Alexander Blewett III School of Law at the University of Montana
155px | |
Type | Public |
---|---|
Established | 1911 |
Dean | Paul Kirgis |
Students | 247[1] |
Location | , , |
Campus | University of Montana |
Website | umt.edu/law |
Script error: No such module "Check for clobbered parameters".
The Alexander Blewett III School of Law[2] is a law school at the University of Montana in Missoula. It was established in 1911 and remains Montana's only law school.[3] In 2014[update], the school accepted 83 applicants.[1] In 2009, National Jurist magazine ranked the school 6[4] in best value nationally, with its graduates passing the bar at a rate of 95%. The school has been praised for its innovative integration of theory and practice.[5]
Contents
History
The school was established in 1911 as the first law school in Montana. It originally covered three academic years and gave special attention to the practice of court work, procedure, mining, and irrigation law in addition to the practice of law in Montana and the Western states in general. It was admitted to membership in the Association of American Law Schools in 1914[6] and by the American Bar Association (ABA) in 1923.[7]
Studies
The school offers concentrations in the areas of trial advocacy and dispute resolution, Indian law, and business and tax law. As Montana is home to seven Indian Reservations, the school's Indian law courses, Indian law clinic, and Native American Law Student Association provide opportunities for students to learn about and participate in the administration of justice for Native Americans. The school publishes the Montana Law Review.
Many students enroll in the natural resource and environmental law courses where the school offers a certificate program in Environmental and Natural Resource Law, natural resource clinics, and opportunities to participate on the Public Land and Resources Law Review.
The school offers three joint–degree programs. Students can combine their law degrees with a Master of Science in Environmental Studies, a Master of Business Administration, or a Master of Public Administration. These programs can lead to completion of the joint degree in as little as three years.[8]
Library
The William J. Jameson Law Library is over 20,060 square feet (1,864 m2)[9] and holds over 100,000 print volumes that are enhanced by a multi-format audio-visual collection, extensive microform titles, and several electronic research services and databases.[10]
New building
In 2008, the school underwent a $14.8 million renovation and addition. The addition includes classrooms with better acoustics, newer technology, audio-visual equipment, disability access, and more small and mid-sized classrooms.
More space is also provided for the school's clinical program, including its land use, Indian law, criminal defense, and mediation clinics. This space includes client interview rooms, student workrooms, and office space. The renovated building also contains an expanded law library with newer technology to serve the needs students as well as the public.[11]
Employment
According to the school's disclosures as required by the American Bar Association, 67.5% of the class of 2014 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment within nine months of graduation.[12] As of 2014[update] Montana's Law School Transparency under-employment score is 22.5%, indicating the percentage of the class of 2014 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation.[13]
Cost
The total cost of attendance including the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses for the 2014–2015 academic year was $26,739.26 for residents and $45,424.46 for nonresidents.[14] The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years at $91,827 for residents and $161,494 for nonresidents.[15]
Notable alumni
- Forrest H. Anderson (1913–1989), Montana Attorney General, Montana Governor and Montana Supreme Court Justice[16]
- Diane Barz (1943–2014), Montana Supreme Court Justice
- Gordon Belcourt, former Executive Director of the Montana-Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council[17]
- George Hugo Boldt (1903–1984), United States District Judge, Western District, Washington
- John W. Bonner (1902–1970), Montana Governor
- Dana L. Christensen, U.S. District Judge, Montana
- Charles E. Erdmann, Montana Supreme Court Justice, Circuit Judge United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
- Timothy C. Fox, Montana Attorney General
- Sam E. Haddon, U.S. District Judge, Montana
- Paul G. Hatfield, U.S. District Judge, Montana, Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court, United States Senator
- William James Jameson (1898–1990), U.S. District Judge, Montana
- Denise Juneau, Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction
- Charles C. Lovell, U.S. District Judge, Montana
- Lee Metcalf, Montana Supreme Court Justice, United States Senator
- Donald W. Molloy, U.S. District Judge, Montana
- William Daniel Murray (1908–1994), U.S. District Judge, Montana
- Arnold Olsen (1916–1990), Attorney General, U.S. Representative
- Marc Racicot, Montana Governor, Montana Attorney General
- James A. Rice, Montana Supreme Court Justice
- Jim Shea, Montana Workers' Compensation Court Judgee, Montana
- Russell Evans Smith (1908–1990), U.S. District Judge, Montana
- Jack D. Shanstrom, U.S. District Judge, Montana
- Sidney Runyan Thomas, Chief United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- John Warner, Montana Supreme Court Justice
- Susan P. Watters, U.S. District Judge, Montana
External links
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
Cite error: Invalid <references>
tag; parameter "group" is allowed only.
<references />
, or <references group="..." />
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ National Jurist. vol. 19, No. 1 (Sept. 2009).
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ UM Law School Library
- ↑ Building for Our Second Century
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://www.nga.org/cms/home/governors/past-governors-bios/page_montana/col2-content/main-content-list/title_anderson_forrest.html
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Pages with reference errors
- Pages with broken file links
- Articles using infobox university
- Pages using infobox university with the image name parameter
- Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2014
- Schools and colleges of the University of Montana
- Educational institutions established in 1911
- Law schools in Montana