A judicial clerk is an attorney that works for, and closely with, a judge. Clerks typically provide legal research, draft opinions, and provide general assistance to their judge or court. Although the law clerk won’t see their name at the end of the judicial opinion that they may have played a role in researching and drafting, their work is critical.

Rapid changes in health care practices and regulations over the past few years have created a greater need for people who understand the convergence between law and health care, making Iowa’s JD-MHA combined degree program more appealing than ever for students and employers.

This past year has been a difficult one. Yet despite many challenges and changes, the Iowa Law community has persisted and succeeded—hiring incredible faculty, recruiting a diverse student body, making a positive impact during the pandemic, advancing DEI initiatives, and giving students valuable experiences they need to succeed.

“Unlike the other law schools I had previously checked out, I felt that Iowa Law was not trying to sell me anything. I got a really genuine impression from the school that impressed me.” Today, almost three years later, Eibschutz feels right at home in Iowa City and within the walls of Boyd Law, finding success in the classroom and out.

The Annual Law School Auction raises money which will provide stipends to students in public-interest internships—from public defender's offices to non-profit organizations and everywhere in between. Often, these internships offer little to no compensation which deters students from pursuing them. The auction seeks to provide enough funding for student’s living expenses during the time of their internship. 

No one should have to feel the pain of racial injustice, and we must stand together against it. As the President said over the weekend: “Hate can have no safe harbor in America. It should have no safe harbor anywhere in the world. We must join together to make it stop.” In that spirit, the Iowa Law community stands with all of the members of our community who have felt the sting of racial prejudice.

Eddie Ponce's journey into law has taken many twists and turns, and at times things could have gone in another direction, he is steadfast in his belief that he is on the right path, doing exactly what he should be doing. Read his remarkable story.

A University of Iowa College of Law class uses America’s pastime to give students experience in arbitration—and an opportunity to earn top honors for written work in a national competition.

In response to the killing of Michael Brown and the unrest in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014, law students Crystal Pound and Alex Lodge created a Street Law course at Iowa Law. They set out to educate youths about what is permitted from both sides of an interaction with law enforcement, with the hopes it could lead to future de-escalation of similar scenarios in local communities.

This semester, law students have been doing cutting-edge research into how the pandemic is impacting work laws, as it re-arranges workplaces, requires business closures, transforms the ways we get goods, decimates the service sector, and sickens millions of workers. 

Abishi Cunningham came to Iowa Law in 1939. In his home state, West Virginia University did not accept black students. He graduated in 1941 and returned to West Virginia to open his legal practice. His daughter and grandchildren recently visited Iowa Law to learn more about their family's legacy.

Theodore "Ted" M. Seldin was an entrepreneur with a passion for giving back. He was instrumental in shaping the national and local legislation related to affordable and fair-housing statutes and a generous advocate of the University of Iowa and the College of Law. During his 89 years, Ted made a lasting impact on all of the communities he served.

Jason Rantanen, a professor at the UI College of Law, spent his Fall 2020 Obermann Fellow-in-Residency collecting and analyzing data about such cases. Rantanen, whose research area is intellectual property, specifically patent law, wants to help ensure that such cases are being decided objectively.

The University of Iowa College of Law has partnered with several other law schools across the United States to advocate for compassionate release during COVID-19, including clinical faculty at University of California Irvine and the University of Chicago. For each of these institutions, advocating for compassionate release not only provides incredible learning opportunities for their students; it also begins to establish a precedent within the courts that lengthy sentences and mandatory minimums must be reevaluated.

Great writing and great libraries are created by those with great passion. The remarkable collection of our Law Library, which includes this selection of “loveliest books,” owes its breadth and depth to the passion and vision of bibliophile Professor Arthur Bonfield, who served as the Law Library’s Director from 1985-2014.

Iowa Law has established its human rights program as a stand out in a competitive and changing world, recently earning an A+ rating for Human Rights Law from preLaw Magazine, a National Jurist Publication.

After a difficult interview process, Marshall-Loving was offered – and accepted – a coveted Iowa Supreme Court clerkship, which she will begin after graduation. “Professors went above and beyond to provide me with letters of recommendation and explain to judges what I could offer to their chambers. I am more than grateful for Iowa Law’s valuable insight and help, and can’t wait to discover yet another corner of the Midwest through my clerkship in Des Moines.”

In 2009, Iowa Law launched an alumni awards program to recognize law alumni who have made significant achievements in their careers and in their service to the College of Law. The program features four award categories: Emerging Leader, Alumni Achievement, Alumni Service, and the Iowa Law Review Alumni Achievement.

Long Island, NY native and third-year law student Adam Ramadan Lorenzana had been to Iowa exactly once before arriving for law school.“ I’m sure things would have worked out just fine if I went back home for law school, but Iowa Law provided me with a unique experience, great faculty, and opened doors across the country. The whole ‘first Iowa, then anywhere’ saying, it really rings true.”

On Transgender Day of Remembrance, we honor and remember our Transgender sisters, brothers, and siblings who have been taken from us by the hands of transphobic violence.

Iowa Law’s community fosters leadership skills that have resulted in a number of faculty members becoming leaders at law schools across the country and earned Iowa Law an informal reputation of “Law Dean School” along the way.

We sat down with Iowa Law 3L Paul Esker to talk about how after his time spent traveling the United States as undergrad, he returned home to Iowa for his law school journey. Esker is originally from Cedar Rapids, but lived in New York City, Washington D.C., and Atlanta to work on political campaigns before he came back to Iowa City to start law school.

This Veterans Day we sat down with Amy Kretkowski, a 2008 alumnae and current adjunct professor at Iowa Law teaching Veterans Benefits Law, to learn more about the passion behind her work.

Iowa Law is honored to welcome 22 international students this semester, several of which are attending their courses entirely online from their home country. Despite the ever changing climate and challenges presented by COVID-19, these students have remained resilient and dedicated to furthering their legal education abroad.

All College of Law students, faculty, and staff are invited to join the UI Center for Human Rights and the College of Public Health in a reading of Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi. The book was the winner of the 2016 National Book Award for Nonfiction and has been honored with numerous awards. Kendi was named one of “The 100 Most Influential People of 2020” by Time magazine.