Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law

Introduction

Here at the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, we empower our students and graduates to make a difference in the world.

IU McKinney provides academic excellence and professional opportunities in the heart of Indiana’s capital city. Our students benefit from real-world experience through hands-on learning opportunities; connections to alumni around the globe; and the flexibility of day, evening, and online courses.

Located on the campus of Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), IU McKinney Law enjoys active collaboration with the IU Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, and Social Work; the Kelley School of Business; the Fairbanks School of Public Health; and the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. You can choose from nine joint-degree programs to combine your passions for multiple fields.

The law school building is a state-of-the-art facility situated just steps away from the state’s courts, the legislature, and major law firms, giving students ready access to practical experience as well as career options.

Situated along the nationally recognized Indianapolis Cultural Trail, a world-class urban bike and pedestrian path connecting neighborhoods, cultural districts and entertainment amenities, McKinney Law is the ideal place to pursue your legal education.

Put Law into Practice

IU McKinney offers ten live-client clinic courses. The Civil Practice Clinic allows students to represent clients in a variety of cases, including housing, divorce, child support, and consumer and administrative matters. In the Disability Clinic, students represent school-age children with special needs, as well as persons who are afflicted with HIV, Alzheimer’s disease, and AIDS. In the Criminal Defense Clinic, students represent clients in criminal cases involving a variety of misdemeanor or class D felony charges. Additional clinical opportunities include the Immigration Law Clinic, the Appellate Practice Clinic, the Health and Human Rights Clinic, the Wrongful Conviction Clinic, the Conservation Clinic, and the Civil Practice Social Work Clinic.

Because of our location in the heart of downtown Indianapolis, we offer a large number of externships in state and local government, the courts, organizations such as the NCAA, nonprofits such as the Sierra Club, and businesses such as Eli Lilly and Company. Students can put their legal educations to work and gain valuable résumé-building experience even before they graduate.

The school also offers an extensive moot court program, a client counseling program, a pro bono program, and three law reviews: Indiana Law Review, Indiana International and Comparative Law Review, and Indiana Health Law Review.

Flexibility

IU McKinney offers the flexibility of pursuing a JD degree either full time or part time, and many students switch tracks after their core courses (first-year curriculum) have been completed. Some courses are also offered through McKinney Law Online, making them more convenient.

Focus Your Studies

IU McKinney’s research centers and programs make significant contributions to the legal profession and the community locally, nationally, and internationally.

The William S. and Christine S. Hall Center for Law and Health is considered one of the top health law programs in the nation. The center serves as a preeminent information resource on health law issues for the bar, government, and health care community. Through the center, you may pursue a certificate in law and health and participate in the Indiana Health Law Review, as well as the Health Law Society.

The Program on Law and State Government enriches the dialogue between the academic legal community and state government policy makers. The program offers externships with nearly 60 government offices. Additionally, the program sponsors a fellowship that allows students to host an academic event and write a publishable academic paper on critical legal or regulatory issues pertinent to state government.

The Environmental, Energy, and Natural Resources Law Program (EENR) offers a path to expertise in a growing area of legal practice that addresses complex issues of resource development and conservation, pollution control, energy and transportation policy, environmental justice, and other related subjects. If you are interested in becoming an environmental or a natural resources lawyer, the EENR certificate can help you achieve your goals.

The Global Crisis Leadership Forum is a joint initiative of the law school and the IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) that organizes workshops, forum discussions, and training programs in the field of global crisis management. The forum also sponsors a biennial counterterrorism simulation exercise in which McKinney and SPEA students work with experts to respond to a simulated crisis situation.

The Center for Intellectual Property Law and Innovation is active in all areas of IP law, including patents, copyrights, trademarks, and the right of publicity, with a focus on issues of importance to the life sciences. If you are interested in a career in an IP-related field, you can pursue a certificate in this area.

IU McKinney demonstrates commitment to a legal education with a worldview through its many international programs. The Center for International and Comparative Law organizes an array of topical programs, a graduate certificate, and the Indiana International and Comparative Law Review provides an opportunity for in-depth research. The International Law Society organizes a variety of student activities.

Our Program in International Human Rights Law has placed students in internships with human rights organizations in locations from Argentina to Zimbabwe and holds Special Consultative Status with the United Nations, allowing our students valuable access to human rights law on a global scale. In 2014, the program was granted “NGO Observer Status” by the Pentagon’s Guantanamo Bay Convening Authority. Participants in the Military Commission Observation Project may travel to Guantanamo Bay to observe and analyze hearings.

The school’s Joint Center for Asian Law Studies is a collaboration with Renmin University of China Law School. The center offers the Chinese Law Summer Program, the annual International Law Student Forum, and the Annual Sino-US Law Conference, all in Beijing. It also sponsors the Summer Program in US Law, which welcomes Chinese students and professors from Sun Yat-sen University Law School.

The school offers graduate certificates in the following areas:

• Advocacy Skills
• Civil and Human Rights Law
• Corporate and Commercial Law
• Criminal Law
• Environmental and Natural Resources Law
• Health Law
• Intellectual Property Law
• International and Comparative Law

Joint-Degree Programs

IU McKinney Law offers nine joint-degree programs in conjunction with the IU Schools of Medicine, Public and Environmental Affairs, Liberal Arts, Informatics and Computing, and Social Work. The School of Law also offers cooperative degrees with the Kelley School of Business, the Fairbanks School of Public Health, and the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. You can earn a JD and a degree in another field in less time than it would take to earn both degrees independently. Joint degrees include

• JD/MD (Doctor of Jurisprudence and Doctor of Medicine)
• JD/MBA (Doctor of Jurisprudence and Master of Business Administration)
• JD/MHA (Doctor of Jurisprudence and Master of Health Administration)
• JD/MPH (Doctor of Jurisprudence and Master of Public Health)
• JD/MPA (Doctor of Jurisprudence and Master of Public Affairs)
• JD/MLS (Doctor of Jurisprudence and Master of Library Science)
• JD/MPhil (Doctor of Jurisprudence and Master of Arts in Philosophy)
• JD/MSW (Doctor of Jurisprudence and Master of Social Work)
• JD/MA (Doctor of Jurisprudence and Master of Arts in Philanthropic Studies)

Special Summer Program

Summer admission is offered to a select group of applicants who can benefit from a rigorous, individualized summer course. Applicants who have either an LSAT score or a GPA that is outside of the median range of accepted students, and persons who are returning to school after several years outside of the classroom, as well as students for whom English is a second language, may be considered for the summer program. Continuation in the fall is not contingent upon performance in the summer program. There is no special application procedure. Applicants who are not presumptively admitted will be considered for the summer program. Priority will be given to those who have their application files complete by February 1.

ICLEO

The school supports the Indiana Conference for Legal Education Opportunity (ICLEO), which provides historically underrepresented college graduates with assistance in pursuing law degrees and careers in the Indiana legal community.

Admission

The LSAT and LSAC’s Credential Assembly Service are required.

The law school seeks to attain a culturally rich and diverse student body. To this end, admission decisions are based on a variety of factors in addition to the LSAT score and undergraduate GPA.

IU McKinney Law offers an early-decision program. Early-decision candidates must have their applications completed, with their Credential Assembly Service Law School Report, by November 15, and will be notified of the admission committee’s decision by late December.

Academic and Bar Success Program

The Academic and Bar Success Program assists McKinney Law students from the first day of orientation, to the last day of the bar exam—and beyond. The program helps you improve your study skills and your academic performance, offering help every step of the way. Learn the techniques to help you become a successful student and lawyer.

The Dean’s Tutorial Society is staffed by academically distinguished students, under faculty supervision, who offer individual tutoring as well as assistance in case briefing and exam preparation.

Life as an IU McKinney Student

With over 30 active student organizations, we have an array of groups to match every interest and hobby. Find the right organization for you, or browse upcoming events to find activities that interest you, by visiting our website.

Plan Your Career

The Office of Professional Development offers comprehensive career-planning assistance before and after you graduate, including one-on-one counseling; résumé and cover-letter reviews; seminars and workshops on interviewing, job-search techniques, career choices, networking, and alternative careers; an online Career Center where students may post résumés and search job postings; on-campus interviews with prospective employers; job-search tools; and a resource library, both online and in the office. The school also offers an annual job fair in cooperation with the McKinney Law Alumni Association. Through the Professional Development Institute, you can develop professional skills, devise a career path, learn about the legal job market, and connect with students and alumni.

Our more than 11,000 alumni work in every state and in countries all over the world, in a range of legal specialties, as well as in government, the nonprofit sector, and business. Our graduates have served as company presidents; judges at the local, state, and federal levels; US ambassadors; senators and representatives; and heads of federal agencies. These accomplished alumni are your built-in network for career advice and opportunities.