William S. Boyd School of Law
Encyclopedia
Law school in the United States
In the United States, a law school is an institution where students obtain a professional education in law after first obtaining an undergraduate degree.Law schools in the U.S...
accredited with 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...
. It is located on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of Nevada-Las Vegas is a public, coeducational university located in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise, Nevada, USA. The campus is located approximately east of the Las Vegas Strip. The institution includes a Shadow Lane Campus, located just east of the University Medical Center of...
(UNLV) in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
and is the only law school in Nevada. The school is also home to the Wiener-Rogers Law Library, the Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution and the Nevada Law Journal. It awards the 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.) degree and has a student body of approximately 470 students. The Boyd School of Law has a small student body and a low student-to-faculty ratio. All first-year law students are required to participate in a Community Service Program and spend substantial time providing legal information to people in the community who do not have access to lawyers. In partnership with Clark County Legal Services and the Clark County Pro Bono Project, law students prepare and present workshops at numerous locations in their community, on basic legal matters such as small claims court procedure, family law and procedure, bankruptcy, guardianship and paternity/custody matters.
The current dean of Boyd School of Law is John V. White, who succeeded Richard Morgan in 2007.
In its 2011 publication, U.S. News & World Report
U.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...
ranked the Boyd School of Law as one of the top 100 law schools in the United States. Additionally, the school's legal writing program is ranked 4th, the dispute resolution program is ranked 9th, and the clinical program is ranked 12th in the magazine's rankings of programs at law schools. The law school's part-time program is ranked 26th in the country.
History
In 1997, then Governor Robert Miller signed into law a bill authorizing the creation of the William S. Boyd School of Law of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). One year later, in 1998, the Boyd Law School opened its doors to 140 charter class students and the school moved into its permanent facilities in August, 2002. In 2000, the school secured provisional American Bar AssociationAmerican 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...
(ABA) accreditation and, in February 2003, secured full ABA accreditation. The first class graduated from the Boyd School of Law in May, 2001. In January 2004, the William S. Boyd School of Law of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas joined the Association of American Law Schools. In 2001, the Nevada Law Journal published its inaugural issue.
Wiener-Rogers Law Library
The Wiener-Rogers Law Library has a collection of approximately 300,000 volumes or volume equivalents and is the largest law library in NevadaNevada
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...
. The Wiener-Rogers Law Library is located on the third floor of William S. Boyd Hall and on the third and fourth floors of the James E. Rogers Center for Administration and Justice. It serves as a training ground for Boyd students, as a research center for Boyd faculty, as a major resource for the legal profession, and as a source of information for members of the public who are interested in learning about their legal rights and obligations.
Saltman Center
The Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution was established in 2003 at the William S. Boyd School of Law in order to provide a venue for advanced study of the nature of conflict and the methods through which conflicts may be resolved. The work of the Center encompasses conflicts arising out of regional, national, and international concerns, and involving both the public and private sectors. The Center places particular emphasis on interdisciplinary approaches to understanding and resolving disputes.The Saltman Center hosts scholarly presentations and other special events devoted to such topics as theories of conflict, substantive analysis of specific conflicts that affect the public interest, and methods of conflict avoidance and resolution. Past presenters have included distinguished dispute resolution scholars , as well as prominent practitioners. The Center collaborates with the Nevada Law Journal, Boyd Law School’s academic journal, to publish a variety of articles, as well as conference and symposium proceedings, arising from these activities.
In conjunction with the Wiener-Rogers Law Library at the Boyd School of Law, the Saltman Center is developing a collections of library materials devoted to conflict resolution. This diverse array of research materials is available for use by students, academics, legal practitioners, and the public.
As a matter of policy, the Center pursues opportunities to sponsor or co-sponsor continuing education programs and public forums on topics in conflict resolution that are of interest to the legal community and the larger community, including conflicts that arise in both the public and private sectors. These outreach programs include Continuing Legal Education programs that satisfy the requirements of the State Bar of Nevada and the bars of other states as well. In addition, the Center undertakes collaborative programs with other dispute resolution organizations at the local, regional, and national levels.
Thomas and Mack Legal Clinic
The Thomas & Mack Legal Clinic is an interdisciplinary law office in which specially licensed law students work with graduate level education and psychology students under the supervision of law faculty, to represent and advocate for child and adult clients in a variety of legal matters including child welfare, family justice, appellate, innocence, education advocacy, juvenile justice and immigration.The Thomas & Mack Legal Clinic operates on an attorney-centered model in which education and psychology students and faculty are part of the legal team. Students work collaboratively with faculty and students from other clinics to help identify and address their clients’ problems holistically and appropriately. Law students are expected to take the lead in all aspects of client representation, including primary responsibility for developing and maintaining the attorney-client relationship, formulating case strategy, and conducting fact investigation, legal research, and trial work.
A mediation clinic in conjunction with the Saltman Center for Dispute Resolution opened in Spring 2009.
Nevada Law Journal
The Nevada Law Journal (NLJ) is a journal of legal scholarship dedicated to analyzing the law and policy implications of significant case law, legislation, administrative regulations and important legal events. The NLJ publishes at least three issues per year and includes submissions by legal practitioners, professors, and students of the William S. Boyd School of Law. Additionally, topics concerning legal symposia, surveys, and tributes to important figures of the law are included. In 2007, the Nevada Law Journal was ranked 91st by author prominence.Faculty
The Boyd School of Law has drawn scholars and teachers from law schools at the Universities of Illinois, Indiana, Florida State, Louisiana State, South Carolina, Houston and Arizona State as well as junior scholars and teachers. Faculty members have graduated from highly ranked law schools such as Yale, Stanford, Harvard, Michigan, Duke, Pennsylvania, Columbia, U.C. Berkeley, Texas, U.C. Hastings, UCLA, Arizona and the Southern California. Many have clerked for federal judges, on the district courts and the Courts of Appeals.Over the past four years, the faculty has published:
- 48 books (with another 13 books in press)
- 28 book chapters
- over 189 law review and other scholarly articles; and
- dozens of bar publications.
Tuition
Starting in the 2010-2011 academic year, the William S. Boyd School of Law doubled their tuition rate for in-state and out of state student. The current tuition rate is as follows:2010-2011 Tuition and Fees
- Nevada resident, full-time: $20,000
- Nevada resident, part-time: $714 per credit hour
- Non-resident, full-time: $33,400
- Non-resident, part-time: $1193 per credit hour
External links
Nevada°N date=July 2009°W