WELCOME
Warm greetings from the Boyd Law Building!
As the dean of Iowa Law, I am humbled by the 155-year history of this great law school. Today, the College of Law has a strong faculty, a devoted and impressive alumni base, and wonderful values of collegiality. In challenging times, the world needs leaders and Iowa Law has produced many generations of leaders. All of us feel a deep responsibility to uphold Iowa Law's tradition of excellence. Our role is as important now as it ever has been.
Our Place
Iowa City is a friendly and vibrant Big Ten college town with the conveniences of a large city and the heart of a small town. Iowa Law is a great place to earn a legal education or excel as a legal scholar. Not only does it house the largest public law school library in the United States, the research staff is first-rate and students have their own carrels bathed in natural light located in a soaring space with windows looking out over the Iowa River.
Our People
Iowa Law has a unique culture that values collaboration more than competition. It is a warm and congenial community where students hail from across the country and possess views across the political spectrum. But they come together here civilly and constructively to debate controversial topics and learn to solve thorny problems. They become collaborative colleagues and often lifelong friends. When they graduate, our students take with them a desire and a commitment to lead our world to a better future. And they go far. Our 10,500+ alumni network spans the state, the nation, and the world.
Our Programs
Iowa Law is a small school with big advantages: a collegial environment built around the power of teamwork, highly regarded faculty who can teach students to analyze issues from all angles, and hands-on opportunities that turn theoretical concepts into actual experience. Iowa Law is one of only two US law schools with a federal criminal defense clinic. We have four well-known law journals, a robust field placement program, and a storied legal writing program. These are just a few ways Iowa Law sets up students for success.
We look forward to seeing you in Iowa City or online soon. Welcome to our community.
Kevin K. Washburn
N. William Hines Dean and Professor of Law
MISSION AND VALUES
We believe that the most effective lawyers are more than a skilled technician or advocate. They’re counselors at law in the fullest sense of the term.
Everything that distinguishes us at Iowa Law—the intellectual rigor of our program, our commitment to supporting every ambition, the civility and collaborative work ethic of our close-knit community—is designed to prepare you to serve as a counselor to your clients. The profession of law confers a privilege and profound responsibility on those who choose it, and we are committed to instruction that goes beyond legal doctrine and theory to the human qualities we ourselves embrace—the importance of character, integrity, and collegiality.
Mission Statement
The mission of the University of Iowa College of Law is serving the people of Iowa, the nation and the world by providing a superior legal education for our students that is grounded in both theory and practice and enables them to have the competence and professionalism to succeed in any and all legal settings; engaging in leading-edge research concerning law-related questions; disseminating the resulting scholarship widely to scholars, legal professionals, policy-makers and the public; and performing professional and public service activities consistent with our teaching and research obligations.
Core Values
For guidance in planning, setting priorities, and making decisions, the College looks to the seven interdependent commitments that are the University of Iowa's Core Values:
- Excellence
- Learning
- Integrity
- Respect
- Community
- Diversity
- Responsibility
Who is Jean de Fiennes?
This bronze sculpture that appears in the front of the Boyd Law Building is an original work of art by Auguste Rodin.
