William H. Bowen School of Law Information

The UA Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law is a public law school , part of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UA Little Rock). The school is both American Bar Association (ABA) accredited and a member of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS).

The school awards the Juris Doctor (JD) degree in its full-time and part-time programs. It follows a traditional doctrinal curriculum while also blending hands-on practice into the student experience. The first year begins with the Bowen Student Success Program and the Professional Mentor Program where students are matched with a practicing lawyer or judge. Before graduating, students are required to take skills courses such as Evidence and Lawyering Skills I and II, required to participate in an externship or clinic, and are encouraged to participate in the Bowen Concurrent Bar Preparation Program.

The first law school established in Arkansas was in Little Rock. However, politics caused the school faculty to reform themselves as a private law school in the 1910s. Subsequently, the state law school in Fayetteville was established. The private law school disbanded in the 1960s. The latest incarnation of the law school started as a part-time program that was an extension of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville School of Law, and by 1975 was given autonomy and became a unit of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

The school resided in various locations, primarily the old Federal Courthouse in downtown Little Rock. The building was adjacent to the Pulaski County Courthouse, which afforded students the chance to see law in action. However, the facility was plagued with poor parking and was insufficient to handle the growing student population.

The law schools current campus is located adjacent to MacArthur Park, near the Arkansas Center for Fine Arts. The historic building was originally built for the medical school of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and was extensively renovated in 1992 for the law school.

The law school is named after William H. Bowen, a former dean, and important figure in the administration of former Arkansas Governor and 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton.

The School offers the following course concentrations:

A law firm inside the law school, the Legal Clinic enables students to work with real clients, the community, and the court system. Below are the Clinics that students can participate in at the UA Little Rock, William H. Bowen School of Law:

From 2015 through 2019 the Bowen School of Law saw a 120% increase in applications due to its Admissions 360 Initiative which provides access to pre-law resources to traditionally undeserved applicants.

The law school is located in downtown Little Rock and is the only law school in Arkansass capital city. It is just minutes from Arkansass largest law firms, corporations, state and federal courts, and the Arkansas State Capitol building. Other attractions include MacArthur Park, Arkansas Center for Fine Arts, Clinton School of Public Service, World Services for the Blind, Heifer International, museums, restaurants, Little Rock River Market District, and the Clinton Presidential Library.

The school is home to the Pulaski County Law Library, making it the only metropolitan law school library that is also the library for a county.

The law school is housed separately from the main campus of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and is located at 1201 McMath Avenue.

The School of Law publishes three legal journals and a legal guidebook:

Full-Time Tuition for residents is $16,041 and non-residents is $31,984. Part-Time Tuition for residents is $10,605 and non-residents is $20.948. The law school offers scholarships up to full tuition. The law school tuition is the lowest in Arkansas and is among the lowest in the nation. Bowen Law is ranked as one of the 10 lowest alumni debt upon graduation by the USNWR, and ranks as the 6th lowest Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance.

According to Bowenss official 2015 ABA-required disclosures, 52% of the Class of 2015 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation.

The law school has over forty five student organizations. These include the American Bar Association Law Student Division (ABA/LSD), American Constitution Society, Arkansas Association of Women Lawyers-Law Student Division, Arkansas Bar Association Law Student Division (ABA/LSD), Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association, Asian Pacific American Law Student Association (APALSA), Black Law Students Association, Bowen Athletic Department, Bowen Lambda, Christian Legal Society, Delta Theta Phi Legal Fraternity (DTP), Environmental Law Society, Federalist Society, Hispanic Law Students Association (HLSA), Intellectual Property Law Society, International Law Society, Irish American Law Students Society (ILSS), J. Reuben Clark Society, Law Review, Moot Court Board, Out of State Student Association (OSSA), Phi Alpha Delta (PAD), Part-time Student Association (PTSA), Pulaski County Bar Association, Student Division (PCBA), Public Interest Law Society (PILS), Sports and Entertainment Law Society (SELS), "Street Law" Mentor Program (Street Law), Student Animal Legal Defense Fund (SALDF), Student Bar Association (SBA), Young Democrats, and Young Republicans.

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