School of Law

* Distinguished Professor Gitelman * Distinguished Professor Emeritus Looney * Professors Beard, Brill, Flaccus, Goforth, Guzman, Judges, Killenbeck, Laurence, Leflar, Matthews, Moberly, Mullane, Norvell, Richards, Steinkamp, Strickman, Watkins * Professors Emeriti Carnes, Copeland, Pedersen, Witte * Associate Professors Atkinson, Bailey, Brummer, Kilpatrick, Nance, Seligmann * Research Associate Professors Harbison, Sampson * Associate Professor and Librarian Ahlers * Assistant Professors Kelley, Schneider * Research Assistant Professors Bozzo, Coats, Hobson, Tarvin

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The primary goal of the University of Arkansas School of Law is to prepare lawyers who will render high-quality professional service to their clients, who are interested in and capable of advancing legal progress and reform, and who are prepared to fill the vital role of the lawyer as a community leader.

The School of Law has certain widely shared objectives for its educational program. There are a number of important skills and qualities every lawyer should possess. The major objectives of legal study are to see that graduates possess these skills and qualities upon completion of their legal studies.

These objectives can best be realized by a competent and dedicated full-time faculty working in partnership with an interested and involved bench and bar. The faculty and administrative staff at the School strive to maintain mutually beneficial relationships with judges and practicing lawyers. Appellate courts regularly schedule cases at the School. The judges meet with students informally after the arguments.

While only full-time faculty members teach first-year courses and other required substantive law courses, practice skill courses such as legal clinic and trial advocacy and activities such as client counseling depend on the assistance of the practicing bar.

The School of Law educational program is directed to lawyers and judges as well as to law students. The study of law cannot end with the receipt of a diploma. Significant and rapidly changing developments in substantive and procedural law and in the way that law is practiced has created the need for a quality program of continuing legal education. Recognizing this need, the University of Arkansas School of Law, in cooperation with the organized bar, provides lawyers and judges with the opportunity to enhance their knowledge and skills through seminars, workshops, and publications. These programs attempt to blend practical considerations in the solution of legal problems with policy, theoretical, and ethical considerations.

The University of Arkansas School of Law also has a strong sense of responsibility to the people of Arkansas. Thus, members of the faculty and student body are active in numerous public service activities. Legal counsel to the indigent is provided through the clinical education program at the School and by special court appointments from time to time. Students and faculty also serve on bar, civic, and legislative committees and task forces. A number of faculty and students contribute time and expertise to state agencies and law reform groups. All of these activities offer to students a laboratory of legal work that is eminently real, while at the same time enabling the University of Arkansas School of Law to be of service to the people of Arkansas.

FACILITIES

The School of Law is housed in Waterman Hall in the Robert A. Leflar Law Center, a modern, attractive, well-appointed, air-conditioned building. An addition completed in 1975 greatly increased the library, classroom, and office space for the School. The building was again expanded and renovated in 1986 to create additional library space, courtrooms, seminar rooms, office space for the faculty and staff, and a more comfortable student lounge. The Law Programs Center, a three-story building across the street from Waterman Hall, provides space for the legal clinic, the Arkansas Law Review and the National Center for Agricultural Law Research and Information.

ROBERT A. AND VIVIAN YOUNG LAW LIBRARY

The Young Law Library, named for its benefactors, contains more than 250,000 volumes. The collection is expanding at a rate of more than 10,000 volumes a year. The case reports and statutes in the library cover every American jurisdiction, and there is an current and complete collection of legal encyclopedia, digests, tests, treatises, law reviews, reports of administrative agencies, and other government publications.

The Young Law Library is a depository for federal documents. Court records and documents are also available through the library. Included in the library is a growing collection of agricultural law materials developed through the National Center for Agricultural Law Research and Information.

Students researching legal problems may use not only the above described "traditional" legal materials but also computer-assisted legal research. Resources such as Loislaw.com, LEXIS, WESTLAW and others are available on the Web. A special computer lab is available for student use.

While primarily designed for the use of Arkansas students, the Young Law Library also serves the research needs of the bench, the bar, and the University faculty. The Young Law Library provides an attractive and comfortable atmosphere for study and research. Included within the law library is the Barrett Hamilton Law Library Mezzanine, a particularly attractive study and shelf space area. In addition, the other University libraries are located near the School of Law and are available to law students.

TEACHING METHODS

Legal training involves the learning of principles through discussion and of skills by practice. The student must be, by definition, an active participant in that process.

Socratic or Inductive Teaching

The "case method" is the basic tool of traditional American legal education.

This method involves the study and discussion of litigated cases.

The teacher calls upon the student to respond in a stimulating question-and-answer dialogue, frequently involving several class members and often including more questions than answers. The learning experience occurs not only in the interchange between teacher and student, but also among the students themselves. The perceptive student will soon learn that a key to the realization of maximum benefit from these interchanges is the ability to listen with discrimination.

This process, applied skillfully by expert teachers and by students possessing a sense of awareness and curiosity, hones the minds of students, develops their respect for facts, and creates a sensitivity to essential differences among issues, policies, reasons, and arguments.

Intensive and consistent daily preparation is necessary for students to participate effectively in this process.

Problem Solving

In a portion of the first-year course, and in later courses, students are given practical legal problems. These problems may involve the drafting of legal documents or the formulation of a course of action for a hypothetical client.

Seminars

By the time students reach their third year, and sometimes earlier, they will be prepared to engage in significant legal research in selected areas of specialization. A primary source for such experience will be seminars taught informally in small groups by professors who are experts in selected subjects. Frequently, a student will be expected to defend a seminar paper before classmates under circumstances that provide lively and constructive discussion.

Each student is required to complete an upper-level research and writing project. Seminar papers may be used to satisfy this requirement.

Clinical Experience

Of increasing importance in legal education is the role of practical, on-the-job training involving the legal problems of actual clients. Legal clinic courses provide valuable client counseling experience, as well as participation in actual trials and appeals under the supervision of a member of the faculty and a licensed attorney.

The clinic has offices in the Law Programs Center near the School of Law; representation is provided for students and indigent local residents. Both civil and certain referred criminal cases are accepted by the clinic.

Individual Research

During the second and third years, students will be permitted to engage in research and writing projects for credit under the supervision of, and in consultation with, a selected faculty member, in an area of particular interest to the student. Research papers may be used to satisfy the upper-level research and writing requirement.

ADMISSION TO THE SCHOOL OF LAW

For complete details concerning admission to the University of Arkansas School of Law, see the School of Law Catalog or write to Dean of Admissions, Robert A. Leflar Law Center, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, telephone (479) 575-3102.

General Information

Except for students in the "3/3 Program" described later, applicants must have completed all requirements for a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution prior to the date of enrolling in the School of Law.

All applicants must take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) administered by Law School Admission Services.

Admission of most students is based on the applicant's undergraduate grade-point average and his or her LSAT test score. However, the School of Law also seeks a diverse student body with a broad set of backgrounds, interests, life experiences, perspectives, qualifications and career objectives. In selecting a small percentage of applicants, therefore, the admissions committee may consider a number of factors relevant to a determination of how the applicant might contribute to such diversity within the School of Law.

There is no predetermined satisfactory grade-point average or law school admission test score. Admission is on a selective basis.

While admissions personnel are happy to answer any questions that an applicant may have, the interview as a device for the applicant to "sell" herself or himself is not a part of the admissions process. The admissions committee works only with the written materials in an applicant's file.

LSAT

The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is given four times a year in Fayetteville and at other locations throughout Arkansas, as well as in other states. Arrangements may be made by writing to Law School Admissions Services, Box 2000, Newton, PA 18940. Applicants for admission are urged to take the test at least nine months prior to expected entrance to law school.

LSDAS

The University of Arkansas participates in the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS). The LSAT/LSDAS registration packet may be obtained by writing directly to Law School Admissions Services, Box 2000, Newton, PA 18940. The packet includes instructions for providing transcripts of scholastic work for analysis by the LSDAS. The applicant should see that the LSAT score and LSDAS reports are sent to this school.

Pre-Law Study

No pre-law curriculum is prescribed at the University of Arkansas School of Law or at any other American law school. Experience has shown that students do equally well in law school and in law practice regardless of their differing educational backgrounds. As a result, no single "pre-law major" is required or even recommended.

Students in a position to structure their college curricula should select courses that emphasize analytical and problem-solving skills and courses in which written work is vigorously edited.

Arkansas admits applicants from a wide variety of college majors. The resulting diversity enhances and enriches the educational experience of all students.

The Admission Process

The University of Arkansas School of Law admits one beginning class in August of each year. Applications for admission may be obtained from the Dean of Admissions, University of Arkansas School of Law, Robert A. Leflar Law Center, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701.

Applications should be completed as early as possible. While applications are considered as long as there are openings in the entering class, few applications received after April 1 receive favorable action.

The admission process at Arkansas is a continuing one. As test reports and scores are received, admission decisions are made. It is impossible to give a final decision on some applicants until late spring.

An applicant whose admission has been approved will receive a tentative admission notice. The applicant will be required to deposit a $75 pre-registration fee. This fee is not refundable but is applied to the regular registration fee when the student registers.

Other Admission Information

Persons who have attended other law schools should not follow the above procedure but should apply to the dean of the School of Law as a transfer student, indicating previous attendance at another school. Failure to indicate such attendance will automatically void a tentative admission granted to such person.

A student may not register in the School of Law for any course without first complying with all admission requirements for regular law students.

3/3 Program

The School of Law and the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences have agreed on a pilot program that will enable outstanding students to enter law school after their third year of college. A student enrolled in the Fulbright College is eligible to begin study in the UA School of Law after the completion of at least 94 hours of college work if the following criteria are met:

1. he or she has completed all University, College, and major course requirements for their undergraduate degree;

2. he or she has acquired a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.50; and

3. he or she has scored at least 159 on the Law School Admissions Test. Such students will receive a bachelor of arts or a bachelor of science degree after the completion of sufficient hours of law school work to meet the regular requirements of Fulbright College. These students will then receive a juris doctor (J.D.) degree after completing the required number of hours of law school work.

Joint J.D./M.B.A. Program

The School of Law and the Sam M. Walton College of Business Administration cooperate in offering an opportunity for a student to pursue a juris doctor (J.D.) degree and a master's of business administration (M.B.A.) degree concurrently. Students working to pursue their degrees concurrently must gain admission to both the School of Law and the Graduate School and be accepted into the program of study leading to the M.B.A. degree. If the student is accepted into both programs, a maximum of six hours of approved upper-level elective law courses may be used as duplicate credit toward the M.B.A. degree and a maximum of six hours of approved graduate courses in business administration may be used as duplicate credit toward the J.D. degree, thus reducing the total time necessary for completion of the degrees.

Joint J.D./M.P.A. Program

The department of political science, the Graduate School, and the School of Law cooperate in offering a dual degree program that allows a student to pursue a juris doctor (J.D.) degree and a master's of public administration (M.P.A.) degree concurrently. Students must be admitted to the M.P.A. program, the School of Law, and the dual degree program. If a student seeks to enter the dual degree program after enrolling in either the law school or the M.P.A. program, he or she must obtain admission to the other degree program and the dual program during the first year of study.

The School of Law accepts a maximum of nine hours of M.P.A. courses to satisfy requirements for the J.D. degree. To qualify for J.D. credit, the M.P.A. courses must come from a set of core courses and must be approved by the School of Law. For purposes of the M.P.A. degree, 15 hours of elective courses may be taken in the School of Law, provided they are in an area of concentration approved by the director of the M.P.A. program. Students must earn a grade of B or higher in any M.P.A. course offered for credit toward the J.D.

Students admitted to the dual degree program may commence their studies in either the School of Law or in the M.P.A. program but must complete first year course requirements before taking courses in the other degree program. If they do not maintain the academic or ethical standards of either degree program, students may be terminated from the dual degree program. Students in good standing in one degree program but not the other may be allowed to continue in the program in which they have good standing and must meet the degree requirements of that program. If for any reason a student admitted to the dual degree program does not complete the M.P.A. degree, he or she cannot count any hours of M.P.A. courses toward the J.D. degree. Likewise, M.P.A. students may not be able to count certain law courses if they decide to discontinue their studies in the School of Law. The J.D. degree will be awarded upon completion of all degree requirements; the M.P.A. will be awarded upon completion of the comprehensive examination and the internship (and internship report), or alternately, six hours of additional coursework.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Students are expected to make sufficient financial arrangements for the first year of study without the necessity of seeking employment. All law students are required to be full-time students, and no law student is permitted more than 20 hours per week of outside employment. First-year students are expected to adhere to a standard curriculum; also, some courses in the upper division curriculum are required.

Applications for financial aid may be obtained from the Office of Financial Aid, University of Arkansas, Hunt Hall 114, Fayetteville, AR 72701, (479) 575-3806. This information must be submitted to the Office of Financial Aid by April 1. Specific fees and costs are listed in the School of Law catalog.

TRANSFER STUDENTS

A law student who has received a degree from an approved college and thereafter has completed work with satisfactory scholarship in a law school accredited by the American Bar Association is eligible to be considered for transfer to the University of Arkansas School of Law. The amount of transfer credit to be granted will depend upon the quality of performance and the relation of completed courses to the program of this school. Only credits or units (not grades) are transferable in any case, and even credits will not be accepted for any course or other work in which a grade below 2.0 or the equivalent has been given from the other law school. To qualify for a degree, the student must complete the final two semesters of law study at the University of Arkansas School of Law.

Failure to disclose attendance at another college or law school or expulsion or suspension therefrom is sufficient grounds to require withdrawal.

VISITING STUDENTS

A student in good standing at another fully accredited law school may apply for admission as a visiting student. Enrollment restrictions may limit class selection, and visiting students are not eligible to receive degrees from the School of Law.

COURSES:

Law (LAWW)

For course information, see the School of Law Catalog. Contact the School of Law dean's office for a copy of the current catalog: University of Arkansas School of Law, Leflar Law Center, Waterman Hall 107, Fayetteville, AR 72701, (479) 575-5612.

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