Associated Faculty Barbara Hayler, Pat Langley
Emeritus Faculty Anne Draznin, Nancy Ford, Dennis Fox, Larry Golden, Frank Kopecky
Adjunct Faculty Suzanne Borland, Saul Morse, Daniel Schuering, Stuart Shiffman, John Squibb
Freshmen and sophomores interested in learning more about legal studies or preparing to designate legal studies as an academic major should contact the LES lower-division adviser, Bill Jordan, at 217/ 206-7880.
For advice on what kinds of classes provide good preparation for law school or information about good classes for pre-law preparation, whether or not a legal studies major, students should contact the Pre-Law Center or phone PLC Director Dennis Rendleman at 217/206-6324 or the center's graduate assistant at 217/206-7826.
The legal studies department offers both a graduate (MA) and undergraduate (BA) in legal studies. The department emphasizes law in a societal context within a broad-based liberal arts curriculum. The department seeks to develop the student's knowledge and understanding of the legal system and to enhance skills in analytical thinking, research, and writing. The department also seeks to develop professional and scholarly skills that graduates will need in law-related careers or graduate-level studies.
Knowledge of the law and legal system is important for individuals in a wide array of careers including social workers, lobbyists, union representatives, personnel administrators, law enforcement officials, claims adjusters, librarians, probation officers, corrections personnel, human resource managers, and governmental agency and court administrators. Many professionals, especially in the public sector, need a comprehensive understanding of what the legal system is, how it works, how it interrelates with social change, and how it assists people in asserting their rights.
The objectives of the legal studies department are 1) to develop analytical skills necessary to appreciate law as a social phenomenon, 2) to develop an understanding of how law is created, applied, interpreted, and changed, 3) to impart knowledge of substantive areas of the law, 4) to provide clinical or direct working experience in legal environments, 5) to perfect student skills in legal research, writing, and analysis, and 6) to provide an interdisciplinary liberal arts education.
Faculty advisers help students plan their overall course of undergraduate or graduate study. The adviser provides advice and assists the student if any difficulties arise during his or her UIS career. Advisers are required to sign off on a variety of registration forms, including applications for clinical or thesis studies. Most advisers require that students meet with them before approval for a project is given.
A student may change his or her adviser by filing a form for this purpose, available through the department office. Students should talk to their faculty advisers at least once a semester.
A faculty adviser is assigned to each student after the student has been fully admitted to the LES program. Students without an official adviser, including less-than-fully admitted graduate students, should refer to the department's chair for advising until a permanent adviser is assigned.
The student seeking admission to the legal studies B.A. program must meet all campus requirements for undergraduate admission. Information about these requirements is available from the UIS admissions office at 217/206-6626. The department requires no additional application for undergraduate admission. Transfer students entering the department at the junior level are expected to have successfully completed (with a grade of C or better) at least six semester hours of English composition and six semester hours of humanities. Students not meeting these requirements must take a writing or humanities course during their first semester at UIS.
The department recommends that all undergraduate majors complete an American government course as sophomores or freshmen before taking LES 301 in their junior year. LES 201 Introduction to American Government offered each semester, fulfills this requirement. In addition, it is highly recommended that LES 202 Introduction to American Law be taken in the spring semester of the sophomore year, so that all students beginning legal studies have a good working idea of how courts work and what actual legal processes entail. Further, all legal studies majors should have an interest in some aspect of the law and legal profession, and be prepared to engage in a rigorous educational experience.
The legal studies department offers two undergraduate major concentrations: the legal assistant concentration and the general legal studies concentration.
The legal assistant concentration focuses on the knowledge and skills that a student will need to work as a legal assistant/paralegal with emphasis on public law settings. The general legal studies concentration, which offers a broader liberal-arts-focused approach to legal studies, is appropriate for students interested in law or graduate school or in governmental or corporate positions for which an understanding of legal institutions and processes would be helpful.
Both concentrations offer required and elective courses. Required courses give students the opportunity to acquire essential legal background and to develop needed skills. Elective courses allow students to focus their programs of study in a specific area. All LES majors must take the general core courses listed below. In addition, students taking the legal assistant concentration must take the required legal assistant courses, and students in the general legal studies concentration must take the required general legal courses. Unless the student's adviser recommends otherwise, LES 301 and LES 401 should be taken in the first semester, junior year and LES 407 in the second semester, junior year. LES 407 is designated as the UIS communications competency course. See below.
Students should be aware that required courses are not offered every semester. Students are strongly advised to consult with their academic advisers or the department chair before registering for the first time. To ensure that all course work is properly integrated, students are encouraged to work out plans for their academic careers in conjunction with their LES advisers.
LES preparatory courses
LES 201 The American Political System 3 Hrs.
LES 202 The American Legal System 3 Hrs.
Core courses required of all undergraduate students
LES 301 Legal Institutions and Processes 4 Hrs.
LES 401 Legal Research and Citation 4 Hrs.
LES 407 Law and Society 4 Hrs.
LES 415 The American Constitution and Constitutional Law
or LES 416 The American Constitution and Civil Liberties 4 Hrs.
and the course designated as the closing seminar 4 Hrs.
Legal assistant concentration additions to core
LES 402 Legal Writing and Analysis 4 Hrs.
LES 403 Practice Skills: Illinois Civil Procedure for Legal Assistants 4 Hrs.
Legal studies course approved by adviser 4 Hrs.
Total for legal assistant concentration 32 Hrs.
General legal studies concentration additions to core
LES 402 Legal Writing and Analysis
or LES 472 Legal Studies Research Methods 4 Hrs.
LES 404 Law and Inequality
or LES 452 History of American Law 4 Hrs.
Legal studies course approved by adviser 4 Hrs.
Total for general LES concentration 32 Hrs.
Students should consult with advisers in the major for specific guidance regarding completion of general education requirements.
The legal studies B.A. program requires each student to take a minimum of four hours of AST. Students may take eight hours of AST, but four hours will be credited as an LES elective. Double majors may have different requirements and should check with their LES advisers. All legal studies AST placements must be approved before registration by the department's liaison to the campus' applied study office, Bill Jordan.
When necessary and advisable, students may waive the program's four-hour AST requirement and substitute another ECCE course. Waivers are given only in exceptional cases. Student petition forms for requesting waivers are available in the LES office.
UIS requires that students demonstrate proficiency in writing skills before attaining a degree. Each student's writing skills are initially assessed by instructors in legal studies courses. Students who are identified as having writing difficulties are required to develop a plan of improvement with their advisers.
Certification of communication skills for LES majors occurs in LES 407 Law and Society. Students are required to pass the writing portion of the course with a grade of C or better to meet this campus requirement. Students who do not demonstrate adequate communication skills will receive an incomplete in LES 407 until sufficient skills are developed. The LES department reserves the option of requiring the student to enroll in a formal remedial writing program.
Students must complete a minimum of 48 upper-division hours and fulfill all department and general education requirements to graduate. Each student must fill out a campus graduation contract. It must be approved by the required personnel no later than eight weeks after the start of his or her final semester. Students are allowed to submit their contracts for early consideration the semester before their final term.
Graduation contract forms are available on the UIS website.
After graduation, students completing the legal assistant concentration as part of their bachelor's degree will receive certificates if the student has received a B or better in LES 401 Legal Research and Citation, LES 402 Legal Writing and Analysis, and LES 403 Practice Skills and otherwise maintained at least a 2.50 GPA. The certificate reflects that they have successfully completed a comprehensive bachelor's degree legal assistant training program. Legal assistants are skilled professionals able to perform tasks and services under the supervision of a licensed attorney.
The master of arts program in legal studies is designed to present the master's candidate with a course of study in public law emphasizing law as a social phenomenon as well as a technical body of rules. It is a rigorous course of study, designed to develop the candidate's critical understanding of the legal system. It emphasizes analytical and conceptual thinking, legal research and writing, substantive areas of the law, ethical and public interest concerns, public advocacy skills, and the role of law in society.
The objectives for the M.A. graduate are 1) to obtain paralegal skills for entry and advancement in law-related careers; 2) to develop advanced research and writing skills; 3) to develop a focus to their educational effort that is connected to their career goals and professional development; and 4) to develop analytical and advocacy skills. The LES M.A. program seeks to provide opportunities for working in the legal field in a way that will advance student careers grounded in a solid understanding of the law within the context of an interdisciplinary liberal arts perspective.
Like the master of arts degree in legal studies offered on campus, the online program allows students to gain professional skills, as well as to study legal theory and the role of law in American society. It provides students with a broad general understanding of the legal system, how it works, and how it interrelates with societal changes.
The department requires students to apply separately for admission both to UIS and to the M.A. program. Application forms and information on LES department admission requirements may be obtained from the LES office. The university forms are available from the UIS Office of Admissions or on the UIS website.
The department expects that students will come from a variety of educational experiences and backgrounds. Though no particular undergraduate major is required, students should have completed at least one undergraduate course in American government, judicial process, or the equivalent. This is a prerequisite for admission. Students who do not have this background should take either LES 201 The American Political System, LES 202 American Legal System, or an approved equivalent course. Neither LES 201 nor LES 202 qualify for graduate credit.
The number of hours required by the LES master of arts degree depends on the students' educational background and achievements when they begin the LES program. If the student has this academic background, the M.A. in legal studies is a 36-hour course of study. If the student does not have this background, he or she must take LES 401 and 402 during the first year of academic study, making the degree a 44-hour course of study.
Online applicants must have a GPA of B or better and be able to demonstrate good to excellent written communication skills. Students for whom English is not their native language must take the TOEFL exam and receive a score of at least 600 on the paper-based exam, 100 on the Internet-based exam, or 250 on the computer-based exam. The application deadline is March 15.
All students who have not completed LES 401 and 402, or equivalents, should take LES 401 along with LES 501 Introduction to Graduate Legal Studies during their first semester and LES 402 in the second semester. Students who wish to receive credit for an equivalent course, for which they received a grade of B or better, and/or other competency in this area must apply for a waiver. (See section on waivers below.) The LES waiver committee will decide if a course taken at another institution is equivalent to the legal studies course(s). Requests for credit should be submitted to the waiver committee on the student petition form available in the department office.
A maximum of four hours of C are allowed in LES courses. Students must maintain a B or higher average within the program and must earn a B or better in all LES core courses. To encourage students in choosing electives, an additional four hours of C are permitted in courses taken outside the program if an overall B average is maintained. Clinical education courses, tutorials, and theses, are graded on a credit/no credit basis.
Pre-registration advising is important because many legal studies courses must be taken sequentially and not every course is offered every semester. Course requirements and sequences are available on the LES website: www.uis.edu/legalstudies.
Prerequisite
LES 201 American Political System
or LES 202 American Legal System
or approved equivalent course 3 Hrs.
Required preliminary courses
(waived for students who have already completed these courses or their approved equivalents)
LES 401 Legal Research and Citation (1st semester) 4 Hrs.
LES 402 Legal Writing and Analysis (2nd semester)
or LES 472 Legal Studies Research Methods 4 Hrs.
Total required preliminary courses 8 Hrs.
Core Courses
LES 501 Introduction to Graduate Legal Studies (fall, 1st year) 4 Hrs.
LES 551 Administrative Law (2nd semester) 4 Hrs.
LES 554 Clinical Education and/or substantive law electives 8 Hrs.
LES 587 Public Advocacy (3rd semester) 4 Hrs.
LES 504 Graduate Seminar
or LES 590 Thesis (last semester) 4 Hrs.
LES substantive law course (as approved by faculty adviser) 4 Hrs.
Total core courses 28 Hrs.
Electives (with approval of adviser) 8 Hrs.
Total core and electives 36 Hrs.
The clinical education experience provides students with skills necessary to be successful in a legal environment. Participation in clinical education is recommended. Master's candidates may earn up to eight hours of clinical education credits.
Government agencies, the Illinois Supreme Court, and other organizations sponsor interns, both paid and unpaid. Placement options include courts, administrative agencies, state and federal attorneys' offices, legal aid offices, private law firms, and other public interest groups. Graduate Public Service Internships, graduate assistantships, and legislative internships may count as clinical education if these placements meet the established guidelines. Students working full time or otherwise unable to work at a clinical position may want to work with their advisers to develop a research project or on-the-job alternative that emphasizes the practical aspects of their education.
Students must fulfill all 36 hours of required core courses and, if necessary, the eight hours of preliminary courses. If it is impossible for a student to take a required core course, or if a student has already taken one of the core courses or its equivalent as an undergraduate at another institution and wants to waive the requirement, the student must still complete the credit hours in some other course (except for waivers of LES 401 or 402).
A master's thesis or completion of LES 504 Graduate Seminar (including the course project) is required of all master's degree candidates as a closure exercise. Students selecting the thesis option may enroll in up to eight hours' credit in the master's thesis course (LES 590). They may accrue that total in increments.
Campus policy requires that students be enrolled in at least one semester hour of master's closure credit for each semester after they have begun their master's closure exercise until that exercise is completed. For LES students choosing the thesis option, this requirement means that if the thesis is not completed during the initial four hours of enrollment in LES 590 Thesis, students must register for LES 590 for one credit hour in each subsequent semester until eight hours are accumulated or the thesis is completed. If the thesis is still not completed by the time eight hours of continuous enrollment in LES 590 have been accumulated, students must register for LES 598 (zero credit hours, one billable hour) each semester until the thesis is completed. Likewise, if students choosing to take the graduate seminar fail to complete the required course work/project during the initial four hours, they must enroll in LES 597 (zero credit hours, one billable hour) each semester until the course work/project is complete. (Department policy allows students until the end of the first week of classes in the subsequent semester to complete closure requirements before they are required to re-enroll in the closure course.)