I cannot help it really. When I think of the University of Wyoming College of Law, located in Laramie, Wyoming, I think of all of those old black and white westerns I use to watch on TV back when I was a kid. In fact, I remember the show Laramie staring John Smith as "Slim" and Robert Fuller as "Jess", and their horses Alamo and Hoot.
Well, the great wild west has grown up and has a law school. In fact Wyoming Law was established in 1920 and is accredited by the ABA. It offers a J.D. degree as well as a joint degree with a Masters of Public Administration.
One of its famous alumni really plays the old west part -- famed trail lawyer Gerry Spence.
It is the only law school in the Wyoming and it is one of the smallest law schools in the nation, with only a total enrollment of 225. This might present some problems, such as not having a part-time program, but with 20 full-time professors, there can be no shortage of personal attention from the school.
Laramie is a town of approximately 30 thousand people in the southeast portion of the state and sits at an altitude of about 7,200 feet between two mountain ranges. Denver, Colorado is about two hours south. Most people describe the area as majestic.
The school is also a value because its full-time tuition for in-state students is just $7,635 per year. But,
even for out-of-state students the tuition is $16,155.00, which is substantially lower than most private law schools.
The law schools bar passage rate for first time takes is pretty good at 74%, but the bar passage rate for first time takers is 80%. The school is not far off.
About 82% of students receive grants and the the median grant amount per student is $1,200.
It is a law school worth looking at.
I enjoyed UW quite a bit. The price is right, the small town is quite friendly for law students with young families, and there aren't a ton of distractions in town (which is both good and bad).
There's plenty of outdoor recreation available. And shopping in Fort Collins to the south is just a 45 minute drive. Easy access to government internships in Cheyenne, and the legal community is so small and tight-knit, that getting your degree at UW is almost a must if you want to live and practice in Wyoming.
If you're hoping to practice anywhere other than Wyoming though, you'll have your work cut out for you. Colorado firms just don't seem to be particularly impressed with the school, and when I was there two years ago, career services was doing almost zero outreach toward the Colorado legal community. Everything was focused in-state. Likewise, there was little contact with the neighboring Salt Lake legal market. Both Denver and Salt Lake markets are unfortunately saturated, and a Wyoming grad is going to have to work to get noticed. Which isn't fatal of course, but keep it in mind.
But I do think the quality of education you get in Wyoming will be just as good as you'll get anywhere.
Just watch out for the Wyoming Bar Exam. It's one of the most difficult in the US with a heavy emphasis on state-specific law and the arcane fields of Oil and Gas law, and Water law often making an appearance. Just knowing common law stuff is a great way to fail the Wyoming Bar.
Oh yeah, the weather is downright brutal. 7 months of winter average.
Posted by: Seth R. | February 01, 2008 at 11:46 AM
Fantastic School from which I carry and abundance of fond memories. When I attended the students were pretty tight with each other and were genuinely interested in the success of their classmates.
Wyoming allows third-year law students to argue cases before the Wyo Supreme Court. When I interviewed for my first job, I had more appellate experience than my interviewer.
I moved to Iowa right after graduation and had very little difficulty getting interviews or offers.
Sadly, I desperately miss living in Laramie and seeing the mountains. I hope to make it back that way one day.
Posted by: Kerry | March 21, 2008 at 03:15 PM