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College of Law

Academics

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) and J.D./M.P.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Public Administration).

The College of Law offers concentrations in corporate law, criminal law, environmental law, family law, litigation, and tax law. In addition, Defender Aid, Legal Services, Prosecution Assistance, Domestic Violence, and ASUW (Associated Students of the University of Wyoming) programs are available to third-year students; 1 clinic per semester may be taken for 3 credit hours. In order to graduate, the advanced writing requirement must be fulfilled; a variety of seminars that meet this requirement is offered for credits. Seminars are offered in Health Law, Education Law, Federal Water Rights, White Collar Crime, and Gender and the Law. Second- and third-year students may participate in the externship program for 2 to 3 credit hours per semester. Externs are placed with the Wyoming Attorney General’s Office, Wyoming Supreme Court, State Department of Revenue and Taxation, the U.S. District Court, Wyoming Supreme Court, State Department of Revenue and Taxation, the U.S. District Court, Wyoming State Courts, U.S. Attorney’s Office, and various state agencies. Students participate in the International Human Rights field study. Individualized tutoring is available through the Academic Support Program. Minority enrichment programs and lectures are also available through the Academic Support Program. A retention program is offered each spring to first-year students who have GPAs near or below 2.0 after the first semester. The most widely taken electives are Business Organizations, Family Law, and Trusts and Estates.

To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 89 total credits, of which 52 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: Appellate Advocacy, Civil Procedure I, Constitutional Law I, Contracts I and II, Criminal Law, Introduction to Law, Legal Writing and Research, Property I and II, and Torts I and II. Required upper-level courses consist of Administrative Law, an advanced writing requirement, Business Organizations, Civil Procedure II, Constitutional Law II, Creditors’ Rights, Evidence, Income Taxation, Professional Responsibility, Secured Transactions, and Trusts and Estates. The required orientation program for first-year students is a 3-day program including lectures on legal analysis, legal reasoning, the study of law, and case briefing sessions.

In order to graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 2.0, have completed the upper-division writing requirement, and one skills course.

Admissions

In the fall 2007 first-year class, 807 applied, 223 were accepted, and 76 enrolled. Two transfers enrolled. The median LSAT percentile of the most recent first-year class was 58; the median GPA was 3.43 on a scale of 4.0. The lowest LSAT percentile accepted was 18; the highest was 87.

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and take the LSAT. The most important admission factors include academic achievement, GPA, and LSAT results. 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, TOEFL, if applicable, a nonrefundable application fee of $50, and will accept up to 3 letters of recommendation. Notification of the admissions decision is on a rolling basis, beginning in January. The latest acceptable LSAT test date for fall entry is February. The law school uses the LSDAS.

Financial Aid

About 95% 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 $19,679; maximum, $29,967. Awards are based on need and merit. Required financial statement is the FAFSA. The aid application deadline for fall entry is March 1. Special funds for minority or disadvantaged students consist of minority graduate assistantships offered on a competitive basis. First-year students are notified about their financial aid application at time of acceptance.

Students

About 47% of the student body are women; 8%, minorities; 1%, African American; 4%, Asian American; 2%, Hispanic; 1%, Native American; and 11%, self-identified with LSDAS or on application as “Other”. The majority of students come from the West (91%). The average age of entering students is 26; age range is 20 to 64. About 34% of students enter directly from undergraduate school and 7% have a graduate degree. About 2% drop out after the first year for academic or personal reasons; 93% remain to receive a law degree.

Students edit the Wyoming Law Review. Moot court competitions include the National Moot Court, National Environmental Law Moot Court at Pace University, and Natural Resources Law Moot Court at the University of Denver. Other competitions include the National Client Counseling and the ATLA Student Trial Advocacy, and locally sponsored moot court and trial competitions. Law student organizations include the Potter Law Club, Natural Resources Law Forum, Women’s Law Forum, Public Interest Law Forum, Sports Law Club, Students for Equal Justice, International Law Club, and J. Reuben Clark Law Society. There are local chapters of Phi Alpha Delta, Phi Delta Phi, and Delta Theta Phi. Campus clubs and other organizations include the Multicultural Students Organization, Associated Students of the University of Wyoming, and GLTB Organization.

The law school operates on a traditional semester basis. Courses for full-time students are offered days only and must be completed within 3 years. There is no part-time program. New students are admitted in the fall. There is no summer session. Transferable summer courses are not offered.

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