University of Missouri School of Law

{{Short description|Public law school in Columbia, Missouri, US}} {{about|the school in Columbia|the school in Kansas City|University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law}} {{use mdy dates|date=November 2020}} {{more citations needed|date=June 2016}} {{Infobox law school | name = University of Missouri School of Law | image = Mizzou Hulston Hall 02.jpg | caption = Hulston Hall is home to the University of Missouri School of Law. | established = 1872 | type = Public | endowment = | parent endowment = US $1.0 billion<ref>{{cite web | title =All Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2008 Market Value of Endowment Assets with Percent Change Between 2007 and 2008 Endowment Assets | work =2008 NACUBO Endowment Study | publisher =National Association of College and University Business Officers | url =http://www.nacubo.org/documents/research/NES2008PublicTable-AllInstitutionsByFY08MarketValue.pdf | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20101229055632/http://www.nacubo.org/documents/research/NES2008PublicTable-AllInstitutionsByFY08MarketValue.pdf | archive-date =2010-12-29 | url-status =dead }}</ref> | head = | city = Columbia | state = Missouri | country = U.S. | students = 346<ref Name="LSAC/ABA"/> | faculty = 41 (Fall)<br>48 (Spring)<ref Name="LSAC/ABA"/> | ranking = 57th (tie) (2025)<ref name="USNWR-2023">{{cite web|title=University of Missouri|url=https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/university-of-missouri-columbia-03091}}</ref> | bar pass rate = 91.4% (Mizzou Law Pass Rate, 2018)<br>82.4% (Missouri Avg. Pass Rate, 2018) <ref>{{cite web|url=http://law.missouri.edu/current/examination/|title=info|website=law.missouri.edu|access-date=September 4, 2018|archive-date=September 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904121030/http://law.missouri.edu/current/examination/|url-status=dead}}</ref> | annual tuition = $23,157 (In-state)<br>$41,817 (Out-of-state) | homepage = {{url|law.missouri.edu}} | motto = ''Salus Populi'' (Latin) | parent = University of Missouri | aba profile = [https://officialguide.lsac.org/Release/SchoolsABAData/SchoolPage/SchoolPage.aspx?sid=92 Profile] }} The '''University of Missouri School of Law''' (Mizzou Law or MU Law) is the law school of the University of Missouri. It is located on the university's main campus in Columbia.<ref Name="LSAC/ABA">{{Cite web|url=http://officialguide.lsac.org/SearchResults/SchoolPage.aspx?sid=92|title=LSAC/ABA School Overview}}</ref> The school was founded in 1872 by the Curators of the University of Missouri. Its alumni include governors, legislators, judges, attorneys general, and law professors across the country.<ref Name="LSAC/ABA"/> According to Mizzou Law's 2016 ABA-required disclosures, 82 percent of the 2016 class obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://law.missouri.edu/careers/employment-statistics/|title=2016 Employment Statistics|access-date=April 20, 2017|archive-date=April 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170421183213/http://law.missouri.edu/careers/employment-statistics/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Overview== The Center for the Study of Dispute Resolution (CSDR) is Mizzou Law's only research center. The School also offers a Certificate in Dispute Resolution to its J.D. candidates, and a LL.M. for those who have already completed law school.

The median LSAT score for the incoming class of 2016 was 158, with a median GPA of 3.48.<ref Name="ILRG">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ilrg.com/rankings/law/view/146|title=University of Missouri-Columbia (Mizzou) - 2020 Law School Profile|website=www.ilrg.com}}</ref> It accepted 58% of its applicants.<ref Name="ILRG"/> Its student body total was 324 during the 2014-2015 school year.<ref Name="ILRG"/> The law school also has a historical bar passage rate around 90.8%, which is higher than the Missouri state average of 86%.<ref Name="ILRG"/> At graduation, roughly half of its students have secured employment for after the bar; 9 months after graduation around 95% of all students are employed.<ref Name="ILRG"/>

In the annual ranking of "Scholarly Impact Score," the Mizzou Law faculty was ranked 54.<ref>{{Cite journal|author1-link=Gregory Sisk|last1=Sisk|first1=Gregory C.|last2=Nicole|first2=Catlin|last3=Katherine|first3=Veenis|last4=Nicole|first4=Zeman|date=2018-08-13|title=Scholarly Impact of Law School Faculties in 2018: Updating the Leiter Score Ranking for the Top Third|language=en|ssrn=3230371}}</ref> The score is calculated from the mean and median of total law journal citations over the past five years to the work of tenured faculty members.

==Degree programs== ===J.D. degree=== thumb|280px|left|Tate Hall housed the School of Law from 1923 to 1988.<ref Name="History">{{Cite web|url=https://www.missouri.edu/about/history/law.php|title=History of the School of Law}}</ref> Students must complete 89 credit hours in order to receive a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the University of Missouri.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://law.missouri.edu/jd/requirements.html#graduation |title=JD Program Graduation Requirements: Graduation |access-date=2009-07-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511173538/http://www.law.missouri.edu/jd/requirements.html#graduation |archive-date=2008-05-11 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Students may apply up to 3 hours of non-law school coursework towards their degree in some circumstances.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://law.missouri.edu/jd/requirements.html#non-law |title=JD Program Graduation Requirements: Non-Law Courses |access-date=2009-07-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511173538/http://www.law.missouri.edu/jd/requirements.html#non-law |archive-date=2008-05-11 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Students may also apply up to 31 hours of legal coursework completed at another ABA-accredited law school.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://law.missouri.edu/jd/requirements.html#other |title=JD Program Graduation Requirements: Credit Earned at Other Law Schools |access-date=2009-07-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511173538/http://www.law.missouri.edu/jd/requirements.html#other |archive-date=2008-05-11 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Additionally, all students must attend several presentations beyond their regular classes.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://law.missouri.edu/jd/requirements.html#graduation |title=JD Program Graduation Requirements: Graduation: Professional Perspectives Requirement |access-date=2009-07-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511173538/http://www.law.missouri.edu/jd/requirements.html#graduation |archive-date=2008-05-11 |url-status=dead }}</ref> These presentations qualify for "Professional Perspectives" or "Career Perspectives" credit, depending on the nature of the lecture and whether the Dean's office or the Office of Career Development sponsors the presentation. These presentations are usually hosted by student organizations.

Students also must complete a "Writing Requirement," in which the student conducts original research and drafts a paper on that issue.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://law.missouri.edu/jd/requirements.html#graduation |title=JD Program Graduation Requirements: Graduation: Completion of a Writing Requirement |access-date=2009-07-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511173538/http://www.law.missouri.edu/jd/requirements.html#graduation |archive-date=2008-05-11 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===LL.M. in Dispute Resolution=== The Master of Law (LL.M.) in Dispute Resolution program at University of Missouri School of Law is offered by the Center for the Study of Dispute Resolution.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.law.missouri.edu/csdr/about.html|title=CSDR Law School Teaching and Curriculum Initiatives|access-date=September 13, 2011|archive-date=September 7, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110907180445/http://www.law.missouri.edu/csdr/about.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The University of Missouri School of Law is the first law school in United States to offer an LL.M. that is exclusively focused on Dispute Resolution,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://law.missouri.edu/academics/llm/|title=School of Law // LL.M. Programs|website=law.missouri.edu}}</ref> and consistently ranks as one of the top law schools offering Dispute Resolution programs in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/dispute-resolution-rankings |title=US News Law School Rankings: Dispute Resolution |access-date=September 13, 2011 |archive-date=September 25, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110925073210/http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/dispute-resolution-rankings |url-status=dead }}</ref> Students who already have a law degree (either a J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school, or a LL.B. from a school outside the United States) may receive their LL.M. in Dispute Resolution from the University of Missouri.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://law.missouri.edu/llm/admissions.html |title=LL.M. Admission Requirements |access-date=2011-09-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080908005810/http://www.law.missouri.edu/llm/admissions.html |archive-date=2008-09-08 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Students must complete 24 credit hours, 15 of which must be in Dispute Resolution.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://law.missouri.edu/llm/study-program.html |title=LL.M Program of Study |access-date=2011-09-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517144553/http://law.missouri.edu/llm/study-program.html |archive-date=2008-05-17 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Academic programs== ===Certificates=== The School of Law also has affiliations with other schools and programs at the university, whereby the student earns a certificate from another school: * '''Center for the Digital Globe''' - an interdepartmental certificate, established by the College of Business, School of Journalism, School of Law, and Department of Textile and Apparel Management in the College of Human Environmental Sciences with a focus on the "managerial, theoretical and policy-related issues associated with digital media, electronic commerce and globalization;" * '''European Union Graduate Certificate''' from the European Union Center, established by the European Union to "develop a better understanding of the EU by individuals, businesses and governmental entities;" and * '''Certificate in Journalism''' from the Missouri School of Journalism.

===Clinics and externships=== Mizzou Law offers five clinics: * Criminal Prosecution Clinic;<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://law.missouri.edu/jd/skills/criminal-prosecution-clinic/|title=Criminal Prosecution Clinic - Juris Doctor - Juris Doctor|website=law.missouri.edu|language=en-US|access-date=2018-09-04|archive-date=September 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904120943/http://law.missouri.edu/jd/skills/criminal-prosecution-clinic/|url-status=dead}}</ref> * Entrepreneurship Legal Clinic;<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://law.missouri.edu/elc/|title=Entrepreneurship Legal Clinic - ELC|website=ELC|language=en-US|access-date=2018-09-04}}</ref> * Innocence Clinic;<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://law.missouri.edu/jd/skills/innocence-clinic/|title=Innocence Clinic - Juris Doctor - Juris Doctor|website=law.missouri.edu|language=en-US|access-date=2018-09-04|archive-date=September 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904120941/http://law.missouri.edu/jd/skills/innocence-clinic/|url-status=dead}}</ref> * Mediation Clinic; and <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://law.missouri.edu/jd/skills/mediation-clinic/|title=Mediation Clinic - Juris Doctor - Juris Doctor|website=law.missouri.edu|language=en-US|access-date=2018-09-04|archive-date=September 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904120938/http://law.missouri.edu/jd/skills/mediation-clinic/|url-status=dead}}</ref> *Veterans Clinic.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://law.missouri.edu/jd/skills/veterans-clinic/|title=Veterans Clinic - Juris Doctor - Juris Doctor|website=law.missouri.edu|language=en-US|access-date=2018-09-04|archive-date=September 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904120945/http://law.missouri.edu/jd/skills/veterans-clinic/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Students may also perform an externship for up to 3 hours of credit. Externships are only permitted in public law offices, government offices, and not-for-profit offices.

===Study Abroad=== The University of Missouri accepts credits earned from all ABA-approved law schools and study abroad programs. It also runs its own study abroad programs. * '''South Africa Program''' – students take a comparative law class and study dispute resolution in an international context.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://law.missouri.edu/jd/abroad/sa/|title=Cape Town, South Africa (Summer) - Juris Doctor - Juris Doctor|website=law.missouri.edu|language=en-US|access-date=2018-09-04|archive-date=September 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904120930/http://law.missouri.edu/jd/abroad/sa/|url-status=dead}}</ref> * '''London Consortium''' – students take American and British law courses. Partnered with the University of Iowa College of Law.

==Rankings== *''U.S. News & World Report'' ranked Mizzou Law 61st out of 196 among American law schools overall in their 2024 rankings.<ref>{{Cite web |title=University of Missouri Law School Overview |url=https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/university-of-missouri-columbia-03091 |access-date=December 16, 2024 |website=U.S. News & World Report}}</ref> *''U.S. News also'' ranked Mizzou Law 3rd out of 67 nationally among law schools in Dispute Resolution in their 2024 rankings<ref>{{Cite web |title=Best Dispute Resolution Law Programs |url=https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/dispute-resolution-rankings |access-date=December 16, 2024 |website=U.S. News & World Report}}</ref> *In 2017, the school was recognized and ranked 21st by ''The National Jurist'' and ''preLaw Magazine'' as one of the nation's best valued law schools.<ref>{{Cite news |title=The National Jurist Fall 2017 Page 22 |url=https://bluetoad.com/publication/frame.php?i=443086&p=22&pn=&ver=html5 |access-date=2018-09-04}}</ref>

==Journals== thumb|280px|right|The Law Barn was the center of legal studies at the University of Missouri from 1893 to 1923.<ref Name="History" /> The law school has a unique method for selecting associates to its three law journals. Unlike other schools that base placement entirely on grades, the University of Missouri School of Law uses a write-on system. After final exams in the spring semester are completed, packets are made available to all interested students. In the packet are two assignments: the first is a case and exclusive list of citations to other sources; and the second is a mock list of footnotes. Applicants to the law journals must write a case note based on the case in the packet, using as citations only those sources specifically listed. Applicants must also edit the mock list of footnotes for errors, pursuant to the Bluebook method of citation. Applicants must then return the entire packet, as well as a list identifying their preferred law journals.

The Editors-in-Chief and other editors blind-grade the submissions. Law school administrative assistants rank each student three times: first, by weighting the applicants' GPAs at 80% and their written submissions 20%; then, by weighting the GPAs at 20% and the written submissions at 80%; lastly, by ranking solely based on the scores of the written submissions. The Editors-in-Chief then select which applicants they want. The Missouri Law Review selects first based on the 80/20 rankings, then the ''Journal of Dispute Resolution'', then the ''Business, Entrepreneurship & Tax Law Review'' (formerly the ''Journal of Environmental and Sustainability Law''). Then, they pick again in order, this time based on the 20/80 rankings, and finally they select based on the 0/100 rankings.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://law.missouri.edu/lawreview/membership/|title=Membership – Missouri Law Review|website=law.missouri.edu|access-date=November 7, 2020|archive-date=May 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515074832/https://law.missouri.edu/lawreview/membership/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Missouri Law Review === The ''Missouri Law Review'' is the law school's oldest law journal. It is entirely student-run and student-edited and publishes four times a year. Since 1936, when publication began, it has been cited over sixteen hundred times in published court opinions, including over twenty occasions by the Supreme Court of the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://law.missouri.edu/lawreview/about/|title=About Us – Missouri Law Review|website=law.missouri.edu}}</ref>

Each spring the law review hosts a symposium on a different part of the law. Noted scholars and practitioners in the given area give a presentation, and then they write an article which the law review publishes later that year.

=== Business, Entrepreneurship & Tax Law Review === The ''Business, Entrepreneurship & Tax Law Review'' ("BETR") is a student-edited and led publication that creates a three-part publication and hosts an annual symposium providing information and legal analysis over a wide range of issues.

=== Journal of Dispute Resolution === The ''Journal of Dispute Resolution'', operated by the Center for the Study of Dispute Resolution, is entirely student-led and student-edited. Published semi-annually, the Journal is considered the leading publication in alternative dispute resolution.{{cn|date=May 2024}} The Journal, like the ''Missouri Law Review'', hosts annual symposia in the area of dispute resolution.

=== Journal of Environmental and Sustainability Law === The ''Journal of Environmental and Sustainability Law'', or JESL, formerly known as the ''Missouri Environmental Law & Policy Review'', was a joint venture between the School of Law and the Missouri Bar Association. Founded in 1993, JESL consisted of 11 student editors and no more than 20 student associates.

JESL published case notes and articles on topics including energy policy, land use, water policy, agricultural law, land reclamation, and environmental sustainability. From its inception in 1993 to the 2010-2011 school year, it published three editions each year. Beginning in the 2011-2012 school year, two issues per year are published, one each in the fall and spring. The journal's last issue was published in spring 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://law.missouri.edu/jesl/|title=Home Page - Journal of Environmental & Sustainability Law|website=law.missouri.edu|access-date=2018-09-04|archive-date=September 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904084715/http://law.missouri.edu/jesl/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Employment == According to Mizzou Law's official 2016 ABA-required disclosures, 82% of the Class of 2016 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://law.missouri.edu/careers/employment-statistics/|title=Employment Statistics|access-date=April 20, 2017|archive-date=April 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170421183213/http://law.missouri.edu/careers/employment-statistics/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Mizzou Law's Law School Transparency under-employment score is 17.7%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2016 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lstreports.com/schools/missouri/|title=University of Missouri - Columbia|website=www.lstreports.com}}</ref>

==Costs== For the 2019-2020 school year, in-state tuition was $22,218.95, and out-of-state tuition was $41,079.35.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://law.missouri.edu/financialaid/cost/|title=School of Law // Tuition and Costs|website=law.missouri.edu}}</ref> The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at Mizzou Law for the 2014-2015 academic year was $55,106 for non-Missouri residents and $34,476.30 for Missouri residents.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://law.missouri.edu/financialaid/cost/|title=School of Law // Tuition and Costs|website=law.missouri.edu}}</ref> The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years was $212,935 for non-Missouri residents and $143,714 for Missouri residents.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lstreports.com/schools/missouri/costs/2013/|title=University of Missouri - Columbia, Finances|website=www.lstreports.com}}</ref>

==Notable faculty== {{See also|Category:University of Missouri School of Law faculty}} *Royce de Rohan Barondes (contracts & business organizations) *Dennis D. Crouch (patent law) *Carl Esbeck (religious liberties) *David Gamage (tax law and health law) *Michael Middleton *Elwood L. Thomas – former professor; later a judge on the Supreme Court of Missouri *S.I. Strong (private international law) *Dale A. Whitman (property law)

==Notable alumni== {{See also|Category:University of Missouri School of Law alumni}}

=== Judiciary ===

*Howard L. Bickley, Chief Justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court *William H. Billings, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Missouri *Patricia Breckenridge, Judge of the Supreme Court of Missouri *Ann K. Covington, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Missouri *John C. Holstein, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Missouri *Ted Kulongoski, former Governor of Oregon & former Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court *Nanette K. Laughrey, first female United States District Judge for the Western District of Missouri *Stephen N. Limbaugh Sr., former U.S. District Judge for both the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri *John Watkins Oliver, United States District Judge * Warren H. Orr, Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court *Beth Phillips, United States District Judge, Western District of Missouri *W. Brent Powell, Judge of the Supreme Court of Missouri *Mary Rhodes Russell, Judge of the Supreme Court of Missouri

=== Politicians ===

* Camille Bennett, Democratic member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from Lonoke, Arkansas, service since 2015<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arkansashouse.org/member/351/Camille-Bennett|title=Camille Bennett|publisher=arkansashouse.org|access-date=April 14, 2015|archive-date=March 31, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150331045857/http://www.arkansashouse.org/member/351/Camille-Bennett|url-status=dead}}</ref> * Clarence Cannon, Democratic Congress member * Mel Carnahan, former Governor of Missouri * Russ Carnahan, former congressman from Missouri's 3rd congressional district and chair of the Missouri Democratic Party<ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-07-30 |title=Congressman Russ Carnahan |url=http://carnahan.house.gov/biography.shtml |access-date=2024-01-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080730192610/http://carnahan.house.gov/biography.shtml |archive-date=July 30, 2008 }}</ref> * Forrest C. Donnell, former Governor of Missouri & former U.S. Senator * Politte Elvins, former Republican Congressman from Missouri's 13th congressional district *Warren E. Hearnes, former Governor of Missouri & former Missouri Secretary of State *Chris Koster, former Attorney General of Missouri *Claire McCaskill, former U.S. Senator from Missouri *Jeremiah "Jay" Nixon, former Governor of Missouri *Guy Brasfield Park, former Governor of Missouri *Ike Skelton, former United States Congressman from Missouri *Harold Volkmer, former United States Congressman *Andrew Bailey, Attorney General of Missouri (2023-Present)

=== Public figures ===

* Lloyd L. Gaines, civil rights activist and plaintiff in Missouri ex rel. Gaines v. Canada * David Limbaugh, political commentator and author *Rush Limbaugh Sr. (attended), longtime attorney and patriarch of the Limbaugh family * Mark Twain (Samuel L. Clemens), author, received an honorary degree<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://scholarship.law.missouri.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2734&context=mlr|title=Kim. M. Roam, ''Mark Twain: Doctoring the Laws'', 48 Mo. L. Rev. 681 (1983)}}</ref>

==Student organizations== {{col-begin}} {{col-2}} * American Bar Association – Law Student Division * American Constitution Society (ASC) * Asian American Law Students Association (AALSA) * Association of Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law (AIPEL) * Black Law Students Association (BLSA) * Board of Advocates (BOA) * Christian Legal Society (CLS) * Disabled and Allied Students Association (DALSA) * The Federalist Society (Fed Soc) * Health Law Society (HLS) {{col-2}} * Hispanic Law Students Association (HLSA) * J. Reuben Clark Law Society * Missouri Law Veterans Society (MLVS) * OUTLaw * Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity (PAD) * Phi Delta Phi (Tiedeman Inn) * Public Interest Law Association * Real Estate Law Society * Sports Law Society * Student Bar Association (SBA) * Tax and Transactional Law Society (TTLS) * Women's Law Association (WLA) {{col-end}}

==References== {{Reflist|30em}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Missouri Law, University Of}} Category:University of Missouri School of Law Law, School of Category:Law schools in Missouri Category:1872 establishments in Missouri Category:University subdivisions in Missouri Category:Universities and colleges established in 1872

University of Missouri School of Law

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