UConn School of Law: Navigating Student Administration

UConn School of Law provides various administrative services and resources to support its students throughout their academic journey. From enrollment to graduation and beyond, the school offers assistance with academic records, bar exam preparation, career planning, and more. This article explores the key aspects of student administration at UConn Law, providing an overview of the services available to current and prospective students.

Academic Records and Transcripts

Students and alumni often require official transcripts for various purposes, such as applying to other educational institutions or providing proof of enrollment to employers. UConn School of Law facilitates transcript requests through an online system, with fees as outlined by the University Registrar. Alternatively, current and former students can obtain transcripts free of charge in person at the Law School Registrar's Office.

Enrollment Services for Non-Degree Students

Individuals who are not currently matriculated at the School of Law but wish to enroll in coursework can do so as non-degree students during the fall or spring semesters. Eligibility is limited to specific categories, including graduate degree candidates, members of the bar, students enrolled at other ABA-accredited law schools, and Connecticut residents over the age of 62. Enrollment as a non-degree student requires the consent of the faculty member and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. The grading basis (audit, graded, or pass/fail) is determined at the discretion of both the student and the faculty member. Prospective non-degree students should consult the course schedule before submitting their request.

Bar Examination Support

Preparing for the bar examination is a crucial step for law school graduates. UConn School of Law provides assistance with this process through the Office of the Registrar. Many bar applications require a certification from the dean or verification of the degree awarded, as well as a character and fitness review. The staff in the Registrar's Office completes these forms on behalf of students. Tentative graduates are invited to the office to complete the necessary authorization for the required forms. Graduates may also send their forms directly to the Office of the Registrar for completion.

Enrollment and Degree Verification

Verification of enrollment or degree completion is frequently required by employers, insurance companies, and other institutions. The registrar's office can provide this verification for both current and former students. Individuals who have been provided with forms from another source can bring them to the registrar's office for completion. The staff will fill in the dates of attendance information.

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Resuming Legal Studies After a Leave

Students who have taken an approved leave from the School of Law can resume their studies by submitting an online form. This form notifies the relevant administrative departments of the student's return, allowing them to prepare the student's account and tech systems accordingly.

Petitions and Waivers

UConn School of Law has established policies, deadlines, and procedures to ensure a fair and consistent academic environment. However, the school recognizes that personal circumstances may warrant a waiver of these regulations. The Faculty Petitions Committee reviews student requests for waivers. Students can initiate this process by completing an online petition form. While the committee cannot grant waivers that conflict with American Bar Association Accreditation Guidelines, it can consider matters based on law school policy or procedure.

Reports and Statistical Information

The registrar's office compiles and maintains statistical data related to student demographics, course enrollment, class profiles, and Connecticut Bar Exam passage rates. This information is valuable for assessing the school's performance and making data-driven decisions.

Experiential Learning Opportunities

UConn School of Law distinguishes itself through its commitment to experiential learning, offering a wide range of opportunities for students to integrate practical experience with classroom theory. The school was a pioneer in clinical legal education, and its experiential learning opportunities continue to be a distinguishing strength. Connecticut's student practice rule allows second- and third-year students, under the supervision of faculty attorneys, to represent clients in any court in the jurisdiction. The Individual Field Placement Program allows students to tailor their experiential learning to their interests, educational goals, and career aspirations.

Certificate Programs

UConn School of Law offers several certificate programs that allow students to specialize in particular areas of law.

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Energy and Environmental Law Certificate: This program provides students with in-depth knowledge of energy and environmental law.
Intellectual Property Certificate Program: This program exposes participants to a broad curriculum of courses, from classes on patent, trademark, and copyright law to specialized seminars, including those in art law, cyber law, and European Union IP law. The Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship Clinic was selected by the US Patent and Trademark Office to participate in a special clinical program.
Tax Studies Certificate Program: This certificate program allows students to participate in a supervised writing project, field placement, or clinic in the area of tax law. Participants in the certificate program may begin their tax studies in Federal Income Tax during their first year and continue the study of taxation in a variety of courses during each of the remaining semesters of law school.
Human Rights Certificate Program: This program allows students to work with world-renowned experts at the law school and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in a demanding and varied interdisciplinary study of global affairs and social justice.
Law and Public Policy Certificate Program: This flexible program allows students to enroll in a diverse collection of courses with faculty at the law school and within the University of Connecticut’s Department of Public Policy.
Corporate and Regulatory Compliance Certificate: The School of Law, in partnership with the School of Business, offers a certificate in Corporate and Regulatory Compliance for professionals interested in compliance, ethics, internal monitoring, regulatory affairs, and related areas.

Centers and Programs

UConn School of Law houses several centers and programs that focus on specific areas of law and provide opportunities for students to engage in research, advocacy, and clinical work.

The Insurance Law Center: The Insurance Law Center offers a specialized insurance curriculum with its LLM program, innovative research initiatives on the role of insurance in law and society, conferences and workshops, and the student-edited Connecticut Insurance Law Journal.
The Center for Energy and Environmental Law: The Center for Energy and Environmental Law brings together experts from many disciplines to tackle the urgent task of offering and analyzing better ways to meet the world’s energy needs and preparing the leaders of tomorrow for the difficult choices that lie ahead.
The Center for Children’s Advocacy: The Center for Children’s Advocacy allows students to assist in representing individual children in cases involving abuse/neglect, families with service needs, special education, juvenile justice, and access to medical/mental health care. In addition, students represent adolescents at Hartford high schools where the center operates a Teen Legal Advocacy Clinic.
(CULI) provides transactional, nonlitigation legal services to nonprofit organizations.

International Law and Study Abroad

The economic and political realities of globalization place new demands on the graduates of the law school. International law occupies a quite prominent place in the curriculum, reinforced by the student-edited Connecticut Journal of International Law. The law school has formal and informal study-abroad programs with universities in Aix-en-Provence, Barcelona, Berlin, Dublin, Exeter, Haifa, Leiden, London, Mannheim, Nottingham, Siena, and Tilburg. These relationships bring a wealth of international visitors to the school. Legal scholars have visited and lectured from Albania, Argentina, Bulgaria, China, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Israel, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia, South Africa, Taiwan, and Ukraine.

Career Planning

UConn operates a comprehensive career planning office for the benefit of students and alumni. The Career Planning Office is staffed by four attorneys and although all can act as generalists, each has a focused expertise in private sector, public interest, nontraditional, clerkships, and other areas of interest to our students. The school holds an off-campus interview program each August in Boston, and schedules on-campus interviews and career receptions throughout the year.

Student Organizations and Activities

UConn School of Law offers a variety of student organizations and activities that enhance the law school experience and provide opportunities for students to develop their skills and interests. The Connecticut Moot Court Board, the Mock Trial Association, and the Negotiation and Dispute Resolution Society provide students with the opportunity to practice oral advocacy in intra- and interscholastic competitions. The Student Bar Association is the student governing body of which all students are members. It manages an annual budget consisting of funds derived from the student activities fee and university tuition to support the various student organizations and to generally enhance the quality of student life.

Accessibility and Accommodations

The Director of Student Services works with students with disabilities in the development and implementation of reasonable accommodations to allow access to the school’s physical facilities as well as its educational and extracurricular programs. Students with disabilities who are considering applying or who have been admitted to the School of Law are invited to tour the campus.

Read also: Understanding UConn Admissions

Character and Fitness Requirements for Bar Admission

In accordance with Section 504(a) of the American Bar Association’s Standards for Approval of Law Schools, applicants to the law school should understand that there are character, fitness, and other qualifications for admission to the bar. Applicants are therefore encouraged, prior to matriculation, to determine what those requirements are in the states in which the applicant intends to practice.

A Leading Public Law School

As a result of several decades of sustained intellectual and foundational growth, UConn School of Law has emerged as one of the leading public law schools in the United States. Because of UConn School of Law’s extraordinary student-to-faculty ratio, 94 percent of the advanced course sections have 25 or fewer students. The campus, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is arguably the most beautiful in the United States.

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