School of Law

Washburn University, School of Law History

Washburn University School of Law was established in 1903 and is a public institution. The 160-acre campus is in an urban area 60 miles west of Kansas City. The primary mission of the law school is to provide a foundation in the theory, doctrine, and practice of law with a strong emphasis on professionalism in an atmosphere of cooperation and congeniality. Students have access to federal, state, county, city, and local agencies, courts, correctional facilities, law firms, and legal aid organizations in the Topeka area. Facilities of special interest to law students include a 4-story library, 2 computer laboratories, high-speed wireless network throughout the building, group study rooms, individual study carrels, and a special collections room. The state-of-the-art courtroom is regularly used for state administrative law hearings and occasional sittings by the Kansas Court of Appeals and the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. Housing for students is available on campus, but most students live in the many reasonably priced houses and apartments near the campus. About 90% of the law school facilities are accessible to the physically disabled.

Washburn University, School of Law Academics

The following joint degrees may be earned: J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration).

Students must take 12 hours credits in their area of concentration. The School of Law offers concentrations in corporate law, environmental law, family law, litigation, tax law, torts and insurance, certificates in tax law, family law, natural resources law, advocacy, estate planning, and transactional law. In addition, Law Clinic may be taken as a one-semester elective for 4 to 5 credit hours by students with 50 or more credit hours and upon completion of prerequisite courses. In-house, live client opportunities exist in the areas of Family Law, Juvenile Law, Civil Law, Criminal Defense, Native American, and Transactional Law. A Directed Clinical Internship is available by permission for 1 to 3 credit hours after successful completion of Law Clinic. Second- or third-year students may take seminars for 2 to 3 credit hours in areas such as civil liberties, civil rights, constitutional litigation, family law, negotiation and settlement, and natural resources. Informal internships (part-time professional librarian positions) may be available in the law library for those with an MLS degree working toward a J.D. Research may be done as a student option through the Advanced Legal Research course for 2 credit hours or Directed Research for 1 to 3 credit hours. Externships are available in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court and the Kansas Legislature for 1 to 2 credit hours. There are Kansas District Court externships for 2 credit hours; Environmental Law externships for 1 to 2 credit hours; and Government Agency, Private Practice, or Corporate Counsel externships for 1 to 2 credit hours. There is a Foulston and Siefkin Law Journal Lecture Series and special tort lectures available through the Ahrens tort-chair endowment. A 6-credit-hour summer program, with various courses in comparative law, is conducted at the University of Utrecht, the Netherlands, each year. A full semester program is also available at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. All first-year students are invited to participate in peer-facilitated groups which meet weekly to discuss difficult concepts encountered in Property, Contracts and Civil Procedure courses, as well as effective note-taking, outlining, and class preparation. At-risk second- and third-year students are invited to participate in individual and group tutorial and remedial assistance programs. Minority programs include active chapters of Black (BLSA), Asian (AALSA), Hispanic (HALSA), and Native American (NALSA) law student associations; supporting institution of CLEO program; Women’s Legal Forum; and Gay/Straight Alliance. Special interest group programs are offered at the Business Transactional Law Center, Children and Family Law Center, and Center for Excellence in Advocacy. The most widely taken electives are Business Associations, Civil Procedure II, and Decedents’ Estates.

To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 90 total credits, of which 43 are for required courses. They must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 in the required courses. The following first-year courses are required of all students: Civil Procedure I, Constitutional Law I, Contracts I and II, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Legal Analysis, Research and Writing Seminar I and II, Property, and Torts. Required upper-level courses consist of a writing requirement, an oral presentation requirement, Constitutional Law II, Evidence, Perspectives on Law course—students choose from 12 listed, Professional Responsibility, and Secured Transactions. The required orientation program for first-year students is 1 week and contains an intensive academic component as well as administrative, social, and public service events.

In order to graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 2.0, have completed the upper-division writing requirement, and upper-level oral presentation.

Washburn University, School of Law Unique Programs

Library

The law library contains 385,765 hard-copy volumes and 177,970 microform volume equivalents, and subscribes to 4064 serial publications. Such on-line databases and networks as CALI, CIS Universe, DIALOG, Infotrac, Legal-Trac, LEXIS, LOIS, Mathew Bender, NEXIS, OCLC First Search, WESTLAW, Wilsonline Indexes, http://washlaw.edu, Hein Online, Pacer, Marcive, Index Master, Gale Ready Reference Shelf, Foreign Law Guide, UN Treaty Collect, Access UN, and CCH Internet Research Network, serials solution, BNA’s Law School Professional Information Center, and Making of Modern Law are available to law students for research. Special library collections include U.S. documents, Kansas documents, U.S. Supreme Court autographs, and U.S. Serial Set (digital). Recently, the library added a wireless network, technology web site for students, and expanded electronic research resources. The ratio of library volumes to faculty is 13,302 to 1 and to students is 867 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 CRS mailings; CLEO; law school forums in Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and accompanying workshops; law fairs at many colleges and universities; events in conjunction with BLSA, HALSA, AALSA, and NALSA; scholarships (merit and need); and through efforts with HBCU and Hispanic colleges and universities. Requirements are not different for out-of-state students. Transfer students must have one year of credit, have a minimum GPA of 2.5, have attended an ABA-approved law school, and present a copy of the LSDAS report, official undergraduate degree transcript, a letter of good standing from the dean of the law school, an official transcript of law school grades, law school class rank, and 1 letter of recommendation from a law school professor. Preadmissions courses consist of an academic support program orientation held immediately prior to enrollment for admitted students. There are no provisional-admit summer courses.

Washburn University, School of Law Admissions

In the fall 2007 first-year class, 888 applied, 464 were accepted, and 157 enrolled. Five transfers enrolled. The median GPA of the most recent first-year class was 3.35.

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

The application deadline for fall entry is April 1. Applicants should submit an application form, LSAT results, transcripts, a nonrefundable application fee of $40, 1 required, 2 or 3 are recommended letters of recommendation, and a personal statement plus a credential evaluation if for a foreign bachelor’s degree. Notification of the admissions decision is November to May. The latest acceptable LSAT test date for fall entry is February. The law school uses the LSDAS.

Washburn University, School of Law Financial Aid

About 90% of current law students receive some form of aid. Awards are based on need and merit, along with federal loans up to $20,500, which have no need or merit base. Factors that could increase the total award amount include number of dependents and other unusual expenses. All admitted applicants are automatically considered for academic scholarships. Required financial statement is the FAFSA. The aid application deadline for fall entry is April 1. Special funds for minority or disadvantaged students include need and academic scholarships. First-year students are notified about their financial aid application at time of acceptance. Students are encouraged to apply for loans at the time of application. Academic and need scholarships are usually awarded shortly after admission.

Washburn University, School of Law Students

About 40% of the student body are women; 4%, African American; 3%, Asian American; 5%, Hispanic; and 2%, Native American. The majority of students come from Kansas (56%). The average age of entering students is 25; age range is 20 to 55. About 35% of students enter directly from undergraduate school. About 6% drop out after the first year for academic or personal reasons; 94% remain to receive a law degree.

The primary law review is the Washburn Law Journal. Students also solicit articles for and edit The ABA Family Law Quarterly. Students participate in numerous moot court competitions each year, including the Evan A. Evans Constitutional Moot Court Competition; Herbert Wechsler National Criminal Law Moot Court Competition; and the John J. Gibbons National Criminal Procedure Moot Court Competition. Other competitions include the Pace Environmental Law Competition, Dominick Gabriella National Family Law Competition, and J. Buberstein Bankruptcy. Law student organizations, local chapters of national associations, and campus clubs and organizations include The Washburn Association of Public Interest Lawyers, J. Reuben Clark Law Society, American Bar Association Student Division, Mozart Society, Veterans Legal Association of Washburn, Washburn Tax Law Society, Phi Alpha Delta and Phi Delta Phi legal fraternities, and Washburn Law Volunteer Society.

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 7 years. There is no part-time program. New students are admitted in the fall. There is a 2 6-week summer session. Transferable summer courses are offered.