School of Law
The University of Montana School of Law is one of the premier regional law schools in the nation, and also one of the smallest. With a selective enrollment of approximately 250 students, the School is noted for its innovative Professional Skills curriculum, as well as degree certificate programs in American Indian law, Alternative Dispute Resolution and Environmental and Natural Resource law. It is one of only eight law schools in the country to require clinical training for all students, and home to the first American Indian law clinic in the nation.
Points of Pride
- The School’s student competition teams are nationally renowned, winning national championships in the National Moot Court Competition in 1981 and 2000; a national championship in the Team Competition in 1992; as well as garnering a multitude of national and regional honors in several other competitions.
- In 1999, in recognition of the School’s excellence in the teaching of trial advocacy, the School received the prestigious Emil Gumpert award and $50,000 from the American College of Trial Lawyers, joining former recipients, including Cornell, Harvard and Yale law schools.
- Alumni have served as the deans of law schools at USC, Duke, New York University and Montana, as well as justices of the United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, federal district courts, and the Montana Supreme Court. They also have been governors and attorneys general of Montana, members of Congress, Clerk of the United States Supreme Court and President of the American Bar Association.
- A pioneering institution for women lawyers, the School admitted its first woman in the class of 1913-14. Today, women make up from 40 to 50 percent of each class.
Impact of Giving
- In 2009 the School of Law started classes in a state-of-the-art remodeled and expanded building, thanks to generous gifts from hundreds of alumni and friends.
- Law students received more than $211,000 in scholarships during the 2010 academic year.
The School of Law presents a wide range of opportunities for donors to make an impact. Two current projects include the Centennial Scholarship Initiative and fundraising to recognize the tireless work of former associate dean and founding director of the Indian Law Clinic, Margery Hunter Brown, by naming the Indian Law Clinic in her honor.
To make a gift to the School of Law today, please complete the form below.
