Message from Kevin H. Smith, Interim Dean
and Thomas B. Preston Professor of Law

The faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends of the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law of the University of Memphis are engaged in two unprecedented projects that will shape the law program for the next generation. 

Construction has begun on a new home in the renovated Customs House and Post Office, a downtown, riverfront building that also once served as the federal courthouse.  Scheduled to welcome students in the fall of 2009, the state-of-the-art building will feature modern classrooms, both large and small; three high-tech courtrooms that will be used for training students in advocacy, holding moot court competitions, and accommodating visiting appellate courts; a significantly larger law library; dedicated space for the Legal Clinic, which currently is housed in the Memphis Area Legal Services; and more office space for student organizations.  Located in the heart of the Memphis legal and business district, the new building will be a vital resource for the public and the legal community.

But a law school is more than just bricks and mortar; it also is people and programs.  The School of Law is engaged in a $12 million capital campaign to support all three.  The first $6 million raised supported the relocation of the postal employees.  The next $6 million will be used in equal parts to endow student scholarships, professorships, and programmatic initiatives.

We are grateful to all who have invested in the future of the School of Law.