University of Nevada—Las Vegas - William S. Boyd School of Law

ABA-accredited in 2003, many students feel, “The greatest strength of Boyd is its newness,” which lends a sense of optimism, excitement, and challenge to the campus. Because it’s not “steeped in tradition, there’s an entrepreneurial spirit here. Everyone senses we’re building something special.” With a quality teaching staff, top-notch facilities, a talented student body, and reasonable tuition costs, students are confident that their school will continue to climb in the ranks. In fact, this sense of excitement extends throughout the city and state. Boyd is the only law school in Nevada; students report, “The legal community and the community in general are excited to have us here and the whole city [and state] is invested in all of us succeeding.”
Professors boast impressive educational and professional backgrounds and are known to be both “intelligent and well-respected in their fields.” More important, they are “stimulating individuals who are skilled teachers.” Students are “consistently amazed by the ease with which the faculty so effectively employs the Socratic Method, such that the student body...is able to break down even the most complex legal scenarios and digest them as fully understandable rules and concepts.” Outside the classroom, “professors are extremely approachable, even for a shy student.”
The administration is generally regarded as “accessible and very pro-student.” A 2L affirms, “The administrators I deal with on any sort of regular basis are fantastic. Not only do they know their stuff; they are anxious to help and are just all-around fabulous people.” Students particularly applaud the efforts the administration has made to help new students make the transition into law school, citing the “optional thirty-minute classes once a week where we are taught exam skills, note-taking, and outlining tips.”
Classrooms at Boyd are “new and clean” and very high-tech. The “top quality facilities” include “wireless Internet and cable Internet hook-ups throughout the building,” as well as “a state-of-the-art library.” Off campus, students say, “Being the only law school in Nevada, in the middle of one of the fastest-growing economies in the United States, opportunities abound.” For example, UNLV students “have opportunities for something close to eighty-five judicial externships each year (out of a class of 150)” and additionally “have extraordinary access to the local, regional, and state governments.” When it comes to landing a job after graduation, UNLV is extremely well located. In the city of Las Vegas, “The local law firms are eager to hire graduates, and the private sector opportunities in gaming, hospitality, real estate, corporate, entertainment, and litigation are abundant and highly lucrative.”

While located in the heart of Las Vegas, “Most of the students commute into campus…and that can put a strain on the nearby social scene.” In lieu of a hopping campus life, “Student organizations are great and have become central to social events at the school.” Students have no trouble making friends among their interesting and talented classmates since “The people make the school.” One student writes, “I love coming to school because I’ve made really great friends and don’t mind seeing them everyday.”
Commuter student or not, “Being in the center of Las Vegas, there is always something to do and somewhere new to go.” You may be surprised to learn, however, that law school in Sin City is actually quite serious. Some students feel the competitiveness is a product of the high caliber of the student body. A 1L explains particularly in the school’s early years many “of the students in the entering class are in their forties, and several of them are doctors and dentists, so the bar is set quite high.” Though the level of commitment remains the same, the profile of the average entrant may have changed over time as the school’s applicant pool has widened in terms of age and experience. In addition to their diligence, UNLV students are a fairly homogenous and quite conservative group. One student points out that some of “the faculty is comprised of very liberal individuals from a diverse background, whereas a majority of the students are very conservative and tend to have similar life experiences.”