You cannot think of Nevada without thinking about Las Vegas. The city lights, the excitement, and the open all-night buffets. In addition to its larger-than-life reputation, Las Vegas is home to Nevada's only accredited law school.
However, Nevada is not just about Las Vegas. This high desert state contains parks with spectacular red sandstone rock formations, impressive mountain ranges, limestone caves, and pristine lakes. There are old western towns from the silver mining days and quirky modern additions of towns near Area 51.
If going to law school in Las Vegas is in the cards for you, you will find a lot more to do in Nevada than just what is offered on the Strip. This article provides an overview of Nevada's sole law school, the University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Law.
University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Law
The William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) is a fairly young school — having opened its doors in 1998. The school is relatively small, with approximately 300 full-time students and about 100 part-time students.
U.S. News and World Report lists UNLV School of Law as a second-tier school on its Best Law Schools list. The ABA-required disclosures show a historical LSAT acceptance score that ranges from 155 to 162. Tuition for the school is mid-range, about $28,000 a year.
Bar pass rates for first-time takers have averaged about 74% for the last several years for the Nevada Bar Exam.
UNLV School of Law offers full-time and part-time Juris Doctorate programs. Students begin their legal studies at the school with the core legal classes of civil procedure, criminal law, constitutional law, legal writing, contracts, property, and torts.
In addition to these required classes, UNLV School of Law students must complete three semesters of the "Lawyering Process," which focuses on assignments that mimic real legal work, such as interviewing clients, conducting legal research, and preparing documents.
Students can focus their studies via one of UNLV's five concentrations, which include Health Law and Business Law. In addition, there are legal clinics and a special Kids' Court School to help law students begin to learn the craft of lawyering while providing legal services and education to the surrounding communities.
UNLV offers three dual degree programs:
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the school also offers an LL.M. in Gaming Law and Regulation and has more gaming courses than any other law school in the United States. You can start taking these classes in your second and third years.
Tips for Law School and Beyond
Your decision of which law school to attend will require you to compare the strengths and weaknesses of the various schools and consider your personal preferences. FindLaw's Law Student section can help you in this process. It contains many articles that offer tips and advice as you select a school, settle into legal academic life, take the bar exam, and go on to your first job.