JD Program

At the Blewett School of Law you will thrive in an environment that integrates theory with practical experience. Learn to draft contracts, create corporations, counsel clients, negotiate transactions, prepare and probate wills, try a case before a jury and argue an appeal, graduating ready to practice the law.

In the third year, you will gain experience in faculty-supervised clinics representing real clients with actual legal problems in areas such as criminal law, environmental and natural resource law, American Indian law, bankruptcy law, family law and judicial practice. The clinic experience gives you the opportunity to pull together skills acquired in the first two years of law school and apply it.

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Competition Teams

The School of Law sponsors several competition teams selected by a competitive process. Montana is a consistent contender both regionally and nationally. As one of the smallest law schools in the nation, we are proud of our teams' outstanding performance in interscholastic competitions.

We owe our success to the dedication of our coaches, the quality of our students and our unique curriculum. Thank you to our generous donors for supporting these competition teams.

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Law Review

Montana Law Review

The Montana Law Review, a legal periodical published semiannually, is the principal means of communication to the Montana Bar on Montana law. It includes articles by judges, practitioners, and professors as well as case notes, comments, and evaluations of recent developments in the law by students.

The Law Review membership is composed of second- and third-year law students selected on the basis of demonstrated writing ability. Members receive academic credit for Law Review work and are encouraged to submit notes and comments for publication. Editorial policy and financial management are the responsibility of the Law Review members.

Public Land & Resources Law Review

The Public Land & Resources Law Review is published by a board of student editors at the School of Law. It features both professional and student-written articles exploring a broad range of current issues in public land and resource law, environmental law, and Indian law. Staff members receive academic credit for work on the Review. Professors Michelle Bryan and Monte Mills are the faculty advisors.

First published in 1980 under the direction of Professor Margery Hunter Brown, the Law Review is currently published annually and circulated to more than 300 subscribers across the country, including law libraries, universities and law firms.

The goal of the Public Land & Resources Law Review is to encourage those interested in public land and resources law, environmental law and Indian law to publish the results of their work and research, express their ideas and stimulate further discussion and research in these areas.

First held in 1978, the annual Public Land Law Conference is sponsored by the Public Land & Resources Law Review and organized by the Law Review's board of student editors. Traditionally, the Conference has been organized around a particular legal issue of current interest to practicing attorneys, professionals and students. The Conference generally consists of panel discussions and lectures on various aspects of the topic at issue.

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Clinic

Founded in 1966, our clinical program offers three in-house clinics in Indian Law, Veterans Advocacy, and Land Use & Natural Resources, and over 25 field placements. Under the supervision of faculty and experienced attorneys, third-year students practice law in a variety of settings, from criminal defense and prosecutors’ offices to environmental nonprofits and government agencies. They prosecute civil rights claims; handle complex transactions; serve as law clerks to members of the judiciary, legislature, and corporate counsel; analyze and advocate policy - making real differences in real people’s lives.

Today, just as when we were founded, we believe that all law students must be trained to practice law before they graduate and to recognize the importance of public service and access to justice. Clinical training remains at the heart of our educational philosophy.

Our clinics and field placements are the capstone of our integrated skills curriculum. They are the culmination of our Lawyering Fundamentals program in the first year and transactional and trial practice simulation courses in the second year. Our school is proud of its close relationship with Montana’s bench and bar, and we are grateful to them for co-supervising our students—and future lawyers.

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Career Placement and Bar Passage

More than 94% of law graduates from the University of Montana’s Alexander Blewett III School of Law passed the Montana Bar Exam on their first attempt in July 2020, a rate that’s 19% higher than the national first-time passage rate cited by the American Bar Association. By comparison, the overall pass rate for all candidates taking the July exam in Montana was 85%.

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Admission Decisions: Beyond the Numbers

The Blewett School of Law engages in holistic review, meaning all portions of the application are taken into account when making a final admissions decision on a file. Additionally, files are reviewed on a rolling basis from September 1st to July 15th.

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