After years of renovations, the University of Idaho Boise law program now has a building of its own.
“It feels like we have a real law school down here,” said Lee Dillion, associate dean for Boise programs in the College of Law.
Located in the historic former Ada County Courthouse, The Idaho Law and Justice Learning Center opened for classes Monday, offering courses to both second- and third-year law students.
File photo by George Wood
Workers began internal remodelling in January and finished in August. The Idaho Law and Justice Learning Center opened Monday for classes
The Boise law program was previously housed in the Idaho Water Center, home to a number of other UI academic programs.
Although students have begun their classes in the newly renovated facility, the center will have its grand opening Sept. 24.
“Everybody around here has big smiles on,” Dillion said, mentioning it was a relief to have everything up and running for the start of classes Monday. He said students have been flexible with the timeline and law faculty members in Moscow have supported the Boise program”s effort over the years.
“They have been arm in arm with us,” he said.
The College of Law plans to begin offering first-year classes fall 2017, pending approval from the State Board of Education and the American Bar Association.
Remodeling work on the building for the law school started in 2010, Dillion said, and the university began paying for tenant renovations later.
“We didn”t really start paying for tenant improvements until the work started in January,” Dillion said.
The fifth and final phase of the renovation project began in January. The phase cost an estimated $1.7 to $2 million, Dillion said, and was funded through private donation.
He said the fifth phase focused on tenant improvements to the building, such as building interior walls, putting in ceilings and installing carpet.
Although he had some concerns if the space would be completed in time for classes, Dillion said he was surprised at how much the interior changed in a short amount of time.
In partnership with the Idaho Supreme Court, the center also holds the state law library, which is now managed by the university.
“It”s just a marriage of convenience,” Dillion said of the partnership between the Idaho Supreme Court and the university.
There are other functions to the center as well. Dillion said the center will be used for judicial education, providing a space for state court judges and clerks to receive training and continue their education.
Dillion said the center will also be used for civic outreach and education, promoting citizen education in the law.
Located on the Capitol Mall in Boise, Dillion said the former Ada County Courthouse is in a great location for the UI Boise law program. The building had served as a courthouse and holding jail from 1939-99 and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
The center is adjacent to the Capital Building, the Idaho State Bar office and the Idaho Supreme Court.
Ryan Tarinelli can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @ryantarinelli