University of Wyoming College of Law: Programs and Opportunities

The University of Wyoming College of Law, established in 1920, stands as the sole law school in Wyoming. Situated in Laramie, amidst the Rocky Mountains, the College of Law provides an environment where students can pursue a comprehensive legal education.

Foundational Principles and Accreditation

The primary goal of the College of Law is to deliver a comprehensive legal education, preparing students to practice law with competence and integrity. The curriculum emphasizes the analysis and understanding of legal principles, as well as the development of practical skills essential for the legal profession. Approved by the American Bar Association and a member of the Association of American Law Schools, the College of Law ensures its graduates are eligible for bar admission in every state.

Curriculum Structure

The College of Law offers a three-year curriculum. The first year focuses on required courses foundational to legal knowledge. The final two years primarily consist of elective courses, allowing students to tailor their education to their interests.

Course Requirements and Credit Hours

For students who began their studies in or after the fall 2013 semester, graduation requires the successful completion of 90 credit hours with a minimum grade. At least 59 of these credits must be earned at the University of Wyoming College of Law. The course of study must be completed no earlier than 24 months (2 years) and not later than 84 months (7 years) after a student has commenced law study.

Overall Hours: A minimum of 90 credit hours is required for graduation.
Law A-F Hours: At least 76 credit hours must be completed through graded (A-F) courses.
Non-Law Courses: Second and third-year students may apply up to six credit hours of non-law school graduate-level courses towards their law degree, provided they earn a grade of B or better. Online courses are not eligible.

Joint Degree Programs

Students enrolled in joint degree programs can apply up to 9 hours required for graduation in non-law school graduate level courses (online courses will not be approved) toward their law degree. These programs include:

JD/MA in Environment and Natural Resources
JD/MPA (Master of Public Administration)
JD/MBA (Master of Business Administration)

The College of Law automatically approves up to 9 hours of any joint degree core courses with the corresponding prefix to their joint degree (i.e. MBAM, POLS, ENR) that meet the grade requirement, of a letter grade of B or better, to transfer in toward their law degree. However, if a student drops their dual degree, any non-law courses are subject to review and approval based on specific criteria.

Students in a joint degree program who use 9 non-law credit hours toward their J.D. degree may reduce their required number of graded credits from 76 to 73 so that they can participate in other S/U offerings at the College of Law. To receive law school credit for the non-law course, a student will be required to earn a grade of B or better in the non-law course. The grade will not count, however, toward the student’s law school GPA. The course will be counted as a “satisfactory” grade for purposes of the student’s law school GPA. Joint degree students should be aware that non-law courses completed on this basis will not count toward the 73 hours that joint degree students must complete in graded courses as a requirement for graduation.

Grading System and Academic Standing

The College of Law uses a plus/minus grading system. Grades of incomplete (I) and withdrawal (W) are disregarded in GPA calculations. A required course in which a grade of F, W, or U is received must be repeated. Repeating a course otherwise requires faculty consent. Satisfactory (S) or unsatisfactory (U) grading applies only if the course is offered on an S/U basis or a student takes a non-law graduate-level course.

To graduate, all students must earn a cumulative grade point average of 2.000 for all courses taken at the College of Law. If a course is repeated, both grades shall be included in computing the average. The student, except in exceptional circumstances, must have a baccalaureate degree.

First Year: A student who fails to make a 1.800 GPA after the first semester or fails to make a 1.900 cumulative GPA overall in the first year’s work will be excluded from the College of Law.
Academic Probation: A student who enters the second year with a GPA lower than 2.000 but at 1.900 or above, or who fails to maintain a 2.000 cumulative GPA after the first year, will be placed on academic probation.
Readmission: A student excluded from the College of Law may petition the faculty for readmission. The faculty may, in its discretion, readmit the student upon receipt of satisfactory evidence of extenuating circumstances or marked improvement in grades and study habits. Readmission may be subject to conditions, including, but not limited to, the repeating of any or all courses, as the faculty may decide. If a student’s petition for reinstatement is denied, the student must wait nine months before petitioning again for readmission. Also, all students are limited to two petitions for readmission.

Experiential Learning

As a condition of graduation, each student must successfully complete no fewer than 6.0 credit hours in experiential learning courses. Experiential learning courses include a simulation course, a law clinic, or an externship field placement.

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Advanced Writing Requirement

As a condition of graduation, all students must complete an upper-level writing requirement consisting of a research paper of a minimum length of 5,000 words, exclusive of footnotes. All students must follow a designated standard citation form. Students must submit a detailed outline of the paper to the supervising professor, then must rewrite the paper at least once after the professor reviews the first draft. With the professor’s approval, the student can meet the advanced writing requirement in any law school elective course, including a seminar, as long as the above requirements are met. All student articles written for law review, whether published or unpublished, must have a supervising faculty member and otherwise meet all other provisions of the College of Law Advanced Writing Requirement. A student may also fulfill the requirement through an independent study or by writing a case note or comment for the law review, under the supervision of a professor.

Attendance Policy

In accordance with American Bar Association Standard 308(a), students must attend at least 75 percent of scheduled classes in each course. A professor may impose a minimum-attendance requirement of greater than 75 percent if the policy is communicated in writing before or during the first day of class. The law school will not differentiate between excused and unexcused absences under this policy. A student who does not comply with the minimum-attendance requirement will be dropped from the course and receive a grade of F, unless extenuating circumstances are present, in which case the student will be dropped from the course and receive a grade of W. A professor may allow students to participate in class via virtual platforms (e.g., Zoom), but students who participate in this manner will be counted as absent regardless of causation.

Honor Code

Students enrolled in the College of Law are engaged in a course of study leading to membership in the legal profession. The profession requires adherence to high ethical standards and the assumption by its members of responsibility for the maintenance of those standards. Accordingly, the College of Law has adopted an Honor Code addressing misrepresentations, theft, the use of library materials, the preparation of course work, and the conduct of examinations, along with procedures for alleged violations. A copy of the Honor Code is given to each new student who enters the College of Law. All students are governed by the Honor Code and are required to sign a pledge to abide by and be subject to the provisions of the code.

Honor Roll

Students enrolled in a minimum of 12.0 semester hours of law courses carrying A-F grades and who have no semester grades of incomplete (I) are eligible for the President’s Honor Roll and the Dean’s Honor Roll. Students with a semester average of 4.000 will be named to the President’s Honor Roll.

Full-Time Study

The College of Law does not permit students to attend on a part-time basis. Students are required to take the full load of required courses during their first two semesters and to carry at least 9 credit hours in law courses in each of the remaining semesters of law study. Notwithstanding, if a student has less than 9 credits remaining in their final semester of study, then said student may register for only the number of remaining credits.

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Admission Requirements

Admission to the College of Law is competitive and based on several factors.

General Requirements

A student must usually have a B.A. or B.S. degree before beginning the professional study of law. There are no restrictions on the field in which the degree is earned.
Every applicant must take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT).
Every applicant must register and pay the associated fees with the Law School Admission Council Credential Assembly Service.
Every applicant must complete the electronic University of Wyoming College of Law Application through LSAC between September 15 and April 30.

Application Process

The College of Law restricts the number of entering students to maintain a class size consistent with its facilities and educational objectives. An initial entering class will be selected from completed applications on file on April 30. Students who submit a complete application and it is received by the College of Law by December 15 will be considered for early admission.

Transfer Students

Transfer students are admitted only when the College of Law facilities and curriculum permit. A transfer student may transfer a minimum of 30 credits, and up to the number of credits the student could have earned had the student completed their first year at the University of Wyoming College of Law. Transfer credit will be given only for courses in which the student earned a grade of C or higher. If admitted, the student must satisfy the requirements for graduation established by the College of Law, including such other requirements as may be imposed as a condition of admission.

Resources and Facilities

George W. Hopper Law Library

The George W. Hopper Law Library supports the students, faculty, and staff of the College of Law, as well as the university community and the state. The library's collection includes 206,120 treatises, microfiche, law reviews, federal and state statutes, administrative decisions, digests, looseleafs, citators, encyclopedias, reporters, and audio-visual resources. The library has access to many electronic legal databases, such as Lexis and Westlaw. The library includes multiple study rooms that can be reserved for student use, and study carrels which are assigned to students through a lottery run by the Potter Law Club.

Wyoming Law Review

The Wyoming Law Review is the legal publication at the University of Wyoming College of Law. Founded in 1946, the law review publishes semiannually on a variety of topics.

Alan K. Simpson Center for Clinical and Experiential Learning

The Alan K. Simpson Center for Clinical and Experiential Learning is a 2024 facility addition, providing community-rich spaces that enhance students’ training as both scholars and practitioners.

Faculty

The faculty at the University of Wyoming College of Law includes:

KLINT ALEXANDER, B.A. Yale University 1991; Ph.D./M.Phil. Cambridge University 1997; J.D.
MELISSA ALEXANDER, B.A. Yale University 1996; J.D.
JACQUELYN BRIDGEMAN, B.A. Stanford University 1996; J.D.
DANIELLE R. COVER, B.A. University of Maryland 1994; J.D.
JAMES M. DELANEY, B.A. University of Washington 1985; J.D. Gonzaga University School of Law 1992; LL.M.
STEPHEN M. FELDMAN, B.A. Hamilton College 1977; J.D. University of Oregon 1982; J.S.M. Stanford University 1986; Jerry W. Housel/ Carl F.
JULIE HILL, B.S. Southern Utah University 1998; J.D.
DARRELL D. JACKSON, B.A. College of William and Mary 1987; J.D. George Mason University School of Law 1990; Ph.D.
SAM KALEN, B.A. Clark University 1980; J.D.
GEORGE MOCSARY, B.E. The Cooper Union School of Engineering 1995; MBA University of Rochester 1995; J.D.
NOAH B. NOVOGRODSKY, B.A. Swarthmore College 1992; J.D.
RACHEL NGO NTOMP, L.L.B. University of Geneva 2015; L.L.M. University of Geneva 2017; L.L.M. Boston University School of Law 2022; Assistant Professor of Law, 2024.
TARA RIGHETTI, B.A. University of Colorado Boulder 2005; J.D.
JASON ROBISON, B.S. University of Utah 2003; J.D. University of Oregon 2006; LL.M. Harvard Law School 2009; S.J.D.
ALAN ROMERO, B.A. Brigham Young University 1990; J.D.
MICHAEL R. SMITH, B.S. Florida State University 1982; J.D.
JERRY FOWLER, B.A. Princeton University 1983; J.D.
LAUREN MCLANE, B.S. Radford University 2002; J.D.
DONA PLAYTON, B.S. University of Wyoming 1989; J.D.
MEREDITH ESSER, B.A. Dartmouth College 2003; M.S. London School of Economics and Political Science 2005; J.D. Georgetown University Law Center 2010.
CARYN SCHREIBER, B.A. Binghamton University 2008; J.D.
KIPP CODDINGTON, B.S. Purdue University 1986; J.D.
LINDSAY HOYT, B.A. University of Wyoming 1999; J.D.
TAWNYA PLUMB, B.A. University of Wyoming 1996; M.L.I.S.
Debra L. Donahue, Harvey Gelb, Timothy Kearley, Dee Pridgen, Elaine A. Welle, Kenneth D. Debora A.

Alumni

The University of Wyoming College of Law has produced numerous distinguished alumni, including:

James L. Applegate
James E. Barrett
Wade Brorby
Ken Buck
E. James Burke
Dave Freudenthal
Michael Golden
Oscar A. Hall
John Hickey
William U. Hill
Alan B. Johnson
Robert H. Johnson
Marilyn Kite
Michael R. Murphy
Bob Nicholas
Terrence L. O’Brien
Charles Pelkey
Gregory A. Phillips
Alan Simpson
Gerry Spence
Mike Sullivan
Barton Voigt
James G. Watt
Matt Mead
Ed Murray

Career Opportunities

UW Law graduates continually report an 85-90 percent employment rate after graduating and practice primarily in small private firms or are employed by federal, state, local, and tribal governments. The small size of the student body allows Career Services to provide personalized attention to students, including one-on-one career counseling and job-search assistance.

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