The University of Mississippi School of Law

Introduction

In 1854, recognizing the need for formal law instruction in the state of Mississippi, the legislature established the Department of Law at the University of Mississippi. In 2011, the School of Law moved into a $50-million LEED-certified facility, the Robert C. Khayat Law Center.

Oxford, a small town of approximately 19,000 people, lies nestled in the quiet hills of North Mississippi, just 75 miles southeast of bustling Memphis, Tennessee, and 180 miles north of the state capital of Jackson.

The new building has traditional Greek Revival architecture to match the architectural style of the campus, and it is state-of-the-art in terms of instructional space.

The University of Mississippi is the fourth oldest state-supported law school in the nation. The School of Law is fully approved by the American Bar Association and is a long-standing member of the Association of American Law Schools.

Library and Physical Facilities

Designed to enhance clinical experiences for students, the Robert C. Khayat School of Law is the only LEED-certified building in the state of Mississippi. It features a student lounge and courtyard, student organizations suite, group study rooms, Career Services interview rooms, Moot Court suite, café and dining room and classrooms with advanced technology to offer an outstanding learning environment to our students. It also holds suites for our various legal clinics, the Mississippi Law Journal, and has a lecture theater seating 220 people.

In addition, the Grisham Law Library is planned for collaborative learning as well as quiet study and research. Occupying two floors on the building's west side, it contains a classic, light-filled reading room; group-study rooms of varying sizes that can be reserved online; a computer lab with new, fully equipped workstations and high-speed printers; and over 300 seats at open tables, generously sized carrels, and comfortable leather club chairs and sofas. The library's information resources include approximately 135,000 titles in print, electronic and other formats, and subscriptions to a wide range of online legal information systems and databases.

Admission

Admission to law school is gained by committee approval based upon an applicant's credentials. These credentials include a satisfactory LSAT score and an acceptable academic record at the undergraduate level. A bachelor's degree from an accredited school is required before an applicant can register for law school.

There are no prelaw requisites. Every applicant must take the LSAT and register with LSAC's Credential Assembly Service. An LSAT score obtained more than five years before application is not valid, and the applicant will be required to retake the test. Applications are available the September preceding admission, with the application completion deadline for both summer and fall enrollment being March 1. However, early application is encouraged. Applicants who file late risk being placed on a waiting list.

Although the LSAT and GPA are the most important factors in the admission process, other considerations are (1) grade patterns and progression; (2) quality of undergraduate institution; (3) difficulty of major field of study; (4) number of years since bachelor's degree was earned; (5) job experience; (6) social, personal, or economic circumstances that may have affected college grades or performance on the LSAT or academic record; (7) nonacademic achievements; (8) letters of recommendation; and (9) residency.

Entrance Dates

Students are given the option to enter in the summer or fall of each admission year. Because summer and fall enrollees are considered as one class, the same standards are applied in the decision-making process.

Curriculum

First-year students complete a set curriculum focused on the development of analytical skills and a foundation of substantive knowledge. Additionally, the first year features an innovative two-week January Skill Session devoted to concrete lawyering proficiencies, such as negotiation and drafting skills. Second- and third-year students select their own courses and area(s) of emphasis from among a wide range of doctrinal and practical courses, including seminars, clinics, and skills courses focused on litigation, transactions, counseling, and public service. The curriculum offers generous opportunities for students to pursue in-depth study in areas such as constitutional theory and civil rights, legal ethics, business and commercial transactions, banking and securities law, environmental law, taxation, health law and bioethics, bankruptcy, and family law. Students may also elect to pursue a certificate in criminal law with courses such as cybercrime, sentencing, white-collar crime, and international criminal law.

Clinical Programs

Civil Legal Clinic—Students provide legal services to low-income clients in public service programs focused on elder law, tax law, consumer law, child advocacy, housing law, legislation, domestic violence, family law, and business development.

Criminal Appeals Clinic—Students represent indigent clients during criminal appeals, briefing and arguing cases before the Mississippi Supreme Court and Mississippi Court of Appeals.

Prosecutorial Externship Program—Combines classroom instruction and placements with local, state, and federal agencies to prepare students for careers as prosecutors. In the externships, students represent the government in criminal matters by filing motions, making oral arguments to judges, and appearing before juries.

Mississippi Innocence Project—Students litigate wrongful conviction claims on behalf of state prisoners. Cases entail examination of forensic and DNA evidence, witness interviews, and in-depth investigation into claims of actual innocence. Students also work to on criminal justice reform efforts, such as DNA testing legislation.

Student Activities

The University of Mississippi School of Law has an active student body that participates in almost 30 student organizations. The Law School Student Body (LSSB) serves as the student government and includes the honor council and student liaisons to faculty committees. Other organizations include, but are not limited to the Environmental Law Society, OUTlaw, Public Interest Law Foundation, Business Law Society, and the Gorove Society of International Law.

The Mississippi Law Journal, serving the Mississippi Bar since 1928, operates as the primary law review of The University of Mississippi School of Law. Its scholarly publication includes general-interest articles authored by students, faculty, scholars, and practitioners focusing on both regional and national issues.

The Mississippi Sports Law Review is a student-run scholarly publication producing a biannual journal that addresses current legal issues that arise in collegiate and professional sports.

The Moot Court Board offers students the opportunity to compete interscholastically in both trial and appellate advocacy events around the country. Led by back-to-back national championships in the National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition, the Board has achieved a top-25 ranking each of the past three years for its appellate advocacy program. Further, students also take part in national-level competitions focused on negotiations, transactions, and interviewing and counseling.

Summer-Abroad Programs

The School of Law offers an opportunity to earn up to six semester credit hours in its summer session held annually in England at Downing College, Cambridge University. Classes offered are for full academic credit and are subject to the same academic standards maintained in the domestic program.

Career Services

The Career Services Office, staffed by a director and an assistant director, helps students develop individualized career plans and provides instruction on job search and career development skills. The staff also facilitates access to employers and employment resources through programming, job listings, and on campus interviews. The law school is an active member of NALP and annually participates in the Atlanta Legal Hiring Conference, the Equal Justice Works Public Interest Career Fair, the Patent Law Interview Program, and the Southeastern Minority Job Fair.

Applicant Profile

The University of Mississippi School of Law

This grid includes only applicants who earned 120–180 LSAT scores under standard administrations.

	GPA
LSAT Score	3.75+ Apps	3.75+ Adm	3.50– 3.74 Apps	3.50– 3.74 Adm	3.25– 3.49 Apps	3.25– 3.49 Adm	3.00– 3.24 Apps	3.00– 3.24 Adm	2.75– 2.99 Apps	2.75– 2.99 Adm	2.50– 2.74 Apps	2.50– 2.74 Adm	2.25– 2.49 Apps	2.25– 2.49 Adm	2.00– 2.24 Apps	2.00– 2.24 Adm	Below 2.00 Apps	Below 2.00 Adm	No GPA Apps	No GPA Adm	Total Apps	Total Adm
LSAT score 175–180	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
LSAT score 170–174	0	0	2	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	2
LSAT score 165–169	4	4	7	7	6	6	1	1	4	4	3	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	27	22
LSAT score 160–164	26	25	26	26	35	34	23	20	25	8	7	3	6	2	2	0	1	0	1	0	152	118
LSAT score 155–159	51	49	88	80	112	71	78	22	52	13	24	1	10	0	1	0	3	1	2	1	421	238
LSAT score 150–154	72	40	103	22	127	20	98	17	61	4	35	1	12	0	6	0	2	0	8	0	524	104
LSAT score 145–149	34	7	50	13	60	6	64	6	48	1	32	1	9	0	6	0	2	0	3	0	308	34
LSAT score 140–144	3	1	19	4	33	3	21	1	26	0	11	0	12	0	6	0	2	0	5	0	138	9
LSAT score 135–139	0	0	2	0	6	0	11	0	7	0	13	0	2	0	1	0	2	0	2	0	46	0
LSAT score 130–134	0	0	1	0	1	0	3	0	2	0	4	0	1	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	15	0
LSAT score 125–129	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
LSAT score 120–124	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	190	126	298	154	382	140	299	67	225	30	129	6	55	2	25	0	12	1	21	1	1636	527

Apps = Number of Applicants
Adm = Number Admitted
Reflects 100% of the total applicant pool; highest LSAT data reported.