through extensive travel, and the law school has sponsored, for more than 29 years, “Bridging the Gap,” a minority prelaw conference held at the law school. The law school also supports CLEO and PLSI. Requirements are different for out-of-state students in that for applicants that are “on the fence,” Iowa residents will have a slight advantage. Transfer students must have one year of credit, have credentials that would have made the students admissible as first-year students, have attended an AALS- and ABA-approved law school, and have ranked in the top 10% to 15% during the first year in law school.

University of Iowa, College of Law Admissions

In the fall 2007 first-year class, 1778 applied, 616 were accepted, and 212 enrolled. Five transfers enrolled. The median LSAT percentile of the most recent first-year class was 83; the median GPA was 3.62 on a scale of 4.0. The lowest LSAT percentile accepted was 26; the highest was 99.

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and take the LSAT. The most important admission factors include academic achievement, LSAT results, and motivations. No specific undergraduate courses are required. Candidates are not interviewed.

The application deadline for fall entry is March 1. Applicants should submit an application form, LSAT results, transcripts, a personal statement, a nonrefundable application fee of $60, and 2 letters of recommendation. Notification of the admissions decision begins in December and is usually no later than April. The latest acceptable LSAT test date for fall entry is February, although a February score will put an applicant at a slight disadvantage. The law school uses the LSDAS.

University of Iowa, College of Law Financial Aid

About 91% 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 $32,221; maximum, $48,469. Awards are based on need and merit. Required financial statements are the FAFSA, the student’s federal tax returns, and the institutional form. The aid application deadline for fall entry is open. Special funds for minority or disadvantaged students include the Law Opportunity Fellowship program, which funds a limited number of 3-year tuition and research assistant positions to persons from groups and backgrounds historically underrepresented in the legal profession. First-year students are notified about their financial aid application after admission and once all required financial aid documents are submitted to the university.

University of Iowa, College of Law Students

About 45% of the student body are women; 18%, minorities; 4%, African American; 8%, Asian American; 5%, Hispanic; and 1%, Native American. The majority of students come from the Midwest (77%). The average age of entering students is 25; age range is 20 to 53. About 11% of students have a graduate degree. About 3% drop out after the first year for academic or personal reasons; 94% remain to receive a law degree.

Students edit the Iowa Law Review, the Journal of Corporation Law, Transnational Law and Contemporary Problems, and the Journal of Gender, Race, and Justice. Newsletters are produced by the Organization of Women Law Students, the Iowa Society of International Law and Affairs, and the Iowa Student Bar Association. Moot court competitions include the Baskerville Competition, whose winners comprise the Chicago Moot Court team, the Van Oosterhout, to select the National Moot Court team, and the Jessup International Law Competition. Additionally, the Stepenson Competition offers an intramural competition for students interested in trial advocacy. Winners become the school’s representatives to regional and national competitions. Law student organizations, local chapters of national associations, and campus organizations include AALSA (Asian American Law Students Association), BLSA (Black Law Students Association), Equal Justice Foundation, National Lawyers Guild, OWLSS (Organization for Women Law Students and Staff), American Constitutional Society, Phi Alpha Delta, and the Federalist Society.

The law school operates on a traditional semester basis. Courses for full-time students are offered days only and must be completed within 84 months. There is no part-time program. New students are admitted in the fall. There is an 11-week summer session. Transferable summer courses are offered.