Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law is one of the professional graduate schools at Arizona State University, located in Phoenix, Arizona. The school is currently located in the Beus Center for Law and Society on the downtown Phoenix campus. The school was previously located in Armstrong Hall, adjacent to the Ross-Blakley Law Library on the Tempe Campus. The first classes held in the new building started in the Fall semester of 2016. The law school was created in 1965 as the Arizona State University College of Law upon recommendation of the Arizona Board of Regents, with the first classes held in the Fall of 1967. The school has held American Bar Association accreditation since 1969 and the school is a member of the Order of the Coif, the most distinguished mark awarded American law schools. The school is also a member of the Association of American Law Schools. In 2006, the law school was renamed in honor of retired United States Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
ASU is ranked 25th overall in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, the 8th highest public law school, and the highest ranked law school in Arizona.
History
In 2012, the school announced plans that it will relocate to Arizona State University Downtown Phoenix campus. The Beus Center for Law and Society opened in 2016. The new law building cost $129 million, paid for with construction bonds, private donations and the city of Phoenix, which is providing land and $12 million. The building is named for Phoenix attorney Leo Beus, who donated $10 million to the law school in 2014.
Apart from the law school, the Beus Center for Law and Society also houses: the Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics, The McCain Institute for International Leadership, the Sandra Day O’Connor Institute, Arizona Voice for Crime Victims, the Arizona Justice Project, and the ASU Alumni Law Group.
Employment
According to ASU's official 2013 ABA-required disclosures, 84.3% of the Class of 2013 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required or JD-advantage employment nine months after graduation. ASU Law ranks No. 19 in the nation and No. 5 among public law schools for successful postgraduate job placement in great lawyer jobs. As a regional school, the vast majority of ASU graduates find employment in Arizona after graduation. Of the 204 graduates in 2013, 172 were employed in Arizona, with 5 in California and 4 in Texas. Additionally, ASU has an underemployment score of 12.7% on lawschooltransparency.com, and 8.8% of graduates are employed in school-funded positions.
Costs
For the 2016-2017 academic year, the tuition for residents was $27,074, and the tuition for nonresidents was $42,794. In 2016, the school has the highest bar passage rate in Arizona with 76.8% of first time test takers passing compared to 74% for University of Arizona, and 24.6% for Arizona Summit Law School. The state's total passage rate was 64.3% for first time test takers and 52.9% overall.
Campus
In 2012, the school announced plans that it will relocate to Arizona State University Downtown Phoenix campus, which it completed in 2016.
Apart from the law school, the Beus Center for Law and Society also houses: the Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics, The McCain Institute for International Leadership, the Sandra Day O’Connor Institute, Arizona Voice for Crime Victims, the Arizona Justice Project, and the ASU Alumni Law Group.
The new law building cost $129 million, paid for with construction bonds, private donations and the city of Phoenix, which is providing land and $12 million. The building is named for Phoenix attorney Leo Beus, who donated $10 million to the law school in 2014.
Clinical programs
The Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law has 13 clinics which offers students opportunities to practice law in a variety of settings with people who have real legal problems. Under the supervision of faculty members who are experts in their subject matter, students manage real cases and represent clients in hearings and trials before courts and administrative agencies, assist in the commercialization and monetization of new technologies, and mediate cases pending in the judicial system.
Centers and other academic programs
- The Center for Law, Science & Innovation is focused on the intersection of law with science and technology. Its 26 faculty fellows together with numerous associated faculty, students, and research fellows explore law and policy in a world of rapidly changing technologies, through scholarship, education, and policy dialogue.
- The Center for Law & Global Affairs supports and inspires research, education and practice regarding emerging forms of transnational governance that extend beyond the traditional paradigms of international law. The Center supports research and scholarship, develops courses and experiential learning programs, designs and manages international projects and engages in outreach with academic, policy and community partners.
- The Indian Legal Program was established in 1988 to provide legal education and generate scholarship in the area of Indian law and undertake public service to tribal governments. The program was founded by professor William Canby, Jr. who served as Director until his appointment to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
- The Pro Bono Program.
Notable lecturers and professors
- Paul Bender, constitutional scholar
- Sarah Buel
- Andrew Hurwitz, Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- John Clint Williamson, former United States Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues
- Scott Bales, Chief Justice, Arizona Supreme Court
- Michael J. Saks, fourth most cited scholar in the field of Law and Social Science.
Law journals
- Arizona State Law Journal
- Jurimetrics: The Journal of Law, Science, and Technology
- Law Journal for Social Justice
- Sports and Entertainment Law Journal
Notable alumni
- Michael Daly Hawkins ('70) - Senior Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- Roslyn O. Silver ('71) - Chief Judge, United States District Court for the District of Arizona
- Harriet C. Babbitt ('72) - former U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States and Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development
- Ruth McGregor ('74) - former Chief Justice, Arizona Supreme Court
- Ed Pastor ('74) - U.S. Congressman, Arizona's 4th congressional district
- Charles G. Case II ('75) - former Judge, United States Bankruptcy Court, District of Arizona
- Barry G. Silverman ('76) - Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- Terry Goddard ('76) - former Arizona Attorney General
- Michael D. Ryan ('77) - former Justice, Arizona Supreme Court
- Tena Campbell ('77) - Senior Judge, United States District Court for the District of Utah
- Phil Gordon (politician) ('78) - former Mayor of Phoenix, Arizona
- Douglas L. Rayes ('78) - Judge, United States District Court for the District of Arizona
- Grant Woods ('79) - former Arizona Attorney General
- Rebecca White Berch ('79) - Chief Justice, Arizona Supreme Court
- Richard D. Mahoney ('79) - former Arizona Secretary of State
- Fred DuVal ('80) - chairman, Arizona Board of Regents
- Rick Romley ('81) - former County Attorney for Maricopa County, Arizona
- George McCaskey ('81) - chairman, Chicago Bears
- Michael J. Ahearn ('82) - chairman and former CEO, First Solar
- Steven E. Carr ('84) - First and only American ever elected to the highest governing body of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
- David Yerushalmi ('84) - Co-founder and Senior Counsel of the American Freedom Law Center
- Ann Scott Timmer ('85) - Justice, Arizona Supreme Court
- Joe Rogers ('89) - former Lieutenant Governor of Colorado
- Gloria Navarro ('92) - Judge, United States District Court for the District of Nevada
- Diane Humetewa ('93) - first female Native American U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona
- James Hamm ('97) - private criminal justice consultant, qualified in courts as an expert on prison policy and procedure, time computations
- Jerod E. Tufte ('02) - Justice, North Dakota Supreme Court
- Kyrsten Sinema ('04) - U.S. Congresswoman, Arizona's 9th congressional district
References
External links
- Official website