DCDuck wrote:Let's see. I'm particularly interested in international law. I know that there is an international law journal, but the class offerings in that field seem sparse. Did that come up at all? And how was the library, and does it seem that it is used mostly by law students, or by the undergrad and general public, as well? Other than that, just a general overview, or anything you found interesting would be nice. Is the basketball hoop still there?
International law actually didn't come up at all that I can recall, and my specific program questions were all focused on tax. However, I do know that there is a Statement of Completion available in the subject, so you can choose it as a focus. They also have a joint degree program in International Studies and Law, if you want to pursue that. I would imagine that the Statement of Completion coupled with participation on the International Law Review would suffice as well as any similar program at another school, unless it was extremely highly ranked.
The library seemed like it was being used primarily by law students. Quite honestly, when I was in undergrad, I would occasionally use the law library, but only because it was generally empty and quiet--the atmosphere hasn't changed. I've never known the general public to use the library, honestly. As far as the actual facilities, the library was very expansive and well-designed. They also have private study rooms available for use, though my tour guide said they are typically hard to get during finals. The basketball hoop is still there, and apparently basketball is
the most competitive law school activity, according to the Dean of Admissions' speech.
As far as other interesting information....
- The Dean told me that it is possible to concentrate in more than one subject, so two or more Statements of Completion can be received, as long as one is willing to write the accompanying papers for each subject.
- The first-year books are sold in boxes, and each 1L picks up a box at orientation, upon which the bill is posted to your student account. There is also a list serve of current law students selling their books, so you can check that, purchase books included in your box, and return the corresponding books to the bookstore for an account credit.
- Study groups are common and recommended for at least the first term, though several students commented that it depends on the individual after the basics are grasped.
- Nearly all of the students in the 2011 class were able to pick up legal employment for their 1L summer. If they are not working in a legal capacity over the summer, the students are taking classes at UO or studying abroad.
- Students are able to organize new co-curricular groups if desired (I don't have specifics on this, though--I would imagine there's a specific process to follow).
- The staff for LR and the journals is chosen through a write-on competition; there is no opportunity to simply grade on.
- Students I spoke with (specifically 3Ls) are working throughout the Northwest (OR/WA) following graduation, as well as in Colorado (the EIC of LR has an appellate clerkship in Denver) and Utah specifically. These were the locations mentioned by the 5 or 6 different 3Ls I had an opportunity to speak with.
- 10-15% of the class gets jobs through OCI, though the others who spoke (ranging from top 20% to the median or so) haven't had a problem getting summer employment, as mentioned above.
I'm in class now, so I don't have access to the notes I took while I was there, but I will look when I get home and post more if there is anything of interest. These were the main points I could recall off the top of my head. Like I said before, I asked a
lot of questions, so if anyone wants anything specific answered, I may have some information for you. I hope this helps! Oh, and I'm sorry there are no pictures--we forgot the camera in Portland, so we weren't able to take any.
