Juris Doctor

For a century, the University of Idaho College of Law – recognized nationally as an excellent value – has prepared students as lawyers, business leaders and public servants. With a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the state’s only law school, you will be positioned to join the college's thousands of accomplished alumni with the comprehensive expertise, practical experience, faculty guidance and professional connections you need to launch your successful legal career.

The program is designed to allow you to focus on a specific area of law that interests you and to take courses that prepare you for specialized practice. You may choose to pursue an emphasis in one of the following areas:

• Environmental and Natural Resources Law
• Business Law and Entrepreneurship
• Advocacy and Dispute Resolution

You also have the option to participate in one of our dual degree programs and earn an additional graduate degree to further establish your specialization:

• J.D./Master of Science in Environmental Science
• J.D./Master of Science in Water Resources (Waters of the West)
• J.D./Ph.D. in Water Resources (Waters of the West)
• J.D./Master of Accountancy

Students develop the broad legal education and analytical thinking and writing skills essential to the successful practice of law. Graduates are qualified to take the bar exam anywhere in the United States. Through the study of appellate court decisions, advanced readings, simulations and real-life practice, you will learn how to analyze and interpret the law to effectively and ethically represent your clients. Specific courses also help you refine your skills in legal research, brief writing and oral argument.

From the college's seven clinics to our innovative pro bono program, you will have unlimited opportunities to apply classroom theory to help people with real legal issues. Additionally, our excellent externship program gives you on-the-job experience and academic mentoring in a professional setting.

The College of Law’s small size, approximately 300 students, allows you to quickly form a network of peers and professional contacts. The intimate setting also ensures personal attention and career guidance from our esteemed faculty members.

Prepare for Success

Acceptance into law school is highly competitive. Most students have distinguished academic, strong volunteer and employment records and good test scores. It’s never too early to develop the skills that are necessary for success as a law student and a lawyer. As you prepare for law school, take courses that challenge you to think analytically and logically and help you strengthen your research, reading and writing skills.

Common pre-law majors include English, history, political science and business. Law students are also drawn from a wide range of other majors. As an undergraduate considering law school, we recommend you seek the guidance of a pre-law adviser (available at most institutions).

Your First Year

During your new student orientation, you will have the first of many opportunities to network with distinguished members of the bench and bar to explore ethics and other professional topics. In your first year of the three-year program, you will focus on developing your general legal knowledge and professional skills and will complete the following courses required by the American Bar Association:

• Civil Procedure
• Contracts
• Criminal Law
• Legal Research/Writing
• Property
• Torts

Complete list of course descriptions

The Academic Support Program is an excellent resource for first-year students. Directed by a licensed attorney, the program offers guidance to help you perform up to your potential.

What You Can Do

Your law degree from the University of Idaho College of Law prepares you for a wide variety of legal careers. There are many areas in which lawyers specialize, including:

• Bankruptcy
• Business and corporate law
• Criminal law
• Labor and employment law
• Environmental and natural resources law
• Family law
• Intellectual property
• Litigation
• Tax law
  

Law school graduates also find successful careers outside legal practice as entrepreneurs, civic leaders or public servants.

Opportunities

Graduates from the University of Idaho College of Law are qualified to sit for any bar examination in the United States. Historically, bar passage rates for University of Idaho law students have exceeded the passage rate for all bar exam participants in both Idaho and Washington. Nearly 100 percent of our students have been employed within nine months of graduation. Below is a summary of the college's 2006 graduate employment statistics:

• Private Firm 48%
• Judicial Clerkship 24%
• Business & Industry 10%
• Government 9%
• Public Interest 8%

The College of Law’s Career Development Office (CDO) functions as a liaison between students and prospective employers, offering you a number of resources to help you plan and start your career.

Activities

Students are encouraged to learn more about the legal profession through involvement in one of the College of Law’s 25 student organizations, which include:

• Student Bar Association: The law school’s student government. Represents the collective interests of the student body in administrative matters.
• Idaho Law Review: Devoted to the scholarly discussion of timely legal issues. Sponsors an annual symposium that brings regional and national experts together to address topics of current interest.
• Board of Student Advocates: Oversees and fields competitors for annual mock trial and moot court competitions.

Hands-On Experience

Below is a sampling of the public service programs, events and other activities available that will give you important firsthand experience and professional connections:

• Bellwood Lectures: The College of Law regularly brings individuals and groups together to discuss and debate topics of local, regional and national interest.
• Pro Bono Service Program: One of fewer than 20 such programs in the United States and unique in the Northwest, the College of Law pro bono program requires all students to complete at least 40 hours of law-related pro bono work.
• Clinics: In-house clinics are the hallmark of our service-based clinical program. Third-year students represent diverse groups of clients in a variety of courts under the supervision of clinical faculty.
• Externships: Our quality externship program gives you the chance to bridge the gap between theory and professional practice with on-the-job experience in public agencies, nonprofit organizations, or with state and federal judges, generally after your first year.
• Northwest Institute for Dispute Resolution: Established in 1997 to meet the growing demand for high-quality dispute resolution training in the Northwest, the Institute features nationally recognized faculty. Held each May, students are able to take courses alongside practicing lawyers.
• Semester-in-Practice: Third-year College of Law students can focus on developing practical skills by spending their sixth semester in Boise, Idaho working in the public sector. 
• Skills Competitions and Trial Practice: The college offers many opportunities to participate in trial advocacy competitions.
• Indian Estate Planning Project: Students participate in the Indian Estate Planning Project, which seeks to inform Indian tribal members in Idaho, Washington and Oregon about wills and estate planning; provide necessary legal services; and help preserve Indian lands.

Facilities

• Law Library: Operates as the laboratory of the College of Law. Houses 230,000 volumes of material to support academic programs and the research interests of faculty and students.  Virtually all students are assigned their own study carrels, complete with locked storage, reading lights and power outlets.
• Courtroom: A recent $1 million remodel transformed the College of Law courtroom into a first-class, technologically advanced facility that includes 50-inch plasma monitors, wireless electronics, high-end LCD projection equipment and modern videoconferencing technologies.