The information on these pages was provided by the law school.
University of Missouri—Kansas City School of Law
5100 Rockhill Road
Kansas City, MO 64110
Phone: 816.235.1644; Fax: 816.235.5276
E-mail: law@umkc.edu; Website: www.law.umkc.edu; http://twitter.com/UMKCLaw
n Introduction
The University of Missouri—Kansas City School of Law
(UMKC) takes pride in being the urban public law school with
the small liberal arts feel. UMKC serves and collaborates with
the legal communities in two major metropolitan areas of the
states of Missouri and Kansas. Students, faculty, and alumni
actively lead and participate in professional activities with
area bar associations, lawyers, and law firms, as well as
government agencies and the judiciary.
UMKC law school graduates hold important positions in
legal arenas across the country, distinguishing themselves in
private practice, government service, academia, and
corporate roles. UMKC is one of only six law schools to have
educated both a president of the United States and a US
Supreme Court justice. Many other UMKC alumni currently
serve as judges at the federal, state, and local levels.
UMKC School of Law is committed to providing a
high-quality legal education in a professional and supportive
environment, concentrating always on the foundations of
good lawyering: respect for people, knowledge, ideas, and
justice. UMKC is one of the most student-friendly law schools
in the country, with outstanding student-faculty interaction
and alumni providing mentoring to our students through the
UMKC Inns of Court program.
Founded in 1895, the school is accredited by the American
Bar Association (ABA) and is a member of the Association of
American Law Schools (AALS).
n Faculty
Our faculty are outstanding scholars who have extensive
practice experience and national renown. For example,
Professor Doug Linder’s Famous Trials website,
www.umkc.edu/famoustrials, receives seven to nine million
hits per month. Professor Bill Eckhardt was the chief
prosecutor in the My Lai massacre case. Professor Kris
Kobach is one of the nation’s leading conservative voices on
immigration policy, while Professor Bill Black’s experience
and expertise in bank regulation has led him to major roles in
a Barack Obama campaign documentary and a Michael
Moore film about America’s financial crisis.
Faculty at UMKC are actively engaged with students both
inside and outside the classroom—in competitions as well as
activities and events. Under faculty supervision, students write
and edit a substantial portion of the UMKC Law Review, a
scholarly legal journal, and also serve as assistant editors of
The Urban Lawyer, published by the ABA Section of State and
Local Government Law, and the national and international
Journal of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.
n Library and Physical Facilities
Office suites shared by faculty and students are designed to
foster the exchange of ideas and to promote collegiality
between faculty and students. The school has over 121,000
square feet of usable space, which includes wireless computer
access throughout the building, and a newly remodeled
courtroom with state-of-the-art technology and an innovative
viewing theater.
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University of Missouri—Kansas City School of Law
The Leon E. Bloch Law Library combines the traditions of
print media with emerging electronic media in preparing the
lawyer for the future and supporting the legal community.
n Curriculum
Courses are taught in a variety of formats. Many of the
substantive courses include problem solving, simulations, service
learning, and the development of skills components essential to
the practice of law. The first-year JD program offers a year-long
intensive Introduction to Law and Lawyering Processes. The
upper-level program includes a combination of required
courses, as well as a broad selection of elective courses.
All first-year sections have 60 or fewer students, and first-year
legal research and writing classes have approximately 25
students each. Among the 114 upper division courses offered
each year, 84 have an enrollment of fewer than 25 students,
and 19 more have an enrollment of between 25 and 49
students. A law school strategies program that includes
supervised, structured study groups, lecture series, and weekly
workshops is open to all students. Additional opportunities
include a week-long summer program, which is available on a
limited basis.
While the school’s innovative Solo and Small Firm Initiative
prepares students for general practice, those seeking more
focused study can pursue one of our five emphasis areas:
Litigation; Business and Entrepreneurial Law; Urban, Land Use
and Environmental Law; International, Comparative, and
Foreign Law, and Law in Service to Children and Families.
These emphases build on our long-standing tradition of
excellence in these areas and prepare students to enter the
job market with specialized knowledge and skills.
A part-time day program is available for those students with
family or career responsibilities who are unable to enroll on a
full-time basis. Full-time students may graduate in two and
one-half years by attending two summer sessions.
n JD/MBA and JD/MPA Programs
The School of Law has established dual-degree programs
with the Henry W. Bloch School of Business and Public
Administration. The program allows students to earn a JD
degree and a Master of Business Administration or Master of
Public Administration degree on an accelerated basis through
cross-acceptance of some credit hours. Applicants must
satisfy the admission requirements of each school.
n JD/LLM and Combined-Degree Programs
The School of Law has adopted combined-degree programs
that allow qualified JD students to apply, with approval, up to
12 credit hours of UMKC tax or estate planning courses
toward an LLM on an accelerated basis, generally requiring
only one additional semester (or two summer sessions)
beyond that required for the JD degree.
n Student Activities
The law school’s location in a metropolitan area provides many
opportunities for students to engage in real-life representation
University of Missouri—Kansas City School of Law
of clients in clinical programs. More than 50 percent of our
students take advantage of internships and clinics that include
UMKC’s Child and Family Services Clinic, Tax Clinic,
Entrepreneurial Legal Services Clinic, and The Innocence Project
Clinic. The school also offers a number of field placements.
Students may also participate in our Pro Bono/Public Service
Program designed to instill a sense of civic responsibility and
meet the needs of those with limited means in the community.
Students obtain advanced skills development in trial and
appellate advocacy through sequenced upper-level courses
and competition participation. Students also participate in
client counseling and negotiation competitions. UMKC
teams frequently win regional and national honors in
these competitions.
UMKC benefits from an active Student Bar Association, which
represents students and plays an important role in establishing
school policy. Three national legal fraternities have chapters at
the school, as do Black Law Students, Hispanic Law Students,
Jewish Law Students, Asian Pacific Islander Law Students,
Women Law Students, and Nontraditional Law Students.
Additional student organizations specialize in many areas of
interest, with over 30 total student groups. Students also have
the opportunity to participate in study-abroad programs that
visit China, Ireland, and Oxford. The school provides many
opportunities for development of personal relationships that
will last throughout one’s career.
n Admission
The School of Law restricts the number of students admitted
each year to achieve a favorable faculty-to-student ratio,
providing the best possible legal education for each student
enrolled. Because many more people apply to the law school
than there are seats available, admission is highly
competitive. While substantial weight is given to the LSAT
score and undergraduate GPA, the law school and its faculty
believe that using factors in addition to the LSAT and GPA
contribute to an intellectually stimulating and diverse
environment. These factors include racial, ethnic, cultural,
gender, age, or other forms of diversity; triumphs over
challenges and barriers based on societal discrimination or
economic disadvantage; outstanding leadership qualities;
serious and sustained commitment to significant public or
community service; advanced or specialized educational
achievements; accomplishments or qualities indicative of
potential for contributing to scholarly and creative initiatives;
and potential to provide high-quality legal services to clients.
Students may be admitted with a bachelor’s degree from an
approved institution, or in appropriate cases, with 90 hours of
acceptable academic work. Arrangements can be made to
meet with students and faculty, visit a class, or tour the school.
n Career Services
The Office of Career Services assists law students in exploring
and defining career options. It also provides advice and
assistance in résumé preparation and interviewing skills. The
office sponsors a series of programs to introduce students to
a variety of career opportunities. Participants in the school’s
Judicial Clerkship Initiative have enjoyed a high placement
rate in pursuing clerkships with state and federal judges.
Applicant Profile
University of Missouri—Kansas City School of Law
LSAT
Score
GPA
3.75 +
3.50–3.74
3.25–3.49
3.00–3.24
2.75–2.99
2.50–2.74
2.25–2.49
2.00–2.24
Below 2.00
175–180
170–174
165–169
160–164
155–159
150–154
145–149
140–144
135–139
130–134
125–129
120–124
Good Possibility
Possible
Unlikely
Average LSAT data reported.
University of Missouri—Kansas City School of Law
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