MU Law at a Glance

History

Beetle Bailey, the brainchild of Mort Walker '48, pictured in front of the School of Law, Hulston Hall.

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Before the Civil War, most Missouri lawyers qualified for admission to the bar through the usual means available in the 19th Century: self-study, apprenticeship or instruction given by a lawyer in his office. In 1872 the Curators of the University of Missouri established the University of Missouri Law Department, making it one of the oldest law schools in the country.

Curriculum

Students often describe the academic atmosphere at MU as challenging, but with an emphasis on learning rather than competition. Courses offer students a broad and balanced perspective on the law and legal institutions to prepare them for a wide range of career options in law, as well as alternative careers anywhere in the country.

Faculty

38 full-time and 19 emeritus and adjunct faculty members come from the finest law firms, government agencies and law schools across the country.

Students

The first year class is divided into two sections with approximately 75 students in each section. Many of the upper level classes have an average of fewer than 20 students. The average age of students is 24, with ages ranging from in the 20s to the 50s. The male/female ratio has recently been about 55 percent to 45 percent, and minorities usually have constituted 10-15 percent of each class.

Student/Faculty Ratio

16 to 1.

Location

With a population of about 90,000, Columbia is located in central Missouri, midway between St. Louis and Kansas City and one half-hour from the state's capital, Jefferson City. Columbia is routinely rated as one of the best U.S. cities in which to reside.

Accreditation

The School of Law is a charter member of the Association of American Law Schools and is fully accredited by the American Bar Association.

Facility (John K. Hulston Hall)

The school's spacious and modern building, opened in 1988, is a magnificent laboratory for learning the law. Students rate MU's law school facility as one of the top in the country. The self contained facility houses the law school's classrooms, libraries, student offices, computer labs, lounges and dining areas.

Preeminent among Hulston Hall's many interesting features is its state-of-the-art courtroom. The room is equipped with all the usual accouterments of a courtroom, plus videotaping equipment to assist students in practicing and perfecting the skills of oral argument, advocacy and litigation. The MU Law Library has an excellent collection of legal materials consisting of more than 300,000 volumes and microfilm equivalents, as well as numerous computer-assisted research resources.