After breaking ground nearly two years ago, the University of Wyoming’s College of Law officially opened a newly renovated northwest wing and the Alan K. Simpson Center for Clinical and Experiential Learning this week. Hundreds of current and former lawyers, politicians and university officials gathered Thursday afternoon in the west parking lot of the law building to celebrate the new addition of a 19,300-square-foot, two-story expansion of the historic law building.
The event also emphasized the significance of the college’s commitment to enhancing legal education and providing students with hands-on learning opportunities. “The energy is unmistakable on this day. It’s clear that this grand opening is as much of a celebration as it is a milestone in our history,” former Wyoming Supreme Court Chief Justice Marilyn Kite said.
“This law school is 104 years old, which is pretty amazing. Thousands of students have been educated in this school, and here we were taught to grow, to engage, to serve.” The college’s students and faculty have long since outgrown the space of the original building.
When this was brought to the attention of the American Bar Association’s accreditation review of the College of Law in 2013, the association noted the lack of space in the main building and its inconvenience required law students to travel to the annex office building across campus to participate in clinical practices. Recently named Dean and Wyoming Excellence Chair Julie A. Hill hit the ground running on June 26 and began working to prepare the building for the fall semester.
“Not many law school deans get this kind of welcome in their second official month of the job,” Hill said. “A $38.3 million new facility with 20,000 square feet of new construction and 18,500 square feet of renovated space — space in the new building for our clinical program, so our students don’t have to trek across Grand Avenue uphill both ways in the snow and all new faculty offices .
.. what more could a new law dean want? “I want to make sure that I recognize the hard work done by others to make this beautiful building possible.
A building is not much good all by itself. It makes its impact through the good work that goes on inside, and thankfully, my predecessors and their faculty set about building a strong clinical education program long before we had such a lovely building to house those clinics.” The Alan K.
Simpson Center for Clinical and Experiential Learning is aptly named after legendary Alan Simpson, a former U.S. senator, Wyoming politician and lawyer.
“This is the only institution on this campus named after a ‘C’ student,” Simpson said. “I never did graduate cum laude, [but] I graduated, thank the Lordy, [and] there would be legions of young lawyers who would be here this day. Obviously, I had a tough time at law school.
I had a paper that didn’t receive many accolades. It was called ‘The Role of Deceit in Estate Planning.’ There were 18 students in my class.
So I get to Harvard and they ask ‘What did you graduate in your class?’ I said, ‘18.’ They asked ‘how many were in your class?’ I said, ‘18.’” Former Wyoming Gov.
Mike Sullivan added: “I walked into the building, and I was taken aback at the seriousness. Here we are at the Alan K. Simpson Clinical and Experiential Learning Center, at a place where Alan Simpson himself was taught about justice and the rule of law and to care for your fellow man.
Since then, who has had more clinical or experiential learning in their lives than Alan? He has given it, and he’s taken it.” Sullivan also described Simpson’s extensive background in the world of law, including his work in the Wyoming House of Representatives, the U.S.
Senate, teaching at Harvard University’s Institute of Politics, being awarded the Golden Blade Award from the American Academy of Achievement, the Paul Douglas Award for ethics in government and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. “I tend to think students come here with a skull full of Wyoming values and leave thinking like Al Simpson,” U.S.
Sen. John Barrasso said. “Thinking ‘what can I do to make this place better and leave a better world behind?’ So Al, thank you so much for your friendship, your leadership and your advocacy for this great university, for the law school and for this great state of Wyoming.
” According to a 1996 article titled “History of the University of Wyoming College of Law: The First Seventy-Five Years” for the Land & Water Review (Vol. 31, Issue 1) by former Wyoming Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Golden, several students attending the university filed a petition with the Board of Trustees in January 1920, asking for a law school to be opened on campus. The law school opened its doors on Sept.
21, 1920, with a class of three students; Kelly Dukes, Edward Madden and Michael Wind. The school operated out of Science Hall in the Geology Building for three years. In 1923, the school migrated to the then recently constructed Aven Nelson Library on the west end of campus near Ninth Street and Ivinson Avenue.
It occupied a part of the third floor and began the growing collection of the law library. After 30 years, the College of Law moved to its own separate location on Ivinson Avenue, and a ceremony took place on Oct. 3, 1953.
But while the location was a step in the right direction it would not be the final move. With classes gradually growing from three to 12 and then to more than 20 students, another new building was needed. In 1977, a new building was ready, and the college has occupied the current space since.
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