Administrative Rules and Policies

For fall matriculates, undergraduate transcripts are due by October 15; for students matriculating at any other time, the undergraduate transcript is due within four weeks after classes begin, per ABA requirements. If a student does not have their undergraduate transcript on file by these dates, the student will be permitted to complete the current semester but will not be permitted to enroll in a subsequent semester until the law school has the student’s official undergraduate transcript(s) on file.

Lewis & Clark requires that all degree seeking and visiting Law students have medical insurance coverage comparable to that offered through the school’s comprehensive Student Health Insurance Plan with the exception of students enrolled exclusively in distance learning courses. Students are afforded one opportunity in each academic year to waive the school’s coverage. The premium for the school’s insurance is charged in two equal installments, one in fall semester and one in spring semester. Spring insurance coverage continues through the summer. If students do not submit an annual health insurance waiver, they will be automatically enrolled in the Student Sponsored Health Insurance Plan.

Please visit the Student Health Insurance page for details regarding Lewis & Clark’s Student Health Insurance requirement and waiver deadline.

Costs for each academic year are determined by the Board of Trustees. Lewis & Clark reserves the right to change tuition and/or fees at any time. To review this academic year’s schedule of charges, please visit Law School Costs.

Information regarding billing and payment standards is available on the Student and Departmental Account Services website at www.lclark.edu/go/student/accounts.

In addition to tuition, there are required fees for the Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) and health insurance, unless the health insurance is waived by meeting the comparable coverage requirement. Individual sections or courses may have associated fees as well. Check to see if a section has a fee by viewing the section in WebAdvisor

Lewis & Clark seeks to be an inclusive community that welcomes and respects all people. Every member of our community is expected to commit to maintaining a safe, respectful and welcoming community. This means it allows all members of the community to access all authorized law school spaces/facilities in accordance with their gender identity and/or gender expression, including but not limited to bathrooms and locker rooms.

Any community member who believes Lewis & Clark Law School or a community member has engaged in discrimination in violation of this policy (in violation of other nondiscrimination obligations, including intentional discrimination or harassment) should contact the Law School Associate Dean of Student Affairs (lclawsa@lclark.edu), the Bias Assessment Response Team (bart@lclark.edu), or file a report using this form.

Definitions

Gender Expression: the manner in which any individual’s gender identity is expressed, including, but not limited to, through dress, appearance, manner, or speech. Examples of gender expression include but are not limited to femininity, masculinity, and androgyny.

Gender Identity: the manner in which any individual experiences and conceptualizes their gender, regardless of whether or not it differs from the gender culturally associated with their assigned sex at birth. Gender identity is not necessarily visible to others.

Parking permits are required for parking in the law school and the other campus parking lots throughout the spring and fall semesters. For additional information regarding parking regulations and costs please visit the Transportation and Parking page.

From time to time, we photograph formal and informal events on campus. We use these photographs on the website, in alumni publications, digital communications such as e-newsletters and occasionally on social media. Rarely are students identified by name; rather these are campus-ambiance photographs, capturing the spirit of the event.

If you do NOT want your photo used, please email Judy Asbury, jasbury@lclark.edu (Assistant Dean, Communications and External Relations). Use the words “Opting Out of Photography” in the subject line and attach a current photo of yourself.

Current and detailed information is available at the Student Financial Services office and website. 

Satisfactory Academic Progress: 

As required by the Federal regulations governing Title IV financial aid, students are required to be making academic progress toward their degree to continue eligibility for the Federal Student Aid programs. This progress contains a quantitative and a qualitative standard of performance.

The quantitative standard states that the student should be advancing at a full-time status in such a fashion as to complete the degree requirements within five years. The quantitative standard for a student who attends less-than-full-time is measured on a percentage basis compared to a full-time standard. Students who meet the school standards for remaining in school are considered to be making satisfactory progress.

Loan Deferments:

The Registrar’s Office certifies the attendance dates for all loan deferments. However, students are responsible for understanding the deferment policy of the lender or the loan servicing company handling their loan(s). Direct communication between the lender and the student is necessary for compliance with loan regulations. Loan deferment policies vary significantly from lender to lender. Inquire carefully as to what you need to do to make sure your lender does not require repayment during the time you are fully enrolled in school.

A supportive, congenial and professional environment is essential to the law school’s academic mission. For this reason, the law school strives to sustain an atmosphere in which individual dignity is respected. Sexual harassment is inconsistent with this goal and will constitute a violation of this policy. Faculty, staff, students and persons using the law school facilities are expected to adhere to the sexual misconduct and sexual harassment policies.

The policies and procedures regarding sexual misconduct can be found at https://www.lclark.edu/offices/human_resources/employee_resources/policies/institutional/employee_conduct/sexual_misconduct.php.

The policies and procedures regarding sexual harassment are at http://www.lclark.edu/offices/human_resources/employee_resources/policies/institutional/employee_conduct/sexual_harassment/

The ABA and the Department of Education require a minimum number of hours that students must work in order to earn credits. To earn one credit, the ABA expects a student to work 42.5 hours over the course of the semester. See ABA Standard 310(b)(1). Those hours include in-class time, out-of-class time preparing for class, time spent on projects or papers, and time spent studying for and taking a final examination. Any course offered at Lewis & Clark Law School must meet these minimums. Some courses may require more than the minimum hours per credit, but students are not entitled to earn additional credit for such courses.

Course with regularly scheduled classes — To meet the DOE/ABA requirements for 1 credit hour, Lewis & Clark requires students taking courses with regularly scheduled classes to attend 13 weeks of 55-minute classes, which is 715 minutes (11.9 hours), and take an exam that will take a minimum of 60 minutes, for a total of 12.9 hours. To fill out the remainder of ABA’s 42.5 hour requirement and earn 1 credit, students are expected to do a minimum of roughly 2¼ hours of work outside of class for every 55-minute hour spent in class, along with at least 2 hours of exam studying per credit.

Classes that have papers or projects instead of exams require additional time to make up for the time not spent studying for or taking the exam. Some classes require or allow “major” papers, for which students can earn additional credit.

Field Placements — The law school has two types of field placement. The hours in the placement and the class requirement are published in the course descriptions for the practicums, and in the externship materials for both extern supervisors and students.

1) The most common field placement is the externship field placement. To earn 1 credit hour, students must do 52 hours of work in the field placement and participate in an online class.

2) The other type of field placement is the practicum. Practicums include attendance at a two-hour seminar every class week, plus 8-10 hours per week in the field placement.

Clinic — The requirements vary according to the individual clinic. Each clinic involves a set number of hours in the clinic each week, as well as attendance at a separate, regularly scheduled class.

Moot Courts — Moot courts vary widely in requirements for class time, practice rounds, and whether there are significant written, reading, and other assignments. The number of credits is available with the course description for each moot court, and on the list of courses offered.

Summer school — The same total minutes and hours are required for summer classes as during the fall or spring semesters, but they are compressed into a shorter period of time.

Lewis & Clark Law School is required to comply with the ABA Standards for Approval of Law Schools. The ABA Standards may be found at http://www.americanbar.org/groups/legal_education/resources/standards.html. Any current student at the law school who believes there is a significant problem that may implicate the school’s compliance with the ABA Standards should follow the steps enumerated below. If a faculty or staff member becomes aware of a student complaint, they should notify the Dean or the Associate Dean for Student Affairs, who will jointly assess whether the student complaint implicates an ABA Standard. If the student complaint is determined to implicate an ABA Standard, the Associate Dean for Student Affairs will notify the complaining student of the process enumerated below.

1. Deliver a written complaint to at least two of the following: the Dean, the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, or the Associate Dean for Student Affairs. A written complaint can be an e-mail, a fax, hand-delivered, or U.S. mail.
2. The written complaint should describe in detail the behavior, program, process, or other matter that is the subject of the complaint, and explain how the matter may implicate the law school’s program of legal education and its compliance the ABA Standard(s). If the student is aware of the specific standard that is implicated, they are encouraged to reference the ABA Standard at-issue in their written complaint.
3. The writing must provide the name, official law school e-mail address, and a street address of the complaining student, to enable the administrator to communicate about the complaint with the complaining student.
4. The administrator to whom the complaint is submitted will acknowledge the complaint within 10 business days of receipt of the written complaint. Acknowledgment may be made by e-mail, U.S. mail, or by personal delivery, at the option of the administrator.
5. Within two weeks of acknowledgment of the complaint, the administrator, or the administrator’s designee, shall either meet with the complaining student, or respond to the substance of the complaint in writing. In this meeting or in this writing, the student should either receive a substantive response to the complaint, or information about what steps are being taken by the law school to address the complaint or to further investigate the complaint. When the investigation, if needed, is completed, the student shall be provided either a substantive response to the complaint or information about what steps are being taken by the law school to address the complaint within two weeks after completion of the investigation.
6. Appeals regarding decisions on complaints may be taken to the Dean of the law school, or if the Dean has decided the merits of the complaint, to the President of the College. Any decision made by the Dean or by the President on appeal shall be final.
7. A copy of the complaint and a summary of the process and resolution of the complaint shall be kept in the office of the Dean for a period of eight years from the date of final resolution of the complaint.