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Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/35634
REBEL YALE “One of many problems with rankings is that they ask you: ‘How much like Yale are you?’ That’s not always appropriate. Yale is one of the handful of schools that can have any student they want.” encouraged to be involved in their community, and to pay attention to the things they care about. What type of law do most of your graduates practice? This is a legal market that’s characterized by small law firms. Our students are typically doing general practice when they start, then concentrate as they move along. What would entice someone who attended Stanford, to come to UNLV’s law school? I think it’s our reputation as an up-and-coming place. We’re a place that emphasizes skills and professionalism along with rigorous scholarship. An interest in being in Las Vegas for a period of time, if not settling in Nevada. Our goal is to be a significant regional player in short order. Our ultimate goal is to be an excellent national law school. I think the city would benefit immensely from us achieving those goals. Is UNLV Law a significant regional player? Yes. I think we’re among schools in the region that everybody considers. Our students who are committed to being in Nevada have unparalleled access to courts and other political leaders here. We have a faculty that’s extremely well regarded, so you’re not going to lose anything by coming here. We’ve used these things to not only attract faculty, but also to bring in an ever-improving student body. Right now our student body is up there with all of the regional schools of significance: Utah, San Diego, Arizona State or the University of Arizona. If you looked at the entering data | 4 JULY 2011 | on our students—such as LSAT scores, undergraduate GPA, schools attended—it’s commensurate with those schools. I think that’s in large part because we’ve become the school of choice for Nevadans, as we should be. We’re below truly established places like UCLA, which I wouldn’t say we compete with. Do you think having a law school here is important for the business community? Yes. I think that our students, in addition to knowing what kinds of social problems exist in the city, get to know the business culture in the town. I think that’s an irreplaceable head start that our students have. Building those contacts early on has been crucial, especially as the city has grown. You think it’s mutually beneficial. Yes. Absolutely. Compare where you went to law school, Yale, with UNLV. One of many problems with rankings is that they ask you: “How much like Yale are you?” That’s not always appropriate. Yale is one of the handful of schools that can have any student they want. That allows them to create a school that’s heavily about policy that has an elite faculty. Our focus is to develop lawyers who can work in Las Vegas, Elko, Reno and in cities like those in the region—St. George, Phoenix and so on. The experiences that lawyers will have in those places are different from what most of the graduates from Yale will encounter. We want to give them a great education while exposing them to the kinds of challenges that people in this community and communities like it have. This isn’t to say we don’t believe in excellence. We want to build a school that’s appropriate for Las Vegas. Do you think your experience of Las Vegas is different because you’re a person of color? No. I think in my job, at least, I’m out in the community quite a lot. I have uncommon access to people in the community. I don’t know that I’ve seen that. Having come from a town less than half the size of Las Vegas, Baton Rouge, I’m not surprised by it. Are UNLV Law graduates able to find jobs in Las Vegas? Nobody can find jobs easily. The market here has been better here for our graduates than it has been in other cities. If we can continue to produce excellent students who are focused on their craft, people will take notice. One thing firms here don’t want is for people to work here for a bit and leave. With our graduates, there’s no question. That’s a substantial advantage we have in this community. We’re tied to the fate of this community. Have the NDA, LVCVA or business-development organizations contacted you? No, but I’d be happy to talk with them. How have budget cuts affected the law school? The most obvious consequence is that the cost of going here has gone up a lot. 23