William S. Boyd School of Law

William S. Boyd School of Law
Parent schoolUniversity of Nevada, Las Vegas
Established1998; 26 years ago (1998)
School typePublic
DeanLeah Chan Grinvald
LocationLas Vegas, Nevada, USA
Enrollment442[1]
Faculty51 (full-time)[1]
USNWR ranking78th (tie) (2024)[2]
Bar pass rate72.54% (first time 2022)[3]
Websitelaw.unlv.edu

The William S. Boyd School of Law is the law school of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and the only law school in Nevada.[4] It is named after William S. Boyd, a Nevada attorney and co-founder of Boyd Gaming Corporation who provided the initial funding for the school.[5] The school opened in 1998 and graduated its first class in 2001.[6]

The school has held American Bar Association accreditation since 2003 and joined the Association of American Law Schools in 2004.[7]

In 2023, U.S. News & World Report ranked the law school's full-time program at No. 67 among 196 ranked full-time U.S. law schools and its part-time program at No. 20 among 70 ranked part-time U.S. law schools.[8] Although it has gone down in ranking and now sits at 89th for its full-time program, but has risen to 8th for its part-time program. [9]

History

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In 1997, then Governor Bob Miller signed into law a bill authorizing the creation of the William S. Boyd School of Law of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).[6] One year later, in 1998, the Boyd School of Law opened its doors to 140 charter class students and the school moved into its permanent facilities in August 2002.[10] In 2000, the school secured provisional American Bar Association (ABA) accreditation and, in February 2003, secured full ABA accreditation.[6] The first class graduated from the Boyd School of Law in May 2001.[6] In January 2004, the William S. Boyd School of Law of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas joined the Association of American Law Schools.[11]

The current dean is Leah Chan Grinvald.

Academics

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Admissions

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For the class entering in 2023, the school accepted 33.59% of applicants, with 42.53% of those accepted enrolling. The average enrollee had a 160 LSAT score and 3.78 undergraduate GPA.[1]

Degrees and programs

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It awards the Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree and has a student body of approximately 440 students. It also awards dual degrees—including the Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration (J.D./MBA), the Juris Doctor and Master of Social Work (J.D./M.S.W.), and the Juris Doctor and Doctor of Philosophy in Education (J.D./Ph.D.)[12]—as well as a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Gaming law and Regulation.[13] All first-year law students are required to participate in a Community Service Program and spend substantial time providing legal information to people in the community who do not have access to lawyers.[14] In partnership with the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada Pro Bono Project, law students prepare and present workshops at numerous locations in their community, on basic legal matters such as small claims court procedure, family law and divorce, bankruptcy, guardianship, and paternity/custody matters. The school is home to the Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution and the Thomas & Mack Legal Clinic.

Rankings

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The law school secured its position as one of the country's top 100 law schools for the 15th consecutive year, ranked 89th in 2023,[15][2] with its Lawyering Process Program ranked second in the U.S. and its Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution ranked tied for ninth among the top dispute resolution programs,[16] according to U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges 2024 rankings of graduate schools and specialty programs.[8] The law school's part-time program is ranked 8th in the country.[8]

In 2020, National Jurist's PreLaw magazine gave UNLV a grade of "A−" for diversity, facilities, and value, and a grade of "A" for employment outcomes.[17]

Law library

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The Wiener-Rogers Law Library is the largest law library in the state of Nevada, and the only law library in Nevada maintaining comprehensive collections of United States legal materials. The Wiener-Rogers Law Library also serves as a resource and archive for the entire state, providing services and making its collections accessible to researchers across disciplines and to members of the general public.[18]

The Law Library is a participant in the federal government and European Union depository programs.[19]

Publications

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In 2001, the Nevada Law Journal (NLJ) published its inaugural issue.[20] In 2010, the UNLV Gaming Law Journal published its inaugural issue, it is the only Gaming Law Journal in the country.[21]

NLJ is a journal of legal scholarship dedicated to analyzing the law and policy implications of significant case law, legislation, administrative regulations and important legal events. The NLJ publishes at least three issues per year and includes submissions by legal practitioners, professors, and students of the William S. Boyd School of Law. Additionally, topics concerning legal symposia, surveys, and tributes to important figures of the law are included.

In 2007, the Nevada Law Journal was ranked 91st by author prominence in Law Library Journal.[22] Washington and Lee University School of Law currently ranks NLJ 59th among 243 flagship and general interest law reviews in the United States.[23]

Employment

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According to the Boyd School of Law's 2014 ABA-required disclosures, 84.9 percent of Boyd's Class of 2014 was employed 10 months after graduation.[24] 71.2 percent of the class was working in full-time, long-term jobs for which bar passage is required or a J.D. is preferred.[25]

Costs

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Tuition at the Boyd School of Law for the 2022–2023 academic year is $40,900 for full-time non-Nevada residents and $28,000 for full-time Nevada residents.[26]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "2022 Standard 509 Information Report - William S. Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada, Las Vegas". abarequireddisclosures.org. American Bar Association. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "University of Nevada–Las Vegas". U.S. News & World Report – Best Law Schools. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  3. ^ "University Nevada Las Vegas First Time Bar Passage 2022". abarequireddisclosures.org. American Bar Association. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  4. ^ "University of Nevada, Las Vegas, William S. Boyd School of Law". Law School Admission Council. Retrieved 2020-04-02.
  5. ^ "Business Hall of Fame Inductee: William S. Boyd | Lee Business School | University of Nevada, Las Vegas". 11 September 2013.
  6. ^ a b c d Richard J. Morgan, The Establishment of the William S. Boyd School of Law, 36 U. TOL. L. REV. 133 (2004).
  7. ^ "Accreditation | UNLV - William S. Boyd School of Law". law.unlv.edu. Retrieved 2020-04-02.
  8. ^ a b c "U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges". Retrieved 2023-12-30.
  9. ^ "University of Nevada Las Vegas".
  10. ^ Id.; Richard Morgan, A Very Good Year, Nev. Law., May 2006, at 36.
  11. ^ Id. See also [1]Association of American Law Schools website.
  12. ^ "Dual Degree Programs | UNLV - William S. Boyd School of Law". law.unlv.edu. Retrieved 2020-04-03.
  13. ^ "LL.M. in Gaming Law Program | UNLV - William S. Boyd School of Law". law.unlv.edu. Retrieved 2020-04-03.
  14. ^ Richard Morgan, Public/Private Partnerships Are Not The Only Kind of Important Collaboration. There Is Another Significant Sort Of Partnership-That I Will Refer To As A "Public/Public Partnership"-From Which The Boyd School Of Law Has Benefited Greatly, Nev. Law., Feb. 2006, at 28.
  15. ^ "| UNLV - William S. Boyd School of Law". law.unlv.edu. Retrieved 2020-04-03.
  16. ^ "U.S. News: Grad Programs in Nursing, Physical Therapy Rise in Annual Rankings; Boyd Law Maintains Strong Showing". University of Nevada, Las Vegas. 16 March 2020. Retrieved 2020-04-03.
  17. ^ "University of Nevada, Las Vegas, William S. Boyd School of Law | the National Jurist". nationaljurist.com. Retrieved 2020-04-03.
  18. ^ "Wiener-Rogers Law Library | UNLV - William S. Boyd School of Law". law.unlv.edu. Retrieved 2020-04-03.
  19. ^ "Fast Facts | UNLV - William S. Boyd School of Law". law.unlv.edu. Retrieved 2020-04-03.
  20. ^ Jason Frierson & J. Wade Kelson (eds.), Annual Survey of Nevada Law 1999, 1 NEV. L.J. 345 (2001).
  21. ^ "Nevada Lawyer Nov. 2010 - Dean's Column" (PDF). Retrieved 2020-04-03.
  22. ^ Robert M. Jarvis & Phyllis Coleman, Ranking Law Reviews by Author Prominence--Ten Years Later, 99 LAW LIBR. J. 573 (2007).
  23. ^ "Law Calendar". Washington and Lee University. Retrieved 2020-04-03.
  24. ^ "EMPLOYMENT SUMMARY FOR 2014 GRADUATES" (PDF). law.unlv.edu. Retrieved 2015-10-20.
  25. ^ "EMPLOYMENT SUMMARY FOR 2014 GRADUATES" (PDF). law.unlv.edu. Retrieved 2015-10-20.
  26. ^ "Tuition & Fees | UNLV - William S. Boyd School of Law". law.unlv.edu. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
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36°06′29″N 115°08′23″W / 36.10793°N 115.13980°W / 36.10793; -115.13980

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