The University of Wisconsin Law School, located in Madison, was established in 1868 and is known for its “law in action” legal philosophy. The “law in action” concept signifies that a real understanding of the law goes beyond the study of legal books and includes the study of law in actual practice. (1) University of Wisconsin Law School’s curriculum focuses on the interplay between law and society through classroom discussions, legal clinics, and the school’s linkages with the departments and colleges of the University of Wisconsin.
University of Wisconsin Law School offers a Juris Doctor (J.D.) law degree program as well as two masters’ and one doctoral law degree program.(2) The Master in Legal Institutions (M.L.I.) law degree program is a 24 credit interdisciplinary program that was created specifically for students who obtained their legal education from schools outside the US. The Master of Laws (LL.M.) and the Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) are research thesis/dissertation oriented programs that accept J.D. graduates and students who obtained their law degree from law school outside the US. Applicants who want to enter University of Wisconsin Law School’s S.J.D. program should first finish the school’s LL.M. law degree program.(3)
University of Wisconsin Law School also publishes various scholarly journals and law reviews. The most prominent of these is the Wisconsin Law Review which was first published in 1920. University of Wisconsin Law School students also publish two specialized journals: the Wisconsin International Law Journal and the Wisconsin Journal of Law, Gender and Society which is an offshoot of the Wisconsin Women’s Law Journal.(4)
University of Wisconsin Law School’s law clinics are extensions of the school’s “law in action” legal philosophy. The Frank J. Remington Center offers various programs that focus on the application of criminal law principles. The Center’s centerpiece program is the Legal Assistance to Institutionalized Persons Project (LAIP). LAIP offers legal assistance to inmates in Wisconsin prisons. The law school’s Economic Justice Institute is a group of law clinics that specialize in civil law. The institute’s Neighborhood Law Project provides legal assistance to underrepresented clients involved in workers’ rights and landlord/tenant court cases.(5)
(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Wisconsin_Law_School
(2) http://www.law.wisc.edu/academics/degrees.html
(3) http://www.law.wisc.edu/academics/degrees.html
(4) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Wisconsin_Law_School#Journals_and_publications
(5) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Wisconsin_Law_School#Clinical_programs