Law, School of

Dean: Thomas Earl Geu
Associate Dean: Tiffany C. Graham

University of South Dakota School of Law
414 East Clark Street
Vermillion, SD 57069-2390
Phone: 605-677-5443
Email: law@usd.edu
http://www.usd.edu/law

FACULTY

Roger M. Baron, Professor Emeritus, J.D., University of Missouri-Columbia. Member, South Dakota, Missouri, and Texas Bars. Courses: Civil Procedure, Family Law, Insurance.

David S. Day, Professor, J.D., University of Iowa. Member, California Bar. Courses: Advanced Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Constitutional Rights, Employment Discrimination, First Amendment Rights.

Patrick M. Garry, Professor, J.D., University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Ph.D., University of Minnesota. Member, Minnesota Bar. Courses: Media and Communications Law, Administrative Law, Advanced Torts, Employment Law.

Thomas Earl Geu, Dean and Professor, J.D., University of Nebraska. Member, South Dakota, Nebraska, and District of Columbia Bars.

Tiffany C. Graham, Associate Dean, J.D., University of Virginia. Member, California Bar. Course: Race and the Law.

Wendy Hess, Assistant Professor, J.D., University of Denver. Member, Maryland, District of Columbia, and South Dakota Bars. Courses: Fundamental Legal Skills, Client Counseling.

Thomas J. Horton, Professor, J.D., Case Western University, M.A.L.S., Georgetown University. Member, District of Columbia, Ohio Bars. Courses: Trial Techniques, Antitrust & Consumer Protection Law, Honors Seminar.

Mary Christine Hutton, Professor, J.D., Washburn University; LL.M., Harvard University. Member, South Dakota and Kansas Bars. Courses: Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Advanced Criminal Procedure, Evidence.

Darla Jackson, Director, McKusick Law Library, J.D./M.L.I.S., University of Oklahoma, LL.M., University of Georgia. Member, Oklahoma and South Dakota Bars. Courses: Legal Research Foundations, Advanced Legal Research.

Sean Kammer, Associate Professor, J.D., Duke University. Member, Ohio and South Dakota Bards. Courses: Environmental Law, Natural Resources Law, Energy Law, Water Law.

Allen Madison, Associate Professor, J.D., Hofstra University. Member, New York, District of Columbia, California, Michigan and South Dakota Bars. Courses: Federal Income Tax, Business Planning, Federal Tax Procedure.

Michael McKey, Visiting Lecturer, J.D., University of Texas. Member, Texas and District of Columbia Bars. Courses: Fundamental Legal Skills, Business Organizations.

Frank R. Pommersheim, Professor, J.D., Columbia University; M.P.A., Harvard University. Member, South Dakota and Oregon Bars. Courses: Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Federal Jurisdiction, Indian Law, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Tribal Courts and Tribal Law. Serves on six tribal courts across the U.S.

Tom Simmons, Assistant Professor, J.D., University of South Dakota. Member South Dakota Bar. Courses: Property, Estate Planning, Trusts & Wills, Elder Law.

Charles M. Thatcher, Professor, J.D., Ohio Northern University. Member, South Dakota and Ohio Bars. Courses: Conflict of Laws, Contracts, Remedies.

Jonathan K. Van Patten, Professor, J.D., University of California at Los Angeles. Member, South Dakota and California Bars. Courses: Advanced Torts, Debtors’ and Creditors’ Rights, Negotiation and Settlement, Torts, Discovery Practice.

Barry R. Vickrey, Dean & Professor Emeritus, J.D., Vanderbilt University. Member, South Dakota and Tennessee Bars. Courses: Legal Profession, Mediation.

DEGREE

Juris Doctor

Program Description

The University of South Dakota’s School of Law was established in 1901. It has been accredited by the American Bar Association since 1923 and has been a member of the Association of American Law Schools since 1907. The School of Law has a diverse, scholarly, and highly-accomplished faculty who have obtained their J.D., and in some cases advanced law degrees, from a variety of respected institutions across the country. Many faculty members have practice experience in addition to their many years of teaching experience. School of Law students come from a variety of backgrounds and, upon graduation and admission to a bar, enter law practice in South Dakota and throughout the nation.

The University of South Dakota School of Law offers a high-quality legal education at an affordable cost in a small, friendly school with many opportunities for specialized instruction and personal assistance. Prospective students are encouraged to consider carefully the many advantages available as a student of the University of South Dakota School of Law. We encourage you to visit our website at www.usd.edu/law and to visit our campus in Vermillion. The faculty and staff are available to discuss legal education generally and how the programs at the USD School of Law can be designed to fit individual needs.

LAW SCHOOL ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Completed Credential Assembly Service (CAS) profile at www.LSAC.org. Applicants must complete their application via CAS and submit a non-refundable application fee of $35.
All official transcripts submitted to the CAS for a transcript analysis.
The School of Law does not establish a minimum cumulative GPA for admission. Grades are reviewed within the context of the entire application. Interested applicants may review the GPA and LSAT statistics for our most recent entering class on our school profile, which can be found at http://www.usd.edu/law/school-profile#GPA.
Applicants with degrees from countries other than the United States who have obtained an undergraduate or graduate degree from a regionally accredited American college or university are not required to submit an approved English proficiency exam score. For all other applicants, a minimum score of 79 on the Internet-Based TOEFL (iBT) or 550 on the Paper-Based TOEFL (PBT), a minimum IELTS score of 6.0, or a minimum PTE score of 53 is required for graduate admission. Applicants from or who have obtained an undergraduate or graduate degree from these English-speaking countries (UK, Australia, Canada [except Quebec], Ireland, or New Zealand) are not required to submit an approved English proficiency exam score if their academic records indicate that English was the classroom language for the majority of their schoolwork.
A personal statement. The personal statement should detail evidence of qualities beyond academic abilities, such as leadership ability, service to others, maturity, organizational skills, familiarity with other languages and cultures, a history of overcoming disadvantage, extraordinary accomplishment, or success in a previous career. The statement should also explain what contributions the applicant may bring to the University of South Dakota School of Law and the legal profession.
An LSAT score. (Registration at www.LSAC.org)
Minimum of two (2) letters of recommendation submitted via the CAS. The applicant must submit two letters of recommendation from instructors, employers, or supervisors. Applicants who have received their undergraduate or graduate degree within the preceding three years must include an academic letter of reference.

For complete admissions information, please see the Law School Catalog, found on the School of Law website, at http://www.usd.edu/law/.

Program of Study

The School of Law is accredited as a full-time program leading to a juris doctor (J.D.) degree upon completion of 90 semester hours of courses in six full-time semesters. Students enter the School of Law in the fall of each year. In preparing to apply to law school, students are advised that there are moral character, fitness, and other qualifications for admission to a state’s bar. The applicant, prior to matriculation, should determine what those requirements are in the state in which the applicant intends to practice. Contact information for state bar examinations is found at www.ncbex.org.

In order to qualify for the juris doctor degree, a student must complete six semesters, or their equivalent in residence. A semester is generally 15 weeks, during which a student enrolls for at least 12 credit hours and completes at least nine of these hours with passing grades. Enrollment for the purpose of this rule must be continuous throughout the semester. A student may not satisfy the six-semester requirement by completing the summer externship and more credit hours than the normal course load in other semesters.

The School of Law course offerings are varied and respond to the evolving and dynamic needs of the legal profession. The University of South Dakota offers a broad range of electives after students have taken the traditional first-year curriculum, including a strong curricular emphasis in Indian Law. The School of Law offers course tracks in business law, civil litigation, commercial law, constitutional law, criminal law & procedures, employment law, estate planning, Indian law, environmental law, real estate, and tax law. A broad array of co-curricular activities and professional events further enrich the educational experience.

The Law School program leads to a juris doctor degree upon successful completion of 90 hours of credit. The full-time program covers three years; the Flex-Time program permits certain well-qualified students to take less than the normal load of credits each semester and to graduate with a juris doctor degree within five years instead of three. The School of Law offers joint degree programs leading to the juris doctor degree and a master’s degree (concurrently) from the University of South Dakota in three years in nine disciplines:

School of Business: JD/Master of Professional Accountancy, JD/Master of Business Administration;
Cross-Disciplinary Studies: JD/Master of Science in Administration;
School of Education: JD/Master of Arts in Educational Administration (Non-certified);
College of Arts & Sciences: JD/Master of Arts in English, JD/Master of Arts in History, JD/Master of Arts in Political Science, JD/Master of Public Administration, and JD/Master of Arts in Psychology (Non-certified).

Research and Co-Curricular Opportunities

The Law School also provides a limited number of Research Assistant opportunities in which upper-level law students conduct research and perform other work for law professors. In addition, student participation in co-curricular activities enhances the classroom learning experience for many at the Law School. Students gain extraordinary experience by participating in competitions and other events through the South Dakota Law Review, Trial Advocacy, the Moot Court Board, and the Alternative Dispute Resolution Board.