The substance of a marriage and a family is not property, financial assets, and financial liabilities. The substance of a marriage is the interpersonal relationships between husband, wife, and children. Divorce doesn’t change the substantive issues from the people and their relationships to those of property and finances, but Virginia divorce litigation tries to do just that.

The emotional impact of a divorce can be intense, and has lots of highs and lows - and upside down and sideways turns as well. Like a roller coaster ride that you didn’t buy a ticket for, the emotions that emerge during divorce can come and go unpredictably.
In Virginia, you can base your divorce on either no-fault or fault grounds. The reason you might want to use fault grounds is to gain an advantage in a contested child custody case or a dispute about the division of marital property or the appropriateness or amount of alimony.

Under Virginia divorce law, premarital assets (including a business started before the marriage, a house, a retirement plan or an investment portfolio) lose their “separate” categorization if they are commingled with monies earned during the marriage, if asset-related debt is paid during the marriage, or if there is active involvement of the other spouse in the appreciation of the asset.

For a confidential consultation with a Virginia divorce attorney, you may use Google as most firms do have an online presence.

A group of practicing lawyers and judges in Northern California decided there was a need for an evening law school in the Northern California area. Cal Northern School of Law was formed in Chico so that Northern California residents can maintain their employment, be near their families and still study law.

The Faculty Advisory Committee has selected the faculty members for Cal Northern from the Court Systems of Butte, Yuba, Sutter and Shasta counties. These trial lawyers and judges bring practical instruction to students, keeping students up-to-date with changes in the legal world which surrounds them.

Practical experience is stressed at Cal Northern. During the first and second year programs students are required to take a series of foundational courses; the third and fourth years at Cal Northern will provide students with a wide range of electives to broaden their academic horizon and provide them with the ability to step into the courtroom and be advocates.

Our goal at Cal Northern is to provide a special law program, without frills or fanfare, but with dedicated instructors and motivated students.

ACCREDITATION
Cal Northern School of Law has been fully accredited by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California since 1992, and is authorized to operate as a private postsecondary educational institution by the State Bar of California, Department of Education. Graduates of the Law School are eligible to become members of the State Bar of California, as well as the bar of some other jurisdictions upon passage of their respective bar examinations.

Cal Northern School of Law, however, has not sought approval by the American Bar Association.

PRACTICING LAW IN STATES OTHER THAN CALIFORNIA
Study at, or graduation from, this law school may not qualify a student to take the bar examination in other states or satisfy the requirements to practice law in other states. Therefore, if a student intends to seek admission to practice law in a state other than California, the student should contact the admitting authority in that state for information regarding the legal education requirements for admission to practice law.

THE ACADEMIC COMMUNITY
Men and women who pursue a legal career have attained special knowledge and professional skills, and they bear a special responsibility to their clients, their associates, their communities and the fair administration of justice. Cal Northern School of Law seeks to prepare students to competently and responsibly fill the many roles performed by members of the legal profession. We seek to graduate well-rounded persons who possess legal knowledge, skill, imagination and good judgment.

The degree of Juris Doctor is achieved upon the successful completion of the four year course of study. Cal Northern instructors use both the casebook and traditional Socratic method of instruction, together with lecture materials which expand upon the cases and enlighten students as to future rulings expected.

Acquiring a legal education calls for much more than learning substantive rules of law. Law students must also learn how to apply law in the context of litigation, arbitration, mediation and counseling. Solving problems in those contexts requires incisive analysis, creative thinking, effective communication, and skills of interviewing, fact gathering, research advocacy, negotiations and judging.

Cal Northern seeks to train students in learning these skills by instructors who are highly skilled practitioners in the private and public sector of law as well as judges well known for their expertise in certain areas of the law.

THE LAW LIBRARY

Cal Northern School of Law maintains a working library, containing more than 8,500 volumes, that is available to students, alumni, faculty and attorneys, seven days a week. Students have access to computer database resources for state of the art computer assisted legal research. Students also have access to the Butte County Law Library which is located in the City of Oroville, 23 miles from Cal Northern and the California State University, Chico Law Library located in downtown Chico approximately 6 miles from Cal Northern.

POLICY OF NON-DISCRIMINATION

Cal Northern School of Law admits students without regard to age, sex, race, creed, color, religion, physical disability or medical condition, sexual preference, national or ancestry, ideology, marital or family status, military or veteran status, or political affiliation to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded to students at the School. It does not discriminate on any of these bases in administration of its educational policies, admission policies or other School-administered programs.

RESERVATION OF RIGHTS

This Catalog is intended for the guidance of students, faculty and persons applying for admission to Cal Northern School of Law. The Catalog sets forth in general the manner in which the School intends to proceed with respect to matters set forth herein, but the School reserves the right to depart without notice from the terms of this catalog, including, but not limited to courses, tuition and fees. This Catalog is not intended to be and should not be regarded as a contract between the School and any student or other person.

Cal Northern School of Law
1395 Ridgewood Drive
Suite 100
Chico,California 95973
(530) 891-6900

The American College of Law, located in Anaheim, California was founded in 1971 as a private corporation to meet the growing demand for a legal education. The school’s student body is comprised of mature adults seeking to expand their education and occupational goals.

The program of American College of Law is especially designed to meet the needs of the part-time law student. These students by necessity, are required to devote a substantial portion of their time to the support of themselves and their families. A LEGAL EDUCATION has many useful applications outside the practice of law. Many students study law to enhance their current careers i.e. LEGAL SECRETARIES, PROBATION OFFICERS, INSURANCE AGENTS, REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONALS, DOCTORS, DENTISTS, and many others attend law school to utilize its many facited curricula to further goals in existing employment.

Like the studies of History, English Literature and other Liberal Arts Disciplines the study of law broadens knowledge to provide a rich background to those desiring knowledge. The faculty of the college are practicing attorneys who work daily with legal problems. This lends viability to classroom study. These instructors have been selected for their familiarity with the special problems of part-time students and have prepared their courses especially for them. Small classes assure students the personal attention from faculty and administration that increases the effectiveness of the time they spend in college. Academic Advising and tutoring are available when requested.
Special emphasis is devoted to subjects on the California Bar Examination so that each student is thoroughly prepared to meet the demands of this important examination. Upon certification by the college, graduates who have satisfied the requirements of the Business and Professions Code Section 6060 and the Rules of the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State of California are eligible to take the California General Bar Examination required by the State of California for Admission to the practice of law in the State of California.

The Administration, Faculty and staff of the American College of Law are committed to provide superior legal educational program to meet the needs of the part-time law student. In response to society’s demand for quality legal services, the college makes a conscientious effort to provide a superior legal program that is staffed by qualified faculty personnel and further keeping with this ideal the administration is constantly seeking to grow and expand to meet the student’s needs.

The American College of Law, located in Anaheim, California was founded in 1971 as a private corporation to meet the growing demand for a legal education. The school’s student body is comprised of mature adults seeking to expand their education and occupational goals. Most have established careers and families and want to incorporate law in their already significant repertoire.

The American College of Law has rapidly improved and expanded by it’s move to Anaheim. The move resulted in a beautiful renovated campus with an expanded library. The college hopes to continue to improve its student body facilities, and it’s position in the California legal community. Historically American College of Law has maintained an excellent teacher to student ratio and will continue to emphasis small classes.

FACILITIES

The Administrative offices of the college, its library, and its classrooms are located near the “Arrowhead Pond” nad the “Angeles Stadium” in Anaheim, California at 100 S. Anaheim Blvd., Suite 340, Anaheim, California 92805. The classrooms are spacious, air conditioned and well lighted for the maximum comfort of the students. Free parking is provided. The college has a well supplied and up to date library, which is continuously growing.

The college, the facilities it occupies and the equipment it utilizes fully comply with any and all federal, state, and local ordinances and regulations, including those requirements to fire, safety, building safety, and health codes.

DISABLED STUDENTS

The campus at American College of Law has many customed designed features for accessibility for handicap individuals, which includes, parking, restroom facilities, and classroom accessibility. In consideration and to meet the needs of handicap individuals we also have petitions available in the academics department for request for special circumstances for examinations. The college is also fully approved for various federal and state rehabilitation programs.

Back in 1996, a man had a dream. It had never been tried before. Why not start a law school? But a unique one. One for those men and women, in all walks of life, from all financial levels and backgrounds, of all ages and experiences, who had wished they could go to law school. People who, for a variety of reasons, including their work hours, their family commitments, their place of residence, their health or age, had never thought they could actually make their dreams of becoming a lawyer come true.

That man with a dream made his dream come true by starting California’s first Online law school. A school where people could complete their entire law school education Online, never needing to attend a single class in person. A school where the flexibility of the Internet allowed students to take their classes when they want and where they want, from the convenience of their own home, their office, or even from a hotel room while traveling on the road.

That school is Abraham Lincoln University School of Law. Abraham Lincoln University provides a legal education for those desiring to take their complete program Online, but it does not stop there. For those students in the Greater Los Angeles Area, Abraham Lincoln University also provides, if the student wishes, and at no extra charge, live classroom support sessions, where students can supplement their training. Other centers outside of the greater Los Angeles Area are coming soon. Professors, who are experienced in both the Online and the in-class environments, make the courses both interesting and productive.

Interaction in the classroom, where questions are answered and topics are summarized, is available Tuesday night, Wednesday night, Thursday night, and Saturday morning and afternoon. This is in addition to our Online program always available on the Internet.

Students and faculty also communicate through Live Chat Rooms, allowing a free - flowing interchange and discussion. Moreover, students may call or email their professors whenever they have questions relating to the course, its materials, or their homework.

Students also can set up their own Live Chat Rooms serving as small study groups. This is something old style law schools never thought of, but Abraham Lincoln University School of Law has pioneered. As new technology develops, you can be sure that Abraham Lincoln University School of Law will always be at the cutting edge. As of December 1, 2004, 39% of our graduates who have taken the California Bar Examination have already passed! If your dream is to become a lawyer, you can make it happen with us!

The creative man we have been talking about here is California attorney and CPA, Hyung J. Park. Mr. Park was born in South Korea. He had to struggle to gain a basic education in his native Korea, working to pay for every class he could take.

When he emigrated to America, Mr. Park became a success story for our system of freedom and liberty. Arriving in America with nothing and having worked to receive his higher education here, he wanted to give others the same opportunity he had experienced. Today Mr. Park wants to pay back the descendents of those who built this great country called America. That is how Abraham Lincoln University School of Law came to exist and grow.

President Park, the Abraham Lincoln University Administration, and Staff, all love our students. We go out of our way to make each and every student feel comfortable and at home among friends.

From the writing classes, the study skills workshops, the review classes and the bar preparation classes, all included in our program, to the ability to communicate with your professors when a question arises, we promise that we will all go the extra mile to make your time as a student at Abraham Lincoln University School of Law a good one. Join us and become part of an outstanding family of students at Abraham Lincoln University.

Now you can make your dream become reality. Has becoming a lawyer, or even just learning the law, been on your mind since you were a child? Even if law school only recently became your dream, now is your opportunity to make it a reality!

ONLINE OR IN THE CLASSROOM

In 1996 Abraham Lincoln University became the first Law School in the state of California to offer Online Instruction as an alternative or enhancement to the more traditional classroom support sessions.

In 2001 ALU became the first Law School in California to grant the Juris Doctor (JD) degree to students who completed their four-year legal education Online via the Internet.

In 2004 Abraham Lincoln University became the first Law School in the state of California to offer weekly support sessions/lectures LIVE, Online, via the Internet. Students simply log on to the ALU website at the scheduled class times to access live streaming audio/video broadcasts, or access archived lectures via the web at their convenience. CD-Rom recordings are also available after the live Internet broadcast. Assignments can be delivered in person, through the mail, via fax, or via email. Professors are accessible through weekly classroom support sessions, through one-on-one meetings at the school, and through weekly online chats. Workshops and special subject reviews, such as our First Year Law Students’Exam (FYLSX) review (digitally recorded for distribution), enhance the basic weekly lessons.

Cutting edge technology and personal attention combine to deliver unparalleled academic support and flexibility, making Abraham Lincoln University the bold pioneer in law school education that sets the standard for all California schools. State-of-the-art academic support and exceptional flexibility makes an ALU education the program of choice for working adults with demanding careers and schedules.

Abraham Lincoln University
1730 W. Olympic Boulevard, Suite 400
Los Angeles, CA 90015, U.S.A.

With a student body of approximately 440 and one of the lowest student/faculty ratios of any law school — 15 to 1 — the UALR Bowen School of Law offers a challenging educational experience in a close and supportive environment.  Smaller classes enhance the learning experience.  Students interact with their peers and with the members of the faculty to a degree not possible at many schools.  Our faculty is an experienced group of caring teachers and scholars.  The academic experience at the UALR Bowen School of Law is challenging and rigorous, yet supportive.  In addition, our low tuition enables our graduates to choose among a wide variety of employment opportunities without worrying about paying off an enormous debt.

Our curriculum emphasizes both theory and practice.  Like most law schools UALR requires a basic core of courses but offers numerous electives.  Unlike most law schools, however, UALR requires two “lawyering skills” courses during the second year. In these courses, students are taught skills used in trial advocacy, interviewing and counseling, mediation and negotiation. We also offer three clinical programs:  the litigation clinic, where students represent actual clients in court; the mediation clinic, where students gain practical experience in alternative dispute resolution; and the tax clinic, where students represent actual clients who have controversies with the Internal Revenue Service.  In addition, UALR Bowen School of Law offers externship programs, where students can learn and work in legal settings, for judges, legal services providers and legislators, earning academic credit.

The Arkansas General Assembly established the UALR Bowen School of Law in 1975.  We are accredited by the American Bar Association and are a member of the Association of American Law Schools.

Bowen School in Brief

History
- Founded in 1975

Accreditation
- American Bar Association (accredited since founding)
- Association of American Law Schools (member since 1979)

Divisions
- Full-time Day (three-year program)
- Part-time Evening (four-year program)
- Student-Faculty Ratio of 15 to 1

Enrollment (Approximate)
- 290 Full-time
- 150 Part-time

Faculty
- 29 Full-time teaching faculty
- 31 Adjunct professors
- 5 Library faculty

Degrees
- Juris Doctor
- Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration
- Juris Doctor/Master of Public Administration
- Juris Doctor/Master of Public Health
- Juris Doctor/Master of Public Service
- Juris Doctor/Medical Doctor

Clinics
- Litigation Clinic
- Mediation Clinic
-Arkansas Dependency Neglect Mediation Project
-Special Education Mediation Project
- Tax Clinic
- Public Service Externship

Library
- Over 295,000 volumes
- Seating for 365 (83% of student body)
- Wide variety of online databases
- 42 closed carrels
- 8 group study rooms

Technology
- Two computer labs
- Wireless network throughout building
- Innovative classroom technology

Admission
- Rolling admission

UALR William H. Bowen School of Law
1201 McMath Avenue
Little Rock, Arkansas 72202

Named by U.S. News and World Report among the “most diverse” law schools in America, the Fayetteville School of Law builds on more than 80 years of tradition and alumni success to promote professionalism, civility, and leadership. Our students follow a rigorous course of study that prepares them for success in law practice, business, public service, and more.

Whether pursuing a J.D. or an LL.M. in the nation’s only agricultural law program, students have the opportunity to expand and refine their lawyering skills - and to serve their community and state - through the Legal Clinic, an active and effective pro bono program, and various skills courses. Students also may participate in the publication of one of three law journals - Arkansas Law Review, Journal of Food Law & Policy, and Journal of Islamic Law & Culture. The law school’s outstanding faculty not only nurtures and challenges our students, but is committed to research and outreach. A recently completed expansion of the law center includes a state-of-the-art courtroom and classrooms, two-story entrance hall, reading room, conference room and coffee shop, making it one of the most striking buildings on campus and a popular gathering place for the university community.

We invite you to read more about the School of Law or contact our Office of Admissions at (479) 575-7645.

The University of Arkansas

The University of Arkansas, the state’s flagship university, resides on 345 picturesque acres overlooking the Ozark Mountains. For nearly 150 years, it has been at the center of higher education in the state of Arkansas, and has moved to the forefront of higher education in the nation. Never before in the university’s history have its students and faculty been more academically accomplished, its facilities more sophisticated or its research efforts more inclusive. All indicators of academic success are at record highs and climbing. The university’s nearly 19,000 students come from every county in Arkansas and some 100 nations, and they have nearly 200 academic programs in which to study. Through the integration of teaching, research and service that puts students first, the University of Arkansas is taking its place among the nation’s great comprehensive academies.

Fayetteville and Surrounding Communities

The University of Arkansas School of Law is located in Fayetteville, a thriving college town of more than 66,000 residents. Fayetteville is at the southern tip of a metroplex that runs northward for 25 miles along I-540 through Washington and Benton counties in Northwest Arkansas and ends in Bella Vista. The Northwest Arkansas metroplex includes Springdale (home of Tyson Foods, the world’s largest protein producer), Lowell (home of J.B. Hunt Transport Services), Rogers, and Bentonville (home of Wal-Mart Stores, the world’s largest corporation).

For the past several years, the Northwest Arkansas metroplex has been ranked among the Milken Institute’s Best Performing Cities for its outstanding economic performance. Also, the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metropolitan area is ranked the sixth fastest-growing metro area in the nation.

Situated on the Ozark Mountain Plateau, Northwest Arkansas offers friendly people, beautiful scenery, a moderate climate, excellent school districts, and a robust economy. Fayetteville itself presents the vibrant cultural life that would be expected of any major university town. Since the 1960s, it has been a haven for writers, artists, and musicians. In recent years, Fayetteville has been named “One of America’s Most Livable Cities,” one of the “Top 10 Places to Retire,” one of the “Best Cities to Live, Work, and Play,” and among the “Best Places to Live in America” by sources such as Kiplinger.com and Money magazine.

The talented women and men who make up the School of Law administration support the educational and research activities of the school by managing admissions, student services, classroom and information technology and other administrative operations. They are always happy to answer questions and offer assistance to students and faculty.

The College of Law at the University of Arizona is a nationally prominent law school that has developed an outstanding academic program to prepare lawyers for leadership and service throughout the State, the country and internationally. We have created a close-knit community of scholars, educators and students who seek to advance justice. Our core values— justice, professional integrity, public leadership and community service—inform all of our programs, activities and decisions.

UA Law Building

The University of Arizona College of Law—the first law school in Arizona and one of the first established in the West— was founded in 1915, when a Department of Law was created as part of the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences at the University of Arizona, Arizona’s first University. In 1925, the College of Law was established as the fifth college at the University of Arizona. In 1999, the College was renamed the James E. Rogers College of Law, in honor of the generous support of James E. Rogers, prominent attorney, businessman, educational leader and philanthropist, who graduated from the College of Law in 1962. During the College’s almost 100-year history, many of Arizona’s most distinguished judges and lawyers have pursued their legal educations at the UA. In addition, our graduates hold positions of leadership in the legal, corporate and political arenas throughout the U.S. and internationally.

The College is fully accredited by the American Bar Association and has been a member of the Association of American Law Schools since 1931. The College is one of 80 law schools nationwide to have a chapter of the Order of the Coif, the prestigious national law academic honor society.

UA Law

The University of Arizona Rogers College of Law is part of one of the world’s premier research universities and we are located in Tucson, a vibrant Southwestern city that straddles multiple cultural and national borders. We are dedicated to first-rate teaching, research and service to the public and the legal profession. We strive to create an educational environment that challenges, nourishes and embraces each student. We are small by choice. Our size— approximately 150 students in each entering class and a total student body of about 500—and varied curriculum permit small classes and close interaction between students and faculty. Our spirit of collegiality promotes an environment of collaboration among students.

We emphasize demanding coursework, critical analysis, excellent written and oral communication skills, as well as a strong sense of professional ethics and responsibility. Students develop their legal research and writing skills and cultivate an understanding of a substantial body of law through a wide array of courses, and learn how law is used in practice via exceptional clinical, trial advocacy and career services programs. The College offers the opportunity to pursue a broad-based general legal education and to focus in depth in several areas of law. Expanding and encouraging our students’ visions of their talents, opportunities and potential is central to our educational goals.

We are a public school that recognizes that law is a public profession. We seek to prepare lawyers with skills and knowledge for a lifelong ability to practice in a multicultural society and global environment and for leadership positions locally, nationally and internationally in the 21st century.

At Arizona, we are proud of both our faculty and our students. Our full-time faculty includes 36 outstanding scholars and teachers with national and international reputations for excellence. They are the authors of major texts; they write extensively in the law reviews, and participate widely in the academic and professional communities nationally and internationally.

Before teaching, they had exemplary academic preparation and had varied and significant experiences in the law, from national public interest organizations to Wall Street to international legal development work, from large international law firms to the United States Justice Department and clerkships in federal and state trial and appellate courts throughout the United States.

Our students bring outstanding academic backgrounds, unique work experiences, diverse cultural perspectives and great humanity to the law school experience. Our students represent over 170 different undergraduate and graduate institutions, almost 40 states and several foreign countries, and a rich array of interests and experiences—internationally, from Peace Corps service, military combat, human rights and international business work to domestically, from Teach for America service and law enforcement work to journalism and entrepreneurship.

The strength of the University of Arizona’s many departments and offerings campus-wide encourages interdisciplinary work and collaboration. At Arizona, we transcend traditional academic boundaries to foster cross-disciplinary dialog that brings vexing societal issues into better focus. Through the Rogers Program in Law in Society, the College of Law collaborates with Arizona’s nationally acclaimed Departments of Anthropology, Philosophy, Psychology and Sociology to offer interdisciplinary coursework for students, colloquium series on public policy issues, national conferences on important multi-disciplinary topics, and promote faculty and student research collaborations to explore new ways of addressing problems. The academic environment is strengthened further by numerous endowed lectures and our Sabbatical Visitors Program, which brings leading teachers and scholars from other outstanding law schools to join us, typically for a semester.

The FacilitiesThe main law building, completed in 1979 and expanded and renovated in school year 1996- 97, is a modern facility housing faculty and administrative offices, class and seminar rooms, a student lounge and offices, a large library, and two courtrooms frequently used for trials and appellate arguments and for traditional student instruction. The building is functional and attractive, and contains a teleconferencing classroom, a student computer lab and a computer-equipped courtroom. The College of Law is fully wheelchair accessible and adapted for the visually impaired.

Lobby

The Rountree Building, renovated in 2004 and dedicated in 2005 in honor of Arizona graduate George Rountree III, houses the clinical programs operated by the College of Law—the Domestic Violence Clinic, the Child Advocacy Clinic, the Immigration Law Clinic, and the Indigenous Peoples Law Clinic and the graduate programs in International Trade Law and Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy.

In May 2007, the College of Law began construction to recreate and transform the main law building, renovate the three large outside classrooms, and expand and improve the courtyard that allows us to enjoy Arizona weather all year. The project was completed in August of 2008 - on time, and on budget - and we formally dedicated the building on October 24, 2008. The project created new and improved student space, a state-of-the-art library, and modernized the classroom environment.

Skylight: The Law Library

Perhaps nowhere in the College has technology had a greater impact on the way we train law students than in the law library. Increasingly, the legal information sources lawyers rely upon are in a digital format. The Law Library owns or subscribes to a wide array of online databases and digital libraries. In addition, the College of Law community has access to a variety of interdisciplinary databases available through the University Library. Law librarians monitor emerging digital services and secure access in response to student and faculty needs.

The College of Law Library is a fully networked, technologically sophisticated facility that is constantly evolving. The student computer lab in the library contains networked computers allowing for easy access to a full range of digital information. Email, computerized legal research services, the Internet and electronic reserve materials are available not only through the computer lab, but also at public area work stations and through laptop ports located throughout the law library, and through a wireless network available in the library and throughout the College of Law.

Various software applications, ranging from word processing and spreadsheets to presentation programs are available to students in the lab. Learning software in a range of law school subjects developed or distributed by the Center for Computer- Assisted Legal Instruction (CALI), a consortium of over 180 law schools, including the College of Law, is available in the laboratory. Both WESTLAW and LEXIS maintain a presence in the laboratory and students are trained in electronic legal research.

The library also maintains a comprehensive print collection. The Law Library contains over 425,000 volumes and microform volume equivalents. In addition to a strong Anglo-American collection, the library has nationally recognized collections in Mexican, Latin American, Native American and Water Law. The University’s National Law Center for Inter-American Free Trade has a formal relationship with the College of Law Library. The Law Library receives all publications of the Center and has access to the Center’s Latin American legal database. The library is also a selective depository of United States Government documents.

College of Law students have access to the resources of the Arizona Health Sciences Center Library and University Libraries, with combined collections exceeding 11 million volumes. The Law Library is also a member of the OCLC, the Online Computer Library Center, library network.

A library is more than the materials it contains; it is the professionals who work there. The University of Arizona Rogers College of Law Library is staffed by dedicated individuals with outstanding academic and practical preparation, who are committed to providing the highest levels of personal service to the students, faculty and staff of the College. The librarians offer training in the use of all resources of the library, teach throughout the curriculum, and advise and work closely with members of the student publications and other student organizations to help meet their research needs.

Contact:

The University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law
P.O. Box 210176
Tucson
Arizona 85721-0176
Tel: (520) 621-1373.

When the ASU College of Law changed its name to the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, it signaled its determination to become a great law school – one that, like its namesake, would have the talent and courage to set a new path for law and legal education in the United States. The urgent challenges of our time – such as climate change, terrorism, local and international poverty, threats to human rights and the rule of law, and translating biomedical research into medical practice – transcend disciplinary boundaries. Their solutions will as well. We want students who are as excited as we are about meeting and overcoming the world’s newest challenges and those not yet imagined.

The College has a large, nationally acclaimed faculty with a tradition of high standards in both teaching and research. About half of our professors have advanced degrees in disciplines other than law. Our Center for the Study of Law, Science, and Technology is the oldest, largest and by far the most comprehensive law and science center in the country. Our Indian Legal Program is arguably the best in North America. The College’s faculty, staff, and students enjoy high esprit de corps. We provide our students with a unique degree of individualized attention and with choices you may never have thought possible.

Our diverse and accomplished student body currently ranges in age from 18 to 70 and represents nearly 200 undergraduate institutions. Minority students comprise 30 percent of the class that entered in 2006. Because the College is the only accredited law school in the Phoenix metropolitan area, our students have tremendous opportunities. Phoenix is the fifth largest city in the country and the only large capital city served by only one accredited law school.

As our namesake did, we are breaking the mold. We do all of the traditional things well while embracing the transdisciplinary nature of the New American University that is Arizona State University. Our vision includes excellence in all we do, while reaching out to all parts of the University and the real world, striving for inclusion, and having a meaningful impact on contemporary problems through teaching, research and collaborative problem solving. We are creating a new sort of law school and need students with the talent and courage to break the mold, people who want to be part of a community of thinkers and doers.

History of the College

In 1964, the Arizona Board of Regents approved the establishment of a law school at Arizona State
University.  ASU President Homer Durham launched a search for a dean for the school, wishing to find a “different kind” of person to serve as the first dean.  His search led him to Willard H. Pedrick, a highly respected law professor at Northwestern Law School.

After several trips to Arizona, Pedrick accepted Durham’s offer to be the first dean in 1965.

Pedrick needed to build a faculty and did so by looking to the law schools he admired, searching for the innovative faculty that he wanted for the new school.  By 1966, he had assembled a fine group of scholars and leaders: William Canby, Edward W. Cleary, Richard Dahl, Richard Effland, and Harold Havighurst.

Class In Matthews libraryLate in the summer of 1967, Willard H. Pedrick and the six well-respected faculty welcomed the inaugural class of 117 students.  The class was diverse for the times, including women, Blacks, and Native Americans.  While the law school building was being constructed, classes were held in the Old Matthews Library near the center of the ASU campus.

In 1968, Armstrong Hall was dedicated with Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren in attendance.  The school received accreditation the very next year.

In 1970, the first class graduated from the new law school.  Many of these graduates became prominent attorneys, judges, and politicians in Arizona and across the nation.

Several of the faculty appointed in the early years of the college are still teaching at the college, including:

Alan Matheson, appointed 1967
Jonathan Rose, appointed 1968
Michael Berch, appointed 1969
Milton Schroeder, appointed 1969

The college has benefited from the leadership from strong and progressive deans over the years:

Willard Pedrick, 1965-1974
Ernest Gellhorn, 1974-1977
Alan Matheson, 1977-1984, 1989, 1997-1998
Paul Bender, 1984-1989
Richard Morgan, 1989 – 1997
Patricia White, 1999 - 2008
Paul Schiff Berman 2008 - Present

Through the years, the college has seen many changes.  Some of the highlights are:

* 1971 – The first clinic, the Prosecutor Clinic, was established.
* 1976 – The law library was designated as a Government Documents Repository.
* 1980 – The model courtroom was completed.
* 1981 – The Pedrick Scholar Program was established.
The Moot Court competition began.
* 1984 – The Center for the Study of Law, Science, and Technology was approved.
* 1988 – The Armstrong Hall building addition was dedicated.
The Indian Law Program was approved.
* 1992 – The law school celebrated its 25th Anniversary.
* 1993 – The Ross-Blakley Law Library opened.
* 2003 – The Ronald Jay Cohen Student Center was completed.
* 2006 – The College of Law is renamed Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law in honor of Justice O’Connor.

Welcome to The University of Alabama School of Law. Our faculty and staff are committed to our Law School’s mission-providing a first-rate legal education for tomorrow’s lawyers. With an alumni network in 49 states, our Law School constantly is on the move. The Law School curriculum, special programs, and activities, displayed on this website, demonstrate the reasons why Alabama is ranked among the top 11 public law schools in the nation.

Here are some examples of Alabama’s growth and expanding opportunities.

Expanding Faculty: Five new faculty members joined the Law School this fall. The school hired eleven new professors over the last two years. This strengthened our already low student-to-faculty ratio.

Supreme Court Justices and Other Distinguished Guests: Eight U.S. Supreme Court Justices have visited the Law School. Over the last three academic years, Justices Samuel Alito, Stephen Breyer, and Clarence Thomas, as well as Aharon Barak, a former President of the Supreme Court of Israel, addressed our students. This year, Beverley McLachlin, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, will visit.

Practical Skills in the Clinical Program: Six clinics–Elder Law, Civil, Domestic Violence, Community Development, Criminal Law, and Capital Defense–provide valuable hands-on experience for the students after their first year. Through funding from the Department of Justice, a seventh clinic in Mediation Law will open in Fall 2009. Alabama is one of the few law schools in the country that can guarantee a clinic experience to every student who so chooses.

Public Interest Experience: The Law School now offers a certificate in public interest law. To receive the certificate, students must complete a new class in public interest lawyering, a poverty law class, other selected courses, and a clinical course. In addition, the Public Interest Institute and its Director actively encourage students to participate in public service activities and assist with opportunities.

Exciting International Summer Programs: Two international exchange programs in Switzerland and Australia give students the ability to globalize their legal education.

Successful Bar Passage Rate: The Law School prepares students for the practice of law. The national bar passage rate for our May 2007 graduates was over 98%. This includes 100% of the students who sat for the Alabama Bar.

High Employment Rate: The employment rate within nine months of graduation was 96% for the Class of 2007.

Diverse Student Body: We have a tradition of diversity. Approximately 25 states and 65 undergraduate institutions are represented in the first-year class. Some students have advanced degrees and many have significant work experience and backgrounds in service, business, politics, the arts, the military, and athletics.

Lower Tuition Cost: The school believes students should receive an outstanding education for a reasonable cost of tuition.

The University of Alabama is committed to providing students with a good daily quality of life and an exciting and challenging educational environment. The students get along well, and the Tuscaloosa and campus environments are pleasant, positive, and welcoming, with abundant activities. My staff and I are pleased to provide any further information about the vibrant atmosphere at The University of Alabama School of Law.

Contact Info and Driving Directions

Contact Info
The University of Alabama
Law School Admissions Office
Box 870382
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0382
Telephone (205) 348-5440
admissions@law.ua.edu

Aside from bricks and mortar, the true foundation of a law school rests squarely on the reputation of its faculty. Miles Law School is privileged to have preeminently qualified instructors; some of whom are successful alumni. The vast majority are practicing attorneys in the private and public sectors. Blending the academic and professional worlds with their theoretical knowledge and practical experience adds another dimension to classroom instruction. The common denominator is their genuine commitment to the training of legal minds.

Law school is unique in many respects from other fields of study. It requires a period of acclimation to a new way of thinking and processing information. Weekly class preparation entails a copious amount of reading assigments and case briefing along with research and writing. This experience is virtually universal for nearly all law students-everywhere.

Yet, the Miles Law School Experience incorporates all of the traditional aspects of legal studies and adds special character and flavor of its own that separates it from all others. Firstly, by catering to “non-traditional” and socially conscious students, the law school creates an environment of ”determined achievers“. Secondly, our history as an evening school remains the bedrock of our existence, which guides our present and shapes our future. Thirdly, our faculty members’ courtroom-to-classroom teaching enriches student learning.

While law school commands a serious, focused mind, it is not one dimensional in its purpose.  Miles Law School provides opportunities for leadership and community service through participation in student organizations. The Student Bar Association , the Black Law Students Association and  Delta Theta Phi legal fraternity all solicit and encourage student involvement and activities promoting student camaraderie, altruistic service and civic improvement.

In the early 1970s, then Miles College President W. Clyde Williams, along with then Bishop of the Fifth Episcopal District of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, Chester A. Kirkendoll, now deceased, who served as chairman of the Miles College Trustee Board, Judge J. Richmond Pearson, then an Alabama state senator, and the school’s current chairman of the trustee board, Dan Turberville, Harry Lyons, Morris Dees, Esquire, co-founder of the Southern Law Poverty Center, Arthur D. Shores, noted civil rights attorney, now deceased, and others mobilized and provided the impetus for the school’s founding. Troubled by the dearth of minority lawyers in an impoverished state with a sizeable black population, these bold-thinking visionaries recognized the need for a law school that would produce lawyers committed to pubic service and social justice.

It was out of this reality, concern and desire to change the legal landscape of Alabama that Miles Law School was founded, admitting its first class in August 1974. Before his appointment by President Jimmy Carter in 1980 as the state’s first black federal judge, then-State Senator U.W. Clemon served in an advisory role to the law school. Senator Clemon co-chaired with fellow State Senator J. Richmond Pearson an effort to raise funds for the fledgling school. Judge Clemon currently serves on the law school’s trustee board.

The law school’s motto of “Striving to Balance” directly relates to the imbalance, disparity and disproportionality of black lawyers and of the underserved minority populace that existed in this state. Since the first graduates in 1978, the law school’s sons and daughters have made tremendous strides in closing the gap.

Current board chairman Judge Pearson recounts the challenges faced by the law school during its nascent beginnings.

Miles Law School
Post Office Box 39150
Birmingham, AL 35208
(205) 923-7739