Build Practical Legal Skills
Participation in co-curricular activities provides students with practical legal skills, professional development opportunities, and meaningful connections with peers, faculty, and the broader legal community. The following programs are open to students after their first year of law school.
Academic Journals
UALR Law Review
The UALR Law Review is a student-edited academic journal, publishing scholarly articles on a broad range of legal topics. Students serve as editors responsible for cite-checking, source verification, and substantive editing of faculty and practitioner submissions.
Students also write their own legal scholarship, which may satisfy the upper-level writing graduation requirement. Membership provides rigorous training in legal research and writing and is a highly regarded credential for clerkship and academic career paths.
How to Join: Students in the top 12% of the class after 1L year will be invited to join. Other students may join through the Summer Write-on Competition.
Questions?
Email Lauren Baser or Nick Doerhoff
Arkansas Journal of Social Change and Public Service
The Arkansas Journal of Social Change and Public Service publishes scholarship at the intersection of law, policy, and social justice, with a particular focus on issues relevant to Arkansas and the surrounding region.
Student editors gain experience with legal publishing while engaging with topics in public interest law, civil rights, and community-centered advocacy. Membership in the Journal, like being on Review, provides highly regarded credentialing for judicial clerkships and career opportunities.
How to Join: Summer Write-on Competition
Questions?
Email Julia Capella
Experiential and Skills Programs
Mock Trial
Mock Trial focuses on trial-level advocacy, including witness direct and cross examination, opening statements, closing arguments, and the introduction of evidence by focusing on evidentiary objections and responding to objections during trial.
Students simulate the experience of trying a case from both the plaintiff’s and defense’s perspectives, developing courtroom presence and persuasive technique. Bowen’s Mock Trial teams participate in national competitions in the Fall and Spring of each semester.
How to Join: 1Ls and 2Ls must try out in April and be selected and must take the Mock Trial class on Friday mornings in the Fall semester.
Questions:
Email Director Pat Harris
Moot Court
Moot Court provides students with the opportunity to develop appellate advocacy skills, including legal research, brief writing, and oral argument. Students compete in interscholastic competitions representing Bowen against teams from law schools across the country.
Participation in Moot Court is one of the most effective ways to build oral advocacy and written communication skills.
How to Join: Nomination by an RWA professor.
Questions:
Email Professor Caroline Boch
Court Observation Arkansas (COAR) Project
The Court Observation Arkansas (COAR) Project is a program housed at the Center for Racial Justice and Criminal Justice Reform. It engages students in empirical research and professional development focused on the Arkansas court system.
Participants observe court proceedings, conduct judicial interviews, and contribute to data analysis, legal research, and writing projects that inform ongoing reform efforts. Through this work, students develop a practical understanding of courtroom procedure, decision-making, and the realities of legal practice, while strengthening core lawyering skills such as research, analysis, and professional communication.
COAR is especially valuable for students interested in litigation, public service, or policy-oriented careers.
How to Join: Spring application for summer and fall semesters.