University of Idaho College of Law

Established in 1909, the University of Idaho College of Law is among the best small state public law schools in the U.S. We emphasize quality over quantity, have an average enrollment of 325 students between Moscow and Boise and guarantee the personal attention each student deserves. Your support directly leads to student engagement and success.

Gifts made during Vandal Giving Day support our:

College of Law Scholarship Fund

The Scholarship Fund allows the College of Law to recruit and retain the best, brightest and most deserving future lawyers. In fact, more than half of this year’s first-year students have received financial support from the Scholarship Fund. With an average debt load of 103k+ for U of I law students, the Scholarship Fund provides financial support that makes a legal education as affordable as it can be and allows our students to return to their communities to begin their legal career.

Your gift to our scholarship fund will allow some of our most deserving students to pursue and continue with their legal education. 

College of Law Excellence Fund

Your gift to the College of Law Excellence Fund creates opportunities for law students to be competitive in national Moot Court, Negotiation and other lawyering competitions. In 2019, U of I’s Moot Court team traveled to compete in Missoula, Montana, while our Negotiation team traveled to New Orleans to compete in the NFL Negotiation Competition Team just before Superbowl Sunday.  Excellence funds are currently being used to outfit and upgrade the technology and sound in our larger classrooms to allow for effective distance learning.

NFL Negotiation Team

National Moot Court Team 

Last spring, Excellence Fund resources were used to create a family-friendly study room and a nursing room for new parents. These designated rooms provide a place for students to study while keeping children close and safe. It also keeps noise away from other students. These rooms have allowed our students to schedule play/study dates where the children can play and the parents can study.

Family-friendly Study Room

A gift to the Excellence Fund is the easiest way to impact students in the College of Law.

College of Law Faculty Scholarship

A scholarship fund has been established to honor the 180 combined teaching years of Professors Anderson, Beard, Cosens, Laflin, Lillard, and Miller and recent retirees Dean Burnett, and Professors Brandt and Goble. The College of Law Faculty Scholarship will be given each year to a rising 3L student based on need, and a demonstrated commitment to public service, the community and the College of Law. A gift to this scholarship will not only help a returning student in need, it will also honor the many retiring members of the faculty of the College of Law who have given so much to legal education in the state of Idaho.

2020 Retiring Faculty. Mark Anderson, Ben Beard, Barb Cosens, Maureen Laflin, Monique Lillard and Jack Miller.

Native American Law Program

The Native American Law Program at the University of Idaho College of Law is focused on providing law students with a foundation in the interrelationship between Tribal Law, Federal Indian Law and State Law.  Led by Professor Dylan Hedden-Nicely, in collaboration with regional tribal nations, the Native American Law Program allows students to participate in the Native American Law Students Association (NALSA), serve as fellows in the Indian Estate Planning Program, receive training in the Tribal Court CASA program and compete in the annual NALSA moot court competition.  

Student Scholarship Recipient with Nez Perce Office of General Counsel

College of Law Legal Aid Clinics

In 2019, the College of Law offered six legal clinics including the Family Justice Center in Boise and the Main Street Legal Clinic located in Moscow. Each clinic makes significant contributions to the community and to the practical education of law students. The Family Justice Clinic provided free legal assistance that impacted 262 families in and around Ada County, many of whom were escaping abusive situations. In recent years, the Main Street Legal Clinic resolved the Syringa lawsuit impacting residents in a Latah County Mobile Home Park. Last year, the Entrepreneur Clinic allowed third-year students in Boise to advise 30 Idaho businesses through 1,100 hours of professional legal services. In 2019, Moscow Immigration Clinic students were able to obtain a low bond in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals for a detained asylum seeker from Ghana. 

Family Justice Clinic Director and 3L Law Students

Your gift supports the College of Law legal clinics as they prepare our students for client interactions and real-world, practical lawyering experience.