UI’s law program heading in the right direction
After more than a decade of proposals, planning, discussions, setbacks and more, the University of Idaho Law program will finally have a physical presence of its own in the state’s capital — an improvement for more than just the students studying the judicial system.
UI’s law school is the only one in the state accredited by the American Bar Association, and has a history of providing its students with opportunities in all aspects of law.
The Boise branch of the law program recently expanded to include curriculum for second-year law students, allowing future lawyers to network in an area with more businesses and opportunities than Moscow can offer for an extra year. While the Natural Resources and Environmental Law and Native Law Program thrive in Moscow, those wishing to pursue business or constitutional law can benefit from Boise’s metropolitan landscape.
Boise is home to the Idaho Capitol Building and Supreme Court — landmarks of interest to any law student — and the buildings between which UI’s Law and Justice Learning Center will be located once renovation of the old Ada County Courthouse is completed in the fall.
Along with its obvious locational advantage, the center will house the Idaho State Law Library, provide judicial education to the city’s legal workers and offer civic education resources for the public. This makes UI’s law school more than just a university asset — providing legal education as the only accredited law school in the state is something Idaho as a whole can be proud of.
In addition to a growing program and expansion in the state capital, UI’s program avoided the nationwide trend of declining law school enrollment. In 2014, enrollment for ABA-approved law schools fell an average of 6.9 percent, according to the ABA. In contrast, UI’s law program saw an increase in enrollment of 52.8 percent from fall 2013 to fall 2014.
Administrators tasked with moving the UI law program forward are acting wisely by continuously expanding and improving the program at the height of its success.
The only other law school in Idaho, Concordia, is also located in Boise and will come before the ABA in June to seek accreditation. Striving to improve UI’s law program before the only exsisting competitor gains validity is a smart move.
Improving UI’s law school was worth every cent of the $7.5 million of state and university funding spent in planning, and it’s great to see a decade-long vision finally come to fruition.Capitalizing on the Boise program’s location and opportunities will hopefully continue to bring the program success in the future. UI should be proud of the strides it has taken to improve the UI Boise law program, and should continue to recognize the key role it serves in the state.
–AE