University of Missouri-Kansas City
School of Law
Synthesis of 2001-2006 Strategic Plan and 2003-2004 Action Initiatives, Continued
Planning Discussions, and Initial Thoughts on the Future
February 2005
INTRODUCTION
In 2001, the School of Law completed a strategic planning process and adopted a Strategic Plan.
The Law School pursued a number of aspects of that Plan, but the Plan as a whole did not focus
our strategic direction. In May 2003, in response to new campus initiatives, the faculty, with input
from students and key staff, engaged in a second strategic planning process, this time adopting
action plans which provide more of that strategic direction and also provide some concrete steps
for the School to pursue. The action plans developed in 2003 do not articulate how they fit within
the larger strategic plan developed in 2001, but efforts have been made to reconcile the two.
Additionally, efforts were made to tie the action plans together into a more cohesive strategic
statement for the Law School, and a document doing so was submitted to the University. That
document has not yet been formally adopted by the faculty, and whether it was intended to
supersede or co-exist with the prior Strategic Plan is uncertain.
We are continuing to move forward on many of our action plans, and the faculty appears
committed to the strategic direction taken in 2003, while still working according to many of the
visions in the 2001 Plan. The faculty will continue engaging in more detailed planning both to
develop measurable outcomes as mandated by NCA accreditation and in anticipation of
preparing the self-study for our ABA sabbatical site visit in 2007.
What follows is a synthesis of the planning documents in existence at the School of Law. It is not
intended to be a comprehensive planning document, but rather to provide insight into our current
direction and set out actions we have been taking and anticipate taking in light of that direction.
“EXECUTIVE SUMMARY” OF 2001 STRATEGIC PLAN
Mission Statement
The UMKC School of Law is dedicated to educating students to become outstanding
lawyers who will serve their communities and nation in the highest tradition of the legal
profession.
Vision
The UMKC School of Law will become one of the top 50 law schools in the nation by
educating lawyers who improve the quality of legal and professional service in their communities,
and by producing scholarship that influences the nation's legal discourse.
Values
The Mission reflects an active value system that permeates every activity at the UMKC
School of Law. With this Strategic Plan, the Law School discloses the core values considered
critical to fulfilling our Vision. Our values will also help the Law School present lawyers of integrity
and consequence to the communities we serve. These values include academic excellence,
scholarship, community service, leadership, ethical standards, professionalism, experiential
learning (learning by doing), innovative teaching, diversity, personal fulfillment, entrepreneurship
and accountability.
Goals/Objectives/Opportunities1
Our Goal is to become one of the top 50 law schools in the nation by achieving the following
Objectives:
1. Raising average undergraduate GPA of entering class
2. Raising LSAT scores of entering class
3.
Maintaining high employment rate of graduates
4.
Increasing production and impact of faculty scholarship
5. Increasing fund-raising at all levels and among all sources
6.
Improving bar passage rate
7.
Improve attractiveness to top level metropolitan-area students by offering metropolitan
rate tuition
8. Improving reputation among legal academics
9. Improving reputation among lawyers and judges in the bi-state region
ACTION PLAN INITIATIVE (2003)
The following document was prepared to tie together the individual action plans that were
approved by the faculty. The document itself has never been specifically approved.
Who we are and how we see ourselves
We are a law school that

teaches a diverse student body to become lawyers in the best tradition of the
profession and introduces them to the opportunities and obligations of the legal
profession and its role in the greater community.

appreciates the work of lawyers and their many contributions, which include
educating people and institutions about their rights, helping to design prosperous
business and community ventures, and working towards the effective and efficient
resolution of disputes

maintains a faculty devoted both to professional service and to advancing
knowledge through the production of excellent academic scholarship
Our vision
To be
an outstanding regional law school, the best of its type, where faculty value the
many contributions of lawyers and the legal profession. Because we train many
of the region’s practitioners, business people, judges, and politicians, we have a
special responsibility to see that they are competent members of the bench and
1
These were listed as opportunities in the initial Plan; they have been recharacterized as
objectives for current purposes.
2
bar, advisors and administrators; technically proficient, professionally responsible,
and knowledgeable about the range of social, political, and economic ideas that
influence our society.
a community of scholars, faculty and students working together, addressing the
legal issues and problems confronting society today on the local, state, federal,
and international levels.
aware that our graduates must be comfortable in a variety of professional settings
with people from a variety of experiences, from land-use planning meetings with
the local town council to trade negotiations in Mexico City, from an opening
statement in the county courthouse to an appellate argument before the Eighth
Circuit Court of Appeals. While the details of such settings change over time, we
can prepare students for such varied work by concentrating always on the
foundations of good lawyering: respect for people, respect for knowledge and
ideas, and respect for justice.
We will accomplish this by
building on a strong tradition of advocacy, civic engagement, and academic
excellence – a program that has not only produced some of the region’s best
lawyers and judges, but one that has also trained a U.S. Supreme Court Justice
(Charles Whittaker) and an American President (Harry Truman).
embracing and fostering a collegial, collaborative model of professional education
designed to emulate high quality liberal arts education, and maintaining an
intellectual and cultural environment that fosters broad thinking, local and global
awareness, and creative problem-solving.
building on our existing national reputation in scholarship and professional activity
based on an impressive record of publications in nationally respected law reviews
(our U.S. News scores for faculty quality and productivity are comparable to many
second tier schools)
The Initiatives
Specifically, to be faithful to our roots, and in furtherance of our vision, we have committed to
focus our efforts in four primary concentration areas: family law, litigation, entrepreneurial
lawyering and urban studies. While we must provide course work in a broad range of subject
areas to prepare students for practice and the Bar, these are areas in which we have existing
strength (e.g., strong faculty, extensive course offerings, existing or possible journal opportunities,
clinical or simulation programs) and for which there are real needs in the community.
Additionally, to attract outstanding students and provide an engaged and energized law school
community, we propose an Honors Program (one of only three in the country, and the most
comprehensive in the nation) and the Inns of UMKC Mentor Program. Both are collaborative
effort of faculty and community lawyers designed to socialize students to the school and to the
practice of law. These efforts will actively engage our students in the life of the law school,
increase their job placement prospects, and help to insure that the best and brightest students
see UMKC School of Law as a viable option for them.
To ensure that our students have greater opportunities to practice law in Missouri or wherever
they choose, we have adopted a Bar Pass Initiative, a comprehensive plan to prepare students
to successfully pass the entrance exam to the profession.
3
To continue to make a significant contribution to addressing legal problems and issues
confronting the local, national and international communities, we propose the Scholarship
Initiative which will foster and enhance faculty scholarship, and the Honors Program and
concentrations, which will enhance student scholarship and faculty-student collaboration.
To increase revenues for the school without increasing enrollment in our basic J.D. program, and
to avoid placing the entire burden of raising new revenue on our students or on our alumni and
friends, we have proposed several revenue-producing programs that are consistent with our core
mission and which will not detract from our existing resources. These initiatives include the LL.M.
in Family Law, the enhanced China program and certificate programs in law.
The Future - Where We Are Going and How We Will Get There
We believe that this vision, supported by the initiatives to which we have committed, will:
make us an asset to Kansas City, serving as an essential resource to the Bar and
the community
by increasing our reputation, job placement, bar passage and student satisfaction,
move us into the top 100 law schools nationally (U.S. News & World Report top
100) by 2006.

establish us as one of the top ten programs nationally in both litigation and family
law by 2008.
What it will take
To accomplish the goals we have set for ourselves and to truly realize the vision, we require:
construction of a best-in-class Advocacy Education Center
a significant increase in scholarship funds for students
endowed chairs, particularly in our concentration areas (litigation, family law,
urban affairs and entrepreneurial lawyering (which includes Intellectual Property)
support for faculty (e.g., salary enhancements, funds to support research and
leaves) to retain the outstanding faculty we have and will recruit in the future
SYNTHESIS OF STRATEGIC PLAN AND ACTION PLAN INITIATIVES
Initiatives being actively pursued
I. To develop and maintain strategic areas of emphasis in the following areas:
A.
Leadership in Litigation Education
Building on a strong tradition of litigation and faculty strength in this area (including the
Stripp Professorship in Advocacy), the School of Law will develop as a leader in
litigation education by establishing a curricular emphasis, which includes sequenced
courses; creative skills training programs (e.g., Trial Practice subrogation course),
observation of real proceedings in our renovated courtroom; successful participation in
competitions, and symposia and other programs. As a result of these programs and
activities, UMKC will be identified as a leader in litigation education and will be ranked
in the top 10 litigation programs in the nation within 5 years.
4
To accomplish this goal, the School must complete renovation of the Courtroom ($2
million dollar project which will be completed with a combination of campus and private
resources) and must raise private resources to further support the trial practice and
competition programs ($20-40,000 annually, to be raised from alumni and supporters
through endowment development and annual giving) as well as speakers and symposia
($10-15,000 annually, same).
B. Family Law (LL.M.)
Building on a solid family law curriculum including national and international family law
journals edited at the law school, a wealth of interdisciplinary resources including a
masters of social work program and a gerontology center, existing clinical and
externship programs and an enthusiastically supportive community with whom to work
and serve, the School of Law will develop a masters degree in Family Law and a
combined J.D./LL.M. program that draw students with rich backgrounds in helping
professions to the unique opportunities for interdisciplinary research and education in
providing legal service to families. In this program, the community will be our primary
classroom, clients and community partners will be our primary teachers, and service a
primary goal. The Family Law emphasis and LL.M. will increase the number of highly
qualified lawyers who remain and practice family law in this community and who will
become national leaders in bringing fresh perspectives and creative solutions to the
problems of families in transition, allowing us to become a change agent for addressing
family law issues in the state, region and nation.
To accomplish this goal, the School requires start-up funds to develop marketing
materials to market the program nationally ($20,000 has been provided by the campus
for this effort). To fully implement the program, we should seek funding for a Chair in
Family Law to attract a recognized teacher and scholar in elder law, the one area of our
family law curriculum that is not yet developed ($1.5-2 million in private funds).
Additionally, funding is needed for clinical faculty (this may initially be funded through
grants and contracts). Funding for scholarships and fellowships to attract top students
is needed (to be raised through development and annual giving) as well as speakers
and symposia ($10-15,000 annually, same). Once implemented, the LL.M. in Family
Law will provide additional fee income to the School due to increased graduate
enrollment.
C. Entrepreneurship
While more than 60% of private practice lawyers nationally, almost 60% of lawyers in
Missouri, and almost 80% of minority lawyers practice in firms smaller than ten
attorneys, there is very little training in law schools focused on the unique needs of
these solo and small firm practitioners. These entrepreneurial lawyers, who typically
receive most of their training on the job or through continuing legal education programs,
are an underserved market in traditional legal education. UMKC is in a unique position
to capitalize on its existing programs, strong faculty, campus-wide commitment to
entrepreneurism and location in a state with nationally-recognized solo and small firm
bar committees to create a niche area in entrepreneurial lawyering with a special focus
on solo and small firm practice. We propose creation of a Center for Entrepreneurial
Lawyering which will be the premiere program for research on entrepreneurism and
law, focusing particularly on delivery of legal services to entrepreneurs and
entrepreneurial lawyers. The Center will be the focal point for developing and delivering
effective and creative educational programs for and services to entrepreneurs, lawyers
who will represent entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial lawyers (particularly those
establishing and running solo and small firms). It will develop model programs for use
in law schools around the country, sponsor conferences and symposia for
entrepreneurial lawyers, and become a destination law school for students interested in
5
all types of entrepreneurial law and lawyering. Finally, the Center will assist in providing
services internally to the campus and the university to facilitate entrepreneurial activity
by its constituents, and to the external community to foster business development and
especially minority business development. The Center will participate in interdisciplinary
efforts to enhance technology transfer and to provide legal assistance in the
commercial development of the fruits of university research.
To accomplish this goal, the School must hire faculty with expertise in Intellectual
Property. Funding for such positions will hopefully be available from on-going rate
funding. Support is needed to provide permanent funding for the Entrepreneurial Legal
Services Clinic ($165,000 annual expenses). Partial funding will be sought from private
donors and grants, although rate funding will eventually be needed for this on-going
program. Funds are needed to support summer programs in entrepreneurial lawyering
(summer salaries and support for a unique course involving student attendance at the
solo and small firm conference - $20,000 annually), as well as for conference
attendance and symposia. Some funding may eventually be possible from revenues
produced from legal services and/or tech transfer initiatives.
D. Urban Affairs Program
UMKC School of Law will increase its reputation as a national leader in the law of state
and local government, both in terms of scholarly contributions and in terms of educating
future lawyers, policymakers, judges, and politicians. The program will build on the Law
School’s editorship of The Urban Lawyer law review—which for 35 years has been the
nation’s premier law journal on state and local government, with a circulation of over
6,000—and the Law School’s L.L.M. program in Urban Affairs, which is known
nationally, but in need of revitalization. UMKC Law School’s Urban Affairs Program
would significantly contribute to the University’s urban mission by offering one of the
few academic programs at the University that is dedicated to the very substance of
urban studies. In addition, the Program would serve the city through a process of
integrating its students and researchers into community institutions including the legal,
government, and planning communities, especially in the central city. The planned
program calls for development and implementation of an interdisciplinary curricular
emphasis in land use, environmental law and planning and an Executive Seminar in
Local Government Law, with the goal of educating local government officials on the law
related to their positions.
To implement this program, funding will be needed to hire a faculty member in urban
affairs to replace Prof. Verchick, hopefully with rate funding. Additional funds will be
needed to reinvigorate the LL.M. program and to support symposia and conferences.
Eventually, most aspects of the program will be self-supporting through student fees.
These areas of emphasis are relevant to the achievement of Objectives 3, 5, 8, 9.
II.
To further develop and maintain student programs
A.
The Enhanced Mentor Program
This initiative is relevant to the achievement of Objectives 1, 2, 3, 6, 9
The Enhanced Student Mentoring Program (Inns of UMKC) will provide support and
guidance throughout three years of law school to our students as they prepare to enter
the legal profession. With its unique Inns of UMKC School of Law component, which is
based on the English “Inns of Court” apprenticeship system and involves a collaborative
effort of faculty, lawyers and judges, this Mentoring Program will enhance academic
6
excellence by helping students achieve success and satisfaction while in law school
and will assist them in becoming competent, ethical professionals.
Much of this program has already been implemented, and the Inns are in the second
year of operation. This is a relatively low cost program. We need funds for our opening
matriculation ceremony and to support refreshments for Inn meetings, but overall, this
program relies on the willingness of our faculty and community partners to participate
by lending their time and expertise.
B.
The Bar Pass Initiative.
This initiative is relevant to the achievement of Objectives 3, 6, 9.
The UMKC School of Law is dedicated to educating students to become outstanding
lawyers in the highest tradition of the legal profession, and accepts accountability for
preparing its graduates to cross the threshold that separates the formal study and
practice of law: the bar exam. Achieving those objectives will require a high level of
commitment from, and collaboration among, students, faculty and staff as well as a
willingness to explore new and innovative ways of teaching and learning law. Every
student who graduates from the UMKC School of Law is capable of passing the bar
exam and entering the legal profession. The Bar Preparation Initiative, by insuring that
students are adequately prepared for the bar exam, will lead to an upward spiral with
respect to graduate bar results and job placements as well as institutional reputation in
both the legal and academic communities. Many aspects of this initiative are already
actively underway, although permanent funding has not been secured.
To implement this initiative, we must fund the position of Director of Academic Support
and Bar Preparation, either as a “stand-alone” position or as part of the Legal Writing
Program. Resources must be available to pay staff to provide training in bar skills for
students and graduates (both first time bar takers and re-takers). Eventually, a
permanent position must be funded with recurring state funds. Payment to additional
teachers in the program can come from fund-raising and/or bar prep fees. Increased
satisfaction with bar preparation and increased rates of bar passage will likely lead to
increased alumni giving in future years and thus is an investment both in reputation and
in future fund raising.
Initiatives Dependent on Additional Resources and/or Staff Commitments
III.
A.
Areas of Emphasis and Programs that Should be Developed once Sufficient
Resources (financial and staffing) are Acquired.
Honors Program
This program is relevant to the satisfaction of Objectives 1, 2, 3, 7.
The Honors Program would enhance academic excellence by enrolling incoming
students of the highest caliber and offering them economic incentives, specialized
curricular programs, community mentors, and guaranteed employment. Experience
demonstrates that highly qualified students significantly enhance the educational
environment for all law students, especially in class discussions and student academic
organizations. At present, only two other law schools in the U.S. advertise formal
honors programs. With such a program, we hope to admit at least five outstanding
applicants each year who, but for this Program, would have gone to an elite law school.
7
To be successful, the Program will require scholarships for incoming students. Initially,
these will be partial scholarships (funded from existing scholarship resources
supplemented by funds raised in a targeted campaign). Eventually, we need to raise
funds for full scholarships for these outstanding students. This will require $75,000
annually. Additional expenses, including funds for research support, symposia and
internships, will be required and will be raised from private sources.
B. Faculty Scholarship Initiative
This program is relevant to the satisfaction of Objectives 4, 8.
Faculty scholarship is crucial to the mission of the UMKC School of Law. It informs and
refreshes teaching, expands human knowledge, invites conversations with scholars,
policy-makers, and the public, while enhancing the school’s national and international
reputations. In order to retain key productive scholars on the faculty and prevent
depleting the critical mass of thinkers and writers necessary to create and nurture legal
scholarship, special recognition together with merit pay increases are crucial to stop our
on-going “brain drain.” Some progress has been made through salary adjustments to
reward proven scholars, but more needs to be done. Second, endowed Chairs and
Professorships are needed to attract nationally known scholars to serve as role models
and mentors and to enhance areas of specialization. Third, strategies to provide faculty
with financial support for research and writing by funding research leaves, summer
research grants, presentations at conferences, and student research assistants must be
developed. These steps are necessary if our faculty members (who carry a relatively
heavy teaching load compared to research law schools) are to have the time necessary
to develop their scholarly work. Finally, the Law School must publicize the significant
scholarly output of our faculty to relevant audiences. This outreach is essential to
enhance the impact of our scholarship in various domains, including public policy and
academic reputation.
Significant resources are needed to support this initiative from recurring rate dollars
supplemented by private giving. In addition to endowed chairs ($1.5-2 million), funding
is needed for at least 8 summer research stipends of $7500-10,000 each, for increased
research assistant support (raise R.A. salaries from an embarrassing $6.50/hr. to
$10.00 hr. and increase available hours), for enhanced travel funds ($20,000 annually
available on a competitive basis), and for publicity (mailing of reprints, etc.). Some of
this funding should come from recurring rate funds, and some from private giving.
C. China Joint Degree Program
This program is relevant to the satisfaction of Objectives 8, 9.
Building on the existing strength of our activities in China, the School of Law will
increase the level of our present relationship with Peking University Law School,
creating a joint degree program whereby students receive, over three years, a Master’s
Degree from Peking University Law School and an L.L.M. degree from UMKC. This
expanded program will bring a strong international presence to the school, which will
provide benefits both to the students from China through exposure to American law and
culture as well as to our native students who will have an opportunity to interact with
students from an increasingly important emerging economy.
To implement this program will require an investment of resources to provide training in
legal research and writing for international students and to provide CNR out of state fee
waivers for the initial groups of students. It is hoped that once a strong program is
established and has a track record, that students from China will be willing to pay the
8
necessary fees for attendance and the program will become not only self-supporting but
profitable. The program is currently on hold until Prof. Randolph returns from leave and
can be involved in implementation, and until campus policies regarding international
CNR’s is settled.
D. Certificate Programs in Law
This program is relevant to the satisfaction of Objectives 5, 9.
Law is pervasive, and increasingly, business people and professionals need knowledge
of the law in order to function effectively in their work. UMKC School of Law has the
potential to increase revenues and provide important educational opportunities to these
business people and professionals by creating courses and certificate programs in law
for non-lawyers (in areas such as urban planning and development, employee relations,
construction and mediation and arbitration). Additionally, the School can provide
specialized training for non-law professionals in areas of interest, such as intellectual
property.
Start-up costs will involve market studies and initial program development. Program
administration will operate out of the CLE Office, and some faculty and adjunct faculty
time will be necessary for program development. It is anticipated that, once operational,
these programs will be revenue-producers. Action on this project will continue when
there is staff with time to commit to program development and coordination.
9