School of Law Records, 1901-1997
Collection Overview
Title: School of Law Records, 1901-1997
ID: UA108
Primary Creator: School of Law, University of North Dakota (1899-)
Extent: 5.0 Linear Feet
Subjects: Legal, University of North Dakota - Academic Departments, University of North Dakota - Law School
Languages: English
Scope and Contents of the Materials
The School of Law Records have been divided into seven series:
Series 1: Administrative
Series 2: Degrees
Series 3: Programs
Series 4: Seminars and Speakers
Series 5: University of North Dakota
Series 6: Organizations
Series 7: Faculty Files
Collection Historical Note
The School of Law at the University of North Dakota was established in 1899, the first professional school to begin operation within the university. Guy H. Corliss, a Grand Forks lawyer and the first chief justice of the North Dakota Supreme Court, was selected as the first dean. The only full-time instructor during the early years of the program, John E. Blair, a recent Harvard Law graduate, served as the secretary of the law school and directed the curriculum and operations. In 1904, when Andrew Bruce accepted the deanship, admission standards were lowered to require only two years of high school; nearly all students passed their courses and enrollment grew relatively strong. Early graduates were admitted to practice law without an equivalent of today's Bar, which was instituted in 1905 on Bruce's recommendation.
When Frank McVey became President of UND in 1909, incoming law students were required to possess a high school certificate and the program was lengthened to three years. Soon after, the program was accredited by the American Association of Law Schools. By McVey's retirement in 1917, incoming students were required to have completed two years of collegiate study and new program and degree options were instituted, most of which could not be implemented until students returned from World War I.
Due to a national movement at the recommendation of the American Bar Association, the UND School of Law changed its degree distinction from a Bachelor of Law (LL.B.) to a Juris Doctor (J.D.) with the graduating class of 1968. Previously the J.D. was awarded only to those law students who had earned an undergraduate degree in addition to their law degree; those that enrolled directly to the School of Law without a Bachelor degree had earned a LL.B. The elimination of the LL.B. was influenced by national trends, but also by increased standards in the UND School of Law: all incoming students were now required to hold an undergraduate degree and a new curriculum was established that required every student to enroll in legal writing and research seminars. In a special commencement ceremony on October 11, 1969 at the Gamble Hall auditorium, 94 alumni-who previously held a LL.B. from the UND School of Law-were retroactively awarded a J.D.; an additional 245 alumni received the retroactive J.D., but were unable to attend the ceremony. Alumni who had previously graduated with the J.D. were retroactively awarded a J.D. "with distinction."
The School of Law building houses the Thormodsgard Law Library, named for Olaf H. Thormodsgard, Dean of the Law School from 1931 to 1962. More than 312,000 volumes are housed in the Law Library. The School of Law's first publication, the Law Bulletin, was introduced in 1914. Today it publishes the North Dakota Law Review, which is the journal of the State Bar Association of North Dakota. Some of the professional development activities in which students participate include Moot Court Board, Student Bar Association, Law Women's Caucus, and the Student Trial Association. Special Programs offered by the School of Law today include the Joint Degree program (M.P.A./J.D.), the Native American Law Project, the Tribal Environmental Law Project, the Tribal Justice Institute, and an exchange program to Norway.
The School of Law at UND is the only law school in the state.
Subject/Index Terms
Administrative Information
Repository: Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections
Access Restrictions: Open for inspection under the rules and regulations of the Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections.
Acquisition Method: Transfer from the School of Law at an unknown date
Preferred Citation: (Description of Item). School of Law Records. UA 108, Box #, Item #. Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections, Chester Fritz Library, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks.
Finding Aid Revision History: Finding aid added to Archon in January 2015.
Box and Folder Listing
Browse by Series:
[Series 1: Administrative],
[Series 2: Degrees],
[Series 3: Programs],
[Series 4: Seminars and Speakers],
[Series 5: University of North Dakota],
[Series 6: Organizations],
[Series 7: Faculty Files],
[All]
- Series 1: Administrative
- This series contains correspondence, financial documents, policies, reports and other administrative material. The correspondence mainly consists of letters between the Dean of the Law School and other university officials, while the financial records include budgetary, scholarship, and financial aid documents. Also included are files on the construction of a new law building, annual and biennial reports, and policy statements.
- Box 1
- Folder 1: Admission Statistics, 1944-1950
- Folder 2: Bar Exam Review, 1963-1971
- Folder 3: Correspondence - President Thomas Kane, December 5, 1928
- Folder 4: Correspondence - President John C. West, 1933-1951
- Folder 5: Correspondence - President George W. Starcher, 1954-1965
- Folder 6: Correspondence - J.W. Wilkerson, Business Manager, 1932-1946
- Folder 7: Correspondence - E.W. Olson, Business Manager, 1933-1957
- Folder 8: Correspondence - R.O. Wilson, 1943-1944
- Folder 9: Correspondence - Registrar's Office, June-December 1962
- Folder 10: Correspondence - Interpretations of North Dakota Law by Lay School Faculty, 1932-1943
- Folder 11: Financial - Financial Aid and Scholarship Information, 1941-1966
- Folder 12: Financial - Florence Yonaka Loan Fund, 1954-1957
- Folder 13: Financial - Harry Lashkowitz Memorial Trust Fund, 1964-1970
- Folder 14: Financial - Law School Budget, 1940-1968
- Folder 15: Law Library, December 7, 1956
- Folder 16: Law School Alumni, 1937-1964
- Folder 17: Law School Banquet, 1934-1963
- Folder 18: Law School Faculty Meeting Minutes, October 10, 1967
- Folder 19: Law School Honors Day, 1963-1964
- Folder 20: Law School Law Day, 1963-1969
- Folder 21: Law School Law Day - Moot Court Competition, 1965-1971
- Folder 22: Law School Radio Commercial, undated
- Folder 23: Legal Aid Association, 1971-1973
- Folder 24: New Law Building, 1959-1965
- Folder 25: New Law Building, 1966-1972
- Folder 26: News Releases, 1964-1965
- Folder 27: North Dakota Law Review, 1954-1962
- Folder 28: Policies - Admissions, 1962-1973
- Folder 29: Policies - Assorted, 1920 and undated
- Folder 30: Reports - Annual, 1955-1956
- Folder 31: Reports - Biennial, 1921-1952
- Folder 32: ROTC Credits, November 18, 1968
- Folder 33: Selective Service and the Law Student, October-November 1967
- Folder 50: Correspondence by John Blair to Board of Trustees, ca. 1901
- Folder 1: Admission Statistics, 1944-1950
- Box 1
- Series 2: Degrees
- This series contains various documents regarding the Law School's change from the Bachelor of Law (LL.B.) degree to the Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree. Also included is material regarding the Honorary Degree bestowed upon United States District Court Judge Edward Devitt.
- Series 3: Programs
- The third series contains documents regarding the Rural Apprenticeship Program, in which ten to fifteen students would spend a summer interning at a rural law firm.
- Series 4: Seminars and Speakers
- The fourth series pertains to seminars and speakers sponsored by the Law School. The largest portion of the series deals with Continuing Legal Education, a program for already practicing attorneys. The remaining folders deal with other seminars, as well as general correspondence with speakers, and the Law Forum on Leading Legal Issues.
- Box 1
- Folder 39: American Academy of Judicial Education, August-December 1973
- Folder 40: Censorship and the Arts Panel, March-June 1967
- Folder 41: Continuing Legal Education - Annual Meeting Seminar, April-July 1974
- Folder 42: Continuing Legal Education - Comparative Negligence Seminar, July-October 1973
- Folder 43: Continuing Legal Education Program, 1973-1975
- Folder 44: Continuing Legal Education - General Correspondence, 1967-1976
- Folder 45: Continuing Legal Education - Winter Seminar, 1972-1975
- Folder 46: Continuing Legal Education - Law Office Management Seminar, 1975-1976
- Folder 47: Continuing Legal Education - Uniform Probate Code Seminar, 1973-1974
- Folder 48: Continuing Legal Education - Young Lawyers Seminar, March-April 1976
- Folder 49: General Correspondence - Speakers, 1967-1970
- Folder 39: American Academy of Judicial Education, August-December 1973
- Box 2
- Folder 1: International Symposium, 1967-1971
- Folder 2: International Symposium on the Leading Rights of Indians - Transcripts, March 7-8, 1969
- Folder 3: Indian Court Judges Annual Training Course, 1963-1967
- Folder 4: Law for the Farmer Program, 1963-1967
- Folder 5: Law Forum on Leading Legal Issues - Sperry & Hutchinson Company, 1963-1967
- Folder 6: Legislative Staff Development Seminar, August 26, 1968
- Folder 7: Oliver Wendell Homes Lecture, 1965-1967
- Folder 1: International Symposium, 1967-1971
- Box 4
- Folder 7: "Telemedicine: The Intersection of Law, Medicine, and Technology. A Symposium Presented by the North Dakota Law Review." (folder 1 of 2), 1997
- Folder 8: "Telemedicine: The Intersection of Law, Medicine, and Technology. A Symposium Presented by the North Dakota Law Review." (folder 2 of 2), 1997
- Folder 7: "Telemedicine: The Intersection of Law, Medicine, and Technology. A Symposium Presented by the North Dakota Law Review." (folder 1 of 2), 1997
- Box 1
- Series 5: University of North Dakota
- The prominent topic in this series is the Jackson Committee, which consisted of seven faculty members and seven students whose responsibility was to study the conduct of the Dean of Men, Ronald Jackson, and to the study the dispute on who should control various aspects of the dormitories. The documents contain correspondence between committee members and witnesses, the reports distributed by the committee and a resolution signed by many students. The Jackson Committee was chaired by Law School Dean Jerrold Walden. Other topics in the series include correspondence between the School of Science, Literature, and the Arts, the University College, and Veteran's Housing and Administration.
- Box 2
- Folder 8: Jackson Committee, March-October 1965
- Folder 9: Jackson Committee - Student Petitions, undated
- Folder 10: Science, Literature and Arts, School of, 1948-1962
- Folder 11: University College, 1957-1960
- Folder 12: University of North Dakota Placement Service, 1971-1972
- Folder 13: University Seal, 1956
- Folder 14: Veteran's Housing and Administration, 1945-1951
- Folder 8: Jackson Committee, March-October 1965
- Box 2
- Series 6: Organizations
- Materials in the sixth series mainly regard the State Bar Association of North Dakota, the American Bar Association, the Association of American Law Schools, and the Order of the Coif. Documents in this series include correspondence, budgetary information, historical and administrative documents, and questionnaires.
- Box 2
- Folder 15: State Bar Association of North Dakota, 1964-1967
- Folder 16: State Bar Association of North Dakota - Law School Improvement Committee, 1964-1966
- Folder 17: State Bar Association of North Dakota - Law School Liaison Committee, September 10, 1969
- Folder 18: American Bar Association, 1960-1965
- Folder 19: American Bar Association - Questionnaire, 1949
- Folder 20: American Bar Association - Junior Bar Conference, 1935-1962
- Folder 21: Association of American Law Schools, 1932-1969
- Folder 22: Association of American Law Schools - Questionnaires, 1933-1957
- Folder 23: Association of American Law Schools - Visit by Dean Lockhart, 1963-1965
- Folder 24: American Law Student Association, 1963-1965
- Folder 25: Highway Research Program, 1962-1964
- Folder 26: Legislative Research Committee, 1952-1966
- Folder 27: Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, 1958-1962
- Folder 28: Order of the Coif - Correspondence, 1936
- Folder 29: Order of the Coif - Correspondence, 1936-1937
- Folder 30: Order of the Coif - Correspondence, 1938
- Folder 31: Order of the Coif - Correspondence, 1939
- Folder 32: Order of the Coif - Correspondence, 1947-1948
- Folder 33: Order of the Coif - Correspondence, 1949
- Folder 34: Order of the Coif - Correspondence, 1950-1962
- Folder 35: Order of the Coif - Minutes, 1928-1948
- Folder 36: Order of the Coif - Historical & Organization, 1945-1958
- Folder 37: Order of the Coif - Treasurer, 1949-1962
- Folder 15: State Bar Association of North Dakota, 1964-1967
- Box 2
- Series 7: Faculty Files
- The final series are the Faculty Files, which are arranged in alphabetical order by last name. The documents included in the folders are correspondence, course documents, bar briefs, scholarly publications, and any other documents pertaining to the faculty member.
- Box 3
- Folder 1: Beck, Robert, 1962-1969
- Folder 2: Beck, Robert, 1970-1976
- Folder 3: Buckley, Thomas, 1964-1966
- Folder 4: Crabb, John H., 1956-1967
- Folder 5: Cunningham, Harold D., 1957-1970
- Folder 6: Davidow, Robert P., 1966-1972
- Folder 7: Fisch, William, 1965-1969
- Folder 8: Goldberg, Joseph, 1968-1975
- Folder 9: Heckman, Charles A., 1969-1971
- Folder 10: Karabus, Alan, 1965-1975
- Folder 11: Kuhns, Richard B., 1969-1974
- Folder 12: Margulies, Martin B., 1966-1977
- Folder 13: Matthews, Paul C., 1952-1967
- Folder 14: McLaughlin, B. E., July 8, 1965
- Folder 15: Pace, Thomas, S. 1970-1971
- Folder 16: Partan, Daniel, April-November 1964
- Folder 17: Partan, Daniel, 1965-1966
- Folder 18: Phillips, Walter R., 1962-1969
- Folder 19: Schwabacher, Christopher, 1966-1968
- Folder 20: Simet, Donald, 1965-1967
- Folder 21: Teitelbaum, Lee, 1968-1970
- Folder 22: Thormodsgard, Olaf H., 1970-1972
- Folder 23: Tibbles, Lance, 1971-1973
- Folder 24: Tibbles, Lance, 1974-1975
- Folder 25: Tisdale, Ross, 1933-1974
- Folder 1: Beck, Robert, 1962-1969
- Box 4
- Box 3
Browse by Series:
[Series 1: Administrative],
[Series 2: Degrees],
[Series 3: Programs],
[Series 4: Seminars and Speakers],
[Series 5: University of North Dakota],
[Series 6: Organizations],
[Series 7: Faculty Files],
[All]