University of Arkansas School of Law
Encyclopedia
The University of Arkansas School of Law is the law school
of the University of Arkansas
in Fayetteville, Arkansas
, a state university
. It has around 445 students enrolled in its Juris Doctor
(J.D.) and Master of Law (LL.M) programs and is home to the federally-funded National Agricultural Law Center
and the nation's only LL.M in agricultural law program. The School of Law is one of two law schools in the state
of Arkansas
; the other is the William H. Bowen School of Law (University of Arkansas at Little Rock
).
The School of Law was founded in 1924. The founding dean
was Julian Waterman, a Dumas, Arkansas
native and University of Chicago Law School
graduate who led the school through its first 19 years, until his death in 1943.
The School met initially in the bottom floor of Old Main
, and was approved by the American Bar Association
two years later, in 1926. In 1927, the first class, consisting of ten students, graduated.
Over the next several decades, as the law school grew in size, it moved to larger accommodations. The 1930s saw a move to the Chemistry Building just to the southeast of Old Main, and then into Waterman Hall, the first dedicated law school construction project, in the 1950s. The latter half of the 20th century saw additions added to Waterman Hall to form the Robert A. Leflar Law Center.
On February 2, 1948, the University of Arkansas School of Law became the first Southern
white university to accept an African-American student since Reconstruction. Silas H. Hunt, a World War II
veteran who had been wounded in the Battle of the Bulge
and following the conclusion of the war had completed an undergraduate degree
in English
at Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical & Normal College
applied to multiple law schools in 1947. He chose to seek entry at the Arkansas School of Law to challenge the system of racial segregation
established in Arkansas at the time. Accompanied by his attorney, Howard Flowers, Hunt met with the dean of the law school, Robert A. Leflar, who reviewed Hunt's application. Leflar was impressed and accepted Hunt's application to the law school. For a semester, Hunt attended the law school until succumbing to illness, and dying in a veteran's hospital on April 22, 1949, in Springfield, Missouri
.
Following Hunt's successful entry into the law school, five more African-American students applied and were accepted into the law school: George Williford Boyce Haley, who went on to become a United States Ambassador to The Gambia
; Wiley Branton, who served as dean at the Howard University School of Law
; Jackie L. Shropshire; Chris Mercer; and George Howard, Jr.
, who later became the first black United States district court
judge in Arkansas. Collectively they are known as the "Six Pioneers." Silas H. Hunt Hall, located adjacent to the Robert A. Leflar Law Center, honors Silas Hunt, in addition, to a historical marker in front of the law school.
In 2007, a 64000 square feet (5,945.8 m²) addition to the Leflar Law Center was completed, expanding on the Young Law Library, as well as adding a coffee shop, four classrooms, a technologically equipped courtroom, and a formal entrance hall.
The University of Arkansas School of Law is self contained within the Robert A. Leflar Law Center on the campus of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, which is located in Washington County
in Northwest Arkansas at the edge of the rolling hills of the Ozarks.
The law center is a square facility with four wings that encompass a courtyard
. It consists of approximately 64000 square feet (5,945.8 m²), a courtroom, classrooms, and the Young Law Library. In addition to legal library resources, the Young Law Library includes a coffeeshop, computer lab, and lounge area,
of the law school has been in operation for more than thirty years, offering free legal services to charities, government agencies, and individuals unable to afford legal representation. The goal of the Legal Clinic, which offers the services of student attorneys, is to one, to train competently students in specific areas of legal practice encountered in every day law practice; and two, offers students a chance to refine basic lawyering skills, such as counseling, interviewing, and persuasive legal writing.
, a federally-funded research and information facility established by act of Congress
in 1987. The Center operates in conjunction with the United States National Agricultural Library
of the United States Department of Agriculture
.
The center employs law students enrolled in the graduate LL.M. program in agricultural law. The School of Law was the first school in the country to publish a student-edited legal journal devoted to the study of food law and its impact on society, the Journal of Food Law & Policy.
Best Law Schools ranked the Arkansas School of Law as 84th overall and the 45th best public law school. US News also ranked Arkansas School of Law's legal writing and research 22nd in the country. LawSchool100.com ranked the Arkansas School of Law as 88th overall in its 2010 ranking of law schools. The Arkansas School of Law was also ranked 73rd overall according to the 2010 ranking by the AALS
. The ILRG ranked the Arkansas School of Law 71st overall in its 2009-2010 ranking of law schools. The ILRG also has numerous other categories and ranks the Arkansas School of Law as the 62nd most selective law school, 65th for job placement before graduation, 55th for job placement after 9 months, 77th for best bar passer rates among first time takers, 98th when ranking the school versus the state average for bar passage rates and 72nd for student to faculty ratio. Law & Politics' 2010 ranking of law schools ranked the Arkansas School of Law 139th overall. Leiter's ranking of most desirable law schools lists Arkansas as the 54th most desirable law school in the country. Law.com ranks Arkansas as 100th overall for best job placement and employment trends into "BigLaw". In 2010, The Hylton Rankings place the Arkansas School of Law 86th overall among all law schools. The Arkansas School of Law ranks 65th overall for percentage of class that obtain federal clerkships and 85th for total number of students obtaining federal clerkships. Brian Koppen's
Law School Advocacy ranks the Arkansas School of Law as 46th overall. The 2010 National Moot Court rankings place the Arkansas School of Law at 13th overall.
The University of Arkansas has LSAT scores that are similar to its peers and GPA ranges that exceed that of its peer schools. The law school uses an index system to aid in the cutoff process that weights GPA and LSAT to reach a total index number. Applicants below the index will not fare as well as those with index scores above the index cutoff. In 2010 the University of Arkansas school of law admitted 31% of applicants and since 2001 have averaged an acceptance rate of 34%. Full-time enrollment in the most recent class was 137 students; the school of law only offers a full time program of study. The LSAT 75%/25% percentiles and medians were 159, 155, and 158 respectively. The GPA 75%/25% percentiles and medians were 3.73, 3.35, and 3.53 respectively.
The University of Arkansas School of Law places graduates in all 9 geographic regions according to the Association for Legal Career Professionals. The school does place a majority in its home region, West South Central, with 71% of its graduates finding employment in region, and 53% of those staying in the West South Central region obtain employment in the state of Arkansas. The most popular states for University of Arkansas School of Law graduates to find employment are in Arkansas
, Texas
, Missouri
, Oklahoma
, Georgia
, Tennessee
, and Mississippi
. The table to the right represents regional placement, with percentages, for the most recent University of Arkansas School of Law graduates. The University of Arkansas has alumni that practice in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and six foreign nations. The ABA
also collects data on placement and puts them into six major categories. They are law firms, business & industry, government, judicial clerkships, academia, and public interest. The University of Arkansas School of Law places a majority of its students into law firms, but significant portions of the class still obtain employment in other fields—business and industry, government, and judicial clerkships. The table to the left represents the fields of placement, with percentages, for the most recent class from the University of Arkansas School of Law.
Prior to the requirement that students complete law school before taking the bar exam, Maud Crawford
, who attended UA as an undergraduate for one year from 1911-1912, passed the examination first in her class. She became the first woman lawyer in Camden
and served from 1940-1948 as the first woman on the Camden City Council. Her still unsolved disappearance on March 2, 1957, became the subject of international concern because she had been a law partner of U.S. Senator John Little McClellan
, the former Camden resident who at the time was investigating Mafia
infiltration of organized labor.
Law school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
of the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
in Fayetteville, Arkansas
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Fayetteville is the county seat of Washington County, and the third largest city in Arkansas. The city is centrally located within the county and is home to the University of Arkansas. Fayetteville is also deep in the Boston Mountains, a subset of The Ozarks...
, a state university
State university system
A state university system in the United States is a group of public universities supported by an individual state, or a similar entity such as the District of Columbia. These systems constitute the majority of public-funded universities in the country...
. It has around 445 students enrolled in its Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
(J.D.) and Master of Law (LL.M) programs and is home to the federally-funded National Agricultural Law Center
National Agricultural Law Center
The National Agricultural Law Center at the University of Arkansas is a federally funded, nonpartisan research and information center that serves as the nation's leading source of agricultural and food law research and information...
and the nation's only LL.M in agricultural law program. The School of Law is one of two law schools in the state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
; the other is the William H. Bowen School of Law (University of Arkansas at Little Rock
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
University of Arkansas at Little Rock , is a public research university located in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States, and the second largest university by enrollment in the state of Arkansas....
).
History
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
was Julian Waterman, a Dumas, Arkansas
Dumas, Arkansas
Dumas is a city in Desha County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 4,706 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Dumas is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land....
native and University of Chicago Law School
University of Chicago Law School
The University of Chicago Law School was founded in 1902 as the graduate school of law at the University of Chicago and is among the most prestigious and selective law schools in the world. The U.S. News & World Report currently ranks it fifth among U.S...
graduate who led the school through its first 19 years, until his death in 1943.
The School met initially in the bottom floor of Old Main
Old Main (University of Arkansas)
Old Main is the oldest building on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is one of the most recognizable symbols of the University , and of higher education in general in Arkansas.- History :Old Main was constructed between 1873 and 1875 as part of a land grant for the...
, and was approved by the American Bar Association
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
two years later, in 1926. In 1927, the first class, consisting of ten students, graduated.
Over the next several decades, as the law school grew in size, it moved to larger accommodations. The 1930s saw a move to the Chemistry Building just to the southeast of Old Main, and then into Waterman Hall, the first dedicated law school construction project, in the 1950s. The latter half of the 20th century saw additions added to Waterman Hall to form the Robert A. Leflar Law Center.
On February 2, 1948, the University of Arkansas School of Law became the first Southern
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
white university to accept an African-American student since Reconstruction. Silas H. Hunt, a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
veteran who had been wounded in the Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
and following the conclusion of the war had completed an undergraduate degree
Undergraduate degree
An undergraduate degree is a colloquial term for an academic degree taken by a person who has completed undergraduate courses. It is usually offered at an institution of higher education, such as a university...
in English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
at Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical & Normal College
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff is a historically black university located in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, United States. Founded in 1873, it is the oldest HBCU and the second oldest public institution in the state of Arkansas . UAPB is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund...
applied to multiple law schools in 1947. He chose to seek entry at the Arkansas School of Law to challenge the system of racial segregation
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
established in Arkansas at the time. Accompanied by his attorney, Howard Flowers, Hunt met with the dean of the law school, Robert A. Leflar, who reviewed Hunt's application. Leflar was impressed and accepted Hunt's application to the law school. For a semester, Hunt attended the law school until succumbing to illness, and dying in a veteran's hospital on April 22, 1949, in Springfield, Missouri
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
.
Following Hunt's successful entry into the law school, five more African-American students applied and were accepted into the law school: George Williford Boyce Haley, who went on to become a United States Ambassador to The Gambia
United States Ambassador to The Gambia
This is a list of United States ambassadors to The Gambia, the first of who was appointed on May 18,1965, exactly three months after it attained independence from the United Kingdom.-Ambassdors:*Mercer Cook - Non-career appointee...
; Wiley Branton, who served as dean at the Howard University School of Law
Howard University School of Law
Howard University School of Law is one of the professional graduate schools of Howard University. Located in Washington, D.C., it is one the oldest law schools in the country and the oldest historically black college or university law school in the United States...
; Jackie L. Shropshire; Chris Mercer; and George Howard, Jr.
George Howard, Jr.
George Howard, Jr. was an American World War II veteran, attorney, and federal judge. He was the first African-American U.S. District Court judge in Arkansas. He served first on the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas, and was then transferred to the United States...
, who later became the first black United States district court
United States district court
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, equity, and admiralty. There is a United States bankruptcy court associated with each United States...
judge in Arkansas. Collectively they are known as the "Six Pioneers." Silas H. Hunt Hall, located adjacent to the Robert A. Leflar Law Center, honors Silas Hunt, in addition, to a historical marker in front of the law school.
In 2007, a 64000 square feet (5,945.8 m²) addition to the Leflar Law Center was completed, expanding on the Young Law Library, as well as adding a coffee shop, four classrooms, a technologically equipped courtroom, and a formal entrance hall.
Facilities
Washington County, Arkansas
Washington County is a county located in the northwest part of the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2010, the population was 203,065. The county seat is Fayetteville. Washington County is Arkansas's 17th county, formed on October 17, 1828, and named for George Washington, the first President of the...
in Northwest Arkansas at the edge of the rolling hills of the Ozarks.
The law center is a square facility with four wings that encompass a courtyard
Courtyard
A court or courtyard is an enclosed area, often a space enclosed by a building that is open to the sky. These areas in inns and public buildings were often the primary meeting places for some purposes, leading to the other meanings of court....
. It consists of approximately 64000 square feet (5,945.8 m²), a courtroom, classrooms, and the Young Law Library. In addition to legal library resources, the Young Law Library includes a coffeeshop, computer lab, and lounge area,
Legal Clinic
The legal clinicLegal clinic
The phrase legal clinic may refer to any private, nonprofit law practice serving the public interest. In the academic context, these law school clinics provide hands-on experience to law school students and services to various clients. Academic Clinics are usually directed by clinical professors...
of the law school has been in operation for more than thirty years, offering free legal services to charities, government agencies, and individuals unable to afford legal representation. The goal of the Legal Clinic, which offers the services of student attorneys, is to one, to train competently students in specific areas of legal practice encountered in every day law practice; and two, offers students a chance to refine basic lawyering skills, such as counseling, interviewing, and persuasive legal writing.
Clinics
- Advanced Mediation Clinic
- Criminal Defense Clinic
- Criminal Prosecution Clinic
- Civil Clinic
- Federal Clinic
- General Practice Clinic
- Habitat For Humanity Wills Project
- Innocence Project
- Transactional Clinic
- Pro Bono Program
- Immigration Clinic
National Agricultural Law Center
The School of Law is home to the National Agricultural Law CenterNational Agricultural Law Center
The National Agricultural Law Center at the University of Arkansas is a federally funded, nonpartisan research and information center that serves as the nation's leading source of agricultural and food law research and information...
, a federally-funded research and information facility established by act of Congress
Act of Congress
An Act of Congress is a statute enacted by government with a legislature named "Congress," such as the United States Congress or the Congress of the Philippines....
in 1987. The Center operates in conjunction with the United States National Agricultural Library
United States National Agricultural Library
The United States National Agricultural Library is one of the world's largest agricultural research libraries, and serves as a National Library of the United States and as the library of the United States Department of Agriculture...
of the United States Department of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
.
The center employs law students enrolled in the graduate LL.M. program in agricultural law. The School of Law was the first school in the country to publish a student-edited legal journal devoted to the study of food law and its impact on society, the Journal of Food Law & Policy.
Journals
The School of Law publishes four legal journals.:- The Arkansas Law Review is student-edited and published on a quarterly basis and distributed statewide to members of the Arkansas Bar, as well as legal libraries throughout the nation.
- The Arkansas Law Notes, published annually, features written articles and research performed by the faculty of the school.
- The Journal of Food Law & Policy is the first student edited legal journal dedicated to food law in the nation and is published twice a year.
- The Journal of Islamic Law & Culture is published semi-annually and contains not just articles and reviews on Islamic law, but also presents "an emphasis on the significance in law of the intersection of Western and Muslim legal culture."
Ranking and recognition
The 2010 edition of US News and World Report'sU.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
Best Law Schools ranked the Arkansas School of Law as 84th overall and the 45th best public law school. US News also ranked Arkansas School of Law's legal writing and research 22nd in the country. LawSchool100.com ranked the Arkansas School of Law as 88th overall in its 2010 ranking of law schools. The Arkansas School of Law was also ranked 73rd overall according to the 2010 ranking by the AALS
Association of American Law Schools
The Association of American Law Schools is a non-profit organization of 170 law schools in the United States. Another 25 schools are "non-member fee paid" schools, which are not members but choose to pay AALS dues. Its purpose is to improve the legal profession through the improvement of legal...
. The ILRG ranked the Arkansas School of Law 71st overall in its 2009-2010 ranking of law schools. The ILRG also has numerous other categories and ranks the Arkansas School of Law as the 62nd most selective law school, 65th for job placement before graduation, 55th for job placement after 9 months, 77th for best bar passer rates among first time takers, 98th when ranking the school versus the state average for bar passage rates and 72nd for student to faculty ratio. Law & Politics' 2010 ranking of law schools ranked the Arkansas School of Law 139th overall. Leiter's ranking of most desirable law schools lists Arkansas as the 54th most desirable law school in the country. Law.com ranks Arkansas as 100th overall for best job placement and employment trends into "BigLaw". In 2010, The Hylton Rankings place the Arkansas School of Law 86th overall among all law schools. The Arkansas School of Law ranks 65th overall for percentage of class that obtain federal clerkships and 85th for total number of students obtaining federal clerkships. Brian Koppen's
Koppen
Koppen may refer to:*Dan Koppen , American football offensive lineman*Edlef Köppen , German author*Jens Köppen, German rower*Karl Friedrich Köppen, German Young Hegelian philosopher...
Law School Advocacy ranks the Arkansas School of Law as 46th overall. The 2010 National Moot Court rankings place the Arkansas School of Law at 13th overall.
Admissions
| Enrolled | 137 |
| GPA (75/25) | 3.73/3.35 |
| LSAT (75/25) | 159/155 |
| Acceptance rate | 31% |
The University of Arkansas has LSAT scores that are similar to its peers and GPA ranges that exceed that of its peer schools. The law school uses an index system to aid in the cutoff process that weights GPA and LSAT to reach a total index number. Applicants below the index will not fare as well as those with index scores above the index cutoff. In 2010 the University of Arkansas school of law admitted 31% of applicants and since 2001 have averaged an acceptance rate of 34%. Full-time enrollment in the most recent class was 137 students; the school of law only offers a full time program of study. The LSAT 75%/25% percentiles and medians were 159, 155, and 158 respectively. The GPA 75%/25% percentiles and medians were 3.73, 3.35, and 3.53 respectively.
Career placement
| Area of employment | Percentage of class |
|---|---|
| Law firms | 57% |
| Business & Industry | 16% |
| Government | 14% |
| Judicial Clerkships | 8% |
| Academia | 3% |
| Public Interest | 2% |
| Region of employment | Percentage of class |
|---|---|
| West South Central (AR Arkansas Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River... , LA Louisiana Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties... , OK Oklahoma Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state... , TX Texas Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in... ) |
71% |
| South Atlantic (DC, DE Delaware Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania... , FL Florida Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it... , GA Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788... , MD Maryland Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east... , NC North Carolina North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte... , SC South Carolina South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence... , VA Virginia The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there... , WV West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east... ) |
9% |
| East South Central (AL Alabama Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland... , KY Kentucky The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth... , MS Mississippi Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi... , TN Tennessee Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area... ) |
6% |
| North Central (IA Iowa Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New... , KS Kansas Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south... , MN Minnesota Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state... , MO Missouri Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It... , NE Nebraska Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River.... , ND North Dakota North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S.... , SD South Dakota South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over... ) |
4% |
| Midwest (IL Illinois Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,... , IN Indiana Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is... , MI Michigan Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake".... , OH Ohio Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus... , WI Wisconsin Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is... ) |
3% |
| Pacific (AK Alaska Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait... , CA California California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... , HI Hawaii Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of... , OR Oregon Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern... , WA) |
3% |
| Mountain (AZ Arizona Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix... , CO Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains... , ID Idaho Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state.... , MT Montana Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,... , NV Nevada Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its... , NM New Mexico New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S... , UT Utah Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the... , WY Wyoming Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High... ) |
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| Mid-Atlantic (NJ New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware... , NY New York New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east... , PA Pennsylvania The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to... ) |
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| New England (CT Connecticut Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately... , ME Maine Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost... , MA Massachusetts The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010... , NH New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian... , RI Rhode Island The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area... , VT Vermont Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England... ) |
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The University of Arkansas School of Law places graduates in all 9 geographic regions according to the Association for Legal Career Professionals. The school does place a majority in its home region, West South Central, with 71% of its graduates finding employment in region, and 53% of those staying in the West South Central region obtain employment in the state of Arkansas. The most popular states for University of Arkansas School of Law graduates to find employment are in Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, and Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. The table to the right represents regional placement, with percentages, for the most recent University of Arkansas School of Law graduates. The University of Arkansas has alumni that practice in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and six foreign nations. The ABA
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
also collects data on placement and puts them into six major categories. They are law firms, business & industry, government, judicial clerkships, academia, and public interest. The University of Arkansas School of Law places a majority of its students into law firms, but significant portions of the class still obtain employment in other fields—business and industry, government, and judicial clerkships. The table to the left represents the fields of placement, with percentages, for the most recent class from the University of Arkansas School of Law.
Prior to the requirement that students complete law school before taking the bar exam, Maud Crawford
Maud Crawford
Maud Robinson Crawford was the first woman attorney in Camden, Arkansas; her disappearance and presumed death sparked attention for more than three decades. The case remains officially unsolved.-Background:...
, who attended UA as an undergraduate for one year from 1911-1912, passed the examination first in her class. She became the first woman lawyer in Camden
Camden, Arkansas
Camden is a city in and the county seat of Ouachita County in the southern part of the U.S. state of Arkansas. Long an area of American Indians villages, the French also made a permanent settlement here because of its advantageous location above the Ouachita River. According to 2007 Census...
and served from 1940-1948 as the first woman on the Camden City Council. Her still unsolved disappearance on March 2, 1957, became the subject of international concern because she had been a law partner of U.S. Senator John Little McClellan
John Little McClellan
John Little McClellan was a Democratic Party politician from Arkansas. He represented Arkansas in the United States Senate from 1943 until 1977. He also earlier represented Arkansas in the United States House of Representatives.-Early life:McClellan was born in Sheridan, Grant County, Arkansas...
, the former Camden resident who at the time was investigating Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
infiltration of organized labor.
Notable faculty
- Bill ClintonBill ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
and Hillary Rodham ClintonHillary Rodham ClintonHillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
served as faculty at the law school during the 1970s. - Senator J. William FulbrightJ. William FulbrightJames William Fulbright was a United States Senator representing Arkansas from 1945 to 1975.Fulbright was a Southern Democrat and a staunch multilateralist who supported the creation of the United Nations and the longest serving chairman in the history of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee...
also served as a faculty member at the school. - Robert A. Leflar, legal scholar and judge, taught at the school and served as dean
- Mark R. KillenbeckMark R. KillenbeckMark Robert Killenbeck is a prominent American legal scholar and historian who is currently the Wylie H. Davis Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Arkansas School of Law. He earned a Bachelors in English literature from Boston College, and a JD and a Ph. D. at the University of...
, the Wylie A. Davis Distinguished Professor of Law
Notable alumni
- Morris S. ArnoldMorris S. ArnoldMorris Sheppard "Buzz" Arnold is a senior-status jurist of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. A Republican, he was appointed to the appeals court by U.S. President George Herbert Walker Bush. His tenure began on June 1, 1992. For his first twelve years, until 2004, he...
(born 1941), judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit - Winston BryantWinston BryantWinston Bryant is a former Democratic Secretary of State , the tenth Lieutenant Governor and attorney general of the U.S. state of Arkansas.He was born in Malvern, the seat of Hot Spring County...
(born 1938), former secretary of state, lieutenant governor, and attorney general of Arkansas - Erwin CainErwin CainErwin Alfred Cain is an attorney and businessman from Sulphur Springs, Texas, who is a freshman Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 3 Erwin Alfred Cain (born March 15, 1960) is an attorney and businessman from Sulphur Springs, Texas, who is a freshman Republican...
(Class of 1988), Republican member of the Texas House of RepresentativesTexas House of RepresentativesThe Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits... - Paula CaseyPaula CaseyPaula J. Casey served as United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas.She earned her B.A. degree in 1973 at East Central University in Oklahoma and her J.D. in 1977 at University of Arkansas School of Law at Fayetteville.Casey was professor at the William H...
, former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas - George Howard, Jr.George Howard, Jr.George Howard, Jr. was an American World War II veteran, attorney, and federal judge. He was the first African-American U.S. District Court judge in Arkansas. He served first on the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas, and was then transferred to the United States...
(1924–2007), United States federal judge - Hayes McClerkinHayes McClerkinHayes C. McClerkin is a commercial and environmental law attorney in Texarkana, Arkansas, who served as a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1961–1970 and as Speaker from 1969-1970. He succeeded Speaker Sterling R...
(born 1931), former member of the Arkansas House of Representatives - Susan Webber WrightSusan Webber WrightSusan Webber Wright is a United States federal judge, presently serving as a district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas...
(born 1948), United States federal judge