Reasons YOU Should Consider Bowen!!

I am often asked by prospective students why they should consider attending Bowen. This is an easy question to answer because Bowen has much to offer. Below are the things I cite most often:

Location
Bowen is located in the heart of Little Rock, Arkansas’s capital city, within a five-minute’s drive of state and federal courthouses, as well as some of Arkansas’s largest law firms and corporations. With a metropolitan population of over 600,000, Little Rock is a sophisticated city “where the Southeast meets the Southwest.” Little Rock’s vibrant legal community affords Bowen students and alumni many professional opportunities.

Programs
Bowen students may pursue law degrees singularly or concurrently with Master’s degrees in business administration (JD/MBA), public administration (JD/MPA), public health (JD/MPH), or public service (JD/MPS). A concurrent degree in law and medicine is also offered (JD/MD). Bowen offers full-time and part-time divisions.

Tuition
Bowen is one of a few law schools with yearly resident tuition below $10,000—an amazing value given the high cost of education. Virtually all of our non-resident students receive scholarships that cover out-of-state fees. As a result, the average debt load for Bowen graduates is significantly lower than the national average.

Scholarships
Bowen automatically considers all admitted applicants for three scholarships: Bowen, Merit, and Non-resident. These scholarships range in value from $1000 to full tuition, and most of our scholarships are awarded for the full length of the program—not just the first year. About 60% of our 2008 entering students will receive scholarships.

Professional opportunities
The Bowen Class of 2008 boasted an employment rate of 94%. Our graduates are employed in a wide array of settings, with law firms and government being most popular. Current students enjoy many opportunities to intern and get hands-on experience in the law.

Bar passage
The Bowen Class of 2008 boasted a stellar bar passage rate of 86%, exceeding both state and national averages.

Faculty
The Bowen faculty is an outstanding group of scholars, teachers, and practitioners, committed to the success of our students. The quality and accessibility of the faculty are often cited by Bowen students as their “favorite things” about the school.

Facilities
Bowen is housed in a spacious facility containing over 150,000 square feet. Most of our classrooms and courtrooms feature “smart” technology, and wireless Internet is available throughout the building. The Law Library offers students the perfect environment in which to study, research, and write. Wrapped around a four-story atrium, the library seats over 300 and houses two computer labs.

Supportive environment
The student body at Bowen is relatively small—less than 500 students—allowing us to provide a supportive, individualized, and enriching environment. Bowen students are able to build significant relationships with faculty, administrators, and, of course, each other. Bowen prides itself on being a community, not just a law school.

Specializing at Bowen: Course Concentrations

Dating back to its vocational roots, the law degree has traditionally been a generalist’s credential. Even today, much of the educational focus in law school is on the acquisition of skills that can be applied in many—if not most—areas of the law. As such, lawyers typically specialize through the actual practice of law, rather than in the classroom.At Bowen, however, we seek to encourage focused study in students who have specific interests. Thus, our curriculum is structured in a manner that allows interested students to informally concentrate their study in one of the following areas:

Alternative Dispute Resolution
Business & Commercial
Civil Practice
Civil Rights
Criminal Law
Environmental Law
Family Law
General Practice
Government Practice
Government Regulation
Health Care
Intellectual Property
International Law
Labor & Employment
Litigation
Real Estate
SkillsTaxation

Collectively, the courses making up each concentration are intended to give interested students in-depth exposure and understanding of relevant issues. It is important to note that these concentrations are elective in nature, and students are not granted any formal designation for their focused course of study. You may view lists of courses making up each concentration, along with descriptions, at the following link: http://law.ualr.edu/academics/curriculum/course_concentrations.asp.

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Interested in meeting Bowen students, sitting in on a class or touring the school? If so, attend our Pre-Law Visitation Day on November 14, 2008. RSVP with Pat Martin at pamartin@ualr.edu.

About the Bowen School of Law (Part 3)

The Juris Doctor (JD) curriculum at Bowen seeks to provide students with strong foundations in the traditional areas of law, while also offering a diverse selection of electives. To receive the JD, students must complete 90 credit hours with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 (on a 4.0 scale) or better. Courses are prescribed during the first year of full-time study (or the first two years of part-time). After that, most of the curriculum is elective, allowing students to explore their interests in a wide array of areas. Curricular information and course descriptions may be found at http://www.law.ualr.edu/academics/curriculum/course_descriptions.asp.

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Interested in meeting Bowen students, sitting in on a class or touring the school? If so, attend our Pre-Law Visitation Day on November 14, 2008. RSVP with Pat Martin at pamartin@ualr.edu or 501.683.4882.