Dear Bowen friend:

Bowen has had an incredibly productive year. In August, we welcomed 148 first year students, including the first students in our Master of Studies in Law program. This past summer, we were under construction, updating the building’s HVAC system, revitalizing the landscaping, and renovating the bathrooms on the first and second floors. Bowen looks pretty good for its age.

Along with new students, we’ve welcomed six new faculty members this fall, including two tenure-track faculty members, two visiting RWA professors and two visiting clinicians. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Pat Harris has joined us as our Director of Advocacy. He’ll be leading our lawyering skills curriculum, trial teams, and moot court competition teams. These new faces bring a combination of teaching talent, impressive scholarly backgrounds, and legal experience to our students.

The Center for Racial Justice and Criminal Justice Reform continues to impact the lives of Arkansans. This year Center students worked with the Arkansas Judicial Council to host a statewide listening series connecting communities with the judges who serve them. The Center is also working on an Enhanced Community Policing Project with Walmart. This project will apply foundational research to reimagine and enhance law enforcement outreach efforts by working with Walmart and its stores in local markets. The Center currently employs Bowen student fellows and two recent Bowen graduates.

Our Public Interest Fellowship program provided seven students with summer income as they worked in public interest internships during the summer. They worked in immigration law, health law, access to justice, and judicial diversity projects.  Students secured their own positions and then applied for support through the Fellowship program.

Bowen’s partnership with the National Center for State Courts has led to a unique program that connects members of the law review with the National Conference of Chief Justices and the attorneys who represent them. This has opened the door for students to gets hands-on experience in matters that affect the operation of the state court systems, including providing research support for the state courts’ amicus briefs.

We’re pleased that the National Jurist preLaw Magazine has recognized all of Bowen’s hard work. The editors have named Bowen a Top Tax Law School, a Top Public Service Law School, one of the Most Innovative Law Schools, and a Best School for Racial Justice.

However hard our students work at their studies, the current economic downturn impacts how much they spend on necessities. In addition to scholarships and fellowships, Bowen offers book awards to help students pay for textbooks. Our food pantry fulfills almost 40 requests each month, and our Student Emergency Aid Fund helps students during unforeseen financial crises. We provide students with everything from gas cards to emergency rent support.

This is my last letter to you as Bowen’s dean. While I have been honored to lead the law school these past four years, I am returning to Bowen’s faculty and to my first love -- teaching. I have enjoyed visiting with all of you at events celebrating Bowen’s success, and I am proud of what we, with your help, have been able to accomplish.

Sincerely,

Dean Beiner

You are receiving this email because you are a graduate or friend
of the UA Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law. 
1201 McMath Avenue 
Little Rock, Arkansas  72202
ualr.edu/law