Facilities

The UA Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law is located just ten blocks from downtown Little Rock. This is convenient for our students who clerk or extern during law school, as it is an easy drive to federal, state and local government offices, many of the state’s largest law firms, and most large businesses and non-profit organizations. It also means working students in our part-time evening program have an easy commute to class. Parking is plentiful at the law school, and there are housing options within walking distance of the school.

Even from our close-to-downtown location, the outdoors are not far. Bowen’s building overlooks historic MacArthur Park, the Arkansas Arts Center and a dog park. We are also close to the Arkansas River Trail, the River Market District, the Historic Arkansas Museum, and the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum. We’re also an easy 30 minutes from Pinnacle Mountain State Park.

The law school’s proximity to downtown is also a tie to its history. We began 55 years ago in rented space above a downtown business, then relocated to a vacant courthouse, and eventually moved to this location in 1992.

Originally constructed in the 1930s to house the state’s medical school, our six-story building was completely renovated to create modern law classrooms and courtrooms while preserving the traditional art-deco-inspired exterior. Our classrooms include three courtrooms that are used to enhance the classroom experience and provide practice space. All classrooms are equipped with technology meant to improve students’ learning opportunities, and five of them are Zoom-enabled. The law school’s library has four floors of study spaces, both public and private, including seven reservable study rooms. It also doubles as the Pulaski County Law Library, which means you have access to more practice-related materials to build your skills.

The law school regularly hosts local bar association and legal education events, law-related special speaker and community events, and federal circuit court hearings. Our location also makes us accessible to adjunct instructors who are practicing attorneys or judges.

In addition to being Little Rock’s law school, we are home to:

  • the Pulaski County Bar Association;
  • the State Courts Partnership, the only such partnership with the Williamsburg, Virginia -based National Center for State Courts in the nation;
  • the Center for Racial Justice and Criminal Justice Reform, which focuses on improving the justice system in Arkansas; and
  • the Veterans Pro Bono Legal Services Center, which connects Arkansas’s veterans with attorneys who can assist them on a no-fee or low-fee basis.

The legal clinic – our law firm inside the law school – is the heart of Bowen’s experiential learning program. Here students, under the supervision of professors who are licensed attorneys, assist members of the public who cannot afford an attorney. There are seven legal clinics at Bowen, with practice areas ranging from family law to business formation. We also have a public service externship program that pairs students with lawyers in federal, state, and local agencies and non-profit institutions. Two practica programs provide opportunities for part-time students to work remotely as law clerks for judges and prosecutors across Arkansas to gain hands-on legal experience.

We are committed to the well-being of our students. We have a gym on the sixth floor so you can work out while overlooking the park and the city skyline. We also offer regular fitness classes such as yoga, HIIT classes, and strength training. Our location on MacArthur Park provides access to great walking paths where you can take a stroll between classes.

Bowen’s location and facilities are just another reason it is a great place to attend law school. Stop by to see for yourself.