First Monday - July 6, 2009

In this issue:

• New University President Embarks on Statewide “Listening Tour”
• College of Law Receives Notice of Top Ten Ranking among “Best Values” in Legal Education
• Legal Aid Clinic and Faculty Earn Plaudits from Ninth Circuit for Pro Bono Work
• Career Development Update: Where Do Idaho Law Students Go When They Graduate?

New University President Embarks on Statewide “Listening Tour”

The University of Idaho’s 17^th president, Dr. M. Duane Nellis, is reaching out to constituents during his first full week on the job.  Dr. Nellis, whose leadership at land grant institutions includes his service as provost of Kansas State University and as dean of arts and sciences at West Virginia University, is conducting a “listening tour” that encompasses all regions of Idaho plus Spokane (his home town).  While a presidential candidate, and later as the University’s president-designate, Dr. Nellis expressed strong support for the College of Law.  He and his wife Ruthie were in Idaho Falls today (July 6) and are scheduled to visit the following additional locations:

• Twin Falls: Tuesday, July 7 - Canyon Crest Events Center 11:30 am - 1:30 pm
• Boise: Wednesday, July 8  - Boise Doubletree Riverside 4:30 - 6:30 pm
• Spokane: Thursday, July 9 - Luigi's Italian Restaurant 12:00 - 1:30 pm
• Coeur d'Alene: Thursday, July 9 - Coeur d'Alene Resort 4:30 - 6:30 pm
• Moscow: Friday, July 10 - University Inn Best Western 12:00 - 2:00 pm
• Lewiston: Wednesday, July 15 - Red Lion Hotel 11:30 am - 1:00 pm

The President’s office is maintaining a blog during the tour.  It can be accessed at http://www.uidahoblogs.com/tour/.

College of Law Receives Notice of Top Ten Ranking among “Best Values” in Legal Education

At a time when prospective law students are scrutinizing the cost-effectiveness of legal education, and evaluating the indebtedness they might  incur, the University of Idaho has received a welcome notice from National Jurist magazine that the College of Law is ranked in the “top ten” (9^th to be exact) among America’s “best values” in legal education.  (The American Bar Association currently accredits 200 law schools in the United States.)  The full story will appear in the Fall, 2009, edition of the magazine, to be circulated on or about September 1.  This is not the first time a national publication has noted the value of an Idaho legal education.  In 2004, Prelaw magazine, a sister publication to the National Jurist, ranked the University of Idaho as an “excellent value” based upon objective criteria including tuition levels, bar passage and employment rates, and student-faculty ratio.  Further information can be obtained from Dean Burnett (dburnett@uidaho.edu). 

Legal Aid Clinic and Faculty Earn Plaudits from Ninth Circuit for Pro Bono Work

a recent reception in Seattle honoring pro bono lawyers, she assumed it was a routine social invitation.  But when the Court offered to pay for her travel, she realized something more was afoot.  On June 23 the Ninth Circuit recognized the University of Idaho Legal Aid Clinic for years of pro bono service in cases where representation has been requested by the Court.  The Certificate of Appreciation states: “The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit extends its appreciation to the University of Idaho College of Law and Maureen Laflin, Esq., and Monica Schurtman, Esq., in recognition of outstanding contributions of time and legal expertise in support of the Pro Bono Program.”  (Italics supplied.)  Making the presentation on behalf of the Court, Susan Gelmis, supervisor of the Ninth Circuit’s Motions Unit and Pro Se Unit, noted that the University of Idaho clinic had provided indigent representation on request even before there was an official Pro Bono Program, and that Idaho had served as the model for creation of the Program.

Career Development Update: Where Do Idaho Law Students Go When They Graduate?

Late in each calendar year, the College of Law Office of Career Development conducts a thorough, person-by-person survey of that year’s graduating class in order to determine the graduates’ employment status. Each year some graduates, for personal reasons, do not immediately seek employment. The latest survey, focusing on Class of 2008 respondents in the job market, revealed that 86.6% had secured employment at the time of the survey, 3.1% were pursuing post-J.D. degrees, and 10.3% continued to seek employment.

Within the group seeking employment, several were studying to take a bar examination for the first or second time. (The pass rate for University of Idaho first-time takers on the summer 2008 Idaho bar exam was 81% -- almost identical to the pass rate of 80.7% for all first-time takers.)

Within the employed group, the percentage reportedly taking jobs in Idaho rose to approximately 64.3%, compared to 54.8% in 2007.  There was a corresponding decrease in reported employment in both the states of Washington (8.3%) and Utah (5.95%), traditionally our strongest employment markets after Idaho. Among the graduates reporting employment in Idaho, approximately 37% were located in Boise. Other Idaho cities where graduates reported employment in 2008 included Twin Falls (9.3%), Coeur d’Alene (11%), Idaho Falls and Moscow (each 7.4%), and Nampa and Caldwell (each 5.6%).

University of Idaho College of Law graduates continued to pursue employment in the public interest sector at the rate of 8.3%, well above the national average of 5.4%. Graduates also obtained judicial clerkships at a much higher percentage (23.8%) than the national average (9.6%).  Private firms hired the highest percentage of graduates at 36.9% of the total employed. Of those, 48% started in firms with two to 10 attorneys and 32% in firms with 11 to 25 attorneys.

Further information about employment trends and opportunities for University of Idaho law graduates may be obtained from Anne-Marie Fulfer, Director of Career Development (amfulfer@uidaho.edu).