Students use the new Class of 1966 classroom.

2009 was a momentous year in the distinguished history of UM’s School of Law, which has churned out lawyers for 99 years. The school’s first female dean started work, the school landed at No. 6 on a list of best-value law schools, and fall classes kicked off in a refurbished and expanded building.

“This building really was a labor of love for the attorneys of Montana,” Dean Irma Russell says. “There were other wonderful supporters, but lawyers were a primary source of funding. My predecessor, Dean (Ed) Eck, visited 50 Montana counties while doing a tremendous job with fundraising.”

Construction added three floors and a lower level, plus attractive new entrances and exterior balconies. The addition includes classrooms with better acoustics, current technology and audio-visual equipment. It also provides improved access for those with disabilities, as well as additional small and midsized classrooms to accommodate the increasing number of elective courses needed to prepare modern lawyers.

More space also was provided for the school’s clinical program, including its land use, Indian law, criminal defense and mediation clinics. This space includes client interview rooms, student workrooms and office space. The renovated building also contains an expanded law library with the latest technology.

“This building allows us to deliver a state-of-the-art learning environment,” Russell says. “Students tell me they are inspired by the building – that it makes them feel empowered as they attend classes and prepare to go forward into practice.”

She says it’s difficult to pick a favorite feature in the facility, but the expansive new entrance atrium and skylight are impressive. She first toured the building in a hard hat while it was under construction and she was interviewing for the dean position.
“It was hard at that time to visualize what it would be like,” she says. “It really is a thrilling result.”

Project at a Glance:

Cost: $14.8 Million
Start Date: January 2008
Completion: August 2009
Gross Square Footage: 45,968
Funding: 36% State, 35% Private, 18% UM, 11% Federal
Unique Feature: Entrance Atrium