Law school gears up for first classes next week

Jace Radke

Friday, Aug. 14, 1998 | 11:11 a.m.

Starting school two weeks early is a nightmarish thought for most teachers and students, but Christine Smith is ready for UNLV's new William S. Boyd School of Law to open on Monday, two weeks before the rest of campus starts classes.

Smith, the law school's associate dean of academic and student affairs, has been working with her colleagues over the past year to make sure that Nevada would no longer be the only state in the continental United States without a law school.

"We've been working all year for this, and to get it up and running is thrilling," Smith said. "We are very excited to get the students in and get to work."

The search for the 140 students that will attend the school during its charter year has occupied much of Smith's time since January.

The school received between 450 and 500 applications for its 140 seats, Smith said.

"We looked at the applicants overall file, not solely at academics, GPAs and test scores," Smith said. "We took into account extracurricular activities, graduate studies, residency and cultural, socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds."

The average age of students attending the school is 31, and 93 percent are Nevada residents. Fifty-four percent of the students are male and 84 percent are white.

"We have been fortunate to attract outstanding students from a variety of backgrounds," said Richard Morgan, law school dean. "Those of us who are part of this initial endeavor will work diligently to make the Boyd School a law school of which the state's residents can be proud."

The school is opening early to hold a week-long "Introduction to Law" course, that is mandatory for all 140 students.

The course will consist of classes and guest speakers on topics including the levels of government, legal philosophy, ethics and the role of lawyers. Orientation also will be provided during the week for incoming students.

The school is named for William "Bill" Boyd, chairman and chief executive officer of a $1 billion, 12-casino conglomerate, who donated $5 million to the law school in 1996.

"I did this because a lot of Nevada students that were very qualified never were able to go to law school because they couldn't afford to go," Boyd said during a November 1997 interview. "When you have a chance to go where your home is or in your own state, it's going to be cheaper."

The state Board of Regents approved in-state tuition a $7,000 annually, and $14,000 for out-of-state students. The tuition is more expensive than other western law schools in Idaho ($3,308), Arizona ($4,009) and Montana ($5,854).

The Boyd school's yearly tuition compares more favorably with UCLA ($10,800) and Oregon ($9,053).