- Proposed legislative resolution calls for Utah Valley University to test the feasibility of establishing a law school.
- The state has two law schools — one at Brigham Young University and the other at the University of Utah.
- Resolution suggests a future law school at UVU might serve nontraditional students, offering night and weekend courses.
The Beehive State is home to a pair of law schools, with both the private Brigham Young University and the public University of Utah boasting highly regarded “legal eagle” training programs.
But Sen. Brady Brammer, R-Pleasant Grove, a practicing attorney, believes two law schools may not be enough to serve the legal needs of Utah’s growing population. It’s projected that the state could have more than 4 million residents by 2030.
Utah’s largest higher education institution, Utah Valley University might be the ideal place to start a third.
On Thursday, the Utah County lawmaker presented a proposed resolution to the Senate Education Committee directing UVU to conduct a feasibility study for establishing a law school. The motion survived with a favorable recommendation from the committee.
Utah, said Brammer, is caught in a lawyer deficit. “We’re low on public defenders. We’re low on prosecutors. We’re low on agency attorneys. Our cities are struggling with this. Our counties are struggling with this.
“Throughout the state, what we really have is a problem with a supply of attorneys.”
The proposed resolution notes that Utah’s two existing law schools are both located in the northern Wasatch Front, limiting geographic and programmatic diversity.
Meanwhile, traditional law schools typically function during business hours, limiting access for working professionals interested in becoming lawyers.
The proposed feasibility study suggests UVU explore launching a law school that includes evening and weekend instruction to best serve working professionals and non-traditional students.
“The feasibility study,” according to the resolution, “shall consider how a law school at Utah Valley University would complement existing legal education in Utah and serve populations not currently reached by traditional law school programs.”
Brammer noted Thursday that a future UVU law school would likely look a bit different from those at BYU and the University of Utah.
UVU School of Law? Points to consider
The resolution acknowledges several key elements would need to be studied to determine the viability of a UVU law school. Brammer envisions it being a legal training ground for people who have already built careers as, say, police officers, teachers and court staff.
“We would be looking at a night and weekend law school. These would be what I would call ‘second career’ attorneys,” he said.
The proposed feasibility study would first explore facility requirements. Could UVU’s existing properties at Thanksgiving Point be modified into a law school? And what about essential library resources and classroom technology?
And a law school is only as good as its faculty. So the proposed resolution also calls for a study of staffing requirements for UVU’s would-be legal program — including the number of full-time and adjunct faculty needed to satisfy American Bar Association accreditation.
Enrollment at BYU’s J. Reuben Clark Law School has approximately 350 students. The S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah has almost 300 students.
The proposed UVU law school feasibility study would include projected enrollment for initial and subsequent classes — along with tuition cost projections.
Committee members Sen. John Johnson, R- North Ogden, and Sen. Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork, voted to pass the resolution along — but both questioned why UVU was the ideal institution for a law school rather than another Utah college.
“If you’re going to have a night and weekend class, you need to be located in a place where the market can get to you on nights and weekends,” responded Brammer.
The UVU properties at Thanksgiving Point near the Point of the Mountain, he added, would make a future law school accessible by two major county “economic machines” — Utah County and Salt Lake County.
Additionally, a UVU law school located at Thanksgiving Point could enjoy logistical support from nearby law faculty from both the University of Utah and BYU.
Utah State Bar joins conversation
In response to the proposed law school study resolution, the Utah State Bar released a statement Thursday:
“We are aware of Sen. Brammer’s interest in exploring the feasibility of an additional law school. We understand his goal is to help address Utah’s lawyer shortage by examining whether more flexible legal education options could expand access to the profession.
“We will be interested in the results of the study group, and thank Sen. Brammer for reaching out to the Bar to seek lawyer input and appreciate being included in those discussions.”
Frank Pignanelli — an attorney, former lawmaker and a Deseret News columnist — spoke Thursday on behalf of the State Bar and in favor of the UVU feasibility study.
“It’s our belief that the more lawyers, the better,” he said.
Pignanelli said he and other veteran attorneys are “especially excited” for the different approach that the resolution envisions for “making a more practical education.”