ANCHORAGE - It could get easier for Alaskans to get a law degree: In fact, if a new proposal is approved, a lot of the course work could be done right here on the UAA campus.
UAA and Seattle University Law School have signed a letter of intent to establish a program that would let Alaskans working towards a law degree take their first three years of course work in Alaska. The program still needs approval on several levels before it could go through, including an okay from the American Bar Association.
“We have a social justice mission where we look to educate lawyers, as we say, for a just and humane world, and to the extent that we can reach out to Alaskans who maybe wouldn't have had the opportunity to attend law school – whether that's locally or in rural Alaska – these are things we are deeply committed to and it's a perfect alignment with what the University of Alaska Anchorage does here for this community as well," said Stephanie M. Nichols, of the Seattle University School of Law.
No timeline has been announced yet for final approval of the program and a starting date.
The two universities have offered law school classes for the past 10 years at UAA.
