Our network of support

The learning environment at the SIU School of Law encourages rather than intimidates. Our low-student faculty ratio, friendly staff, student organizations, and programs like Orientation generate a genuine team spirit among the student body and an atmosphere that lets students know they enjoy the support of the law school community.

ACADEMIC SUCCESS PROGRAM

At Southern Illinois University School of Law, we want you to succeed as a law student and as a lawyer. To assist you in developing the skills you need to succeed, we are in the forefront of law schools in offering a program from orientation through bar preparation. We also offer additional support to those who face challenges after the first semester. Finally, we provide support before and during bar preparation.

Did you know?

At the Southern Illinois University School of law, all first- year law students are assigned to a study group led by a Taylor Mattis Fellow who meets with each group throughout the first year of law school?

TECHNOLOGY

We use technology to enhance our students’ learning experience. From the moment they enter the building using their personal keypad entry code, technology touches every aspect of their daily lives. Our faculty uses laptops, data projectors, the Internet, and “smart podiums” as part of daily classroom instruction.

Our School of Law Library, accessible to students 24 hours a day, offers twenty-five computer workstations and free Internet access. Students can also use e-mail stations located in our cafeteria, a wireless network and numerous ethernet jacks located throughout the building. Law students also enjoy free access to four computer learning centers located on the campus of Southern Illinois University.

MENTOR PROGRAM

Each first-year student is matched with a mentor from the School of Law faculty. Mentors help first-year law students understand the processes and demands of law school, make informed academic choices, and work through professional questions. Mentors can be valuable resources for first-year law students regarding the opportunities a legal education can provide.

ORIENTATION

Through a three day series of speakers, panels, workshops, and social events, second and third year students help the incoming first year class adjust to life at the School of Law. Updated each year and run by faculty and students, Orientation covers a wide range of topics from buying books to writing case briefs. Students also receive information on the wide range of services offered by the School of Law and the SIU campus.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Your career as a lawyer begins now. You will explore some of the core values of the legal profession and draft a class oath. You will take the oath as Lawyers in Training at an Induction Ceremony presided by Supreme Court Justice. You will also explore career preparation as part of the Professional Development program, which received the coveted E. Smythe Gambrell Professionalism Award.