U of I’s College of Law Prepares to Meet Future Legal Needs of Idaho
July 01, 2021
The demand for law education in the state is growing, and the University of Idaho is Idaho’s law school. The university was looking for creative solutions to space constraints, specifically for the Boise location, when a Vandal alumnus and longtime benefactor, Jeff Stoddard, proposed a partnership as he considered purchasing the former Concordia University School of Law building at 501 Front St. The timely conversation and proposal led to a request to the State Board of Education for the university to lease the building from Stoddard and move the law school to the Front Street building.
On June 28, the state board approved U of I’s request to lease the building to house the College of Law students, faculty and staff who make up our law school community in Boise. It fits the university’s immediate needs as it is designed for classes and office space. With the support of the Idaho Supreme Court, the Idaho State Law Library will also relocate to the Front Street location.
Simultaneously, the university will continue to invest in the Menard Law Building on the Moscow campus, where applicants and demand are also growing in concert with the state’s expanding economy.
The Idaho Law and Justice Learning Center (ILJLC) served the college well during the initial years of the Boise program. However, the former courthouse on Jefferson Street was at capacity and is not designed as an educational facility, making expansion of the space difficult. As U of I moves to the Front Street property, with the intent of holding all Boise law classes there beginning in Spring 2022, the ILJLC will be vacated. The State of Idaho still owns the ILJLC and will identify a new use for this historic building.
This move enables the law school to grow, expanding our offer of legal education in both Moscow and Boise. It also enables the university to meet its responsibility, as part of the University of Idaho’s land-grant mission, to provide access to legal education and to legal services around the state.
About the University of Idaho
The University of Idaho, home of the Vandals, is Idaho’s land-grant, national research university. From its residential campus in Moscow, U of I serves the state of Idaho through educational centers in Boise, Coeur d’Alene and Idaho Falls, nine research and Extension centers, plus Extension offices in 42 counties. Home to nearly 11,000 students statewide, U of I is a leader in student-centered learning and excels at interdisciplinary research, service to businesses and communities, and in advancing diversity, citizenship and global outreach. U of I competes in the Big Sky and Western Athletic conferences. Learn more at uidaho.edu.