University of North Dakota School of Law

Introduction

Founded in 1899, the University of North Dakota (UND) School of Law blends an innovative education with creative and entrepreneurial opportunities and a spirit of community in its education of approximately 250 students. The school is a fully accredited graduate professional school awarding the JD degree. It has been a member of the AALS since 1910 and was approved by the ABA in 1923. UND Law is part of a highly respected, nationally recognized university, located in Grand Forks, North Dakota. A community of nearly 60,000, Grand Forks is in the heart of the Red River Valley on the North Dakota/Minnesota border. It offers a small-town feel with all the opportunities of an urban area and has a large legal community including county, state, and federal trial courts.

Library and Physical Facilities

The Thormodsgard Law Library manages a growing collection of comprehensive resources necessary for the study of law and provides a home for students. The school and library are linked everywhere with high-speed Ethernet and wireless access points. The elegant, traditionally appointed Baker Courtroom is used by the North Dakota Supreme Court; by tribal, federal, and district courts; and for guest lectures and trial and appellate arguments. The Computer Services office supports the web, e-mail, file sharing, database, group scheduling, servers, the in-house video system, as well as student laptops.

Curriculum

The curriculum of the School of Law covers a period of three full academic years. All the work of the first year is prescribed. Courses in the second and third years are elective, except for the course in Professional Responsibility.

Special Programs

The size of the student body is ideally suited for close professional contact with faculty, the visiting courts, legal professionals, and alumni. Students are active in the governance of the school.

UND Law offers an American Indian Law Certificate program and, in consultation with area tribes and Indian leaders, established the region's first Northern Plains Indian Law Center. The center is a clearinghouse for American Indian legal materials and provides a forum for discussing and resolving legal issues confronting Indian tribes, the states, and the federal government. It also supports tribal advocacy training programs. Among the center's programs are the Tribal Judicial Institute, the Institute for the Study of Tribal Gaming Law and Policy, the Native American Law Project, and the Tribal Environmental Law Project.

The Clinical Education Program provides students with the opportunity to integrate the theory and practice of Housing and Employment law in a real law office setting. Clinic students assume the role of lawyers and, in doing so, move beyond the classroom into the world of law practice. In the course of representing their clients, students gain firsthand experience with substantive law, the many skills of lawyering, and the rules of professional ethics while earning academic credit.

A comprehensive Externship Program allows students an opportunity to earn academic credit while gaining practical experience in a variety of placements. Externship students receive local and state field placements throughout the academic year, as well as during the summer in the Federal Externship Program.

The school has an extensive Trial Advocacy Program in which students learn trial skills in a simulated advocacy setting under the close supervision of experienced trial lawyers. Each student in this course is responsible, with one student advocate co-counsel, for the trial of at least one full civil or criminal case during the semester. In addition, students participate in the internal Carrigan Cup trial competition as well as the external Trial Team.

The Legislative Internship Program provides an opportunity for selected students to serve as legislative interns at the North Dakota state capital in Bismarck during sessions of the state legislature.

Central Legal Research (CLR) provides select students with opportunities to work with attorneys and judges across North Dakota on the issues and problems faced in practice. Focusing primarily on criminal law and procedure issues, CLR students work closely with an experienced lawyer and with each other, honing their skills by writing, researching, analyzing, and discussing their individual projects. CLR students receive a full in-state tuition waiver and develop a broad writing portfolio.

Both a joint Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration (JD/MBA) as well as a Juris Doctor/Master of Public Administration (JD/MPA) degree are offered. These joint-degree programs could be completed in four years or less.

The UND School of Law is one of approximately 80 law schools throughout the United States that have a chapter of the national legal honorary society, the Order of the Coif. The Order of the Coif was founded to encourage legal scholarship and advance the ethical standards of the legal profession.

UND law students may receive credit for summer law study at the American College of Norway in Moss. Through this specialized program, students receive a unique opportunity to study abroad and learn about the Norwegian legal system, international law, and comparative law.

Admission

The School of Law has no specific undergraduate course prerequisites and agrees with the observations in the introduction to this guide. The school admits students only in August and only for full-time study. Applications are available upon request. The policy of the faculty of the School of Law is to admit those applicants who, in the determination of the faculty, will be able to satisfactorily complete the law school program. The admission committee utilizes the following criteria to achieve this goal:

LSAT score;
undergraduate GPA;
past performance in an academic environment;
past performance in activities that would tend to predict the applicant's ability to successfully complete the law school program; and
other evidence relevant to predicted success and prospective professional responsibility.

The total number of students admitted is, of course, limited by considerations involving space and faculty courseload.

The law school does not have a nonresident quota; however, preference is given to residents.

Students who have begun the study of law in other accredited law schools may be admitted in exceptional circumstances to advanced standing, provided they have fulfilled the requirements for admission to the University of North Dakota School of Law. Ordinarily, no transfer credit will be allowed for more than two semesters of work completed elsewhere, nor will transfer credit be given for any courses in which an unsatisfactory or failing grade has been received. Moreover, admission may be conditioned upon meeting such additional requirements as the faculty may prescribe. No student will be admitted as a transfer student with advanced standing who is not eligible to continue as a student at his or her present law school.

Student Activities

The North Dakota Law Review provides research and writing opportunities. Students participate in various moot court activities, with the North Dakota Supreme Court judging the moot court finals. A sampling of the organizations include the Environmental Law Society, Law Women's Caucus, Native American Law Students Association, Black Law Students Association, Public Interest Law Students Association, Student Trial Lawyers Association, and Student Bar Association. The School of Law also has chapters of the Order of the Coif, Order of the Barristers, and legal fraternities. One of the more popular activities is the Malpractice Bowl, pitting law students against medical school students in an annual flag football game.

Expenses and Financial Aid

Tuition and fees per semester for students averaging 15 credit hours in 2011–2012 are $4,947.50 for in-state residents, $6,697 for contiguous states, and $10,790 for nonresidents. The semester fees include student activity and university fees totaling $559.64 and an $800 per semester professional fee. The student activity and university fees cover payment for health services, the university center, campus publications, and drama and athletic events. The professional fee is assessed by the School of Law and is used to support and improve the law school program. Fees are subject to change without notice. Loan funds for all qualified students are available through the university Student Financial Aid Office, PO Box 8371, Grand Forks, ND 58202.

Housing

The university has a comprehensive housing system with options including family housing facilities, student apartment housing, and traditional residence halls for single students. For more detailed information, visit www.housing.und.edu.

Career Services

The Career Services Office assists students and alumni in the development of a personal career plan and provides guidance throughout the process; coordinates and sponsors a professional success program that includes speakers and workshops on a variety of topics, including legal and alternative opportunities, job search strategies, work-life balance, debt management, interviewing, and writing effective résumés and cover letters; manages an online job board and coordinates the on-campus interview program featuring public and private employers and state and federal judges yearly.

Applicant Profile

University of North Dakota School of Law

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

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
	GPA
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	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
LSAT score 165–169	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
LSAT score 160–164	7	7	5	5	3	3	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	19	17
LSAT score 155–159	13	11	9	6	17	14	7	6	7	5	7	5	5	3	2	0	1	0	0	0	68	50
LSAT score 150–154	9	8	15	11	30	19	30	12	26	16	11	1	5	3	2	0	2	0	2	2	132	72
LSAT score 145–149	10	8	7	3	20	6	29	10	16	4	13	2	17	4	3	0	1	0	0	0	116	37
LSAT score 140–144	5	2	7	2	10	1	14	4	13	3	12	1	5	0	1	0	0	0	2	2	69	15
LSAT score 135–139	1	0	2	0	1	0	5	0	10	1	2	0	5	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	29	1
LSAT score 130–134	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	3	0	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	9	1
LSAT score 125–129	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	3	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	46	37	45	27	82	43	87	32	76	29	48	9	40	12	13	0	4	0	6	5	447	194

Apps = Number of Applicants
Adm = Number Admitted
Reflects 99% of the total applicant pool; highest LSAT data reported.