University of South Dakota School of Law
Encyclopedia
The 'University of South Dakota School of Law (USD Law) is the law school
of the University of South Dakota
and the only law school in the state
of South Dakota
. It is located on the USD campus in Vermillion
in the southeastern part of the state, near the Missouri River
and the Iowa
and Nebraska
borders. USD Law is fully accredited
by the American Bar Association
and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools
.
, three associate professors, and three assistant professors.
The class entering in Fall 2010 consisted of 75 students, out of the 220 offered admission and 449 who applied. They came from 46 colleges and 14 states. Fifty-eight percent were South Dakota residents, 42% were female, and 9% minorities. The 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile LSAT scores and GPAs for the class were 150/153/156 and 3.18/3.44/3.73 respectively.
at USD. It is a three-story building that is open 24 hours a day and is equipped for wired and wireless
network connectivity
. The library is staffed by six professional staff members, including one holder of a J.D. and two holders of a Master of Library Science
as well as one clerical staffer. The library also has 40 computer workstations, including a computer lab
with 15 personal computers.
School's educational offeringss includes a particularly strong American Indian Law Program. Nationally-recognized professors direct a unique and extensive curriculum with a concentration in the study of American Indian Law. Internship and externship experiences both within and outside Indian Country further enhance the classroom experience. Ninety semester hours are required for the JD degree, and the first-year curriculum is required of all students.
The small, professional community at USD Law ensures student opportunities for individual attention by professors and staff. There are nine programs with other USD graduate departments to provide Joint-Degree Programs with the Law School. The placement opportunities for third-year law students are excellent in South Dakota, the surrounding areas, and throughout the United States. The Law School works closely with Access To Justice, the South Dakota Bar's pro bono office, as well as the Elder Law Program, legal services offices in the area, the South Dakota Innocence Project, and an in-house AmeriCorps attorney to provide pro bono experiences for students assisting people with their legal needs. USD School of Law offers an extraordinary experience in legal education at a remarkably reasonable tuition rate for both residents and nonresidents.
Law school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
of the University of South Dakota
University of South Dakota
The University of South Dakota ', the state’s oldest university, was founded in 1862 and classes began in 1882. Located in Vermillion, South Dakota, United States, USD is home to South Dakota's only medical school and law school. USD is governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents, and its current...
and the only law school in the state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
. It is located on the USD campus in Vermillion
Vermillion, South Dakota
Vermillion is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of South Dakota, and the tenth largest city in the state. According to the 2010 Census, the population was 10,571. Vermillion lies atop a bluff near the Missouri River.The area has been home to...
in the southeastern part of the state, near the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
and the Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
and Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
borders. USD Law is fully accredited
Educational accreditation
Educational accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met...
by the American Bar Association
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools
Association of American Law Schools
The Association of American Law Schools is a non-profit organization of 170 law schools in the United States. Another 25 schools are "non-member fee paid" schools, which are not members but choose to pay AALS dues. Its purpose is to improve the legal profession through the improvement of legal...
.
Academics
The student/faculty ratio is 16 to 1. The faculty consists of 11 professorsProfessors in the United States
In the U.S., "Professors" commonly occupy any of several positions in academia, typically the ranks of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor or Full Professor....
, three associate professors, and three assistant professors.
The class entering in Fall 2010 consisted of 75 students, out of the 220 offered admission and 449 who applied. They came from 46 colleges and 14 states. Fifty-eight percent were South Dakota residents, 42% were female, and 9% minorities. The 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile LSAT scores and GPAs for the class were 150/153/156 and 3.18/3.44/3.73 respectively.
Facilities
The McKusick Law Library is the law libraryLaw library
A law library is a library designed to assist law students, attorneys, judges, and their law clerks and anyone else who finds it necessary to correctly determine the state of the law....
at USD. It is a three-story building that is open 24 hours a day and is equipped for wired and wireless
Wireless
Wireless telecommunications is the transfer of information between two or more points that are not physically connected. Distances can be short, such as a few meters for television remote control, or as far as thousands or even millions of kilometers for deep-space radio communications...
network connectivity
Computer network
A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....
. The library is staffed by six professional staff members, including one holder of a J.D. and two holders of a Master of Library Science
Master of Library and Information Science
The Master of Library and Information Science is the master's degree that is required for most professional librarian positions in the United States and Canada. The MLIS is a relatively recent degree; an older and still common degree designation for librarians to acquire is the Master of Library...
as well as one clerical staffer. The library also has 40 computer workstations, including a computer lab
Computer lab
A computer lab, also known as a computer suite or computer cluster is typically a room which contains many networked computers for public use...
with 15 personal computers.
School's educational offeringss includes a particularly strong American Indian Law Program. Nationally-recognized professors direct a unique and extensive curriculum with a concentration in the study of American Indian Law. Internship and externship experiences both within and outside Indian Country further enhance the classroom experience. Ninety semester hours are required for the JD degree, and the first-year curriculum is required of all students.
The small, professional community at USD Law ensures student opportunities for individual attention by professors and staff. There are nine programs with other USD graduate departments to provide Joint-Degree Programs with the Law School. The placement opportunities for third-year law students are excellent in South Dakota, the surrounding areas, and throughout the United States. The Law School works closely with Access To Justice, the South Dakota Bar's pro bono office, as well as the Elder Law Program, legal services offices in the area, the South Dakota Innocence Project, and an in-house AmeriCorps attorney to provide pro bono experiences for students assisting people with their legal needs. USD School of Law offers an extraordinary experience in legal education at a remarkably reasonable tuition rate for both residents and nonresidents.
Notable alumni
- Tim Johnson (J.D., 1975), U.S. Senator from South Dakota, 1997-present.