First Monday - August 2, 2010

In this issue:

• Admissions – applications still up as we “head into the home stretch”.
• Professor Ben Beard on Committee on the Implementation of the U.N. E-Commerce Convention
• Cooperation with BSU – JD/MAcct (Taxation) approved by State Board of Ed

Applications for Admissions Up

August has begun and the Academic Support and Admissions staff is busy putting the finishing touches on preparations Early Welcome starting on August 11, 2010 and Orientation starting on August 16, 2010. Applications are up by 18% during this admissions cycle and the incoming class will be a diverse group. Our goal for this class was approximately 125 1L students, however, the affordability of Idaho Law has created a higher than usual yield of our accepted students so our class may be as large as 140 1L students.

Early Welcome, a program designed to aid students in their transition to law school, will start on August 11th with 25-30 students. The program includes an introduction to Sources of Law, Briefing, Outlining and other activities designed to help students adjust to law school for a variety of reasons, for example, a significant period away from school, cultural adjustment to small town living, or other events that may interfere with their success in law school.

Orientation begins on Monday, August 16th with the Professionalism program throughout the day including 40 mentors from around the state and Convocation in the evening.

Prof. Beard on UN E-Commerce Committee

Professor Ben Beard has been the Reporter for the Committee on the Implementation of the U.N. E-Commerce Convention, a committee of the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Over the past two years the Committee considered the best method for the United States to implement the United Nations Convention on the Use of Electronic Communications in International Contracts (the “E-Commerce Convention”), with particular emphasis on the best method for implementation of the E-Commerce Convention with the least impact on existing state laws. The Committee’s Report recommends that Congress ratify the E-Commerce Convention as a non-self-executing treaty, and pass legislation adopting the language of the Convention as federal law. As an alternative, the committee noted that the convention could be implemented through an exemption to federal preemption for existing state law to the extent that a state had enacted the 1999 uniform version of the uniform electronic transactions act.

The Conference approved the Committee’s Report at its Annual Meeting in July. Professor Beard will now be working with the Chair of the Committee and the State Department to finalize the Conference Report for presentation as part of a package to go to the Senate for ratification of the E-Commerce Convention. Professor Beard emphasizes the Committee’s report is but a recommendation to the Senate (other organizations, including the ABA will make separate recommendations).

Joint JD/MAcct with Boise State University Approved

The University of Idaho College of Law is pleased to announce the approval by the State Board of Education of the JD/MAcct (Taxation) joint program with BSU. This program will allow our students to complete the coursework within 3 ½ to 4 years and graduate with the specialized skills to be competitive in the changing marketplace of legal education.

In addition, the framework has been established for a JD/MBA program between Idaho Law and BSU which will be similar to the continuing JD/MBA program at Idaho Law and WSU. Beginning this fall, the Small Business Legal Clinic will also be collaborating with BSU’s Small Business Development Center to further expand the outreach of the Idaho Law programs in Boise.