Student Culture

Responding to the needs and interests of our students is at the heart of the School of Law's mission. We have a long-standing tradition of respect, recognition, and strong interactions between faculty and students. Faculty and students work together on special projects, fund raising, skills training, traveling, and competitions.

Diversity

The School of Law, which comprises approximately 450 students, is among the most diverse law schools in the country, as ranked by U.S. News and World Report's 2008 edition of America's Best Graduate Schools. In 2007, African-American students made up 18 percent of the student body, up from 16 percent in 2006. This is the highest percentage of African Americans at any institution that is not one of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities. National Jurist magazine ranked the University of Arkansas School of Law third in minority enrollment in the 2007 diversity report.

Each year, the School of Law offers a Wal-Mart Legal Diversity Scholarship to a first-year law student whose presence adds to the diversity of the law school. The scholarship was established in 2004 through collaboration between the late Dean Richard B. Atkinson and Thomas Mars, '85, senior vice president and general counsel for Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

Competitions

The University of Arkansas School of Law is home to an exceptionally strong advocacy skills competition program. Our success is largely attributed to the enormous investment of resources by students, faculty coaches, advisers, School of Law administrators, and members of the local bench and bar.

The skills competition program includes an impressive range of intramural and interscholastic competitions. The School of Law hosts two intramural appellate advocacy competitions that cumulatively lead to the selection of five appellate moot court interscholastic competition teams through the Board of Advocates and a sixth team selected by the Black Law Student Association. While most team members are third-year students, exceptional second-year students have successfully participated in various competitions.

The intramural fall moot court is an exercise in oral advocacy skills. Students compete individually on a “canned” problem, and the top 32 students are invited to participate in the Ben J. Altheimer Spring Moot Court Competition, which requires finalists to form two-person teams, write a brief, and argue both sides of a case before three judges. Winners are eligible to represent the School of Law in the National Moot Court Competition, sponsored by the New York State Bar Association. The School of Law has sent teams to the National Trial Competition two years in a row, with impressive performances from the University of Arkansas students.

During the fall, the School of Law sponsors the William H. Barrister's Union Trial Competition, out of which top competitors are invited to try out for two teams. The teams compete in the Henry C. Woods Trial Competition, sponsored by the Arkansas Board of Trial Advocates, against the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law and in the National Mock Trial Competition, sponsored by the American Board of Trial Advocates and the Texas Young Lawyers Association. The School of Law also sponsors two teams to compete in the Student Trial Advocacy Competition in association with the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. Another team competes in the Black Law Student Association Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition. In 2007, the School of Law sent three national traveling teams to regional and national competitions.

School of Law students also have the chance to participate in an intramural negotiations competition and client counseling competition, both of which are open to first-year students. Winning teams are selected to compete against other schools in our region and may advance to nationals.

Student Organizations & Publications

Student organizations are vital to the School of Law. Whether the Black Law Student Association, the Women's Law Student Association, the Student Bar Association, or any of the myriads of organizations at the School of Law, incoming students will find a group that suits their interests. For a complete list of School of Law organizations, visit the Student Organizations web page.

For information on student-edited publications, see the School of Law Publications web page.