Graduation & Hooding 2018

Graduation for the Class of 2018 took place on Saturday, May 19 at the Dennison Theatre. Montana’s former Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau gave the 2018 commencement address. Juneau, a 2004 graduate of the law school, is the first Native American woman ever elected to state-wide office. She will take over this summer as the next superintendent for Seattle Public Schools, becoming the first Native American superintendent in the city’s history.

In addition to Juneau’s address, this year's ceremony featured a student address by John Acher Byorth and recognition of student award winners. Professor Emeritus Greg Munro was selected by the graduating class to read the names as the graduates were hooded. View a slideshow of the day via the link below.

This presentation was recorded by Missoula Community Access Television as part of a media assistance grant donated by MCAT. The ceremony can be viewed on MCAT's video streaming page.

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Study Indian Law This Summer in Missoula (or Online!)

Spend the summer in beautiful Missoula studying Indian Law! The School of Law invites you to participate in the 11th annual Summer American Indian and Indigenous Law Program, June 4 - August 3, 2018. This year we will be offering nine courses taught by a faculty comprised of expert Indian law scholars and practitioners from around the country. Participants in the program may choose from any of the nine courses or take them all. CLE credits will also be available pending application. Courses are also offered for law credit and cross-listed for graduate credit.

The curriculum changes each year for this program, and this year’s boasts another all-star lineup of Indian law experts. Professors and attorneys from Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Michigan and Montana will cover topics including American Indian Children, Designing Government Regulations, Alaska and Hawaii Native Laws, Water Law, International Law, and Public Policy. Can’t make the trip to Missoula? Indian Law Research, taking place June 4-8, is available ONLINE this summer.

More information at the Indian Law page, or contact Professor Monte Mills at monte.mills@umontana.edu. 

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Earth Law Week 2018: Law School Reaches Carbon Offset Credits Goal

Hosted by the Environmental Law Group, Earth Law Week 2018 took place April 23-26 and featured lunchtime speakers, an informational booth, and daily raffles for students, faculty and staff who biked, walked or bused to school each day. On Monday, Bethany Cotton, Wildlife Program Director for WildEarth Guardians, spoke on “Greater Yellowstone Grizzly Bear Delisting Litigation and Wildlife Service.” Jerry Marks, Department Head for Missoula County Weed District and Extension, discussed “Noxious Weed Management and Identification” during the Tuesday lunch session. On Wednesday, Darrel Geist, Habitat Coordinator with the Buffalo Field Campaign, discussed “Listing the Yellowstone Bison Under the Endangered Species Act,” and Thursday’s speaker, Brian Fadie, Clean Energy Program Director of the Montana Environmental Information Center, presented “Renewable Energy Law in Montana.” The Environmental Law Group launched a Carbon Neutral Raffle during Earth Law Week, raising $565, the annual amount needed to offset the Blewett School of Law’s carbon footprint. ELG will work with UM’s Office of Sustainability to select a provider of carbon offsets. 

Law-Lapalooza Spring 2018

Each semester since 2015, Blewett School of Law students participate in Law-lapalooza, a full day of students presenting their legal scholarship from seminars and independent study projects. This semester’s Law-Lapalooza took place on Tuesday, May 1 and was hosted by Professors Pippa Browde, Anthony Johnstone, Andrew King-Ries, Soazig Le Bihan (Associate Professor of Philosophy and Coordinator of the Prelaw Program), Klaus Sitte, Cathay Smith and Hillary Wandler. Students, faculty, and community members gathered to hear from and question student experts on a range of topics, including taxation of water conservation easements, bail reform, a child’s right to counsel, the concept of vigilantism, and trial advocacy tactics, among others. The presentations fulfilled the school’s advanced writing requirement for graduation.