The State Bar Association of North Dakota Winter 2013 Gavel Magazine | Page 8
FROM THE DEAN
Dean, UND School of Law
Kathryn Rand
Oil and Education: Building to Sustain the Boom
The oil boom in North Dakota has created needs alongside opportunities. These needs are felt by our communities in many areas, including the administration of justice in our state. As the SBAND Justice System Energy Impact Task Force concluded, “An effective, efficient, and responsive justice system is a vital part of the infrastructure, necessary to maintain the quality of life in North Dakota and also necessary to support energy development.” Courts, law enforcement, public agencies, and attorneys are struggling to meet the needs of the industry, of local businesses, and of North Dakotans. The UND School of Law is committed to partnering with SBAND and the state’s judiciary to meet these needs now, and into the future for generations to come. The UND School of Law already has made significant improvements to our program of legal education, including expanding more programs and courses directly relevant to the oil industry and its impacts in North Dakota. In the past few years, we’ve focused our curriculum on producing practice-ready graduates—competent and ethical lawyers with entry-level proficiency and professional self-sufficiency in any setting, who will become effective, innovative, and ethical leaders in our profession and in our communities. We’ve expanded our skills-related courses and incorporated skills instruction into what used to be “lecture” courses. In our first-year Criminal Law course, for example, students don’t just learn the fundamentals of criminal law, they prosecute and defend a criminal defendant in a “mini” mock trial. Beyond the obviously skills-centered courses such as Trial Advocacy, Criminal Advocacy, Advanced Appellate
Advocacy, Alternative Dispute Resolution, and Advanced Trial Advocacy, we offer other courses that give students hands-on lawyering experiences. For example, in Estate Planning, students are assigned a fictional client and engage in various client interviewing and drafting exercises throughout the semester. And in our Clinical Legal Education Program, students represent real clients and litigate real cases under the supervision of our clinical faculty. Our faculty also incorporate current legal issues in the state throughout our curriculum, helping students connect legal theory to real-world practice in North Dakota and our region. Administrative Law, for instance, includes the myriad state and federal agency regulations that apply to local governmental infrastructure building, housing, siting new roads, drilling new wells, operating oil wells, and transporting materials related to extraction. In Environmental Law, stu [? ? ?\?X\??8?'??X??[???'H\?[?[? \? ?H ?X?X?K] ? ?Y?[]?H?X????[? [? ???X?H ?Y?[]?H\ ??X?\? ?X[?Y?[??] ?[??\??Y[?[???\]Y[??\?Y?\?][????\?\???\? ?]HY?\?]]?H ???\??[??]??Y\?[??\?[?? ? Y[? ?\?X\?? \\??? ?X?? ?X?\? ?[???][?[? ?\??X?H ?Y? ?\??Y\?[? ?\?\????Z??K?[?[??] \?[?\??\??\? ? Y[? ? ???H?Y[ ?\ ? H?[?\??Z[?K??]??[?\? ?]H?YY ?[??[[??\?]? ?H]?H ?[X]X?[ H^ [?Y?\??\??X?[ [H[? \?\?XK?[? H \??]? YX\?? ?x?&]?HYY??\??\?[?Y ?[??Y?X??[??[[??\??[[??\? ?X?X?H[???Z??K[?Z[?\?[^][??? Y[?[X[??? \?H??\??\?\?Y? [? ?H??? ][? \? ?H[X[??? ?[ ] ?Z[?Y] ??^\?[? \?\?XH\?[ ??Y? ???[?????\? [? ?]H?X\?Y\??Y?H?[???\?Y?[Y[????H H ?]K H?????]?\???[Z] Y ??Z[[??H ??\?[? ?Y???\??\??X?[ [H[??[[??\?]?] H ?[YH [YK ?H??????H H?\?X?H?\?[H[?\??H[\X?\?????H ?\?[????H ?\?][???\?[ [[?HX???? H ?]K??Z??[???&HY?[?YY ?\?[??&][Z]Y ??[[??\?]?\?H\?H?]X?[?YY ?[??[Z[ H]??[?[??X[ [??[??[?\?]H]??\?[?\??[???[Y\??X[]??[Z[?[]?[??[?\?[]Y?][??[?XX?? \?H\?X\?[?[?K?\??Y X]\??YY ??H ?[ ?Z[?Y[? ?X?X?K\?XY K?\?K ?x?&]?HYY??\??\?[?[\?]??Y\?X??[?[??K[?\??][?[?\?[?\?? ?[??X?[???[Z[?[???[?[??[????? ??X[]??\?HX[?Y?[Y[? [????[Y\? ??X?[?]??\? ??[YHH?]??H[ ??\?H ???[?? ?^ [? ? Y[?^ \???\? ? [?]Y\?\? YX\??\?
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