Dean's Welcome
Welcome to the University of North Dakota School of Law!
As you weigh choosing among the more than 200 law schools across the country, you no doubt are considering the tangibles and intangibles that distinguish one law school from another. If you are looking for a law school that offers a high-quality legal education at an affordable price, in an intimate environment that values students as people, and with faculty and staff invested in the professional and personal growth of each student, then UND School of Law may be the right law school for you.
Student success is our top priority. UND School of Law is distinctive in our commitment to providing a highly personalized educational environment. Our small, select student body has full access to a dedicated and talented faculty. Our faculty and staff care about our students both as aspiring attorneys and as people, and are invested in the success of each of our students during law school and beyond. Our Academic Success program helps first-year students gain the skills they need to succeed academically, and our new Professional Success program helps students prepare for successful legal careers.
Our students are highly capable men and women from a variety of backgrounds. Each year, we select approximately 85 students to join our School of Law community. Our students hail from across the country and around the world. Our students have home states ranging from North Dakota to New Jersey, Connecticut to California, and Texas to Tennessee. We have students with home countries of Canada, China, Malawi, Norway, Slovakia, and South Korea, to name a few. Some of our students are fresh out of college, while others are embarking on second or third careers. With our relatively small class size, our students all know each other, and make friendships that last a lifetime.
Our faculty are experts in a wide range of areas. Tribal environmental law, international human rights, energy law and policy, Indian gaming, copyright law, legal pedagogy, tribal government – these are some of the areas in which our faculty have national recognition for their expertise. You may have read their books and articles in these and other areas, seen them quoted in the New York Times or Indian Country Today, or heard them on BBC or Minnesota Public Radio. Our faculty teach in their areas of expertise, and students have opportunities to assist faculty in research and service projects. While they have the credentials and accomplishments of “ivory tower” experts, our faculty are accessible to students and strive to ensure that their scholarship has real impacts in the lives of real people.
We offer a variety of opportunities for student engagement. Whatever their backgrounds, our students all share a desire to find their passion in the law. At UND School of Law, there are mutliple opportunities to explore your creative and entrepreneurial aspirations. Students build lawyering skills through the North Dakota Law Review, moot court, and trial competitions; gain live-client experience through our Clinical Education Program; provide service through the Tribal Judicial Institute and PILSA’s tax assistance program; get unparalleled hands-on experience in areas such as NCAA and FAA regulations; and hone leadership skills through student organizations. As the School of Law is on the campus of the University of North Dakota, students also have ready access to the opportunities and services of a research university with over 200 fields of study.
The North Dakota spirit uniquely shapes the legal education we provide. Not everyone at UND School of Law is from North Dakota, but those of us who work and study together at the School of Law share the values and character of our state. Our program of legal education emphasizes the highest standards of professionalism and ethical conduct, fosters an atmosphere of cooperation and collaboration, and instills a commitment to community and public service. As the only law school in North Dakota, our students have enviable access to our bench and bar, and to our institutions of government. The North Dakota Supreme Court judges the final rounds of our moot court competition, we offer externships in state and federal government, and our students have multiple opportunities to interact with experienced judges and attorneys from across the state and throughout the region.
We invite you to see UND School of Law for yourself. To arrange a personalized tour, just call 1-800-CALL UND or (701) 777-2047 or send an e-mail to admissions@law.und.edu. And on your tour, please stop in to say hello!
Kathryn R.L. Rand
Dean & Floyd B. Sperry Professor