PURPOSE
The prime function of the College of Law is to train men and women for the practicing legal profession and related professional assignments. In addition, the college has the responsibility to contribute to the quality of justice administered in our society.
ORGANIZATION
Law Building and Law Library
The John S. Armstrong Law Building is in the central campus near other colleges of the university and Hayden Library. The Law Building provides every modern facility for legal education and has been described by experts on planning law buildings as setting a new standard in functional design.
The award-winning John J. Ross-William C. Blakley Law Library, named in memory of two prominent Phoenix attorneys, is one of the finest law libraries in the Southwest with a collection of more than 351,000 volumes and microform volume equivalents. The collection includes a broad selection of Anglo-American case reports and statutes as well as legal treatises, periodicals, encyclopedias, digests, citators, and administrative materials. The collection includes growing special collections in the areas of international law, Indian law, Mexican law, and law and technology. The library is also a selective U.S. government depository.
The library is housed in a dramatic and functional building that opened in August 1993. The building provides accessible shelving for the expanding collections and comfortable study space at carrels, tables, and lounge seating located throughout the library. The library has a 30-station computer lab as well as LEXIS and WESTLAW rooms which contain 10 stations each; 27 meeting and study rooms; a microforms facility; and a classroom.
Students also have ready access to the other campus libraries, including the Charles Trumbull Hayden Library, the Daniel E. Noble Science and Engineering Library, the Architecture and Environmental Design Library, and the Music Library. The collections of the university libraries comprise more than 3 million volumes.
Special Programs
Center for the Study of Law, Science, and Technology. The ASU Center for the Study of Law, Science, and Technology is a multidisciplinary research center founded by the Arizona Board of Regents in 1984. The center publishes research studies, sponsors seminars and symposia, and houses visiting scholars and teachers. Through these programs, the center seeks to contribute to the formulation and improvement of law and public policy affecting science and technology and to the wise application of science and technology in the legal system.
The College of Law offers a substantial number of courses in the law, science, and technology area including bioethics, law and psychiatry, environmental law, health care law, intellectual property, land use regulation, law and evolutionary biology, law and medicine, law and social science, mass communication, natural resources law, patent law, regulatory problems in law, science and technology, and water law. Each semester, the center publishes a student guide to other less obvious courses that contain science and technology issues. In recent semesters this guide has listed courses in AIDS and the law, commercial law, employment law, law and the handicapped, antitrust, statistical proof in employment discrimination litigation, and several courses offered by other departments on campus available for registration by law students. In addition to regular course offerings, students can arrange independent studies with supervising faculty on topics of special interest to them. The center also invites guest speakers from legal or scientific fields to visit with interested law students, generally during the noon hour.
In cooperation with the American Bar Association Section on Science and Technology and under the leadership of a faculty editor, second- and third-year students edit the Jurimetrics Journal of Law, Science and Technology. Student editors do both editorial work on submitted articles and original writing for publication in the journal.
Indian Legal Program. In the spring of 1988, the faculty of the College of Law voted to devote substantial new resources and energy to an Indian Legal Program that would have a three-part mission: education, legal scholarship, and public service to tribal governments. The College of Law provides its students with a quality legal education and an opportunity to gain knowledge and expertise in Indian law.
Students at the College of Law have the opportunity to participate in all phases of the Indian Legal Program and gain in-depth understanding of the legal issues affecting Indian tribes and people. Courses on Federal Indian law and seminars on advanced Indian law topics such as Tribal Court dispute resolution, economic development, American Indian cultural resources protection, and tribal environmental law are part of the curriculum. Students may also participate in externships with the local tribal courts or spend a semester in Washington, D.C., working with the Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs. This variety of academic and work experience provides the students an outstanding legal education with a firm grounding in both the theoretical and practical aspects of Indian law.
Law Journal. The College of Law publishes a professional law review, the Arizona State Law Journal, edited by students of the second- and third-year classes. Membership on the law journal is determined by grade performance in the first year and, for some, by submission of written work in a writing competition. Participation on the law review is hard but rewarding work. For those eligible, the review provides one of the finest avenues for legal education thus far developed, contributing to the student’s intellectual advancement, to the development of law and the legal profession, and to the stature of the College of Law.
ADMISSION
First-year students are admitted only for the fall semester. The formal requirements for admission to the College of Law are (1) an undergraduate degree from an accredited four-year college or university and (2) a score on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), administered by Law Services, Box 2000, Newtown, Pennsylvania 18940, in centers throughout the country.
For more information regarding Admission, call 602/965–7207, or write
JURIS DOCTOR DEGREE
The College of Law offers a three-year program of professional studies at the graduate level leading to the degree of Juris Doctor.
For more information on the degree and courses, see the Graduate Catalog.
Course of Study
The program of study in the College of Law is designed for full-time students. In the first year of the three-year program, the course of study is prescribed and incorporates the time-proven techniques of legal education. This first year gives students—by the “case method,” by the “problem method,” by “moot court,” and through other techniques—an intensive exposure to the basic legal processes.
As a part of the program, first-year students are assigned to small sections. In the Legal Research and Writing program, first-year students prepare legal briefs and memoranda and receive feedback through the use of practice examinations. The program focuses on the development of writing and organizational skills necessary for success in law school and in the practice of law. The second and third years cover a wide range of courses varying in format as well as subject matter, allowing students to pursue both the basic subjects of law study and more specialized interests. By offering great freedom in the selection of subjects, the educational experience of the second and third years is in sharp contrast to the curriculum of the first year. In addition, the college offers a number of faculty-supervised clinical education programs and a program of supervised externships.
Grading
College of Law courses are graded under the following numerical scale:
| Grade | Definition |
| 90–99 | Distinguished |
| 85–89 | Excellent |
| 80–84 | Very Good |
| 75–79 | Good |
| 70–74 | Satisfactory |
| 60–69 | Deficient |
| 59 | Failing |
A grade of 60 or above is required to receive credit for any course.
Retention Standards. To be eligible to continue in the College of Law, students must maintain a cumulative weighted GPA of 70 or higher at the end of each semester or summer session. Any student who fails to achieve a 70 GPA in any one semester, regardless of the cumulative GPA, is automatically placed on probation. Continuation of enrollment by probationary students is upon such terms and conditions as the college may impose.
A student whose cumulative GPA falls below the required level or whose semester GPA is less than 70 in two consecutive semesters is dismissed but may apply to the Office of the Dean for readmission. The Office of the Dean refers the application to a faculty Committee on Readmission. Where the GPA deficiency is slight and evidence of extenuating circumstances is convincing, readmission may be granted on a probationary status after a review of the reasons contributing to unsatisfactory performance and a finding that there is substantial prospect for acceptable academic performance. Continuation in school thereafter may be conditioned on achieving a level of performance higher than the overall 70 GPA. Further detailed information concerning the college’s retention standards can be found in the Bulletin of the College of Law.
Special Honors at Graduation. At the time of graduation, students who have earned academic distinction in the study of law may be awarded the designations cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude. The college also bestows membership in the Order of the Coif upon students in the top 10% of the class. Recipients of these awards are selected by the law faculty on the basis of academic performance.
Honor Code. The legal profession, a self-regulating association, depends on the integrity, honor, and personal morality of each member. Similarly, the integrity and value of an ASU College of Law degree depends on a reputation for fair competition. The college’s Honor Code is intended as a measure to preserve the integrity of the school’s diploma and to create an arena in which students can compete fairly and confidently. Copies of the Honor Code are available from the assistant dean in the college’s Student Services Office.
ACCREDITATION
The college is fully accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools.
INFORMATION
Further detailed information concerning the course of study, admission practices, expenses, and financial assistance can be found in the Bulletin of the College of Law. To request the bulletin or application forms, call 602/965–7207, or write
For general information about the College of Law, contact Catherine Hevia at 602/965–1474 or view the college’s World Wide Web page located at www.law.asu.edu.
Omnibus Courses: See omnibus courses that may be offered.
1998–99 General Catalog Table of Contents
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